IT for government and public sector

Target data breach: Why UK business needs to pay attention

Late last year, US retailer Target was hit by one of the biggest data breaches in the industry's history. So what happened and why is it relevant to UK businesses? Continue Reading

By

• Lee Munson

Get kids coding

In this week's Computer Weekly, we examine the latest moves to encourage children to learn to code, to help avoid future skills shortages. Facebook's Open Compute Project is bringing open source to the datacentre – we look at what it means for IT. And we profile Salesforce.com as the SaaS firm celebrates its 15th birthday. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Analysis: Care.data – where next?

Following the public debate surrounding the NHS Care.data plan, it was unsurprising the topic dominated the UK’s largest health IT event Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Customer privacy an ongoing challenge, says Unilever

Unilever has set up a programme to address the continually evolving challenge of privacy issues relating to customer data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Pirated software malware to cost business $491bn in 2014, study shows

Malware deliberately loaded into pirated or counterfeit software is expected cost enterprises $491bn in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have urged businesses to take action on a cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of 25,000+ Unix servers worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Committee report calls for “presumption of openness” with public data

The government should have a “presumption of openness” when it comes to public data, the Commons Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) said Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Three-quarters of UK charities are failing to adapt to digital

Charities in the UK are failing to adopt digital agendas in their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

SMEs believes they are immune to cyber attack

Most SMEs believe they are not at real risk of cyber attack, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hacktivism: good or evil?

IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics Continue Reading

By

• Dai Davis, Percy Crow Davis & Co

Government finally ends e-Borders programme

The government has formally ended the troubled e-Borders programme, with its intended functions merged into a new project Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

More than 162,000 WordPress sites used in DDoS attack

Security researchers have uncovered a DDoS attack that used more than 162,000 legitimate and unwitting WordPress websites Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tim Berners-Lee calls for internet users’ "bill of rights"

World Wide Web creator marks its 25th anniversary by calling for a “free, open and truly global internet” enshrined in a "bill of rights" Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dark web key enabler for cyber criminals, say McAfee researchers

The dark web is a key conduit for the malware industry to refine and distribute its products and services, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cabinet Office completes first user trial of consumer technologies

The Cabinet Office has completed its first user trial of consumer technologies within the department Continue Reading

Liverpool council to end BT IT joint venture

Liverpool City Council is to cancel a £70m-a-year IT joint venture deal with BT and bring services back in-house Continue Reading

HP Autonomy unveils healthcare analytics system for textual data

HP has unveiled a new healthcare analytics product to enable medical staff to interrogate text and data in relational databases Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Microsoft takes aim at passwords

Microsoft says it is determined to solve the problem of ineffective authentication that relies on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Atos to distance itself from controversial DWP contract

Atos is trying to exit its disability testing contract with the Department for Work and Pensions early as the controversial contract enters its final 18 months Continue Reading

PSN gets encryption for higher security levels

An encryption service has been announced by the Cabinet Office which will enable public sector staff to share information at the IL3 security level over the Public Services Network (PSN) Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Employee mobiles expose firms to attack, says Webroot

Employees mobile devices expose companies to malicious applications and attacks, according to the latest mobile threat report from Webroot Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gloucestershire County Council replaces Capita with Steria to transform IT delivery

Gloucestershire County Council has signed a five-year ICT managed service deal with Steria to support a major change to IT delivery Continue Reading

Essex CC sets upon IT transformation project after £16.6m deal with Fujitsu

Essex County Council has partnered with Fujitsu as part of a £16.6m deal to transform its corporate systems estate Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK firms see 1,000+ internal data breaches a day, study finds

Internal threats are not a high priority for UK firms despite more than 1,000 internal data breaches a day Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS England puts patient database on hold

NHS England is to delay by six months the roll-out of its controversial Care.data scheme for sharing patient records through a central database Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cut Microsoft admin rights to mitigate 92% of threats, study shows

Removing Microsoft admin rights from employees mitigates 92% of critical vulnerabilities reported in 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Roaming costs lose mobile operators 300 million users

A new survey by the European Commission shows 94% of citizens limit their mobile use when in another state to save on roaming charges, meaning mobile operators could be missing out on big revenues Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

NHS Scotland awards SWAN contract to Capita

Capita wins the £110m contract for the Scottish Wide Area Network project, while BT continues to seek damages for losing out Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Searching for the signal of open standards amid the growing noise of agile

For all its undeniable strengths, the use of agile in government is in danger of becoming a fetish Continue Reading

By

• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab

BBC starts search for suppliers to replace £2bn Atos outsourcing deal

The BBC is moving away from its single-supplier outsourcing deal to a multi-sourced 'tower' approach for its technology services Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

BT sues NHS Scotland for £20m over SWAN project

After losing its bid for the Scottish Wide Area Network project, the telecoms giant is suing the NHS National Services Scotland Continue Reading

Rights groups call on White House to open privacy review

A coalition of 25 rights groups is calling for a 90-day US government review of big data and the future of privacy to be opened up to the public Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIOs lack confidence in government to deliver NHS IT innovation

CIOs in the healthcare sector are not confident in the government’s ability to deliver IT innovation in the NHS. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK among targets of 'Mask' advanced cyber espionage campaign

The UK has been hit more than 100 times in an advanced global cyber espionage campaign that has gone undetected for more than five years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Barclays bank leaks thousands of customer records

Regulators investigate Barclays after a whistleblower claims the bank leaked 27,000 customer records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Met Police releases ‘Total Technology’ IT strategy

The Metropolitan Police Service has released a three to four-year plan on how to transform the use of technology in the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK critical infrastructure at risk of cyber attack, says IET report

UK critical national infrastructure is at risk of cyber attack, says a report by consultancy Atkins for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Continue Reading

The BBC DMI project - what went wrong?

The BBC and its former CTO have engaged in tit-for-tat allegations over its failed £100m digital media project. But who was right? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NHS site malicious redirects are a warning to developers

A coding error that redirected NHS website visitors to malicious content should be a warning to developers, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC DMI row continues as Linwood defends “working technology”

Former BBC CTO John Linwood was scrutinised by a public accounts committee yesterday during a hearing about the failed BBC Digital Media Initiative Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

A preview of the new TfL HTML5 website

Transport for London is getting ready to launch a complete refresh of its website, optimised for mobile access from tablets and smartphones. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hackers access Yahoo Mail with stolen passwords

Yahoo has revealed that hackers have tried to access some Yahoo Mail accounts with stolen passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lenovo buys Google’s Motorola Mobility in $3bn deal

Google has announced the sale of its Motorola Mobility unit to Chinese computer maker Lenovo in a $3bn deal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC CTO John Linwood defends role in failed £100m digital project

Former BBC CTO John Linwood defends his role in the failed £100m DMI project, citing changing business requirements as a key factor Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Cyber security quest strong in UK, says Isaca

There is a strong interest in cyber security in the UK, says Rob Stroud, international president-elect for Isaca Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC failed to get "sufficient grip” over failed DMI project, says NAO

The National Audit Office has slammed the BBC over its failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI), project saying the broadcaster was “too optimistic” and the BBC executive “did not have sufficient grip of the programme" Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

BBC CTO John Linwood sacked over failed £100m digital project

Former BBC chief technology officer John Linwood has been sacked over the broadcaster’s failed £100m Digital Media Initiative Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

DWP refuses to release value for money reports on Universal Credit IT suppliers

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refuses to publish details about Universal Credit IT suppliers' performance Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

New Snapchat security measure easily by-passed, says researcher

A new Snapchat security measure to verify users are human is easily by-passed, says researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US startup aims to turn tables on hackers

US startup Shape Security is turning the tables against hackers by using one of their own techniques against them Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CERT-UK to drive international cyber security collaboration

The UK’s new national computer emergency response team (CERT-UK) is set to drive international cyber security collaboration once it becomes operational Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP IT audit to expose strategic failings

The Department for Work and Pensions has completed an internal audit of its IT strategy, and sources suggest it will reveal serious deficiencies Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

The IT risks facing Universal Credit

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the ongoing IT risks facing the UK government’s highest-profile IT project – the troubled Universal Credit programme to reform the UK’s welfare system. We talk to IT leaders to find out their spending priorities for 2014 and how their IT budgets are shaping up. The digital chief at BBC Worldwide talks about managing technology innovation. And we find out about the latest best practice in improving datacentre performance. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Case study: Berkshire NHS adopts 4G for home visits

The Foundation Trust enables its nurses to access and update patient records on the move with 4G mobile Wi-Fi from EE Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Olympics executive named new BDUK chief

Chris Townsend will lead the government’s rural broadband project, including pilot schemes of alternative technologies for areas that are hardest to reach Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

The IT risks facing Universal Credit

Despite Iain Duncan Smith's robust defence of his flagship welfare reform policy, Universal Credit, evidence to the contrary continues to mount Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Post Office seeks contractors for network and back-office work

The Post Office is looking for IT services firms to provide back-office IT applications and networking technologies in contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top European IT initiative to support business in 2014?

Expanding IT to support business growth is one of the biggest areas of focus for IT departments in 2014, so what does this mean? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Former WTO chief leads debate on future of European spectrum

The future of the UHF spectrum band will be discussed by industry leaders over the next six months before presenting proposals to the European Commission Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

More than 1,100 DWP workers disciplined over benefits snooping

More than 1,100 employees at the Department for Work and Pensions have received official warnings since 2008 for prying into benefits records Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

DWP already struggling to recruit digital skills for Universal Credit IT development

DWP is already struggling to recruit IT staff with the digital skills it needs – not just for Universal Credit but also other IT projects Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Universal Credit faces IT skills shortage risk after GDS withdrawal

The withdrawal of the Government Digital Service (GDS) from work on Universal Credit is one of the major risks for the troubled project over the next 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

DWP to spend further £90m on Universal Credit IT system

Department for Work and Pensions to spend £90m enhancing heavily criticised Universal Credit IT system – much of which will be thrown away Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Security Think Tank: Information security strategy should support the business

How should Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA and GCHQ influence future information security strategies in the UK? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

Universal Credit IT suppliers to be left out of new digital system development

HP, Accenture, IBM and BT will have 'significantly less' involvement in the digital system developed for full roll-out of the benefits scheme Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Infosec Skills, BCS announce winners of Cyber Security Challenge

Stuart Pringle, Simon Robinson and Robert Wyllie have won over £2,000 of training and a place in the semi-final of the current UK Cyber Security Challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Yahoo claims malicious ads under control

Yahoo says the situation is under control after its advertising network served up malware to thousands of visitors last week Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FireEye acquires Mandiant in $1bn deal

Security firm FireEye has bought Mandiant in a deal worth just over $1bn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook faces lawsuit over monitoring private messages

Facebook is facing a lawsuit that claims it scans the contents of private messages to profile the user’s online activity Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Snowden: 'A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy'

Future generations will not have any personal privacy, said Edward Snowden during the Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 IT privacy stories of 2013

Stories related to whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations about internet mass surveillance programmes by the US and the UK have dominated this year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK citizen wins legal round against Facebook over Prism leaks

A British citizen has applied for a judgement against Facebook in a case that will test the right of tech firms to give UK personal data to the NSA. Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O’Cleirigh

London Assembly launches Smart London Plan

The London Assembly has released its Smart London Plan, which highlights how innovative technologies can be used to help sustain future growth of the capital Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

BT launches proceedings against Scotland's NHS over SWAN project

Telecoms giant BT has launched a court case against the Scottish health service after failing to win the contract for the Scottish Wide Area Network project Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

User acceptance testing needs real training, not just a short course

In spite of its importance, user acceptance testing (UAT) is often chaotic, problematic and ineffective Continue Reading

By

• Pauline van Goethem
• Brian Hambling

BBC publishes PwC report into its failed £98m Digital Media Initiative

The BBC has today published a report by PwC into the broadcaster’s failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI) Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Greater Manchester signs penultimate BDUK contract with BT

Eight councils in Greater Manchester sign a £15m contract with BT to bring 39,000 homes high-speed broadband by March 2016 Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

NHS clinical research body uses QlikView to forward open data

The clinical research delivery arm of the NHS is developing an open data platform using QlikView Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Government seeks deputy CTO

The government is seeking a deputy chief technology officer who will report to CTO Liam Maxwell Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Research reveals widespread mobile app hacking

The top 100 paid Android apps and 56% of the top 100 paid Apple iOS apps have been hacked, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NAO slams Universal Credit for not achieving value for money

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has failed to achieve value for money during the development of the Universal Credit IT system. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Thirteen plead guilty to Anonymous DDoS attack on Paypal

Thirteen people have pleaded guilty to taking part in DDoS attacks on eBay’s Paypal, organised by the Anonymous hacker group in 2010 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware looks set to increase, warns Sophos

Cyber criminals are planning to produce new forms of ransomware on an unprecedented scale, according to IT security firm Sophos Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: London Borough of Islington’s smart working journey

The London Borough of Islington is using technology to ensure its staff are as productive as possible travelling along a ‘smart working journey’ Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

DWP writes off £40m on Universal Credit but insists the IT is working

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is scrapping £40.1m of IT work on Universal Credit, and a further £91m will be written off over five years Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Universal Credit security fears put DWP job cuts off till next parliament

Devastating public sector job cuts will be put off until half-way through the next parliament after the Department of Work and Pensions obstructed the government's "digital" reform of its Universal ... Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Computer system failure delays hundreds of UK flights

Hundreds of flights at several UK airports were delayed or cancelled at the weekend because of a computer failure at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Realising the benefits of a totally connected world

The internet of things will transform everyday life, from managing airports’ passenger flow to heating buildings and caring for the elderly. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Tech City: 27% of London job growth comes from technology

Over a quarter of the job growth in London comes from the technology and digital sector, according to Tech City Investment Organisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government Digital Service no longer involved with Universal Credit IT development

The Government Digital Service ends direct involvement in the development of the “enhanced IT” for the Universal Credit sheme Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Skills and supporting businesses top Autumn Statement 2013 agenda

Supporting young businesses and fixing the skills gap was a recurring theme during today’s Autumn Statement in the House of Commons Continue Reading

Automation key to balancing agility and security, says AlgoSec

Automated critical business application management enables a more agile business and enhances security, says security policy management firm AlgoSec Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

700,000 benefit claimants miss out on Universal Credit deadline

The secretary for work and pensions has admitted the Universal Credit benefit scheme will miss its 2017 deadline Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK citizen sues Microsoft over Prism private data leak to NSA

A court action brought in the UK will test Microsoft's legal right to disclose private data on UK citizens to US intelligence services Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O’Cleirigh

UKtech50 2013 – the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has announced the fourth annual UKtech50, our definitive list of the movers and shakers in UK IT - the CIOs, industry executives, public servants and business leaders driving the role of technology in the UK economy Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Proof-of-concept malware jumps air gap with sound card

Researchers demonstrate proof-of-concept malware exfiltrating data using high-frequency transmissions inaudible to humans Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Councils threatened with disconnection from PSN in escalating security row

A London council was hours away from being disconnected from the public sector network, in an row between central and local government over security compliance Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

The Guardian denies Snowden stories damaged national security

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger defends decision to publish stories on documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK proposes formal talks on cyber security with China

Prime minister David Cameron has called on China to be more open about cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The future of local government IT

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at how visionary IT leaders in local government plan to transform the delivery of digital public services using the cloud. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at the technology challenges of implementing the internet of things for businesses. And do firms dealing with tech-savvy consumers need a new approach to IT management? Some IT leaders think they do. Read the issue now. Continue Reading