IT news in your industry sector

UK organisations swift to chide phishing victims

While UK organisations are doing better at security training, many are quick to punish employees who fall victim to phishing attacks, whether real or simulated Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hammerspace offers follow-the-sun access to on-prem and cloud storage

Startup aims to succeed where others have failed and present file, block and object storage data from any and multiple locations as if it were local to the user Continue Reading

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• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Security Think Tank: Good training is all about context

In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service? Continue Reading

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• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Sweden completes phase two of e-krona pilot

Sweden’s central bank is well into its second year of testing a new digital currency, but so far, no firm decision has been made by the government to adopt it Continue Reading

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• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Think nation-state cyber attacks won’t hit you? Think again…

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with Russian state cyber attacks in the news, we find out why security professionals in every organisation need to remain alert. Our buyer’s guide looks at the tools and programmes helping improve IT training. And we look at how the traditional sport of golf is undergoing a digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Backup heads to cloud as ransomware hits 76% and RTOs/RPOs fail

Veeam survey finds most can’t recover the data they want or do it in time, ransomware is now a ‘disaster’, use of the cloud is increasing, but the datacentre is still very important Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK joins US in pinning Ukraine DDoS attacks on Russia

A series of DDoS attacks on Ukrainian defence and banking organisations last week is now being firmly attributed to Russian action Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Storage and 5G: Big impacts likely as wide-area topologies evolve

Enterprise 5G will boost the need for storage generally. It will also push capacity needs closer to the edge and create new locations for processing and storage Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Technology is the key to the door of levelling up the UK

We finally have a better idea of what the government’s ‘levelling-up’ policy means in practice – but national progress on digital adoption will be a key measure of its success Continue Reading

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• Julian David, TechUK

Open banking surpasses five million UK customers

Upwards of five million people in the UK are using open banking services as the financial sector’s fintech revolution gathers pace Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Amazon and Visa resolve UK credit card ban threat

Companies reach ‘broad, global agreement that includes the acceptance of Visa at all Amazon stores and sites’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

January 2022 saw low growth in online sales

Slow start to the year with minimal growth for online sales as pandemic drop-off has more people heading back to the highstreet Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

UK organisations untroubled by Trickbot surge

A surge in Trickbot infections is targeting some of the world’s most prominent brands, but UK organisations seem thankfully unaffected Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CDO interview: Lisa Valentino, executive VP for client and brand solutions, Disney Advertising Sales

The entertainment giant is bringing marketing, data and technology together to make the most of its growing digital advertising opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

CIO interview: Adam Miller, group head of IT, Markerstudy Group

The insurer and Auto Windscreens owner is using cloud-based virtual desktops to ease acquisitions and support home working during the pandemic – and its IT chief has a growing range of projects on the go Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

India warms to telehealth amid pandemic

Covid-19 has accelerated adoption of telehealth services in India as more healthcare providers look to offer medical treatment and assistance without risking infections Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

The British people are waking up to the scandal that happened under their noses

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have been suffering in silence for many years, but the current public inquiry is giving them a voice, and people are listening Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Signify accelerated automation projects as pandemic challenges mounted

Dutch lighting manufacturer used robotic process automation technology to help it address Covid-19-inflicted disruption Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nvidia founder and CEO portrays AI-centricity

Earnings call for Nvidia’s fourth-quarter results offers a leading indicator of where the application of artificial intelligence may be heading Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Helsinki helps lay the groundwork for cities to take on healthcare drones

Finnish capital is part of a pan-EU project to introduce drone technology into emergency medical services Continue Reading

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• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Red Cross cyber attack the work of nation-state actors

The International Committee of the Red Cross now believes the January 2022 attack on its systems to have been the work of an undisclosed nation state Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How one Singapore company is keeping drivers safe

TNT Surveillance’s technology is being deployed by bus and port operators to reduce driver fatigue and prevent accidents using cameras and radar sensors Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

2021 another record year for UK cyber investment

Total revenue generated by the UK’s cyber sector was up 14% last year, and UK-registered security firms raised over £1bn in investment Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs demand urgent compensation for Post Office scandal victim group

MPs have called for the government to urgently provide fair compensation to a group of victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal who have so far been left out of compensation schemes Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: How do you define IBM?

It is the world’s oldest computer company, and it was once said you didn’t get fired for buying from Big Blue. But a lot has changed. Sreeram Visvanathan, CEO for UK&I, explains how IBM is reinventing itself Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DWP data sharing pilot aims for single source of the truth

A pilot to share labour data across government departments aims to develop a safe framework for collaboration and to improve policy-making Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DDoS attacks hit Ukrainian defence ministry and banks

A further wave of cyber attacks has taken place against targets in Ukraine amid heightened tension in the region Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BlackCat ransomware gang claims responsibility for Swissport attack

Ransomware gang is trying to offload 1.6TB of data stolen from aviation services firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Steve Williams, M&A lead and IT director, Waterstons

Steve Williams is applying decades of CIO experience to the advice he gives businesses during major mergers and acquisitions Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic countries lack a unified approach to AI

Nordic countries need to work together on a pan-regional artificial intelligence strategy Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Retrospect Backup refines anomaly detection in ransomware battle

StorCentric backup software brand allows customer fine-tuning of anomaly detection in struggle against ransomware, and adds immutable copies via object locking in Azure Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Botched third-party configuration exposes Internet Society data to web

Personal data on members of The Internet Society was exposed after a supplier failed to secure its Azure storage Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK finance regulator effects changes to ‘buy now, pay later’ contract terms

BNPL finance providers have agreed to make their contracts with consumers fairer, amid concerns Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nebulon gets Ansible collection for datacentre deployment

Provider of cloud-managed and hardware-accelerated – formerly ‘cloud-defined’ – storage makes further moves towards its smartInfrastructure vision, with Terraform support coming Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

TA2451 targets aviation and transport sector with tailored lures

Newly designated cyber criminal group favours highly specific lures and a tried-and-tested modus operandi to compromise targets in the aviation, aerospace and transport sectors Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest group shutters 32 more branches as digital shift continues

Banking group announces more branch closures as part of its digital transformation, but promises that no customers will be left behind Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australian public sector facing transformation challenges

Public sector organisations in Australia are facing organisational and technological challenges in driving back-office innovation and digital-first strategies, new study finds Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

China emerges as leader in vulnerability exploitation

Threat actors linked to China are emerging as a significant force in the weaponisation of newly discovered CVEs Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CMA secures final Privacy Sandbox guarantees from Google

The CMA has secured a final set of Privacy Sandbox commitments from Google relating to the proposed removal of third-party cookies from its Chrome browser Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government publishes plans to improve health and social care integration

A white paper outlines measures including digital care records under move to help individuals receive “better, more joined-up care” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Why security professionals should pay attention to what Russia is doing

Even though the average organisation is an unlikely target for a Russian state cyber attack, here's why security teams still need to watch what Russian threat groups are up to Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lords to scrutinise UK plans to become a science and tech ‘superpower’

House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry will investigate the government’s strategy to advance its science and tech ambitions, how it will be delivered and its feasibility Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The birth of Estonia’s digital civil servant

As Estonia finalises the initial version of its government services digital assistant for launch later this year, the man heading the project describes the birth of Bürokratt and beyond Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hackney Council could be forced to answer questions about IT security training after Psya ransomware

Council is negotiating with the information commissioner after refusing to reply to questions under the Freedom of Information Act about staff IT and security training during the pandemic Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK government starts search for new chief digital officer

£190,000 job will lead digital, data and technology policy across Whitehall, in charge of the 200-strong Central Digital and Data Office Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

IR35 reforms: HMRC slammed for ‘over-collecting tax’ from non-compliant public sector bodies

HMRC has moved to play down claims it is collecting more tax than it is due when tackling non-compliance with the IR35 reforms in the public sector Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How diplomatic immunity silenced the prosecutor who coordinated Sweden’s EncroChat probe

Defence lawyers claim Swedish court decision not to hear evidence from a Swedish prosecutor leaves important legal questions unanswered over international police operation to hack EncroChat cryptophone network Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Interview: Eddie Copeland, director, London Office of Technology and Innovation

The leader of the London Office of Technology and Innovation discusses local government’s response to the pandemic and its priorities for collaborative work around data and innovation in 2022 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Retail’s staff engagement and happiness problem – can tech help?

Keeping staff engaged, motivated, connected and content is no easy task for retailers, but the industry is exploring new tools and techniques to improve the workplace Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Phishing tests are a useful exercise, but don’t overdo it

The vast majority of cyber attacks start with a phish, so it’s not surprising that phishing tests form part of cyber training plans. But sometimes these tests go too far. Cyberis’ Gemma Moore looks at how to avoid the pitfalls Continue Reading

By

• Gemma Moore

Tech sector can lead the fight against climate change

The technology and telecoms sector has a dual role to play in sustainability – to transform its own organisation and ecosystems, and to use its role as a digital enabler to drive sustainability for its customers Continue Reading

By

• Praveen Shankar, EY

UK second in money laundering hall of shame

Banks need to step up their anti-money laundering processes if billions of pounds’ worth of criminal activity is to be prevented Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government earmarks £23m for 2,000 AI scholarships in England

The DCMS has confirmed £23m government funding for 2,000 scholarships in England for AI and data science Masters degree conversion courses Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

ISP (internet service provider)

An ISP (internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals and companies access to the internet and other related services. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

Minister defends digital economy legislation before Lords

A digital minister has said that the UK’s forthcoming digital markets legislation is ‘superior’ to similar efforts in the EU, but could not commit to a specific time frame for when it will be introduced to Parliament Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Linux-based clouds an open door for attackers, says VMware

Its prevalence as a cloud operating system means Linux is becoming a meal ticket for malicious actors, but the security industry does not seem to have cottoned on to this yet, says VMware Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware ever more sophisticated and impactful, warns NCSC

UK’s National Cyber Security Centre teams up with US and Australian partners in a joint advisory warning organisations of the increasing sophistication exhibited by criminal ransomware gangs Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data strategy highlights geospatial data challenges

A new assessment discusses the importance of data sharing, a lack of standards and the skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft stomps on 48 bugs in February Patch Tuesday update

It’s a light Patch Tuesday for February 2022, as Microsoft issues fixes for just 48 CVEs, including a solitary zero-day Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech companies risk being compelled by law to protect children, says online safety expert

John Carr, a child safety campaigner backing a government-funded campaign on the dangers of end-to-end encryption to children, says tech companies have no choice but to act Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Five key tech trends for digital leaders in 2022

The past two years have seen a surge in investment that will bring new challenges to digital leaders over the next year Continue Reading

By

• Bev White, Nash Squared

Posix vs object storage: How much longer for Posix?

We look at Posix compliance in storage and why it is being challenged by object storage and the need to scale much further than Posix-oriented storage was ever intended to Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Post Office scandal victims to tell their stories in public

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are due to tell their devastating stories to the statutory inquiry Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Log4Shell, Ukraine and umbrella firm cyber attacks – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Alex Scroxton joins the team to discuss the Log4j vulnerability and Russian pressure on Ukraine. Also discussed are cyber attacks on umbrella companies, neuro-diversity and junk in space Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NHS England works with Ada Lovelace Institute to tackle AI bias in healthcare

A guide to algorithmic impact assessments is being used to help developers, data scientists and product owners check bias in healthcare systems Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DPD delivers swift fix for serious API flaw

API vulnerability potentially left PII on DPD Group’s customers dangerously exposed, but was rapidly fixed on disclosure Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ferrari accelerates digital transformation with Qualcomm strategic technology collaboration

Leading mobile processor firm inks deal to be systems solutions provider for legendary motor marque in strategic technology collaboration aimed at helping to boost the manufacturer’s digital transformation Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Microsoft to start blocking macros to thwart malware

Microsoft is making changes to web macro permissions across multiple Office apps to help improve user security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Building the UK’s future cyber ecosystem

As the government lays out the next iteration of its Cyber Security Strategy, we speak to Plexal and Lorca’s Saj Huq about his work building a cyber ecosystem to support the UK’s future ambitions Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tiger offers lightweight file access for hybrid cloud

Roar data, anyone? Tiger offers local access to cloud data, with only parts of the file being worked on downloaded and file locking in cloud buckets to ensure integrity Continue Reading

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• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Porn sites will be legally required to verify users’ ages

Porn sites could be legally obliged to verify that their users are 18 or over under proposed online safety rules, in UK government’s second attempt to prevent children from accessing pornography online Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Right to disconnect and less monitoring key to better remote work

The World Health Organisation and International Labour Organisation warn against invasive workplace surveillance and promote right to disconnect in joint briefing on how to promote healthy and safe remote working Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK fintech investment sees sevenfold increase in a year

UK fintech investment rose from $5.2bn in 2020 to $37.3bn in 2021, with 603 private equity, venture capital and merger and acquisition deals Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nvidia’s Arm deal is dead

‘Significant regulatory challenges’ have prevented Nvidia in its $31bn attempt to purchase chipmaker Arm Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cloud-era disaster recovery planning: Staff training, incident and media management

In the third in a series on cloud-era disaster recovery, we set out the key components of DR staff awareness and training programmes, as well as incident management and dealing with the media Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

The UK-Australia FTA shows the UK means business on digital trade policy

The new free-trade agreement with Australia could be setting the precedents for what a modern digital trade policy will look like for the UK Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

CIO interview: Brian Roche, director of IT, George Best Belfast City Airport

Data analytics, the internet of things and open source software are central to the Northern Irish airport’s aim to create a seamless, tech-enabled journey for passengers Continue Reading

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• Mark Samuels

Airport services firm thwarts attempted ransomware heist

Aviation services provider Swissport says its systems are mostly back up and running after a ransomware attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Umbrella IT contractors urged to seize on court ruling to reclaim withheld holiday pay

The outcome of a court ruling concerning a holiday pay dispute between Pimlico Plumbers and one of its former employees could have costly implications for the umbrella company sector, it is claimed Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Global IT companies ready to fight for Russian market

International IT firms have begun the process of complying with the latest regulations imposed on them by the Russian government Continue Reading

By

• Eugene Gerden

TV provider MediaHub boots SAN and NAS for Scality object storage

Sydney-based TV content provider MediaHub got tired of performance issues and scaling difficulties with SAN and NAS, so powered its as-a-service offer with Scality object storage Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Met police deploy facial recognition in Westminster

Police facial recognition deployment resulted in four arrests, but questions remain about the necessity, proportionality and legality of the technology’s use Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Amazon to create 1,500 UK apprenticeships in 2022

Retail giant Amazon will be on the lookout for more than 1,000 UK apprentices this year, adding to the thousands of new hires it made in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cyber attacks on European oil facilities spreading

Following a cyber attack on distribution facilities in Germany, more incidents have been reported in Belgium and the Netherlands, but it is too early to necessarily draw a link between them Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EC proposes new directive to improve gig economy work conditions

Gig economy workers in Europe could be entitled to more rights and better workplace protections under a directive proposed by the European Commission Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cack-handed government compensation scheme prolongs suffering of Horizon scandal victims

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are being denied the millions of pounds they are owed as the government delays compensation resolution Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UAE chooses Accenture to develop national payments platform

Consortium led by Accenture to build new payments infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Danish researchers develop a socially aware robot

A new breed of robots gracefully interacts with humans in an autonomous fashion Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

French Supreme Court raises constitutional questions over EncroChat hacking secrecy

Conseil Constitutionnel to decide whether ‘defence secrecy’ over state EncroChat cryptophone hacking breaches French constitution Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Australia’s cloud market tipped to surpass $14bn in 2025

The growth will be led by growing demand for software-as-a-service offerings as Aussie firms look to tap cloud services in their digital transformation efforts Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: How to build a human firewall

In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service? Continue Reading

By

• Merry Song, Turnkey Consulting

Zero-trust to soar in 2022, but dogged by implementation challenges

IT leaders are keen to invest in zero-trust, but face issues around a lack of expertise, and selling the concept into the C-suite Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reforms needed to tackle economic crime, says Treasury Committee

The Treasury Committee is disappointed at progress towards tackling economic crime and fraud in both the online and offline worlds, and is calling for more action Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nationwide Building Society streamlines digital onboarding through API

Building society is improving its digital onboarding process through application programming interface-based technology from a US startup Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

MPs call on government to ‘push harder’ and ‘act faster’ amid online fraud epidemic

MPs on the Treasury Committee want the government to act quickly to reduce the amount of money being stolen through online fraud Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

British Council data exposed by third-party cyber failure

The British Council entrusted confidential data on its students to a third-party and was let down Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What neurodivergent people really think of working in cyber security

Many firms are filling cyber security skills gaps by hiring neurodivergent talent – but more support is needed for neurodivergent cyber security professionals, writes autistic tech journalist Nicholas Fearn Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Saudi Arabia to invest billions of dollars in technology and startups

Saudi Arabia announces $6.4bn investment in its tech sector as part of plans to diversify its economy Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ikea hopes to fill 150 tech roles across Europe this year

Swedish furniture brand Ikea has plans to hire more than 150 tech and data workers across Europe in 2022 Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Check Point buys Spectral to safeguard cloud development

Check Point’s latest acquisition of Israel-based startup Spectral expands its developer-centric security toolset Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor