IT for retail and logistics

Downtime deterrent: Trustpilot SRE on using infrastructure as code to prevent site outages

Online reviews site Trustpilot has a huge global readership, and here its site reliability engineering manager shares details of how his team help to ensure its services are always on when its users need them Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK contactless card fraud surges

Fraudsters stole £1.18m from contactless users in 2018, with the average theft size also increasing Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

M&A in action: How Majestic Wine paired with Naked Wines to fuel cloud-led digital transformation

Find out how the acquisition of online-only wine retailer Naked Wines in 2015 has shaped the digital transformation plans of its parent company Majestic Wine Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Guide dogs not fazed by self-driving robots

Robotics startup Starship Technologies and charity Guide Dogs are collaborating on a series of tests exploring how service animals interact with robots Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic digital transformation driven by traditional businesses

More traditional Nordic businesses are fuelling the region's digital transformation, finds report Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Subpostmasters suing Post Office over IT failures stunned by CEO’s honour

Subpostmasters’ campaign group attacks Post Office CEO Paula Vennells’ New Year honour amid ongoing court case Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Can we live without passwords?

Can you imagine a future in which we can be secure online without having to remember an unwieldly list of passwords? Solutions are emerging that could make passwords redundant, but there will be other security problems to resolve Continue Reading

By

• Bruno Halopeau & Adrien Ogee

Top 10 HR technology stories of 2018

Companies are turning to artificial intelligence, robotic automation and chatbots to take the drudgery out of human resource management Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top 10 retail tech stories of 2018

Computer Weekly looks at what 2018 had in store for the retail industry – what technologies were retailers rushing to adopt and which brands fell behind? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 CIO interviews of 2018

IT leaders from across the UK and Europe shared their plans, strategies and best practice advice with Computer Weekly in 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Top 10 Middle East stories of 2018

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Middle East enterprise IT stories of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ready, headset, go: Retailers racing ahead with VR for staff training

Has virtual reality found its prime retail user case as a staff training tool? Recent moves from Costa Coffee and Walmart suggest it has Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2018

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cyber crime stories of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Amitabh Apte, global director of digital integration, Mars

The consumer goods giant’s global director of integration talks about developing an API strategy, consistency and increasing customer focus Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Conversational commerce: small steps into the new retail frontier

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post Jason Gregory, senior product manager at online retailer ASOS, discusses the growing popularity of conversational commerce - how consumers are increasingly ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Vodafone spreads Christmas cheer with a 4G drone

Vodafone has conducted a test flight of the UK’s first drone delivery controlled over its 4G network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia passes controversial encryption law

Arguments continue over law that requires companies to work with government agencies to ensure that encrypted communications can be read if a crime is suspected Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Most UK retailers plan to up cyber security

The majority of UK retailers are planning to increase cyber security measures during the Christmas season, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UKtech50 2018 – the most influential people in UK IT

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Manchester’s evolution from rag trade to digital hub

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit Manchester to examine the city’s expanding digital and e-commerce industry and find out the key to tech sector growth in the former home of the UK rag trade. We look at the challenges of IT security in the quantum computing age. And we talk to Bloomberg’s CTO about tech innovation, machine learning and blockchain. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Quarter of all UK shopping now happens on mobile devices

UK’s high-street spend is the lowest across Europe as mobile devices account for a growing portion of online shopping Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Finnish government announces research and development ecosystem

Finland has launched an innovation ecosystem that will support IoT and AI developers amongst others Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Court orders Post Office to explain inability to access encrypted file

Post Office unable to open encrypted recording of an interview that forms part of its evidence in High Court case Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Complex Post Office Horizon case set to continue into 2020

Court case where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office set to span at least four trials and extend into 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Douglas Engelbart, the forgotten hero of modern computing

Half a century ago, Douglas Engelbart demonstrated an experimental computer that laid the foundations for modern computing. His vision to use computing power to solve complex problems in all areas of human activity has become reality, but not in the way that he imagined Continue Reading

By

• Jake Charles Rees

Fashion retail’s sustainability challenge and how technology can help

UK fashion retailers were grilled in Parliament last month on sustainability, so how might technology like blockchain or online recommendation tools help as they look to improve their green credentials? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Software failure paralyses O2’s 4G network

O2 is racing to fix a major outage on its 4G network that has left millions of mobile subscribers without access to data services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia races towards commercial quantum computing

Universities make headway in the challenge of commercialising quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Nike and Zara drive fashion retail’s self-service future

New store openings from Nike and Zara show it is not just in grocery stores where self-service technology is impacting retail. Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

UK consumers threaten data breach backlash

Most UK and global consumers are willing to walk away from businesses that fail to look after personal data, with retailers most at risk, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CCRC may hold off subpostmaster decision until after Post Office Horizon trial

The Criminal Courts Review Commission is deciding whether to delay its decision on subpostmasters’ claims of wrongful prosecution until after a related court case Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

E-commerce sites warned of heightened DDoS threat

E-commerce sites are being urged to ensure that they have adequate DDoS protection ahead of the vital holiday trading season after attacks ramped up on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Agile becomes mainstream

There are clear parallels between the conditions that led the IT industry to adopt agile approaches and the challenges facing business today Continue Reading

By

• Simon Masters

More effective digital transformation through the power of your own people

The old model of escalating decisions up and down the management chain does not work any more. Business leaders need to delegate responsibility for projects to business and technology specialists and eliminate the fear of failure Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ironside, KPMG

Amazon sets about speeding up space data processing in the cloud with AWS Ground Station

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is aiming to take the cost and complexity out of processing space data to make it more readily accessible by colocating managed ground station antennas with its cloud datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Businesses failing to win consumer trust

Businesses are still largely failing to win the trust of consumers to keep their personal data safe as data breaches continue to make headlines Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ASOS launches digital assistant to help customers find right size

Online fashion retailer ASOS has launched an artificially intelligent assistant to help consumers find the right size of clothing before they place an order Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

IKEA to focus on digitisation and convenience shopping

Swedish furniture brand IKEA will be cutting jobs and focusing on smaller stores and its digital pipeline in a bid to usher in a new era of business transformation Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Interview: Comms sector ripe for disruption as climate change takes hold

Humanity has just 12 years left to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5⁰C and prevent climate meltdown. Paul Dickinson from the Carbon Disclosure Project discusses how CIOs can help take steps to avert disaster by changing their attitude to business communications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office held back information about Horizon IT system errors

Post Office director admits to Horizon errors and not sharing details with subpostmaster network Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Securing the SD-WAN: The next network challenge

Every time an enterprise weighs up whether or not to try SD-WAN, security is an essential part of the picture Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Post Office executives cross-examined in Horizon IT system trial

A High Court trial, where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office for damages caused by an allegedly faulty IT system, ended its second week. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Many firms still stuck in GDPR prep phase six months after its initiation

Six months after the GDPR compliance deadline, many companies are struggling to make data protection principles part of everyday business, says PwC’s GDPR and data protection lead Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Defra still to test six ‘critical’ IT systems before Brexit

MPs have raised concerns around Defra’s Brexit readiness as it hasn’t yet begun testing six critical IT systems needed to replace EU systems, but the department remains confident Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

PwC provides retail data insights for London’s West End

New West End Company hopes data on consumer behaviour will help retailers to increase spending in the area by one-third to £12bn over the next few years Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

5G will unleash digital transformation for UK enterprises

Mobile operator EE is working hand-in-hand with its largest enterprise customers to realise the potential of its future 5G mobile network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office trial throws up known problem with Horizon system

High Court case in which subpostmasters are suing the Post Office has revealed a known problem with the computer system at the core of the dispute Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

High court Post Office trial puts subpostmasters’ contract under microscope

Case against Post Office in relation to allegedly faulty computer system begins in High Court Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

M&S admits online remit “well behind” competitors

Food and clothing retailer Marks and Spencer has admitted its website and online fulfillment capabilities are behind that of its competitors, but it is seeing progress since implementing changes Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Increasing value of personal data a 21st century challenge

The increasing value of personal data presents the challenge of managing a personal data economy, says identity and security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore’s SunMoon uses blockchain to trace apples

Fruit and vegetable distributor has implemented a blockchain platform that enables consumers and suppliers to trace the origin of Fuji apples – with other fruits to follow Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Smart Dubai platform is the backbone of the city's transformation

Aisha bin Bishr, director general at Smart Dubai Office, talks about the Smart Data platform and soon-to-be-unveiled UAE Pass, a digital ID and signature which is being touted as one of the foundations a city needs to transform Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Automation and CSR are driving reskilling process for UK plc, says Cisco

UK business leaders are planning to make dramatic changes to their organisations between now and 2020, according to a new report from Cisco Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK winners and losers in digital tech

The UK's retail and telecoms companies are among the best in the world at digital technology, but a survey of digital leaders shows there is still room for improvement for many UK firms Continue Reading

By

• Tony Farnfield

How Birchbox uses social media for personalisation and discovery

The UK marketing director of subscription service Birchbox told the Retail Week Tech conference about the retailer’s use of social media and data to offer customers a personalised service Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Banking sector leading CIAM innovation, say Big Four

Maturity in consumer identity and access management (CIAM) differs from sector to sector, with the banking sector taking the lead in terms of innovation, according to the Big Four accounting firms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Jlab 2019 to focus on experiential shopping

Each year, John Lewis hosts a number of retail startups intent on using technology to transform the industry. Next year they will be aiming to change the customer experience in-store Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Key elements to success in consumer identity management

Success in consumer identity management is not just about getting the technology right, it is also about keeping in mind the consumer needs, preferences and concerns, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Robotic delivery service hits the streets of Milton Keynes

Following extensive testing and a limited commercial roll-out in campus enterprise environments, Estonian robotics firm Starship Technologies is launching a direct-to-consumer robot delivery service in Milton Keynes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Aim for long-term customer identity relationship

Consumer identity management can deliver competitive advantage, but only if businesses follow some golden rules, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Manchester’s evolution from rag trade to e-commerce riches

As Amazon and Moonpig plan to open Manchester hubs, the focus once again turns to the city’s in-demand digital and e-commerce scene Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Retail tech spending will grow 3.6% globally in 2019, predicts Gartner

Global spending on technology in the retail sector is set to grow by 3.6% in 2019, according to predictions by Gartner analysts Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

What's most important in creating a supply chain management strategy?

Begin with the end in mind: great customer service. That's one secret to establishing your supply chain priorities -- one that can help as you decide on its tradeoffs. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Turbide

Why subpostmasters and Post Office are battling it out in the High Court

After over a decade of controversy, next week marks the beginning of a court battle between subpostmasters and the Post Office over allegations of faults in an accounting system leading to unfair prosecutions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Focus on security before app deployment

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Absalom, Information Security Forum

Firms will use AI to automate HR processes within two years

Companies are gearing up to automate HR processes with artificial intelligence and machine learning, while at the same time battling with outdated IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Choose security tools wisely to gain upper hand

The cyber threat landscape is continually changing, but staying abreast of attacker and defender innovation can help business leaders gain the upper hand, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SMEs use fintech in fight against online giants, but fears remain

Online SMEs are turning to financial technology to help them make payment processes easy for customers as they try to compete with online giants Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where next for digital identity?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government hands its digital identity service, Gov.uk Verify, to the private sector, we examine the history and prospects for the troubled system. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at cloud-native architecture. And we compare the flash storage capabilities of the leading cloud providers, AWS, Azure and Google. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Morrisons loses appeal against data breach liability ruling

Supermarket chain has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling that found it liable for a data leak by a former employee, underlining the importance of managing insider threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Centralised identity risky and not web 3.0 friendly, says entrepreneur

User controlled identity is less risky than centralised identity and essential for the next evolution of the web, according to an entrepreneur and evangelist of self-sovereign identity and blockchain technologies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Retail focus is key to Alibaba’s new London datacentre

China’s e-commerce giant has been slowly expanding into Europe and is now heading for a clash of the titans against AWS and Azure Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Tamara Lohan, founder and CTO of Mr & Mrs Smith

Head of technology and co-founder of luxury travel firm Mr & Mrs Smith explains how the firm is revamping its technology to provide customers with a seamless experience Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Zeppelin uses Splunk for pre-emptive maintenance

German construction equipment rental firm Zeppelin has been using Splunk to predict when its machinery will need maintenance before it breaks down Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Addicted to clicks? Would you try online retail rehab?

In early October 2018, fintech firm iZettle ran a rehab centre for online shopping addicts to show the impact e-commerce has on the highstreet. But will this change customer habits? Spoiler alert, ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Postal delivery robots trialled in Norway

The Norwegian postal service is testing out the value and viability of robots delivering mail to homes and businesses Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Amazon to open Manchester R&D centre and create 1,000 skilled jobs

Online retail giant will open a new office in Manchester and expand others to house 1,000 new skilled research and development employees in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Contactless payments surpass Chip and PIN in UK shops

Contactless card payments now account for more spending in UK stores than Chip and PIN Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Carrefour kicks off blockchain food traceability drive

Using blockchain to capture data, shoppers will be able to use their smartphones to see exactly where a product on the supermarket shelf came from Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Moby Mart – The “store of the future” or just a fun idea?

During a discussion at Tech by Retail Week in summer of 2018, the co-founders of the unmanned moving store Moby Mart talked about how they believe the “store of the future” will be solar powered, ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Good data governance is good business

Organisations are failing to understand the importance of getting their data relationship with customers right and seeing the business opportunities that it enables, an industry analyst warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Moonpig to open technology hub and create 50 new roles

Greeting card company chooses Manchester for its first tech hub because of the city’s thriving tech scene and “exceptional” pool of talent Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

ASOS launches voice shopping on Google Assistant

Online fashion brand introduces voice shopping service to help customers navigate its thousands of products more easily Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Robots in the workplace supported by 81% of business chiefs

Robotic process automation continues to be taken up by more organisations – but despite proven benefits, those that already use it are struggling to scale it up Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Middle East: Middle East warms to humanoid robots

Countries in the Middle East are warming to humanoid robotics, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence as these technologies become widely accepted globally. Also in this issue, read why Saudi Arabia has called on London’s fintechs to set up in the country with the promise of government support, and find out how the Gulf Warehousing Company has introduced cloud-based technology to replace paper processes used by its HR department. Continue Reading

Volkswagen truck group’s journey to a subscription-based business model

VW’s truck business adopted a startup mentality to open a subscription-based business aimed at owners of truck fleets Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Huawei Connect 2018: Huawei tackles barriers to effective AI

At its annual customer and technology event, Huawei chairman Eric Xu set out 10 key challenges facing AI, and revealed how the networking supplier’s strategy will help to address these Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Blockchain adoption hotting up in Australia

The emerging technology is being tested in several industries in a country aspiring to be a global leader in blockchain development Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Kennedy

Tech takes centre stage in CBI’s pre-Budget wish list

Industry calls on government to set the tone for a tech-friendly business environment after the UK leaves the EU Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Customers need to be at the centre of GDPR plans

Responding to a breach is not just about data, it is about taking care of, and protecting, customers Continue Reading

By

• Dominic Cockram, Deloitte

GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

How Starbucks is using Splunk to automate mundane security tasks

Coffee giant Starbucks is using Splunk to automate some of its more tedious security tasks to reduce the workload for its cyber staff Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Why are so few electric vehicles used for online shopping deliveries?

UK retailers appear to be in the electric vehicle slow lane when it comes to online shopping deliveries, but changes are imminent Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

AI full of possibilities with the right tools and understanding

Artificial intelligence has the potential to assist in the analysis of data in a range of topics, but businesses need to understand its limitations and have the right tools to get the most benefit, says a Swiss entrepreneur Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK will unilaterally tax web giants, says Hammond

Chancellor threatens to go it alone on tax reform for digital services businesses if an international agreement cannot be reached Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK firms’ password security score ‘average’

While businesses are making strides in strengthening password security, there is more work to be done, with the UK password score lagging behind the frontrunners, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobile will be more disruptive for retail than online, says Facebook representative

Facebook’s retail industry head says mobile technology is likely to cause a bigger shift in retail than online shopping did Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

EU sees eIDAS regulation come into full force

A regulation aimed at cutting red tape to enable a digital single market in Europe will soon be in full force, but it could present some challenges to the UK after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Finland’s e-retail sector driven by international growth

Finland has a fast-growing e-retail industry as a positive consequence of the huge job cuts at Nokia Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer