IT news in your industry sector

Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zopa Bank to make profit in its first year

Bank set up by peer-to-peer lending fintech firm expected to make a profit in its first year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK’s FCA bans crypto exchange Binance as crackdown spreads

Ban on Binance Markets comes amid a wider global crackdown on the largely unregulated global market for cryptocurrencies and related assets. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

German merger to fuel savings fintech expansion

German savings fintechs merge and plan European and US expansion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 reforms: HMRC questioned about CEST as tax status of 210,000 contractors left 'undetermined'

Data published by HMRC confirms that the tax authority’s IR35 status checker tool has failed to determined how contractors should be taxed in hundreds of thousands of cases since November 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

HMRC-branded phishing scams surge despite protections

The number of HMRC-branded phishing scams surged 87% in the past 12 months, according to latest revealed figures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Universal Credit: What went wrong, and what we learned

The architect of one of the biggest and most controversial government policies – and IT failures – of the past decade gives his inside view of the project, and how Computer Weekly was a thorn in their side Continue Reading

By

• David Freud

NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Anglesey schools offline after cyber attack

Isle of Anglesey County Council is investigating a cyber attack that has forced it to shut down systems at all five secondary schools on the island Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CMA to probe Amazon and Google over fake reviews

The CMA has opened an investigation into Amazon and Google over possible breaches of consumer protection law Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Deliveroo riders do not have right to unionise, UK court rules

A legal bid to establish collective bargaining rights for Deliveroo riders been dismissed in court, with judges ruling that they are not entitled to the right to form or join a trade union Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The dangers of binary arguments in a complex and relative digital world

In his 1983 book, Modern times: a history of the world from the 1920s to the year 2000, historian Paul Johnson claims the modern world started on 29 May 1919, when astronomers studying a solar ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Brighton tourists charged thousands of pounds for fairground ride after Worldpay glitch

Tourists at a Brighton attraction were overcharged by thousands of pounds due to a glitch at payment processor Worldpay Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

France TV repatriates backup and archive from public cloud

France Télévisions Publicité couldn’t always get to critical data, so decided to repatriate backup and archiving from the cloud to on-site locations, with help from a managed service Continue Reading

By

• Alain Clapaud
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Visa to acquire Swedish open banking fintech for €1.8bn

Payments giant Visa agrees to pay €1.8bn to acquire Tink, a specialist open banking fintech Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google hands third-party cookies a stay of execution

Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox initiative – which will see third-party cookies phased out in the Chrome web browser – has been pushed back to 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Revealed: Crypto platform’s role in Cl0p ransomware raid

Crypto infrastructure provider Binance provided assistance to law enforcement after finding its exchange was being used by cyber criminals to launder their ransomware profits Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online Safety Bill unfit for purpose, says new campaign group

Campaign group set up to oppose Online Safety Bill says the duty of care is too simplistic, cedes too much power to US corporations and will, in practice, privilege the speech of journalists or politicians Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Stalkerware apps becoming normalised among young people

Data in a new report appears to show that dangerous stalkerware apps are becoming normalised in younger age groups Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gousto uses Sisense Fusion to broaden analytics across business

AWS-based Sisense platform enables meal-kit company to provide more of its employees with data and create custom dashboards Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Oracle signs multi-year database modernisation deal with Deutsche Bank to support its cloud plans

Database software giant signs a deal with Deutsche Bank to support the financial services company’s ongoing hybrid cloud-focused digital transformation plans Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Lloyds Bank to close 44 more branches

Banking group has announced the closure of a further 44 branches as customers increasingly use other channels for banking Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Vodafone confirms European datacentres will be powered by 100% green energy by July 2021

Telco giant claims it is on course to hit an important milestone in its latest sustainability push, with its entire European operations set to be 100% renewably powered by 1 July Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Make ransomware payments illegal, say 79% of cyber pros

Report produced for MSSP Talion claims overwhelming support for the criminalisation of ransomware payments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Salomon selects on-demand GreenLake to support flexible business

Sportswear business Salomon turns to HPE for flexible storage and computer infrastructure to run virtualised and containerised workloads Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

City of York picks Barracuda Networks for data protection

York Council needed to refresh its backup service to bring new security protections after it went ‘all-in’ on Microsoft Office 365 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Thousands of UK IT SMEs in financial distress with 185,000 jobs at risk

Thousand of jobs in the UK IT sector are at risk as nearly 50,000 small businesses find themselves in dire straits financially Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IBM serves more AI power at Wimbledon 2021

The annual Wimbledon tennis championship is an event IBM uses to showcase the insights possible using Watson-based artificial intelligence applications Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

European Union to set up new cyber response unit

Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK councils reported over 700 data breaches to ICO in 2020

Data disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveals an estimated 700 data breaches were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office by local councils last year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cloud storage APIs: What are they and what can be done with them?

We look at the kinds of application programming interfaces (APIs) available to expose cloud storage to applications, from SME-targeted solutions to higher-end hooks Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

EU regulators call for ban on biometrics in public spaces

European Union’s data protection regulators say facial recognition and other biometric identification technologies present too great a risk to fundamental human rights to be allowed in public spaces Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CDEI: UK public wants clear algorithmic transparency policies

A research exercise by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has found the UK public wants clear, easy-to-understand information about algorithms in use by the public sector Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NHSX policy document focuses on patients and data sharing

Patient privacy and data and code reuse are three of the pillars outlined in the NHSX’s new data strategy for sharing patient data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Boris Johnson unveils plans for National Science and Technology Council

Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to set up a National Science and Technology Council, which will help the UK realise and maximise the opportunities of scientific and technological breakthroughs Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government Digital Service sets out three-year strategy

The new GDS strategy up to 2024 includes a focus on making Gov.uk a single, trusted source of information, joining up services, and creating a pan-government digital identity solution Continue Reading

UK SMEs lack capacity to fend off cyber attacks

Three-quarters of UK SME leaders would not have sufficient capacity or expertise to deal with a cyber attack, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A new three-year plan for digital government

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the new CEO of the Gov-ernment Digital Service, Tom Read, explains his three-year strategy for improving online public services. EU attempts to regulate AI are under fire – we examine the issues. And we find out how Bupa is turning to the cloud to deliver per-sonalised healthcare. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK public largely supportive of Amazon workers unionising

A poll released on Prime Day by UK-based trade union Unite shows strong public support for Amazon workers should they choose to unionise Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Opera house shuns cloud for Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure

The Royal Opera House considered moving all its infrastructure to the cloud, but a hybrid setup with Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure came in 35% cheaper Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Parliamentary devices left in taxis, buses, trains and pubs

Nearly 100 devices belonging to parliamentary staffers, including MPs and peers, were lost or stolen over the course of 2019 and 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Exor International showcases Industry 4.0 smart factory

Intel and Telecom Italia have worked with Exor to look at how 5G and AI can help build Industry 4.0 applications for manufacturing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Daniel Duran, CIO, Concha y Toro

Winemaker Concha y Toro’s CIO talks about how to combine 150 years of winemaking tradition with pioneering technology Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

NHSX set to unveil post-Covid data strategy

The smart use of patient data could power new AI-based healthcare systems and speed up the discovery of new treatments Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Post Office pays 400 subpostmasters compensation for losses caused by computer errors

The Post Office has so far compensated 400 subpostmasters who suffered losses because of errors in the organisation’s Horizon computer system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New lab to bolster Singapore’s Industry 4.0 capabilities

Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research teams up with local manufacturing software company to make Industry 4.0 capabilities more accessible to manufacturers Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NHS App reaches six million users, thanks to Covid vaccine feature

More than two million new users have downloaded the NHS App since it was updated in May to include Covid-19 vaccination status Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital banks could dominate once baby boomers pass on their wealth

Traditional banks face challenges in the coming years due to an increasing number of millennials only using digital banks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Vast Data will offer containerised storage software, but not yet

Vast Data sticking to its plan to provide no-tier “universal storage” via QLC flash and a 3D Xpoint read/write buffer that uses a containerised control plane Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

ICO issues guidance on facial recognition in public spaces

Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Carnival Cruises hit by fourth cyber incident in a year

Latest data breach at Covid-hit cruise line comes hot on the heels of two recent ransomware attacks and a spring 2020 breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK taskforce calls for cutting GDPR protections

The UK’s Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has recommended scrapping safeguards against automated decision-making contained in the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cyber crooks target Amazon Prime users ahead of retail bonanza

A surge in malicious domain registrations ahead of Amazon Prime Day indicates cyber criminals have set their sights on exploiting vulnerable shoppers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Accenture acquisition will expand services that help customers be more like Tesla

Accenture’s latest acquisition will boost the part of the organisation that helps manufacturers and engineering firms be more like Tesla Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Axiata doubles down on Google Cloud

The regional telecoms group plans to use Google Cloud’s compute, storage and networking services across the six telcos under its fold Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Tech sector hiring reaches highest level in five years

The number of job vacancies in the UK tech sector has reached the highest level since 2016, with massive expansion of remote working opportunities and growing demand for software developers Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Tech sector trade union campaigns to protect workers’ privacy

A UK-based trade union for technology workers and others employed by tech companies is organising around the issue of worker’s privacy and workplace monitoring Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Contactless payments accounted for a quarter of all UK payments in 2020

Restrictions in everyday life brought by the Covid-19 pandemic fuelled an increase in the use of contactless payment technology during 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Storage performance metrics: Five key areas to look at

We look at the essentials in storage performance metrics: capacity, throughput and read/write capability, IOPS and latency, and hardware longevity measured by failure rates Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Matt Hancock at CogX: ‘Huge opportunities’ ahead to exploit health data

Health secretary tells CogX 2021 conference in London that huge opportunities lie ahead in the application of analytics to pseudonymised patient data Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Oliver Dowden hails Tech Zero Taskforce at CogX

Government backs a group of UK tech companies and associations to combat the climate emergency, drive green investment and help consumers make greener choices Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Amazon Web Services launches space tech accelerator

Accelerator will see a cohort of 10 space startups use AWS to accelerate their research, development and growth Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Japanese bank boss to leave after IT failures

Mizuho Bank president takes the blame for widespread IT system failures at the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Trainline hires former Google Play software director as chief technology officer

Milena Nikolic will take on the role of leading the company’s tech innovation. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Did government allow Post Office to sack forensic accountants to cover up Horizon scandal?

Whatever the Post Office told the government about its decision to sack investigators examining subpostmaster prosecutions for theft could identify whether the government was part of a cover-up. Continue Reading

Discovering great ideas – innovation at the Discovery Channel

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the owner of the Discovery Channel about how collaboration software enabled a culture of innovation. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at developments in cloud printing technology. And we hear from the technology chief at Rightmove about the online property site’s digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: How to build a government model to ‘hack for good’

Kyle Hanslovan started Huntress to give back after a career in the intelligence sector. After US authorities took action to help people hit by the Microsoft Exchange attacks, we discussed how governments can ‘hack for good’ Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scottish government awards digital identity platform contract to Scott Logic

Supplier is working on a two-year project to create a digital identity service through a suite of common platforms that will be adopted across Scottish government Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How healthcare organisations are tapping data analytics

Healthcare providers are harnessing data analytics to improve clinical and operational outcomes even as they continue to face challenges in data aggregation and data protection Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Video commerce and livestreaming make waves in retail

The growth in e-commerce during the pandemic is well documented, but the fragmented retail environment has also helped video commerce and livestreaming rise to prominence Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Europe’s proposed AI regulation falls short on protecting rights

The European Commission’s proposal for artificial intelligence regulation focuses on creating a risk-based, market-led approach replete with self-assessments, transparency procedures and technical standards, but critics warn it falls short of being able to protect people’s fundamental rights and mitigating the technology’s worst abuses Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Benelux CIO interview: Benoît Dewaele, Vandemoortele

CIO of Ghent-headquartered food group says the IT department’s main challenges are improving digital customer experiences, helping implement automation in plants and strengthening cyber security Continue Reading

By

• David Benady

HammondCare takes procurement to the cloud

The Australian health and aged care provider migrated its procurement and invoicing systems to the cloud in just six months to improve efficiency and security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

IR35 tribunal sees Nationwide IT contractor lose second appeal against £70,000 HMRC tax bill

Tribunal dismisses second appeal by IT project manager Robert Lee that his contracts with Nationwide would fall out of scope of the IR35 legislation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

FBI planned a sting against An0m cryptophone users over drinks with Australian investigators

Australian Federal Police and the FBI came up with the idea over drinks: build a cryptophone network with a built-in backdoor and sell it to crime gangs around the world Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CMA secures commitments from Google on future of cookies

The Competition and Markets Authority is opening a consultation on commitments offered to it by Google to ensure its Privacy Sandbox proposals do not harm digital advertising markets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Can technology help save the world’s oceans?

To tie in with World Oceans Day earlier this month, IBM hosted a panel discussion on the potential to use IT to support sustainable fishing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK and US to develop tech and science partnership

Partnership will explore collaboration in areas such as innovation, research, defence, security, intelligence and law enforcement, as well as making sure technology is ‘used as a force for good’ Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Virgin Atlantic expands 17-year relationship with TCS as it begins Covid-19 crisis recovery

Virgin Atlantic has expanded its IT services agreement with Tata Consultancy Services, with 70 of its IT staff transferring to the supplier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Central government spent £4.4bn on IT in 2020

Tussell report finds that central government increased tech spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, and HM Revenue and Customs is the biggest spender Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Risk data shows UK energy sector most vulnerable to cyber attack

New report compiled by insurance firm Hiscox reveals the state of cyber preparedness in the UK and beyond Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Europe: Amsterdam reins back datacentre developments over environmental concern

The construction of datacentres in the Netherlands’ Amsterdam region has accelerated at such a pace that their demands for electricity are causing concern, prompting city authorities and datacentre operators to open a dialogue about sustainable datacentre industry expansion. Also in this issue, find out the state of play in the adoption of open banking across Europe. Continue Reading

FBI arrests distributors accused of selling An0m encrypted phones to crime groups

Working with overseas law enforcement, the FBI has arrested eight people and named a further 13 accused of distributing An0m phones to organised crime groups Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How far has open banking come in Europe?

 Continue Reading

Google plots a course to address AI in manufacturing

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to change every industry – Google has set its sights on manufacturing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

RSA spins out fraud and risk unit as Outseer

RSA Security is transitioning its fraud and risk intelligence work into a new business to be called Outseer Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BBVA to cut 3,000 jobs in Spain as digital technology transforms industry

Spanish bank is the latest to announce swingeing branch and job cuts amid increased digital competition Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Klarna takes on UK credit card providers with feature that breaks up online payments

Fintech unicorn introduces feature to its app in the UK which will challenge traditional credit card providers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Discovery Inc spots great ideas

Many people talk about creating a culture of innovation, but this can take a lot of effort for organisations to do. We look at Discovery Inc's approach Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cohesity brings DataProtect backup-as-a-service to Europe via AWS

Scale-out backup appliance pioneer adds backup-as-a-service from a virtual machine on customer premises Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

With the National Data Strategy, execution is everything

This is a guest blogpost by Peter Campbell, Data & AI practice director at Kainos The latest stage in the National Data Strategy – the Government’s response to consultation – shows the UK has a ... Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

NHS Digital delays data collection plans until September

NHS Digital has postponed its proposed collection of GP data for two months, to allow more time for the public to understand the process and opt out if wanted Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

National data guardian calls for dialogue on NHS Digital GP plans

The UK’s national data guardian says it is important the public has clarity on how their confidential medical information will be used and kept secure under NHS data-sharing plans Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Did government allow Post Office to sack forensic accountants to cover up Horizon scandal?

Whatever the Post Office told government about its decision to sack investigators examining subpostmaster prosecutions for theft could identify if the government was part of a cover-up Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The jobseekers turning to cyber crime in the pandemic

In this week’s Computer Weekly, security researchers say people left unemployed by the pandemic are turning to cyber crime – we find out why. We examine the confluence of distributed cloud and edge computing technologies. And controversial uses of facial recognition technology come under further scrutiny. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CIO interview: Tom Read, chief executive, Government Digital Service

The new chief at GDS has outlined a three-year strategy for the organisation, and tells Computer Weekly he wants to get back to the core focus of building products for use across government Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief