IT news in your industry sector

What the Telecommunications (Security) Bill means for UK industry

The Telecommunications (Security) Bill is intended to reinforce the security of the UK telecommunications infrastructure, but what are the implications for industry? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

SA-based MSP shuns HCI for Nebulon cloud-defined storage

SYSDBA needed to refresh its HPE 3PAR arrays, and so looked at hyper-converged but decided on cloud-defined storage from Nebulon that marries local storage with a cloud control plane Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Mulberry bags Google Cloud support for data-driven sales push during Covid-19

Public cloud giant adds Mulberry to its roll-call of retail customers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Government on the hunt for Advanced Research and Invention Agency CEO

First CEO of the high-risk, high-reward research agency will be in charge of shaping the research, culture and setup of the organisation and define its strategy to identify and fund ground-breaking science and technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Long-term thinking is vital to secure UK’s critical infrastructure

To face down the threat of cyber warfare against UK CNI, the government needs long-term thinking that looks beyond the next general election cycle, says Advent-IM’s Mike Gillespie Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Exagrid pays $2.6m to Conti ransomware attackers

Backup appliance specialist hit by Conti ransomware in May with cyber criminals downloading employee and customer data, confidential contracts and source code Continue Reading

By

• Valéry Rieß-Marchive, Rédacteur en chef
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Ex-IT manager stole over £800,000 from NHS trust

A former senior IT manager at an Essex NHS trust has pleaded guilty to defrauding his employer out of more than £800,000 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS trust’s Pioneer data platform joins up care delivery and improves outcomes

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust aims to improve patient care by bringing together anonymised health data from different care settings to better understand the patient journey Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Post Office scandal public inquiry finally begins after chances to address problems were ignored

The Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry begins with subpostmaster campaign group waiting for full details before committing its support Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Great Eastern doubles down on data analytics

Singapore insurer Great Eastern has started a centre of excellence to drive adoption of data analytics and hone its capabilities in data governance and data engineering Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Privacy experts concerned over NHS data collection plans

Security and data privacy experts warn NHS Digital that its data collection plans could increase risk and cause a public backlash Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BCS demands reform to rules on computer evidence following Post Office Horizon scandal revelations

Professional IT body wants changes to how computer evidence is used in court in the wake of the Post Office case Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Loss of 150,000 police records made worse by management failures

The loss of 150,000 records from a number of national policing systems was caused by a human coding error, but made worse by process and management failures Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Uber signs collective bargaining agreement with GMB

Uber and GMB sign “landmark” collective bargaining agreement with no ability to negotiate on earnings, attracting criticism from smaller unions that it lacks teeth Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

MP-backed push to stop tech giants claiming super-deduction tax relief thwarted

Move to prevent the likes of Amazon using the government's new super-deduction policy to minimise their UK tax liabilities even further fails to win support in the House of Commons Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

National Security Agency (NSA)

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a federal government intelligence agency that is part of the United States Department of Defense and is managed under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). Continue Reading

By

• Andy Patrizio
• Kathleen Richards

TCS opens its first European innovation centre in Amsterdam

Netherlands capital hosts TCS’s latest innovation hub, which will bring together an ecosystem to address the challenge of sustainability Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Tarah Lourens, chief product and technology officer, Rightmove

Rightmove’s chief product and technology officer is working to create fresh data-led services and products, growing the team and building capacity and capability Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

How supply chain digitisation is paving the way to gene therapy

Big pharma has been on the frontline to vaccinate the world against Covid-19. Digitising supply chains sets them up to personalise patient care Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW Nordics: Denmark takes a top-down approach to gender equality in tech entrepreneurship

Tech Nordic Advocates has adopted a new approach to closing the gender gap in Danish technology startups, looking to emulate Canada’s top-down approach. Also in this issue, find out the state of play with the adoption of open banking in Europe. Continue Reading

Singapore deploys drones to monitor reservoir water quality

Singapore’s national water agency PUB is deploying autonomous drones at six reservoirs to monitor water quality and other activities to improve operational efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NGOs file complaints against Clearview AI in five countries

Privacy and human rights organisations have asked data protection regulators in the UK, France, Austria, Italy and Greece to investigate controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Department for Education’s e-learning unpreparedness widens inequality among students

Department is ‘surprisingly resistant’ to a lessons-learned exercise based on findings during Covid, says Public Accounts Committee report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

How far has open banking come in Europe?

 Continue Reading

Millions of pounds lost to crypto fraud on social media

More than £63m has been lost nationally by victims of investment fraud via a social media platform, says Action Fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Disabled travellers promised better train journeys by Passenger Assistance app

An app developed by UK startup Transreport for the Rail Delivery Group aims to improve train travel for disabled passengers Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Google offers free tech skills training to UK jobseekers

Online training in areas such as IT support and UX design will be available through the Department for Work and Pensions Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

‘It's a good day when we refer a case,’ CCRC tells MPs during review of Post Office prosecutions

Criminal Cases Review Commission will not allow pressure on its resources to prevent subpostmasters seeking a review of their criminal convictions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic CIO interview: Tommi Tuovila, Neste

Former Olympian talks to Computer Weekly about the challenges facing CIOs in a rapidly changing world Continue Reading

By

• David Benady

GCHQ bulk interception programme breached privacy rights, Strasbourg court rules

European Court of Human Rights finds that the UK’s bulk surveillance programme breached citizens’ privacy rights Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Valence brings storage virtualisation for the cloud era

Startup 22dot6 launches Valence, software-defined storage that throws a virtualisation layer over any backend storage via multiple nodes that split metadata and storage services Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

IR35: MPs denied vote to amend Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies

MPs were denied the opportunity to vote in favour of amending the incoming Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies, prompting industry watchers to double down on calls for regulation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Oil and gas firm halves backup licence cost with Hycu move

Summit E&P made a strategic move to Nutanix hyper-converged and away from NetApp and VMware and wanted backup that could handle virtual machines and physical servers Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Trust is key to keeping the digital customer happy

Consumers were forced into using digital channels during the coronavirus lockdowns, but some digital users now plan to return to the physical world Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Where to run containers? Bare metal vs virtual machines

We look at the key differences between running containers in virtualised environments and on bare metal servers and focus in on the main trade-offs and decision points Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Stockholm’s startup scene seeks more diversity

Swedish capital has created a world-leading tech startup environment, but it still lacks the diversity of people needed to move it to the next level Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Online Safety Bill: an opportunity for tech to get it right

Long-awaited proposals for regulating internet companies still leave much to be defined – and the tech sector must take the lead in finalising a plan that works for society and government Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

UK startups lack gender diversity in senior technical roles

Women account for about 2-3% of engineering and technology directors in startups and scaleups, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Air India is latest victim of Sita hack

Data on millions of people who flew with Air India between 2011 and 2021 appears to have been compromised in the recent Sita supply chain attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Virgin Atlantic used Workplace from Facebook to great advantage during the pandemic

Virgin Atlantic was an early adopter of Workplace from Facebook. We find out how the collaboration tool has supported the airline throughout the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK to have digital border by end of 2025

Home secretary’s plans for immigration reform include border crossing technology, online immigration status service and electronic travel authorisation system Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government pumps £166.5m into green technology

The government funding will be awarded to innovators, businesses and academics across the UK to develop technologies in carbon capture, greenhouse gas removal and hydrogen Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How Bureau Veritas migrated 85% of its applications to the AWS cloud

In six years, France-based services giant BV has migrated 115 applications to the AWS cloud, mostly using in-house expertise. We talk to the company’s IT director Continue Reading

By

• Gaétan Raoul, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

IR35: MPs urged to back ‘curb or kill’ umbrella company-focused Finance Bill amendments

Two amendments to the incoming Finance Bill that have the potential to ban the use of umbrella companies are being voted on by MPs in the House of Commons today Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Innovation and skills at the heart of CBI report

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) wants an inclusive and innovative economy, with increased research and development (R&D) investment and better digital intensity and adoption, particularly among SMEs Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CyberUK, bees and datacentres, Red Cross digital mapping – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Brian McKenna are joined by Alex Scroxton, security editor, to discuss CyberUK, bees and datacentres, and the British Red Cross’ use of digital mapping to combat Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

NHS Education for Scotland defends 'decade-long' public cloud deal with AWS

The training arm of NHS Scotland has come under fire from members of the public sector IT supplier community over its decision to award a 10-year cloud contract to AWS Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK regulators commit to closer cooperation on digital economy

Two UK regulators have issued a joint statement and signed a memorandum of understanding on the need for closer collaboration on digital markets Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What digital transformation means for data storage

We survey the key planks of digital transformation and look at the storage technologies emerging to support it, such as NVMe and QLC flash, hyper-converged infrastructure and cloud storage Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Pandemic tech use heightens consumer privacy fears

Report on consumer attitudes to privacy finds evidence of a “heightened sense of fear” as digital footprints expand inexorably Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government sets out implementation plan for genomics strategy

The 2021-22 implementation plan for government’s 10-year Genome UK strategy includes improving diversity of genomics data, rolling out whole genome sequencing to rare diseases patients, and delivering a proof of concept for a next-generation approach to cancer treatment Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

GDPR-readiness of EU Cloud Code of Conduct wins backing of European data protection authorities

The EU Cloud Code of Conduct, which aims to help IT buyers source GDPR-compliant cloud services, has found favour with the European Data Protection Board Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Subpostmaster campaign group to meet Post Office scandal inquiry chair

The subpostmaster campaign group JFSA refused to cooperate with initial inquiry because it ‘lacked teeth’, but is now willing to talk after it was put on a statutory footing Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Credit Suisse to recruit more than 1,000 tech staff in India

Credit Suisse is hiring more IT professionals in India to supports its plan to develop a global tech hub Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government publishes framework on automated decision-making

The framework focuses on making the use of algorithms and automated decision-making systems within the public sector more ethical, transparent and accountable Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

‘Nothing off the table’ in statutory Post Office scandal inquiry

The government confirmed that the inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal will be given statutory status and wider scope Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

India’s HCL to hire 1,000 tech professionals in the UK

Indian IT suppliers set to create thousands of IT jobs in the UK, which supports their intention to have more staff based closer to customers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK tech sector grows tenfold in 10 years

Massive expansion of the UK tech sector since 2010 has seen venture capital investment and the number of unicorn businesses increase by factor of 10 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Reports of stolen Irish health service data being leaked online

Leaking of deeply confidential and personal information on patient healthcare marks a new low for the criminal Conti gang Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Barclays first bank to publish online scam refund details

All banks must be transparent about the proportion of victims of authorised push payment fraud they refund, says consumer rights organisation Which? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Legacy data and IT issues ‘laid bare’ during Covid-19, says NAO

The pandemic has exposed challenges with legacy data and IT systems in government, and has made the government response more challenging, says the National Audit Office Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Post Office Horizon inquiry set to be given statutory status with wider powers

The government inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal is set to be made statutory with the power to call witnesses under oath and compel provision of evidence Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft EU Data Boundary dubbed ‘smoke and mirrors’

Data protection experts claim Microsoft’s decision to create an EU Data Boundary is a tacit admission that it routinely transfers and processes the personal data of European citizens outside the bloc Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Shift to digital remittances helps sector retain transaction value

Global remittance volumes and value was more resilient than expected over the past year, partly as a result of the take-up of fintech services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Santander says sorry for weekend tech outage

Bank’s customers were unable to access multiple banking channels because of technical problems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government response to National Data Strategy consultation depicts data as ‘asset, not threat’

Government responds to consultation with a promise of delivery, putting an emphasis on data as an asset, not a threat, and finding respondents keen on levelling up Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Irish High Court dismisses legal bid by Facebook over EU-US data transfers

Latest twist in long-running legal battle sees Facebook lose legal bid to prevent the Irish Data Protection Commissioner suspending its transfer of data about European citizens to the US Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS to issue 30,000 iPads to ambulance crews

Mobile devices will allow crews to send photographs to hospital specialists and access health records while at the scene of incidents, aiming to speed up and improve care Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Australian budget lends support to digital economy

Australia’s A$1.2bn Digital Economy Strategy ticks most of the right boxes, but some industry experts say areas such as broadband infrastructure and artificial intelligence are still underfunded Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

The real-life consequences of ransomware attacks

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after a ransomware attack shut a major US oil pipeline, we examine the real-life consequences for organisations facing similar threats. We ask the experts for their top tips in reducing datacentre running costs. And we hear how data science skills are helping government make better decisions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Post Office scandal: The rise of computers and the decline of English justice

The Post Office prosecuted its subpostmasters up and down the country with a zeal that would not have embarrassed the Inquisition Continue Reading

By

• Paul Marshall

Half of UK workforce lacks essential digital skills for work

A ‘hidden middle’ of more than 17 million people do not have the abilities needed to participate and contribute to the digital world in life and at work, study says Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Conti ransomware syndicate behind attack on Irish health service

More details continue to emerge of the significant ransomware attack on Ireland’s HSE Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Andy Burnham launches Manchester digital inclusion drive

Greater Manchester mayor announces plan to support under-25s, over-75s and disabled people to get online Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Why new EU rules around artificial intelligence are vital to the development of the sector

Shawn Tan, CEO of global AI ecosystem builder Skymind, explains why the European Union’s new rules on artificial intelligence are a good thing Continue Reading

By

• Shawn Tan

How M1 is striving to be a digital telco

Singapore’s M1 is dialling up its digital chops by monetising its data, building more personalised services for subscribers, and going beyond connectivity as it evolves into a digital telco Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Container-native storage: A definition, and what to ask suppliers

We look at container-native storage – aka cloud-native storage – what defines it, and its benefits as a way of bringing persistent Kubernetes storage to containerised applications Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Transparency is essential as we enter the era of ‘government by algorithm’

The public sector is increasingly allowing algorithms to make vital decisions that affect people’s lives – but how do we know those algorithms work or what they do? Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Rees, Reform

Colonial Pipeline paid $5m ransom, reports say

Colonial Pipeline may have paid a significant ransom within hours of being attacked, it has emerged, but it’s unlikely the story ends here Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Irish health service hit by major ransomware attack

IT systems in hospitals across Ireland have been switched off following a significant ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

More former subpostmasters have criminal convictions quashed

Two former subpostmasters pushed to the brink of suicide after being convicted for financial crimes finally have their names cleared Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch police used deep learning model to predict threats to life

Dutch police developed a deep learning model in their EncroChat investigation to predict which messages contain serious threats to life Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor
• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cabinet Office launches climate challenges for startups

The Cabinet Office has partnered with government technology accelerator Public to run a programme for startups developing innovative digital and data technologies that can help with some of the most pressing climate issues Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The shape of fraud and cyber crime: 10 things we learned from 2020

While a pandemic-driven increase in cyber crime and an exacerbation of existing fraud trends were, to a large extent, to be expected, the LexisNexis Risk solutions UK cybercrime report 2020 still contained a few surprises Continue Reading

By

• Neira Jones

Financial and technical obstacles hit Danish datacentre heat recycling plan

A datacentre project in Denmark is grappling with the challenges of reusing waste heat in local central heating systems Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

NHSX data strategy due in ‘a few weeks’

NHSX director of policy and strategy Simon Madden says the long-awaited strategy is expected to “trigger huge debates” on issues such as access, choice and transparency, and will be published in draft form shortly to allow for consultation Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Portworx gets container-native array management for Pure hardware

Container storage player Portworx builds in container-native functionality to allow discovery, provisioning and management from inside Kubernetes cluster, but only on Pure arrays so far Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Too many disconnected systems in government, says minister

Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez wants to address issues with legacy systems, improve digital skills across government and improve department collaboration, including in procurement Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Biden beefs up public-private security cooperation

Joe Biden has signed a new Executive Order to harden US cyber security and government networks, with an emphasis on information sharing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Benelux: Netherlands university launches centre of expertise in applied AI

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences has launched a centre of expertise in applied artificial intelligence, and students from all faculties of the university will learn how to apply AI in their field of study. Also in this issue, read why a training ‘roadmap’ is needed to get Netherlands police officers up to speed with tackling cyber crime. Continue Reading

Refuge launches tech safety site for domestic abuse victims

Created with the help of survivors, Refuge’s resource site offers guidance on protecting yourself from tech-enabled domestic abuse Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Digital replaces system for collection of GP data

New system designed ‘with interests of patients at its heart’ will provide near-real-time primary care data to support improvements in healthcare and help research Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital knowledge must be integral part of Dutch police training

 Continue Reading

UK government publishes Online Safety Bill draft

Bill builds on previous commitments by the government, which has added new measures to uphold democracy and freedom of speech while making tech giants more accountable Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Fujitsu bags £3bn in public sector contracts while software errors wreck the lives of subpostmasters

The supplier at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal has so far escaped the ramifications of its role in the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Engineering firm Briggs of Burton maps global expansion with SAP’s Rise service

Briggs of Burton, an engineering firm that makes hygienic equipment for drinks, food and pharmaceutical companies, has chosen SAP’s Rise service to guide its global expansion, initially in China Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

UK to fund national cyber teams in Global South

Government will commit millions of pounds to supporting vulnerable countries in establishing cyber capacity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Why helpful bots could hurt vaccine roll-outs

Earlier this year, spikes in traffic to websites containing information about Covid-19 vaccines were attributed by Imperva to automated bots scraping data. Why is that a problem? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Running a bees and spirits business on low-code

We look at how a small honey and gin producer has adapted and grown its business without requiring external software development expertise Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor