IT news in your industry sector

IR35: Government sets out plan to rid contractor market of non-compliant umbrellas and loan schemes

In the wake of a consultation earlier this year, the government has drawn up a package of measures it intends to take to help protect contractors from non-compliant umbrella companies and loan scheme promoters Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

All my exes avoid Texas

Jeff Bezos has taken his rocket ship, New Shepherd, for its first ride. A ragtag team of Bezos, his brother, wee Wally Funk and the teenage son of a Dutch financier left Earth for 10 minutes and 10 ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Interview: Sarah Wilkinson, former CEO, NHS Digital

In her exit interview with Computer Weekly, NHS Digital’s former CEO Sarah Wilkinson talks about the organisation’s transformation over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic, bureaucracy challenges and big wins Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Covid-19 creates opportunity to digitally transform justice system, says TechUK

The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital in the UK justice system but challenges remain, leaving it ripe for reform with data at its heart, says industry body Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Lords Covid-19 Committee disappointed in government engagement

Committee is so disappointed in the government’s lack of engagement with its inquiry into the digital impact of the pandemic that it has published a separate report criticising it Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

New thinking and systems required to tackle online fraud in retail

Online fraud is a growing problem for retail, but are merchants doing enough to update systems and how should they change their actions to address it? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Infosys to open German operation focused on automotive sector

Infosys is establishing a centre in Germany that will focus on supporting customers in the German automotive sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government officials lack experience to lead digital transformation, says NAO

The government needs to reskill senior decision makers and give tech leaders more influence if digital business change projects are to succeed Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

France’s Macron among alleged Pegasus targets

Data relating to devices used by French president Emmanuel Macron and the head of the World Health Organization, among others, has been uncovered in a dataset linked to government use of spyware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Research and development investment programme launches in UK

A government-backed investment programme designed to direct more capital towards research and development-intensive technology firms has opened for applications Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government shares vision for digitised energy system as it pursues net-zero emissions target

Strategy is geared towards readying the UK energy system for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable power through digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Uber drivers face real-terms pay cut after service fee hike

Unionised Uber drivers have condemned the ride-hailing firm for ‘cynically’ framing its UK service fee rise as a way of improving equality among drivers, rather than a pay cut Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Nordic banks join forces to compete with fintechs

Collaboration will be key for traditional Nordic banks to retain business amid intense competition from tech companies Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

NHS Digital tightens rules for GPDPR data scrape

The proposed collection of patient data held by GPs will now only commence when three key criteria have been fulfilled, says NHS Digital Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Volvo: Our friends in software

We speak to Volvo’s head of software platform about the company’s strategy to build a software-defined car Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ripe for change – mixing digital innovation with traditional winemaking

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how global winemaker Concha y Toro uses the latest tech to enhance 150-year old traditional processes. Pharma giant GSK explains how an API strategy is changing its business model. And we talk to retailers using video technology to bridge the gap between in-store and online selling. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government launches consultation on plans for UK digital identity market

DCMS wants stakeholders to offer their views on proposals for a new governance regime and expanding access to government-held datasets for identity verification Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Is tech team remuneration opening up a new form of cyber risk?

Failing to reward cyber security staff in line with increases for other members of the tech team could open up new risks to organisations Continue Reading

By

• Bev White, Nash Squared

HMRC CEO claims email querying legal basis for loan charge ‘overplayed’ at committee hearing

HMRC CEO Jim Harra continues to downplay significance of email questioning legal basis of the loan charge during a grilling by the Economic Affairs Committee Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

A dozen more subpostmaster prosecutions quashed in Horizon scandal

Twelve more former subpostmasters have had wrongful convictions for financial crimes overturned in the Court of Appeal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Chelsea and Westminster NHS launches acute Covid app

The app aims to work as a one-stop Covid-19 information and resource shop for doctors and nurses working with coronavirus patients Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Storage-as-a-service: Consumption models from the big six

We look at the big six storage makers’ consumption model offers, which allow customers to pay for on-prem hardware and cloud storage capacity on a pay-per-use basis, within limits Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Privacy Shield: One year on and companies are still grappling for answers

Activist lawyer Max Schrems and Eduardo Ustaran, partner at Hogan Lovells, look for common ground in a problem with no easy answers Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Briefing: Cloud storage performance metrics

We look at some of the key storage performance metrics that determine what your applications will get from cloud storage, plus cloud essentials that are beyond simple measurement Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

UK government publishes skills-focused anti-disinformation plan

Online Media Literacy Strategy aims to train teachers and care-givers in understanding disinformation so they can help others in safely navigating the internet Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK workforce needs reskilling for net-zero transition

Green Jobs Taskforce report looks at how the UK’s workforce can be skilled up to support the transition to net zero Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Fintech sector continues to attract investment as Revolut hits $33bn valuation

Revolut has become the most valuable financial technology firm in the UK after its latest round of investment, with plans for a ‘superapp’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Sylvain Filippi, managing director and CTO, Envision Virgin Racing

The motorsport company’s managing director and chief technology officer wants to use data and technology to prove benefits of electric vehicles and win “in the right way” Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

EC approves pan-Nordic payments platform

Pan-Nordic payments platform will move to its next phase after receiving merger approval from the European Commission Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK should set up digital task forces to transform governance

Commission for Smart Government paper sets out recommendations for how government can use digital technologies to better serve citizens’ needs, and calls for it to set up new digital task forces Continue Reading

More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services

Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited

Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

London announces winners of Covid-19 recovery innovation challenge

The Mayor’s Resilience Fund called for ideas to support businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic, and there are some standout winners Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

AI to have biggest impact on fintech development over next five years

Artificial intelligence will become the most influential technology in the fintech sector over the next five years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Financial services sector’s cloud use set for more regulatory scrutiny on resilience grounds

Financial stability report by Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee raises red flag about banks’ growing reliance on a small number of cloud service providers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

BMW launches quantum challenge for automotive sector

Car maker is encouraging researchers and startups to submit industry-specific algorithms that take advantage of quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Modipwn vulnerability puts millions of building systems at risk

Authentication bypass vulnerability in a Schneider Electric product could lead to device takeover Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Met Police seize £180m worth of Bitcoin

The largest ever seizure of cryptocurrency in the UK comes just weeks after a previous multi-million pound confiscation, as law enforcement clamps down on money laundering Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch prosecutor ordered to give evidence on EncroChat hack

Netherlands court rules that a public prosecutor should give evidence about the role of the Dutch in the EncroChat cryptophone hack which has led to arrests of organised gangs worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK fintech investments recovering from lost year

Fintech investments have bounced back in the first half of this year after a Covid-19-hit 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office launches three-year digital strategy

The strategy sets out six principles, aiming to reduce cost and complexity while driving innovation and developing better digital products and services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Russia tightens pressure on global IT companies

Russian authorities will force certain IT companies with customers in Russia to open local offices Continue Reading

By

• Eugene Gerden

Driving intelligence – behind the scenes of Volkswagen’s in-car software

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we go behind the scenes of Volkswagen’s in-car software R&D centre. The UK’s largest supercomputer has gone live in Cambridge – we find out how it will transform healthcare research. And we talk to DWP’s digital chief about the restructuring of its IT capabilities. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK government set to unveil next steps in digital identity market plan

The next phase of the UK government’s plan to support a market of certified, interoperable digital identity providers is set to kick into gear, with digital infrastructure minister Matt Warman due ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Loan charge MPs call for prime ministerial intervention to prevent mass contractor bankruptcies

In an open letter signed by 76 MPs, the prime minister and the chancellor are facing calls to intervene urgently on how the loan charge policy is being enforced Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Taxpayers will have to pay at least £300m to bail out Post Office after scandal

The cost of a scheme set up to compensate subpostmasters who were victims of the Horizon IT scandal will exceed £300m even before damages are paid to all those who suffered Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHS to get new online jobs platform

NHS Business Services Authority is working to transform the NHS Jobs platform, currently in beta stage, with plans to launch it early next year Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Tech and new experiences tackling trouble at t’mall

UK shopping centres are under pressure, but new concepts, tech-infused spaces, and fresh approaches to consumer engagement are revitalising the sector Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Met Police should release information on British WikiLeaks journalists passed to US, tribunal told

The Metropolitan Police should release correspondence with the US Department of Justice about three UK based WikiLeaks journalists, despite national security claims, a tribunal heard Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government commitment to Post Office Horizon victims was a ‘false promise’

The government has made no contact with subpostmasters two months after it said it would work with them to ensure they get speedy and fair compensation for their losses as a result of Post Office IT scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How GSK Consumer Healthcare builds out its platform business

GSK Consumer Healthcare’s products are sold through retailers and chemist shops, and it is now connecting directly with consumers through APIs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Developers have a moral duty to create ethical AI

Corsight AI publishes report on how organisations can develop more human-centric AI and biometric technologies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CIO interview: Claire Dickson, group CIO, DS Smith

Settling into her new role, Claire Dickson is working with the business to make strategic progress, smart, data-led changes and create a five-year digital strategy Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Kaseya apologises for extended downtime after ransom attack

CEO of Kaseya apologises after pushing back the restoration of the firm’s VSA service following a REvil ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Ian Cohen, CPIO, Acacium Group

Acacium’s chief product and information officer joined the healthcare specialist in the midst of the pandemic, and is responsible for data, product, business process and automation Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

CW Middle East: Pandemic speeds up edtech revolution in Gulf

One of the lessons the Covid-19 pandemic has taught governments across the world is that education providers can still teach when their premises are inaccessible. Read how organisations in the Gulf region’s education sector have been quick to adopt the latest education technology, known as edtech, to help in this endeavour. Also read in this issue how Indian IT services company TCS is bringing together universities, businesses, tech startups and government to work on sustainability challenges. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Reopening is an opportunity to reassess wider security posture

With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect their returning office workers? Continue Reading

By

• Louise Barber, Turnkey Consulting

US government given permission to appeal UK’s decision to not extradite Julian Assange

US offers assurances that Assange could serve time in his home country of Australia if convicted Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

ICO to probe Hancock over private email use

Former health secretary faces an investigation by the UK’s data protection watchdog over his use of private email to conduct government business Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Flexify brings virtualisation layer to multi-cloud storage

Cloud storage virtualisation provider allows application access via S3 API calls to a single destination while capacity can be in numerous clouds with migration between them Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

TCS opens its first European innovation centre in Amsterdam

 Continue Reading

Former Bank of England CIO joins Co-op Group as CTO

Rob Elsey joins the Co-op Group at a time when the organisation is undergoing major digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US Department of Defense cancels controversial $10bn JEDI contract

The US Department of Defense has cancelled the controversial JEDI cloud project awarded to Microsoft and will replace it with multi-supplier contracts. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims

Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five things you need to know about NVMe over Fabrics

We look at NVMe-oF, which extends fast flash across the network – what it is, how it works, use cases, benefits and limitations, and the suppliers of NVMe-oF products Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

The Cambridge-1 switch-on: UK’s most powerful supercomputer goes live

The UK's most powerful supercomputer has gone live, with Nvidia talking up its potential to transform artificial intelligence-based healthcare research around the world Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Ocado sees 19.8% increase in retail business revenue

Online retailer’s half-year results show a significant increase in revenue for its retail business, with numbers reaching £1.2bn Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Bank of England searches for new CIO amid once-in-a-generation project

The Bank of England is recruiting a head of IT during a period of major change in its core IT system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Klarna under investigation by Swedish finance watchdog

Swedish fintech is being investigated by financial services regulator after customer information was visible to others Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cyber insurance costs up by a third

The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BA reaches settlement in data breach group action

A group action against BA following its 2018 data breach has been successfully settled Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Manutan claws back 25% of storage admin time in switch to Pure

Industrial and office supply giant needed to replace 3Par arrays then made a rapid switch to Pure Storage FlashArray flash storage when the ageing HPE hardware crashed during POC Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Gulf hospitals flock to digital health to manage lifestyle diseases

The Middle East is accelerating its take-up of digital healthcare technologies following lessons learned in the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Nordic fintech could lead the world

Will the Nordics become the fintech and open banking innovation capital of the world? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cruickshank

Government sets out plan for digital regulation

The plan aims to make the UK a “global leader” in digital regulation, boost economic growth and maximise the potential of digital technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Quarter of UK financial services staff want to continue working from home

Working from home looks set to stay in the finance sector after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, as staff express their preferences for remote working Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Transport for West Midlands works with geospatial data

Covid-19 showed why greater data granularity is key, with Transport for West Midlands turning to geospatial data to understand demand for services Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

REvil crew wants $70m in Kaseya ransomware heist

Two days after one of the largest ransomware attacks in history by the REvil/Sodinokibi gang, the security community is assessing its next moves, while over 1,000 victims remain in limbo Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Simon McKinnon, chief digital and information officer, DWP

The Department for Work and Pensions’ CDIO sheds light on its digital ambitions and how it is bringing more digital capability in-house through the integration of Benefits and Pension Digital Technology Services staff Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Klarna’s alumni thrive with new ventures after witnessing path to success

Former Klarna employees are using their experiences with the fintech giant to create the next wave of Swedish tech startups Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Government genomically sequences 600,000 Covid-19 samples

More than 600,000 positive Covid-19 tests have been genomically sequenced by the government to identify genes that make people more susceptible to severe symptoms, and to monitor different variants of the virus Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Berlin court finds EncroChat intercept evidence cannot be used in criminal trials

In a major setback for police hacking operations, Berlin’s regional court has decided that intercepted data from the EncroChat phone network should not be used in criminal prosecutions Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK needs legislation with specific focus on biometric technologies

The UK’s former biometrics commissioner has told MPs that Parliament should explicitly legislate on the use of biometric technologies so it is clear to both police and private companies which uses are acceptable Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government issues “safety by design” guidance for tech firms

The guidance is designed to help technology companies embed safer design for users into their services in anticipation of the Online Safety Bill becoming law Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Nordic mobile wallets to merge onto single tech platform

Plans underway to merge the mobile wallets of various Nordic banks into a single public cloud-based technology platform Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ten more former subpostmasters set to have wrongful convictions overturned

Another 10 subpostmasters are set to have their criminal convictions quashed as part of one of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHS IT fraudster Barry Stannard sentenced to five years in prison

Stannard used his position as head of unified communications at an Essex NHS Trust to cheat the taxpayer of more than £800,000 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LinkedIn denies exposure of 700 million user records is a data breach

Data relating to 700 million users of the LinkedIn networking platform has appeared for sale, but the firm says it is the victim of data scraping, not a security breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post-pandemic recovery drives NHS digitisation

NHS staff see a role for remote healthcare to enable the health service to keep up with increased demands, according to iGov survey Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Clashing agendas, by David Freud - review: How Universal Credit got there in the end

It was nearly 10 years ago, in October 2011, when Computer Weekly first reported on concerns about the IT project behind Universal Credit. That was five months before the new Coalition government’s ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Lakehouse concept aims to merge data lake and data warehouse

Data lakes are big, amorphous and difficult to access, while data warehouses are costly and aimed at structured data. The data lakehouse aims at analytics in an age of unstructured data Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Bank branches will be a thing of the past in five years, say bankers

Traditional bank branches are likely to disappear from the high street in the next five years, but banking ecosystems will ensure customer service levels are high, say bankers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New Nobelium attacks a reminder to attend to cyber basics

A new campaign from the same threat group that broke into SolarWinds serves as a reminder that cyber crime gangs will try to exploit any avenue they can, even if technically unsophisticated Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU recognises UK data protection adequacy but warns against divergence

The European Commission has granted the UK data adequacy, allowing data sharing between the EU and the UK, but warns it may yet be revoked Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How Covid-19 accelerated cloud investment in the financial world

Cloud computing is no longer a thing of the future for banks that want to remain competitive Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Lempriere

Banking tech fraud: How to trace and recover your money

Even when stolen assets are sent offshore, the special powers of the English civil court system mean all may not be lost Continue Reading

By

• Nathan Capone and Stephen Cartwright

Is the UK government planning to rewrite GDPR?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, a government taskforce on post-Brexit regulations has recommended changes to GDPR in the UK – we examine the implications. The NHS has launched a new data strategy - we look at what it means for your medical records. And we ask how to avoid the performance problems that affect private cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading