IT for government and public sector

CW@50: Fertile British breeding grounds for information security innovation

Computer Weekly is marking its 50th anniversary this year with a series of articles celebrating 50 years of British technology innovation. In this article, we look at the evolution of information security threats and some of the British innovation to counter those threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HMRC reaches agreement with IT suppliers on Aspire contract exit

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) plans on going to market next month for a number of smaller IT services contracts for a phased exit of its Aspire outsourcing deal Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Hunters: a rare but essential breed of enterprise cyber defenders

They wait, they watch, they search the outer reaches of networks and the darkest corners of the web, setting traps, crafting tools, collecting evidence and going in pursuit: they are the hunters Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple vows to raise security as FBI breaks into iPhone

Apple says it will help law enforcement with investigations, but will increase the security of its products after the FBI broke into an iPhone Continue Reading

Government warned of smart meter security threat back in 2012

The government was warned four years ago that its plans for a nationwide smart meter roll-out represented a “potentially significant” security and privacy threat, Computer Weekly has learned Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

GDS preps guidance for third-party suppliers to deliver 'government as a platform'

Government Digital Service (GDS) chief insists "pragmatic extensions" to outsourcing contracts implies nothing permanent in push for "government as a platform" (GaaP) Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Canadian Elizabeth Denham set for the UK's next information commissioner

Canadian privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham is to become the UK's next information commissioner as government pushes ahead with the snoopers' charter Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gov.uk Verify not secure enough for NHS, says HSCIC

The government’s Verify identity verification platform isn’t secure enough for the NHS, so Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and HSCIC are working to add extra levels of security Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

AWS and Microsoft UK datacentre plans could upset SME-rich Digital Marketplace, Kable warns

SME G-Cloud providers told to brace themselves for increasing competitive threats from AWS, Microsoft and Oracle once their UK datacentres open Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Britain to pay billions for monster internet surveillance network

New questions raised about Britain’s snoopers’ charter after Denmark abandons its own UK-style surveillance programme for a second time Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

Southend Council to connect key sites with dark fibre network

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council selects CityFibre to supply a 50km dark fibre network across 120 public sector sites in the town Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

National Cyber Security Centre to be UK authority on information security

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is to be the UK's one-stop authority on infosec, based in London and led by GCHQ's Ciaran Martin Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PAC disappointed by Major Projects Authority’s lack of impact

The Public Accounts Committee is concerned that the newly formed Infrastructure and Projects Authority will weaken project scrutiny and become a “champion for government projects” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Which IT services suppliers are European businesses most satisfied with?

TCS has won top spot for European customer satisfaction for the third year running, according to Whitelane Research Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Met Police cancels command and control system contract with Northrop Grumman

The Met Police command and control system contract with Northrop Grumman has been cancelled as there is “no prospect of a finished product being delivered” in time Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW@50: 1966 - Computer Weekly goes to bat for the British computer industry

Launched in 1966 as part of a modernising wave to change British society, Computer Weekly battled for the nation’s industry against the US, and saw IT as an entry ticket to the Common Market Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Royal Mail becomes eighth accredited Gov.uk Verify provider

The Royal Mail is the latest provider to be accredited to support the government’s Gov.uk Verify identity assurance service Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Virgin supplies Ethernet connectivity to Met Office supercomputer

The Met Office has awarded the contract to provide Ethernet connectivity for its next-generation supercomputer to Virgin Media Business Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

'Complacent' Home Office failed to take responsibility for e-Borders problems

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticises the Home Office for allowing the e-Borders programme to run eight years late and £500m over budget Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Why are big government IT projects still going wrong?

The rural payments programme has again been in the spotlight over its failures, continuing the trend of government IT programmes being noted not for their success, but rather the opposite Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

RSAC16: RSA’s Amit Yoran comes out in support of strong encryption

A policy of weakened encryption would harm US economic interests and undermine those trying to defend digital environments, according to RSA president Amit Yoran Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDS hindered delivery of rural payments programme, says PAC

The rural payments programme was a “Whitehall fiasco” with too much focus on the digital front end, says the public accounts committee (PAC) Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

AWS cuts cloud data transfer fees for academic and research user groups

Cloud services giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) rolls out discounts in bid to lower the cost barrier to making scientific discoveries Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

RSAC16: US works on data access agreement with UK

The US is negotiating with the UK to establish a new framework that will permit UK authorities to access electronic communications directly from US companies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norfolk County Council on the hunt for ICT boss

The council is looking for a head of ICT and information management to drive its transformation programme, with a potential salary of up to £115,000 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mapping technology turning Depok in Indonesia into smart city

Depok in Indonesia is using mapping technology to support its smart city ambitions Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

HR technology heads to cloud in Finland

Computer Weekly talked to Finnish experts about Finnish enterprises moving to cloud-based HR IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

CW Europe: February 2016

In Europe cloud is restricted and hybrid setups make use of local compute and storage. Continue Reading

HMRC shares details of IT transformation plans

HM Revenue & Customs has published its IT strategy outlining how it plans to transform its IT estate by taking a platform approach, moving to virtual infrastructure and cloud-based services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock on digital government

The government’s minister for digital reform talks about creating a Digital Leadership Academy, learning valuable lessons, and his love for open data Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MK:Smart enlists IoT supplier ThingWorx for speedy development

Milton Keynes smart city project selects ThingWorx to provide a rapid application deployment environment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Future technology at the World Government Summit 2016

Delegates at the World Government Summit 2016 in Dubai discussed themes including the future role of governments, robotics and AI, smart cities, sustainable development, renewable energy and longevity. Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Bridgwater

The OpenStack Foundation: Building enterprise trust in open-source clouds

With HMRC and the European Commission emerging as OpenStack adopters, the OpenStack Foundation's CEO explains how it has set about winning over the enterprise with its open-source cloud platform Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Gov.uk Verify identity system targets 50 government services for April go-live

Government identity assurance system is set to move from beta to live in April, three years after its original target date Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Beverley Bryant gives details on £1.8bn paperless NHS funding

Both capital and revenue funding will be made available to NHS organisations, but not through a “traditional” tech fund Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Bulk data collection unnecessary for surveillance, says cyber expert

Opting for bulk data collection and other intrusive surveillance overlooks other means available that do not involve collateral damage to businesses and innocent people, says cyber expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office faces group litigation over Horizon IT as subpostmasters fund class action

Subpostmasters who claim to have been wrongly convicted of fraud take the Post Office to court after getting the funds for a group action Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

PAC criticises Universal Credit programme for lack of transparency

Public Accounts Committee report slates lack of transparency around Universal Credit and calls for specific plans for the roll out of the digital service to be made public Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NHS London Procurement Partnership to tender for EPR framework

The NHS London Procurement Partnership plans clinical digital information systems framework tender to support the "paperless by 2020" agenda Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

TfL shifts corporate archive to AWS public cloud in digital preservation push

London transport authority has begun moving its first 3TB of corporate archive data to the AWS cloud with the help of Preservica Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

New government plan to support cyber security startups

Government has announced a £250,000 programme to increase the rate of cyber security startup development in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Blue light services should share control rooms and IT, Home Office says

The Home Office plans to make emergency services collaboration mandatory and to join up back-office IT and control rooms Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Crunch time for Australian CIOs as analytics platforms drive strategy in 2016

CIOs in Australia and elsewhere will be expected to deploy technologies that promise to help them get more from the information they own Continue Reading

By

• David Braue

Digital methods will improve government projects, says civil service chief

Civil service CEO John Manzoni tells MPs that lessons learned from digital technologies will help improve the track record of all major projects in government Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Bournemouth Council considers bringing IT back in-house

Bournemouth Council could bring IT and other services back in-house to gain more control over its budget and meet tough cost-cutting targets Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Met Police appoints Angus McCallum as CIO

BG Group’s Angus McCallum is the Metropolitan Police’s CIO, heading up its Digital Policing arm and serving on the management board Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NHS 24 admits ‘systematic failure’ of £117m IT project

NHS 24 has admitted that a “systematic failure around project governance” was the cause of its major IT transformation project disaster Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

PwC acquires Polish cloud consultancy for European operation

PwC is buying Poland-based IT services firm Outbox to build its cloud skills and resources across Europe Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft to donate $1bn worth of cloud computing resources

Microsoft's $1bn cloud computing donation is aimed at helping NGOs, academic research and developing countries Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cornwall Council transfers 270 staff back in-house as BT deal ends

Cornwall Council’s £160m outsourcing deal with BT has officially come to an end as the council transfers 270 staff back in-house Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government should exploit blockchain technology, says chief scientist Mark Walport

Distributed ledgers – the technology behind systems such as bitcoin – could transform public services, says government chief scientist Mark Walport Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull calls for free, open and secure internet

International norms of behaviour should prohibit states from conducting cyber intellectual property theft, says Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Chinese university targeted by Islamic State hacktivist

Beijing’s Tsinghua University is the latest organisation to be attacked by hackers with a social or political agenda Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS England launches hunt for ‘CI&TO’ to replace Kelsey

NHS England seeks chief information and technology officer to take over from director for patients and information Tim Kelsey, who left late last year Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Watchdog urges US nuclear agency to close cyber security gaps

An audit report has called on the US nuclear agency to revise its IT contracts to ensure better cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms can monitor employees’ online chats, EU court rules

Human rights court says it is not unreasonable for employers to want to verify that staff are completing their professional tasks during working hours Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How open source is beating proprietary software

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide assesses the impact of open source software on corporate IT and how its growth is underpinning the digital revolution. We examine the prospects for cloud in financial services as regulators give their approval. And we ask if Uber is really part of a new business model for the so-called sharing economy. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

ICO reiterates call for stronger sentences for data theft

The information commissioner (ICO) reiterates his call for stronger sentences for data theft after a court fined a woman just £1,000 for selling 28,000 customer records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Blackpool becomes third NHS trust to get open-source EPR

Open-source electronic patient records continue to gain traction in the NHS as Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust signs up Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Tech firms critical of UK draft Investigatory Powers Bill

Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo say they are particularly concerned about six key aspects of the UK's draft Investigatory Powers Bill Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gov.uk notifications platform to begin sending texts and emails

Latest project in government-as-a-platform strategy aims to make it easier to keep individuals informed about applications and services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: James Bamford on surveillance, Snowden and technology companies

Investigative journalist and documentary maker James Bamford was among the first to uncover the secrets of the US National Security Agency and its global surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Fears of software skills shortage in Germany and the Netherlands

Organisations in Germany and the Netherlands are struggling to fill positions for software developers as they digitise Continue Reading

By

• Rian van Heur

Top 10 internet of things stories of 2015

2015 was the year the internet of things began to move from theory to widespread practice, and the fledgling industry shook off the millstone of connected kitchen appliances Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

National security ‘not affected’ by failed e-Borders programme, says Home Office

Despite the key Warnings Index system suffering an average of two high-priority incidents a week – such as a system component not being available – Home Office officials deny it causes risk to national security Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Cloud IT is helping Uefa meet its goals

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how cloud computing is helping European football federation Uefa with preparations for the Euro2016 tournament. We ask if UK government moves to support IT education are enough to bridge the skills gap. And we examine the new international standard for personal data privacy in the cloud and what it means for suppliers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

EE and Motorola confirmed as ESN suppliers by Home Office

EE and Motorola have been formally selected to provide a resilient national 4G network for the UK’s ambulance, fire and police services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian big data in early stages

The use of big data technologies in Russia is still embryonic and the economic slowdown is stalling developments Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

National roll-out of Universal Credit digital service to begin in May 2016

The Universal Credit digital service will be rolled out to five job centres a month from May 2016, says the Department for Work and Pensions Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cyber attacks an increasing concern for Asean countries

Organisations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are increasingly the targets for cyber criminals, according to a report focused on the region Continue Reading

By

• Zafar Anjum

Australia launches plan to reduce reliance on natural resources

The Australian government has announced plans to reduce its dependency on industries that rely on natural resources and increase its activities in areas such as IT Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

India’s HCL opens Estonian operation to support Nordic customers

HCL Technologies opens an Estonian delivery centre which will support customers across Europe, including those in the Nordic region Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office e-Borders programme costs to reach £1.1bn by 2019, says NAO report

The failed e-Borders programme has cost £830m to date, with a further £275m projected costs before the Home Office produces new systems in-house, due to go live in 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UKtech50 2015 - The most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly's annual search for the 50 most influential people in the UK tech scene is complete - meet the winners Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

The US and China agree more steps to fight cyber crime

The US and China have made progress in expanding co-operation on cyber crime as China claims criminals and not state-backed hackers broke into the US Office of Personnel Management Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UKtech50 2015 - The most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has announced the sixth annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK IT sector Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UKtech50 2015 - Computer Weekly's five rising stars

We select five IT leaders destined for great things, to recognise the rising stars of IT alongside our annual list of the 50 most influential people in UK technology Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Balancing speed and risk in IT projects

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as IT leaders face boardroom pressure to roll out IT projects ever more quickly, we examine how to do that without running unacceptable risks. Michael Dell talks about how he sees the future for his company when it buys EMC in the largest IT acquisition in history. And we hear from IT chiefs about the challenges of implementing DevOps. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Rural payments problems led to 40% increase in costs, says NAO report

Inappropriate behaviour and too much focus on IT procurement led to rural payments programme costs spiralling to 40% over budget, says National Audit Office report Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

GDS aims for £3.5bn savings using its £450m budget

The Government Digital Service plans £3.5bn in efficiency savings on the back of its £450m budget, including a £1.3bn saving from its government-as-a-platform programme Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Spending review: Osborne gives NHS £1bn for technology boost

The NHS will get £1bn to spend on technology – including an interoperable patient record system – chancellor George Osborne has announced Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Defence review promises 1.2% of defence budget spend on technology

The government’s defence review highlights need for technology investment, innovative ideas and cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Technology helping to deliver aid for refugees

In this week's Computer Weekly, we find out how technology is helping to deliver vital aid to Syrian refugees in the Middle East. We look at the barriers to achieving the government's aim of a paperless NHS. And the CTO of special effects studio Framestore talks about the IT challenges behind hit movies such as Gravity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK and Estonia launch TechLink programme

The UK and Estonian governments are launching a TechLink programme to share best practice and innovations Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

HMRC Capgemini staff transfer consultation not as flexible as hoped, says union

With less than two weeks left until HMRC’s deadline for transferring 250 Capgemini staff in-house, talks aren’t going as well as hoped, says the Public and Commercial Services Union Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Coalition of top tech firms opposes weakened encryption

Weakening security with the aim of advancing security simply does not make sense, a coalition of top tech firms tells US president Barack Obama Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Group litigation against Post Office being prepared in Horizon dispute

Subpostmasters who believe they have been wrongly punished for misaccounting or theft due to flawed computer system prepare group legal action against Post Office Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cyber security mindset needs to change, says report

Government organisations are prime targets for cyber attacks, leading to increased importance on robust information security, according to a report by Intel Security and the Digital Government Security Forum Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Whitehall IT chiefs open up about challenges of going cloud-first in central government

Whitehall IT chiefs talk about the progress they have made with abiding by the central government cloud-first mandate Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Post Office IT support email reveals known Horizon flaw

An email from Post Office IT support reveals a problem with the Horizon system and supporting processes that could lead to accounting errors Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Asean higher education institutions increase software and services spend

Higher education organisations in developed Asean countries are investing heavily in software and services as their IT use matures Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Ministry of Defence CIO explains defence as a platform

Mike Stone took to the stage at the Microsoft Future Decoded event to explain the Ministry of Defence’s plan for defence as a platform Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Germany is finalising legislation to shore up CNI cyber security

Germany is working to ensure digital sovereignty through IT security legislation and negotiations on IT security regulations and transatlantic trade at a European Union level Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Boris Johnson lobbies for stronger UK technology ties with Israel

Mayor of London Boris Johnson wants Israel’s “top tech talent” to come to London and strengthen the UK’s technology partnership with the country Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Microsoft UK datacentre plans win backing of government CTO Liam Maxwell

Government CTO Liam Maxwell speaks out about the role Whitehall's played in convincing Microsoft and others to open UK datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

EU data protection official optimistic on successor to Safe Harbour

An EU data protection official says he is optimistic that an alternative to the Safe Harbour agreement will be found, but it will take work from both the US and the EU Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GCHQ and NCA join forces to police dark web

GCHQ and the National Crime Agency are to track down paedophiles and serious online criminals by using the techniques and expertise used to find terrorists Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Avoiding security issues when recycling hardware

What are the options for the environmentally and ethically responsible recycling of end-of-life hardware, without compromising data security? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Mayor of London launches tech fund for digital skills

A programme has been launched by the mayor of London to ensure young people in the capital are learning digital skills Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Communication Workers Union warns subpostmasters of flaw in Post Office Horizon accounting system

The union that represents Post Office subpostmasters has warned of a problem with the Horizon accounting system at the centre of a long-running dispute Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA