IT for government and public sector

Load balancing supports Kent County Council's VDI project

Kent County Council picks Kemp Technologies load balancers to support a deployment of VMware Horizon View and Workspace across its estate Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government major projects watchdog needs more powers, says MPs

Major Projects Authority needs stronger powers to improve project delivery across government, say MPs Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Raytheon wins £224m from Home Office over e-Borders cancellation

Tribunal says Home Office unlawfully terminated a contract with Raytheon Systems Limited over its e-Borders programme Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Home Office pours £3.8m into shared service for biometric cards

The Home Office has awarded a £3.8m contract to Thales for a service to support the production of Biometric Residence Permit cards Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government breaks grip of IT oligopoly

Figures for public sector software and IT services investments reveal a dwindling share for IT giants, but can the oligopoly be removed? Continue Reading

Why John Linwood is not to blame for BBC’s failed technology project

Former BBC CTO has won his case for unfair dismissal over the failed £100m DMI project, but what lessons can be learned? Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Sacked BBC CTO wins unfair dismissal case

Former BBC chief technology officer John Linwood has won his case for unfair dismissal against the broadcaster Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Manchester has the second largest Wi-Fi network in the UK

The city of Manchester is now home to the second largest Wi-Fi network in the country as it completes a network extension Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Cabinet Office COO Stephen Kelly takes Sage Group CEO role

UK accountancy software supplier Sage appoints Cabinet Office chief operating officer (COO) Stephen Kelly as CEO Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Cameron announces £300m big data human genome database project

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced £300m government support for a big data human genome mapping project in England Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Russian blogger law comes into action

A new information security law which places restrictions on Russian bloggers and social media users has come into force today Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

£700m government hosting deal limits bidders to North-East England datacentre

Want to win the £700m Crown Hosting Service contract? You'll need a major datacentre near Newcastle to stand any chance Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

TfL wastes millions on telecoms, says IIPAG watchdog

Watchdog IIPAG criticises Transport for London (TfL) for its inefficient and fragmented telecoms contracts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft attacks UK government decision to adopt ODF for document formats

Microsoft has questioned the merits of the UK government’s decision to adopt ODF - but meeting minutes show OOXML was given due consideration Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NAO reveals Home Office spent £347m on failed ICW programme

The Home Office spent £347m closing its Immigration Case Work programme, which was supposed to replace legacy databases Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Privacy key to UK business opportunity, says KPMG

Finding the right balance between privacy and business insight could help UK firms take the lead in innovative online services, says KPMG Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC News commits to digital investment amid loss of 220 jobs

BBC News has announced a restructure where it will invest more into digital transformation and original journalism. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

NAO criticises GDS IT savings method

The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the Government Digital Service over its approach to calculating public IT savings Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Total internet failure: are you prepared?

A total internet failure could stop any business in its tracks, yet few are preparing for this possibility, KPMG has warned Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIPD ditches 20-a-day tape habit for Exagrid data deduplication

HR professionals organisation the CIPD replaces tape backup with disk-based data deduplication backup hardware from Exagrid Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Ed Vaizey gets digital industries role in Cabinet reshuffle

Culture minister Ed Vaizey has been promoted to the post of minister for digital industries in this week’s Cabinet reshuffle Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Time for an upgrade? Why you should buy IT now

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as competitive pressures and new technologies drive down IT prices, we find out why now is a great time to buy IT. We examine why going digital means a different approach to IT management. And we hear the latest best practices for improving your customer engagement with IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK leads international partnership to fight financial malware

The UK National Crime Agency is leading international collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to fight bank theft malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google I/O: Extending Google's enterprise reach

At its annual developer conference last month, Google extended its enterprise portfolio boosting its security, storage and MDM products Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Why using voice biometrics is a good idea

Banks and other organisations are turning to voice biometrics, but why do they believe the technology is good idea? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smart light bulbs get security update

Smart light bulb maker LIFX has issued a firmware update after security researchers exposed a security weakness Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: The dos and don’ts of a good incident response plan

What does a good information security incident response plan look like? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

Facebook apologises over psychological experiments

Facebook has apologised over the controversial psychological experiments carried out on 689,000 users without their consent in 2012 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most people keen to share biometric data for smoother travel

A study has revealed that 89% of citizens agree with the use of biometric identification to aid travel Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Industrial control systems increasingly under attack, says Kaspersky

Targeted attacks on industrial control systems take place on a regular and increasing basis, says Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook under fire over secret experiment on users

Facebook has come under fire for conducting a psychology experiment on 689,000 users without their consent Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Wearable tech must comply with privacy laws, warns ICO

Wearable technology must comply with UK data privacy laws, warns the ICO Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google begins complying with European takedown requests

Google has begun removing search results in response to takedown requests from European citizens Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Big IT suppliers top government spending on contracts

IT firms are earning the most from government contracts, with HP alone earning more than £1.7bn a year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

BDUK to grill local authorities on broadband postcode data

New BDUK CEO Chris Townsend plans urgent review of local authorities to establish which are releasing broadband postcode data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government reveals winning bids in superfast broadband trials

Government reveals names of eight suppliers that have won a share of a £10m funding pot to trial superfast broadband in rural areas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Department of Health sets out technology priorities for coming year

The Department of Health (DoH) has outlined changes in the way technology and information will be used over the coming year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Domino’s breach underlines value of personal data, say experts

The latest cyber breach to hit a high-profile brand underlines the high value of personal data, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Technology key to secure document future, says UK Home Office

Physical security is just as important as digital security in documents such as passports, says UK Home Office Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

House of Lords sets up Digital Skills Select Committee

The House of Lords has set up a select committee for digital skills Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Microsoft admits running out of IP addresses for Azure

Microsoft has assured US Azure customers data remains in the US, despite running out of US-registered IP addresses at times Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Drone kill communications net illustrated

Computer Weekly can illustrate how a UK network connection forms part of a US weapons targeting system that has slaughtered civilians in attacks gone wrong.The illustrations add credibility to a ... Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Register to vote online goes live

The latest online transactional service from government has gone live as part of the ‘digital by default’ initiative Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

EE drives mobile phone deals with CRM software implementation

Mobile phone operator Everything Everywhere claims a 400% increase in phone deals after rolling out customer relationship management software Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Turing Test 2014 marks historic milestone in artificial intelligence

A computer program has made history by passing the artificial intelligence test set by computer science pioneer Alan Turing Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft retaliates to China’s Windows 8 spying claims

Microsoft has launched a social media campaign against China’s claims that Windows 8 is being used for US spying Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIOs should 'leave innovation to marketing'

CIOs should focus on managing the technical infrastructure and leave innovation to other parts of the business – conclusion of a major study. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cyber threats hiding in plain sight, says Palo Alto Networks

Cyber attackers exploit commonly used business applications to bypass security controls, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK shoe retailer Office hit by data breach

Data breach at UK shoe retailer Office prompts calls for online firms to beef up security around customer details Continue Reading

IT supplier insolvencies fall for first time as economy recovers

Technology companies have reached a turning point as insolvencies fall for the first time in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Google launches right-to-be-forgotten application form

Google has introduced an online application form for Europeans who want personal data to be removed from online search results Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Android Outlook app has privacy issues, warn researchers

Microsoft’s Outlook.com app for Android is exposing users' data, warn security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

eBay under fire over handling of data breach

eBay is coming under increasing criticism over its handling of the data breach that exposed millions of user records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Political parties open sites to search engines after Tories' 2013 deletion

The Conservative Party’s deletion and purge of its archive of speeches from internet search engines last October was unique among political parties Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

US cyber criminal jailed for 20 years

US authorities have jailed a cyber criminal for 20 years, for trading in stolen credit cards and identities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Public sector dominates UK outsourcing so far this year

Public-sector outsourcing accounted for three-quarters of spending in the first three months of this year, according to analyst NelsonHall Continue Reading

Why did GPs turn their back on Choose and Book?

NHS England has scrapped its £356m outpatient booking system, Choose and Book, which was largely ignored by doctors Continue Reading

Internet of things security is relevant to business, says researcher

Internet of things is relevant to enterprise information security professionals, says researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Minnesota passes mobile kill switch law to stop theft

Minnesota has become the first US state to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the theft of smartphones Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Net neutrality under threat from US plan

The US telecoms regulator has approved proposals that opponents believe will quash the principle of net neutrality Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-BBC CTO claims he was the scapegoat for failed DMI project

John Linwood, former chief technology officer at the BBC, claimed he is the “fall guy” for the failed £100m Digital Media Initiative. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Can Tech City deliver reliable fast internet for startup businesses?

Technology companies based in London’s Tech City are struggling to access high-speed fibre optic broadband, which is dramatically affecting the success their businesses. Continue Reading

What is holding Berlin back from becoming a European centre for startups?

Berlin is one of Europe’s most up-and-coming hotbeds for technology startup companies, but red tape and legislation is preventing it from fulfilling its potential Continue Reading

New NHS e-Referral Service to use agile and open technologies

The new National Health Service outpatient appointment booking system will use agile and open technologies, the NHS has said. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government should use influence to cut outsourcer executive pay, says think tank

The government should use its outsourcing budget to influence service providers to reduce executive pay, says a think tank report Continue Reading

German companies look to Berlin startups for innovation

German companies are beginning to recognise Berlin as a hot spot for technology innovation thanks to the many startups there Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Orange data breach underlines need for encryption, say experts

The theft of 1.3 million customer records from Orange, France underlines the need for encryption, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet privacy could thwart data security, warns expert

Steps to improve online privacy could thwart data security, warns security expert Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Next Treasury tower contracts go to Centerprise and NTT Data UK

The HM Treasury has awarded its second and third SME supplier contracts to Centerprise International and NTT Data UK Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK helping US military build intelligence software for drone targeting

The UK has been helping the US military build software to share intelligence for weapons such as drones for the past 14 years Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Analysis: How the UK connects to the US global drone network

A single acronym in a US defence contract provided the clue that established the role of the UK’s telecoms infrastructure in US drone flights Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

UK telecoms infrastructure used to support controversial US drone operations

The UK’s telecommunications infrastructure is being used as part of a global defence network the US government uses for drone operations Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

GDS working to secure Google Apps for government

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is in talks with CESG, the IT security arm of GCHQ, to get approval for using Google Apps within government. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Case study: How the BBC uses cloud to process media for iPlayer

The BBC has taken its iPlayer video-on-demand service to the cloud and cut media processing time from 9-10 hours to 20-30 minutes Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Infosec 2014: Threat knowledge is key to cyber security, say experts

Business should improve awareness of cyber risks to stay ahead of criminals, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Nick Roberts, president of Socitm and IT group manager

This month, Nick Roberts, IT group manager at Surrey County Council, took over as president of Socitm, the association of IT and digital professionals working in and for local public services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Software developers suffer as IT companies endure rising insolvencies

Increase in the number of IT insolvencies expected as the economy improves Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Berlin: A hotbed of European technology startups

Berlin is one of the hottest new places to be an entrepreneur with technology startups from all over the world heading to the German capital Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK and Ireland cyber attacks up 300% in 2013, says FireEye

UK and Ireland enterprises were hit by an average of more than 70 new infections a day in 2013, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threat detection paramount, says SANS fellow

Cyber threat prevention is ideal, but detection is a must, says Eric Cole, SANS Institute fellow Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Heartbleed prompts tech firms to pledge open-source support

Top tech firms have joined forces to support open-source software to help prevent future bugs like Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Talent shortage is threatening growth of London’s technology sector

A shortage of talent and immigration legislation has been blamed for hampering technology growth in London Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Centerprise ICT 2015 Treasury contract guarantee of SME commitment

HM Treasury has handed a four year media and wireless contract understood to be worth around £2.5m to Hampshire-based services provider Centerprise, under the auspices of its ICT 2015 contracts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU data privacy authorities approve Microsoft Azure, Office 365 cloud services

The European Union's data privacy authorities have given approval to Microsoft's cloud services including Windows Azure and Office 365 Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Government pledges to reduce digital divide by 25%

The government has launched a Digital Inclusion Strategy to reduce the number of offline people in the UK by 25% Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Microsoft halts Windows 8.1 update for businesses due to bug

Microsoft has suspended the Windows 8.1 update for business users because of a bug. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TCG releases TPM 2 specification for improved security

The Trusted Computing Group has published an updated specification for the Trusted Platform Module Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP should scrap existing Universal Credit IT, say MPs

Department for Work and Pensions should consider scrapping its existing IT for Universal Credit and focus solely on the new digital solution, say MPs Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cabinet Office vetoed Home Office plans for 'critical' e-Borders replacement

Home Office plans for IT systems to replace ageing border security systems that contain “critical vulnerabilities” were vetoed by the Cabinet Office Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Turkey lifts Twitter ban

Turkey has lifted a ban on Twitter after the constitutional court ruled that the block breached freedom of expression Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why have organisations failed to make PSN compliance deadline?

A number of organisations have failed to meet the PSN security compliance deadline despite the threat of being cut off from critical services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government signs £5.5m Microsoft deal to extend Windows XP support

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to support Windows XP across the UK public sector for 12 months after 8 April deadline Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Study alleges deeper NSA influence on RSA

RSA adopted a second NSA-developed encryption tool, increasing the agency's spying capabilities, a study claims Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK update to copyright law imminent

The UK is to update its 1988 copyright law for the digital age in line with a nearly three-year-old review Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government failed at promoting competition over BDUK, say MPs

The government has consistently failed to promote competition during the roll-out of rural broadband across the UK, according to the PAC. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Where next for the NHS Care.data programme?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, healthcare IT experts talk about the next steps for the controversial NHS Care.data plan to create a database of medical records. Is Moore’s Law running out? We hear about the future of processor technology. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at how data analytics can improve IT security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Google says government data requests are up 120% since 2009

Government requests for information about Google customers, have increased by 120% since 2009 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security an unnecessary expense, say one in six techies

One in six IT professionals see security as an unnecessary expense, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TechUK criticises OFT's reporting of IT cartel accusations

TechUK criticises a report from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) alleging anti-competitive behaviour and collusion between public sector IT suppliers Continue Reading