IT for government and public sector

NHS Digital starts on multi-cloud push with VMware Cloud on AWS deployment

NHS Digital has adopted a cloud-first strategy to ensure it has the correct infrastructure in place to support the online delivery needs of its service users Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Northern Ireland generating cyber security knowledge and jobs

Northern Ireland is establishing itself as an international hub of cyber security research and innovation, providing growing employment opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government 'cloud-first' policy under review by CCS and GDS

Longstanding cloud-first policy set to be replaced by more "appropriate" guidance to reflect public sector's changing technology deployment habits, CCS confirms Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

MP sets out concerns over GP at Hand software

Concerns raised over the robustness and breadth of the software underpinning Babylon Health’s app amid calls for an inquiry into the tool Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Gov.uk Verify is the Theresa May of digital government

Gov.uk Verify is the Theresa May of digital government. The embattled Prime Minister faces calls to quit from all around – her own Conservative MPs, grassroots Tory activists, the right-wing press ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Gov.uk Verify has 'failed users' and its leaders lack accountability, say MPs

Public Accounts Committee slams government's flagship digital identity service after a ‘catalogue of problems’ Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Time to start thinking about AI regulation, says KuppingerCole

Organisations and individuals should think about regulating artificial intelligence to avoid sleepwalking into a future regulated by these technologies, says analyst Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Highways England trials self-driving trucks for roadworks

A pilot is aimed at reducing project timescales and increasing worker safety, though vehicles are expected to take another two to three years to be fully operating Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Technical error on Capita system puts Barnet council staff out of pocket

A system error that led to Barnet council staff being incorrectly paid is the latest complaint about a back-office outsourcing contract with Capita Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 14

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload, editor-in-chief Bryan Glick joins Brian McKenna and Caroline Donnelly to discuss the technology used in BBC drama Line of Duty, the latest twists and turns in the Huawei saga, and open source cloud trends Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

Greater Manchester invites bidders for public sector broadband

£32m tender request will enable ultrafast full-fibre connectivity to more than 1,300 public sector sites in Greater Manchester Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nurturing innovation at DWP

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the Department for Work and Pensions’ Innovation Dojo and how it’s helping to try out new digital ideas. We look at Anthos, Google’s new multicloud platform which the supplier claims will redefine enterprise IT. And we report from the NCSC cyber security conference, where experts discussed the lessons learned from recent high-profile attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Tech manifesto calls on health secretary to ‘get basics right’

Royal College of GPs says joining up IT systems is essential to enable innovation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Swedish government tells citizens to hoard cash in case of cyber attack

Civil Contingencies Agency says cash is needed in case of emergencies such as technology failures and cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HMRC begins deleting unlawful voice biometric data

HM Revenue and Customs is to forge ahead with Voice ID despite beginning to delete the largest state-held voice biometric database gathered without consent after UK privacy and data protection watchdog issues order Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Labour calls for creation of ministry for cyber security

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jo Platt accuses government of failing to provide leadership to fend off cyber risks Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Police down two dark web markets

Europol-supported coordinated law enforcement approach across Europe and the US was key to operations’ success Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lloyd’s of London unveils digital ambitions

Reforms will include a split into two automated exchanges, which is expected to boost performance and savings while reducing cost of services to customers Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Department of Health enhances medical innovation programme

The Accelerated Access Collaborative initiative is expected to fast-track pioneering treatments and produce multimillion-pound savings to the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Boots appoints former NHS IT executive as director of innovation

Retailer Boots has enlisted Richard Corbridge, former chief digital and information officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, to support its digital transformation initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

PA Consulting announces 2019 winners of Raspberry Pi Competition

Consulting brand focused on innovation and business transformation has announced the winners of its 2019 coding competition run in partnership with Raspberry Pi Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Defence secretary sacked over Huawei leak

Defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been sacked after leaking confidential discussions over the use of Huawei networking equipment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Department of Health pushes online regulation agenda

Tech giants commit to initiative to remove harmful content from their websites but MPs call for further changes in algorithms Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Chancellor Hammond regrets uncertainty of the elephant in the room in speech to the fintechs

Chancellor of the Exchequer addresses fintechs on day two of Innovate Finance Summit 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK gears up for new laws on IoT security

The UK plans to introduce measures to require that basic cyber security features are built into internet-connected devices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data model design tips to help standardize business data

Data models should be understandable to business users and kept to a reasonable scope, say the leaders of a data modeling initiative at England's Environment Agency. Continue Reading

By

• Craig Stedman, Industry Editor

Every NHS body to get full-fibre broadband, says health secretary

Matt Hancock announces plans to give every NHS organisation and community care service access to full-fibre broadband services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Department for International Trade slashes tech SME funding

Smaller UK companies will see their ability to showcase their offerings at large international events compromised, trade bodies say Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Does the UK government want to support tech SMEs in 'Global Britain' or not?

The reluctance of the government to commit to continued support for UK tech SMEs overseas is baffling Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Fix the basics first, then worry about AI, advise experts

The freedom of the internet is at risk, with the cyber arms race and the industrialisation of hacking are set to continue as attackers move up the value chain to target trust mechanisms, threat experts predict Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Office to award £300m contract for management of biometric services

Government department is behind schedule in the selection of suppliers to work on two platforms covering fingerprints, DNA and facial matching capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ofcom must rethink rural broadband USO, says Lords report

There are still serious concerns about whether or not the 10Mbps broadband USO is fit for purpose, and Ofcom needs to take account of them, according to The House of Lords Select Committee for the Rural Economy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Dylan Roberts, CDIO, Leeds City Council

After 15 years leading technology in Leeds, Dylan Roberts is building a digital ecosystem for the entire region, even looking at how digital services can help extend life expectancy for local people Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Digital map of UK underground pipes and cables to be developed

The Underground Asset Register is expected to reduce the costs and safety issues associated with maintaining underground cables and pipes Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Huawei leak inquiry launched

Cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill has instituted an inquiry aimed at discovering who leaked confidential discussions about UK mobile operators’ use of Huawei in their future 5G networks to the press Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Central government fails to meet SME tech spending targets

Smaller businesses find it “impossible” to win public sector tenders while the number of single-bid contracts rises, report says Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dutch road management organisation encourages startups to innovate

Dutch highway management agency RWS is sharing data with the private sector to stimulate innovation Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

UK up for cyber challenge but work to be done, says minister

Lidington says National Cyber Security Strategy has “revolutionised the UK’s fight against cyber threats” Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC and ICO pledge to support data breach victims

The UK’s cyber security agency and privacy watchdog have agreed to work together to improve support for data breach victims and enhance cyber guidance Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

European Union to create central biometrics database

New rules will see the introduction of a repository of personal data from hundreds of millions of citizens to support law enforcement across member states Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cabinet Office seeks chief digital information officer

The newly created role will sit within the Government Digital Service and lead a 630-strong reporting function for digital, data and technology strategy Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

No final decision taken on Huawei 5G ban, government claims

Culture secretary tells MPs that a final decision on use of Huawei in UK 5G networks has not been taken, and says government is taking the leak of confidential discussions at the National Security Council very seriously Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

JEDI cloud chief quits as award date for controversial 10-year US government cloud deal nears

Chris Lynch, director of the US Defence Digital Service, has assured staff that the 10-year JEDI cloud project will proceed as he confirms his departure Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

School should prepare kids for the digital workplace, say teachers

Many teachers say school should prepare young people for working in a digital environment, but a number of schools are underinvesting in technology Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cabinet Office addresses 5G security issue

Cabinet Office uses NCSC conference to lay out government’s approach to the security of 5G networks, as controversy grows around using equipment from Chinese supplier Huawei Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC looks to industry to scale Active Cyber Defence

The national cyber security agency is calling on wider government organisations as well as industry to help scale automated cyber attack blocking systems country-wide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobile phones and health: is 5G being rolled out too fast?

European countries are rolling out 5G mobile communications at breakneck speed as they seek to gain a competitive edge over the US and Asia. But some scientists have raised questions about the effects of 5G mobile phone radiation on public health and are calling for a precautionary approach Continue Reading

By

• Crina Boros
• Investigate Europe
• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Internet Watch Foundation raises stakes in war against online child porn

Organisation’s work around tackling the spread of child sexual abuse imagery is being enhanced with advanced video tagging technology and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NCSC to scale up intelligence sharing, says GCHQ director

The GCHQ director has outlined the agency’s cyber security mission in the third decade of the internet age at CyberUK, promising to scale up the sharing of declassified cyber intelligence with industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Market must address IT failures in large infrastructure projects, government says

If companies want certainty that strategic investment will continue post Brexit, they need to address areas such as technical complexity management, says the chief executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

PM May approves Huawei for use in 5G networks despite opposition

The UK’s National Security Council has approved the use of Huawei’s networking equipment in parts of the country’s 5G mobile networks in spite of widespread opposition Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global intelligence agencies share UK stage for first time

Representatives of intelligence agencies from the Five Eyes alliance are to share a public platform in the UK for the first time at this year’s NCSC CyberUK conference Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

London Ambulance Service trials real-time access to patient data

The NHS Identity Service pilot enables clinicians to access summary care records on secure iPads Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital court system reaches first key milestones

The platform rolled out at Crown Courts in England and Wales a year ago has increased speed and efficiency of online citizen services and saved 100 million sheets of paper so far Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Open doors at Huawei in China as it mounts defence

Computer Weekly was on a recent UK press tour of Huawei’s new campus in Dongguan, China. The company is opening up as it faces US criticism for alleged complicity with China’s security apparatus Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

NCSC urges better online security practices

UK cyber security agency is urging citizens to improve online safety and password security after research reveals most-hacked passwords and a survey exposes gaps in online security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government adds voice to citizen services delivery

Voice technology enables access to more than 12,000 information items through Alexa or Google Home Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

20 firms join Tech Nation’s cyber security scale-up programme

Tech Nation scale-up programme is designed to boost the UK’s cyber sector, accelerate the growth of its top companies and build a robust, cross-industry network Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Widespread adoption of digital ID could boost economic growth

New study argues that the standard could bring benefits to businesses in sectors such as financial services as well as government – but it all depends on high adoption rates Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

State-sponsored hackers are hijacking DNS, researchers warn

A DNS-hijacking campaign targeting the Middle East and Africa may lead to actors more broadly attacking the global DNS system Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government to introduce online porn age checks

World-first regulations will see age verification introduced in July and enforced by the British Board of Film Classification. Non-compliant sites risk withdrawal of payment services or being blocked Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

HM Land Registry completes blockchain trial

HM Land Registry’s blockchain project is part of a wider digital transformation initiative which aims to simplify and speed up the process of buying and selling property Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government says no conflict of interest in trial despite Post Office chairman’s dual role

BEIS refutes MP’s suggestion of Post Office chairman’s conflict of interest in group litigation case involving Horizon IT system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Middle East CIOs optimistic as budgets increase and digital transformations expand

Cyber security and risk management will see the biggest increase in spending, but digital transformation of businesses is a major driver of investment, survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Politics, privacy and porn: the challenges of age-verification technology

The age-verification requirements of the Digital Economy Act are to come into force in July this year, but registering people’s personal details for accessing age-restricted content carries significant risks and challenges Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

TfL suspends Wi-Fi service as Extinction Rebellion spreads

Transport for London has cut off its public Virgin Media Wi-Fi service to disrupt climate change protests Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Home Office curbs bulk emails following data breach

Department has introduced new rules for mass messaging after exposing email addresses of EU settled status scheme applicants Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Findings published from three-month pilot for NHS App

Biometric login functionality and additional repeat prescription ordering capability are among the enhancements made in response to user feedback to the NHS App Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Surviving the existential cyber punch

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

By

• Gregory Touhill, ISACA

MP questions government over Post Office Horizon case

Labour MP asks the government about the costs associated with the Post Office Horizon legal battle Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch national weather service adopts cloud to expand service offerings

The migration of legacy systems to an AWS set-up will precede the design of a real-time early warning centre for the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital transformation at the Crown Prosecution Service

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how the Crown Prosecution Service is helping to transform the UK justice system with a world-first digital overhaul. We report from Google’s cloud conference on the firm’s plans to expand its presence in enterprise IT. And we look at the opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence in the education sector. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Digital transformation sees CPS build evidence of more efficient services

The introduction of fully digital services to improve stakeholder engagement is among the highlights of a world-first transformation initiative in the criminal justice system Continue Reading

Post-Brexit IT talent shortages concern UK CIOs

Finding and training tech staff remains an issue and is set to get worse after the UK leaves the European Union, says Barclaycard study Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHS launches care home availability portal

New tool is aimed at optimising hospital occupancy and saving social care staff “hours of phoning around” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 12

In this week’s episode of The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team discusses SuiteWorld 2019, NetSuite’s annual user conference, the government’s introduction of internet safety regulations and the complex journey from collecting data to using it for insight Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

NCSC seeks new breed of cyber security startups

The UK intelligence community is seeking to promote a new breed of technology startup to help detect, respond to and facilitate rapid recoveries from cyber attacks on the UK Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government launches cloud sustainability probe

Government departments are being asked to provide information about the energy footprint of the cloud services they use Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Mott MacDonald builds smart cities on Azure cloud

The Microsoft cloud will be used to run digital twins of city infrastructure to help city planners manage infrastructure more effectively Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

When will we see the digital transformation of politics?

The digital transformation of government and public service delivery is well under way and is by now – hopefully – unstoppable. It’s taken longer to get here than it should have, and it will take ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Police local cyber crime units get multimillion pound boost

UK policing marks the completion of the local phase of a national cyber crime programme to complement regional and national response capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lancaster University enhances student engagement with cloud-based chatbot

University is using Amazon Web Services to enhance the development of a voice-enabled “online companion” with machine learning and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

European Commission tackles transformation challenges with cloud

Modernisation plan continues at the EC, with an upcoming migration and major savings on the horizon Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

CW Middle East: Visibility and security of networks are top IT priorities

The 2019 Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities survey shows that enterprise buyers in the Middle East, like those in the UK and Europe, are looking to lock down their networks in the face of an almost constant barrage of threats and malicious actors. Also read how Facebook planned to use its Android app to track the location of its customers and to allow advertisers to send political advertising, and what further details operator O2 has revealed about how it is planning for the advent of 5G. Continue Reading

Competitive threats: What the growth in new public sector cloud frameworks means for G-Cloud

Public sector IT buyers may soon find themselves spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to procure their cloud services, thanks to the emergence of several new frameworks, but where does that leave G-Cloud? Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

EC publishes artificial intelligence guidelines

Report is intended as a starting point of an international discussion around trustworthy AI and its recommendations will be put to the test in a trial later this year Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Judge in Post Office trial rejects application to recuse himself

The Post Office’s claim that the judge overseeing the case concerning its controversial Horizon IT system was biased has been dismissed – but will now be considered by the Court of Appeal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK councils team up to boost cyber security

Three UK councils and data analysis firm Splunk have teamed up to improve cyber defence capabilities and maintain their security systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GCHQ cyber courses for teens recognised by qualification board

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has accredited courses pioneered by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre to teach teenagers about cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK introduces world’s first online safety regulations

Announcing ‘the end of online self-regulation’, a duty of care is introduced to hold companies accountable for potential harm and safety of users of their services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHS IT jobs need to be promoted differently

More ambition and a mindset change is required to attract more technology talent to the national health service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dutch government to make AI national priority

The Dutch government wants to increase its focus on the artificial intelligence sector, as other countries gain an advantage Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

No-deal Brexit threatens future of UK CAV sector

The UK has turned itself into a global leader for connected and autonomous vehicles, but its position is at risk because of Brexit, a new report warns Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Social inclusion unit aims to expand diversity in IT conversation

New unit at startup hub wants to explore how technology can be applied to address the barriers many people face in participating in society Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

National Savings and Investments makes £300m extension to Atos deal

UK government-owned savings bank adds three years to IT services contract with French supplier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHSX announces new leadership

DCMS director-general Matthew Gould is to take over as chief executive of the NHSX, with recruitment set to accelerate at the newly formed digital strategy unit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Enhanced Wi-Fi cuts costs to maximise efficiency at Dorset school

The need for cost-effective, manageable wireless infrastructure without additional annual licence fees drove Lytchett Minster School’s decision to upgrade its on-site network with TP-Link Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office to appeal judgment from first Horizon trial

The Post Office will appeal against some of the judgments from the first trial concerning the Horizon computer system used by subpostmasters Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office Brexit app will work on Apple devices

An agreement has been reached to make the app for EU nationals to apply for settlement in the UK work on iOS-based products Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government urges businesses and charities to up cyber security

The UK government is urging businesses and charities to take action to prevent cyber attacks as the costs go up, despite an overall reduction in breaches, partly driven by new data protection laws Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst