IT management

Vint Cerf: Why everyone has a role in internet safety

The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the power of internet connectivity. Vint Cerf talks to Computer Weekly about the challenges the internet now faces Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: Security at the distributed edge

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt, and given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Anup Deb, Palo Alto Networks

How India’s Tata Capital is expanding its digital footprint

Tata Group’s financial services arm has been migrating branch walk-ins and voice calls to self-service digital channels staffed by chatbots as it expands its digital footprint Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

University of Staffordshire recruits robots to get more out of its people

University staff were bogged down with administrative work, but will now have time to be creative Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New Zealand activates security services as DDoS outage enters fourth day

New Zealand government calls in its national cyber security agencies to help investigate a continuing cyber attack on the country’s financial systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interview: Frankie Kay, interim director general for data capability, ONS

The Office for National Statistics’ interim director general for data capability talks about how data plays an important role in the battle against Covid-19 and how the pandemic has unearthed new ways of collaborating Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Machine learning wards off threats at TV studio Bunim Murray

TV studio behind reality hits including The Real World and Keeping Up With The Kardashians turned to Darktrace’s Antigena email protection service to keep its people safe from Covid-19 threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Benefit fraud: Underground trade in stolen identities revealed

A roaring underground trade in stolen identities is undermining the Universal Credit system and could potentially defraud it out of millions of pounds Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Double extortion ransomware attacks and how to stop them

As ransomware attacks increase, hackers are diversifying their tactics to get victims to hand over larger sums of money. We investigate the rise of double extortion attacks Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

NHS whistleblowers’ anonymity at mercy of inadequate trust IT policies and processes

They were clapped in the streets for their bravery at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but some NHS staff who raise workplace concerns are suffering abuse as a result Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Financial services business leaders and CIOs disagree on IT infrastructure

IT leaders and senior business executives need to align their technology infrastructure priorities as businesses attempt to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CTO interview: David Rafalovsky, Sberbank Group

Russia’s Sberbank is well into its digital transformation journey, with artificial intelligence and supercomputing now at the centre of its plans Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

TikTok CEO clocks off

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the firm after just three months Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Nordics: Bergen’s tech hub seeks global success

Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, is building a tech ecosystem that is beginning its development with a focus on the city’s industrial heritage. Also in this issue, read why now might be the time for businesses to consider how they will invest in outsourcing IT once the Covid-19 pandemic wanes. And read how Norway’s government has had to backtrack on a law that removed tax relief on energy consumption at datacentres that process cryptocurrency mining. Continue Reading

UK government publishes new insights on transport tech attitudes

The latest wave of the study investigates public attitudes on innovations such as autonomous vehicles and drones Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ministers urge local councils to lead on broadband and mobile

Digital minister Matt Warman and local government minister Simon Clarke want local councils to do their bit to help ensure better access to connectivity during the Covid-19 recovery Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The path towards sustainable sustainability

More enterprises need to build sustainability ecosystems, incorporate sustainability into their business strategy and develop sustainability policies Continue Reading

By

• Girish Ramachandran, Ilan Oshri and Julia Kotlarsky

Avaddon ransomware operators having a go at double extortion

The operators of the Avaddon ransomware seem to be tooling up to leak the data of their victims in addition to holding it to ransom, Cofense researchers confirm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HPE sees IT spending increase – expect server prices to rise

Organisations are buying more tech to keep operations running, but DRAM shortages will lead to server price increases Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Unwired Planet wins patent licensing case against Huawei

Landmark ruling goes in favour of Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless and may define the future of telecoms patent licensing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon UK boss to help select new government CDO

Outgoing Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr is on the selection panel to assess candidates for the government chief digital officer role, which offers a salary of up to £200,000 per year Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

What are the latest GDPR security breach enforcement trends?

A cyber breach specialist from Fieldfisher runs the rule over the latest trends in cyber security, data protection and GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Kirsten Whitfield, Fieldfisher

CIO interview: Steve Otto, chief technology officer, The R&A

When the coronavirus pandemic caused The Open to be cancelled, The R&A’s tech team took the UK’s flagship golf tournament online Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Covid-19, demographic shifts to drive automation

Businesses will need to shore up their productivity through technology and automation to cope with the pandemic and a shrinking workforce, says an industry expert Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Microsoft wins on public cloud trust

IT spending set to grow in 2021, with many organisations buying more public cloud services. Security and trust are top buying criteria Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

North Korea’s Lazarus targets cryptocurrency vertical

APT group behind the infamous WannaCry incident is targeting cryptocurrency operators, according to new research Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Obituary: Lord Harry Renwick – a parliamentary pioneer for IT interests

Lord Harry Renwick, once a key influencer for technology policy in Parliament, and a long-standing friend of Computer Weekly, passed away this month Continue Reading

By

• John Riley

TikTok takes Trump to court

Under-fire video app TikTok files a formal complaint in the federal courts challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to ban it in the US Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gartner: Enterprise sales of smartphones show low 5G uptake

There is little demand for new devices and 5G technology, as enterprises focus on saving cash rather than upgrading corporate smartphones, says Gartner Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

When algorithms don’t play fair

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the auditing of algorithms to countervail bias. We examine what CISOs can learn from Covid-19. And in our buyer’s guide to modern software development, we assess how competent artificial intelligence is at building applications that deliver the best possible customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Actual sales tactics vendors use during server refresh lifecycle

See specific examples of the strategies server vendors use in order to better prepare for sales pitches throughout the five stages of the server renewal and refresh lifecycle. Continue Reading

By

• James Alan Miller, Senior Executive Editor

Dutch Alzheimer’s app developed to aid interaction for dementia patients

An app aimed at helping dementia patients and their families has been developed by the Alzheimer Society in the Netherlands. Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements

Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to chancellor Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy. Continue Reading

Government makes digital leadership changes

The government has begun recruiting for a chief digital officer at permanent secretary level and Government Digital Service director general Alison Pritchard is leaving to join the Office for National Statistics Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CCS to launch £800m NHS IT framework

Collaborative framework agreement will cover a range of IT management services for use by NHS Digital and other public sector health and social care organisations Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Getting physical with datacentre security

Whether it is natural disasters, terrorism or break-ins, datacentres will be vulnerable to a range of risks unless they are physically secured. Here’s how you can improve the physical security of your datacentre Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Loan charge: Tax compliance charity demands criminal fraud investigation into scheme promoters

Tax compliance think tank TaxWatch is calling for a criminal fraud investigation to be launched into the promoters of disguised remuneration schemes to curb the continued proliferation of new tax avoidance arrangements Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

TikTok’s GDPR compliance probed amid accusations of data misuse

Dutch privacy organisation SOMI claims TikTok falls short in protecting young users, and that it is likely violating GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs accuse ICO of failing to do its job on contact-tracing data

Cross-party group of MPs say the ICO has failed to enforce data protection standards or hold the government to account over the unlawful Test and Trace programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKAS rejects ISO certification concerns

UK’s certification body says refreshed guidance is in place to cover the possibility of lapsed ISO certifications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches anti-crime tech competition

Government seeks technologies that allow police officers to use less lethal means to stop violent or armed offenders Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Social media data leak highlights murky world of data scraping

A data brokerage left its database of 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube profiles exposed to anybody who cared to access it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Inside Lenovo’s transition to a solutions provider

Lenovo’s long-term transformation from a primarily hardware supplier to an IT solutions provider is progressing, but the journey isn’t over yet Continue Reading

CW APAC: Expert advice on hybrid cloud

Despite numerous benefits, organisations with lots of legacy applications can’t or won’t move everything to the public cloud. Some organisations may also choose to retain sensitive data on-premise for security reasons. In this edition of Expert Advice, we look at why and how APAC firms are deploying and managing their hybrid cloud infrastructure. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scotland announces £15m investment to boost connectivity

Funding package aimed at improving internet access for 23,000 low-income households Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Linux Foundation showcases the greater good of open source

Open source is more than something indulged in by techies who love to program – it offers collaboration that transcends cultures to solve real-world problems Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC investigates over 10,000 Covid-19 phishing reports

HM Revenue & Customs received thousands of reports of coronavirus phishing scams exploiting its name during April, May and June Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Thousands of ISO certifications set to lapse

Delays and postponements in the auditing process are putting hard-earned security and data protection certifications at risk of lapsing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Marriott slapped with class action lawsuit over 2018 breach

Group action brings together millions of victims who stayed at the Starwood hotel chain over a four-year period Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Loan charge MPs urge chancellor to get HMRC to soften contractor settlements

Co-chairs of Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group write to Rishi Sunak to seek a fairer deal for contractors caught by HMRC’s disguised remuneration policy Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK government needs a joined-up internet policy

Global internet firms want government to ensure its new digital strategy has coherent policy and regulatory goals Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Department for Transport seeks industry views on autonomous vehicle technology

The government wants industry’s views on plans to use automation technology to take control of cars travelling at speeds of up to 70mph, keeping them safely in the lane on motorways Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How to keep IT staff safe when they are needed on-site

One of the challenges for IT departments during the coronavirus pandemic is that staff sometimes need to come into the office, which poses health risks Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Carnival cruise lines hit by ransomware, customer data stolen

Cruise ship operator is likely to be the victim of a major data breach after customer information is apparently stolen in a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reports Oracle to enter TikTok bidding war

Oracle may be about to make a bid to acquire the US operations of TikTok from its Chinese parent ByteDance, according to the FT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Covid-19 elevated the datacentre

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how datacentres and their workers became part of our critical national infrastructure due to the pandemic. Firms considering upgrading to SAP S/4 Hana face hefty bills – we look at how to keep costs down. And we analyse the increasing rate of applications being migrated to the cloud. Continue Reading

Oracle takes aim at hyperscalers, eyes VMware workloads

Oracle claims it is addressing the limitations of competing services by offering better security controls, consolidated billing and global availability Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Comms startup Element helps support secure communications during pandemic

With the huge increase in remote working, Element is using an open, decentralised network to give organisations more control over their communications Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Security Interviews: How Crest is remaking the future of consultancy

Crest president Ian Glover taught himself cyber security while working on government computing systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Now he is on a decade-spanning mission to change security consultancy models Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coding within company constraints

We find out how containerised microservices and automated testing, combined with effective collaboration and communication, can drive innovation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
• Adrian Bridgwater

DBS Bank teams up with AWS on AI skills

Singapore’s DBS Bank is organising an AWS DeepRacer League to equip thousands of employees with skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How 5 stages of server lifecycle influence vendor sales tactics

Learn about sales tactics that server suppliers like Dell EMC, HPE, Lenovo, IBM and Cisco use to try to win back market share from white box suppliers and how those affect you. Continue Reading

By

• James Alan Miller, Senior Executive Editor

ICO acknowledges GDPR concerns over A-level results scandal

Information Commissioner’s Office says it has engaged with exams regulator Ofqual after its use of an algorithm to calculate A-level grades backfired Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government investigates AI labour market

Survey will seek to discover new requirements and issues posed by artificial intelligence technology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

US decision to file new charges against Julian Assange ‘astonishing and potentially abusive’

Lawyer for WikiLeaks founder slams US decision to serve a second indictment at the 11th hour alleging that Assange conspired with hackers, as a potential abuse of process Continue Reading

By

• Charlie Jones

Russia’s Fancy Bear targets Linux environments with Drovorub malware

The Russian intelligence-linked Fancy Bear group is deploying a new malware called Drovorub against Linux environments as part of a cyber espionage operation, according to US warnings Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Executive interview: Sri Shivananda, chief technology officer, PayPal

Computer Weekly talks to PayPal’s tech head about the payment provider’s SOA, security, open source and the lockdown Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Oracle and Salesforce sued over online ad tracking

Class action lawsuits filed in Amsterdam and London will accuse Oracle and Salesforce of breaching GDPR in their processing and sharing of personal data to sell online advertising Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ed Sheeran is not promoting investment opportunities, says NCSC

The National Cyber Security Centre has issued a new warning after uncovering a series of online scams promoting fraudulent celebrity-endorsed investment opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore firms struggle with RPA roll-outs

Almost three-quarters of Singapore business leaders say their organisations are facing difficulties in scaling up their implementations of robotic process automation Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Loan charge: HMRC tells contractors not to ‘hold out hope’ of revised down settlements emerging

With the 30 September 2020 loan charge policy settlement date fast approaching, HM Revenue & Customs tells those in its scope to abandon hope of revised down settlements being offered at this stage Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

A CIO’s journey through the Covid-19 crisis

FDM’s IT chief takes us through the challenges of responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and the future opportunities that the changes introduced now present Continue Reading

By

• Jonathan Young, FDM Group

How to tackle the IAM challenges of multinational companies

The rapidly changing business, regulatory and IT environment makes identity and access management a tough nut to crack for large multinationals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Mark Gannon, director of business change and information, Sheffield City Council

Like many organisations, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated digital change in Sheffield, and its IT leader is looking to build further on that momentum Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

CW Benelux: Security system concerns at Schiphol Airport

A report has revealed problems with critical security systems at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Also read why the Netherlands’ digital sector is yearning for attention from the government, and how data weaknesses persist despite Dutch companies investing heavily to comply with GDPR. Continue Reading

A-Level calculations shine a spotlight on unfair algorithms

The fiasco with the calculations for A-Level result marks has projected the unfairness of algorithms into the spotlight. In modern society, such algorithms act as black boxes that make fundamental ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How is SAP Climate 21 meant to reduce CO2 emissions?

SAP released program to help companies go green and achieve better sustainability. Here's a look at Climate 21 and its Product Carbon Footprint Analytics. Continue Reading

By

• James Kofalt, DX4 Research

EU and US start discussions on ‘enhanced’ Privacy Shield data-sharing agreement

Talks begin on a successor to the Privacy Shield EU-US data-sharing agreement declared unlawful in July 2020 – a decision by the European Court of Justice that left thousands of businesses facing legal uncertainty Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government awards funding for innovation projects

The funding for innovative projects forms part of the government’s plan to increase research and development spending, which it claims will aid the UK’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How Dharma ransomware became an effective services business

New research looks under the bonnet of a Dharma ransomware attack, with the ransomware's ease of use being particularly dangerous for small to medium-sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIOs raise IT budgets as increased remote working drives security concerns

Research finds that as the pandemic forces companies to accept the idea of permanent massed remote working, CIOs are waking up to the threat of increased cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Microsoft patches two zero-days with active exploits

Microsoft drops another major Patch Tuesday update, including fixes for two zero-day exploits that are already being exploited by cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security training body Sans Institute hit by data breach

Around 28,000 items of personally identifiable data were lost in a phishing attack on Sans, proving that even the professionals can be caught out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police use of facial recognition found ‘unlawful’ in court

In a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal has ruled that South Wales Police’s facial recognition deployments breached human rights and data protection laws Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

APAC buyer’s guide to BI and analytics

In this buyer’s guide, we look at the state of adoption of business intelligence and analytics tools, common use cases and other technology and business considerations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NHS hit by thousands of malicious emails at height of pandemic

The NHS received nearly 30,000 malicious emails at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March and April Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Citrix users urged to patch five XenMobile CVEs

Patches are available for CVEs 2020-8208 through 8212 and should be installed as soon as possible Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Phishing lures pivot to exploit vaccine hopes

Phishing emails are increasingly luring in victims with subject lines relating to the development of a vaccine for Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nutanix launches Clusters in AWS for hybrid cloud hyper-converged infrastructure

HCI pioneers launches Nutanix Clusters, which will provide hyper-converged deployments across customer datacentres and the Amazon cloud, but only in Acropolis and on AWS for now Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Pandemic acts as catalyst for digital-led recovery

Economies with strong digital services are set to grow cross-border trade, while 3D printing could revolutionise goods manufacturing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cloud storage costs: How to get cloud storage bills under control

Many organisations look to the cloud to cut storage budgets, but the potential costs are many and varied. So what are the key ways to cut cloud storage costs? Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

French data protection authorities to probe TikTok as suitors circle

France’s CNIL has confirmed a new investigation into TikTok’s data protection practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hospitality sector is failing on contact-tracing obligations

Cyber security experts urge the government to do more to help small hospitality businesses improve their contact-tracing data-handling practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK lags in AI skills and AI project success

Global study by Microsoft shows that UK organisations have more artificial intelligence projects that deliver zero value than other countries Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Freezing digital history in the Arctic Circle

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out why GitHub is storing its historical open source code repositories on analogue film in the Arctic Circle. Our buyer’s guide examines modern software development practices. And we hear how virtual reality technology helped the UK build more ventilators to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

World of technology changed forever by the pandemic

While most of the events of a remarkable 2020 would not be welcome again, changes to the IT and storage landscape will stay with us for the foreseeable future. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Raffo

Executive interview: Ford’s Graham Hoare on manufacturing ventilators

The executive director for business transformation at Ford of Britain discusses how augmented reality supported the VentilatorChallengeUK effort Continue Reading

Government launches digital identity checking pilot

More than a year after first announced, the government has launched a year-long pilot of its post-Brexit digital identity checking service Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Retailer Monsoon allegedly exposing data via Pulse Connect server

A researcher has found a critically insecure Pulse Connect Secure VPN version belonging to UK retailer Monsoon Accessorize, but claims the firm is ignoring his disclosures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Portrait of the software developer as an artist

Many programmers see themselves as artists – of a sort. Computer Weekly investigates what it means to be a modern software developer Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
• Adrian Bridgwater