IT news in your industry sector

UK Space Agency awards £7m for space innovation projects

A range of ‘high risk, high reward’ projects have been awarded a total of £7m from the Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme, aiming to make the UK a world leader in space technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

HMRC referred 11 data security incidents to ICO in 2019-20

HM Revenue & Customs shares details of a number of data security incidents that occurred during the 2019-20 financial year in its annual report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Grindr and others patch critical Android bug

Fixes for CVE-2020-8913 deployed as app developers shore up their defences against a disclosed Google Play vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office IT scandal CEO Paula Vennells jumps NHS ship as pressure mounts

CEO at the centre of the scandal that saw innocent people bankrupted and some sent to prison steps down from NHS role as pressure for her resignation grows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

‘Salad as a service’: retailers’ interest in vertical farming grows

Retailers are waking up to the potential of vertical farming, with technology-enabled agriculture a core part of supply chain bosses’ and food buyers’ plans Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Singapore government to boost blockchain adoption

Singapore government unveils S$12m programme to promote development and adoption of blockchain applications beyond financial services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

SMEs poised to reap tech and agility advantage in wake of Covid-19

The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses have, in some respects, reacted more nimbly to Covid-19 than larger organisations. As a result, they have put themselves in a better position to take advantage of growth opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Bev White, Nash Squared

Government data quality framework geared to overcome poorly organised data

The Office for National Statistics has published guidelines aimed at improving “disorganised” public sector data Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Digital donations: retailers using technology to offer something back

Some charities require corporate support like never before, and retailers are finding new ways to use technology to facilitate donations Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Kent and Medway to launch shared health and social care record

The Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) aims to create a single view of each patient’s record, and will hold automated data feeds from acute hospitals, community providers, mental health services, GPs and social care Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

RAID, flash and erasure coding: What works best with solid state?

We look at RAID and flash to highlight key choices when it comes to drive data protection. What RAID levels work best with solid state and when is erasure coding a good choice? Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

What next for the now-profitable app-based Starling Bank?

Starling bank is the first of the new breed of UK digital banks to make a profit, so where next? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Avast and Borsetta to support Intel’s AI security project

Security firm Avast and AI security specialist Borsetta have signed up to support an Intel-led artificial intelligence security research project Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Aware campaign to help safeguard Christmas shoppers

New government campaign sets out to raise awareness of online shopping fraud in the run-up to Christmas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Allied Irish Bank prioritises digital services as it cuts workforce

Bank is cutting its operating costs by 10% with job cuts and facility closures, but will continue to invest heavily in technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Covid-19 vaccine supply chain attacked by unknown nation state

An unknown nation state actor is attempting to disrupt the supply of coronavirus vaccines Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Bank of England enlists development partner to unlock cloud

Bank has agreed a two-year deal with a cloud development platform provider as it seeks to take its cloud journey to the next level Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Lax Android app developers putting millions of users at risk

Eight months after Google patched a critical vulnerability, developers have failed to update their apps, putting millions of users of apps such as dating services Bumble and Grindr at risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICT disaster threatens Dutch environment law

The Dutch government’s revamp of its construction planning law faces major IT challenges and scepticism Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Tech and data key to achieving low-carbon economy, says Royal Society

Report says net-zero transition should be data-led, and calls for coordination between government, regulators, industry and third sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

‘Significant risk’ UK won’t be ready by end of Brexit transition period, says PAC

Public Accounts Committee is concerned with IT systems still being in development stage, leaving ‘little margin before they must be operational’, and criticises government for seeming to take ‘limited responsibility’ for readiness Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Greater Manchester launches digital inclusion taskforce

The group including industry, community and government representatives will aim to fix the digital divide in the region Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Covid-19: Cyber criminals will target vaccine programmes

Interpol issues a global alert to law enforcement as the UK becomes one of the first countries to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: John Davison, First Central Group

For the last nine years, John Davison has provided an IT strategy to drive business operations. Automation is the next phase of that strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Danny Attias, chief digital and information officer, Anthony Nolan

Digital transformation takes on a whole new purpose when it's helping to save lives – but leading IT for a charity also has its satisfying technology challenges Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Singapore government remains ‘juicy target’ for cyber attackers

The government is baking security into the design and implementation of its IT systems and looking to increase bug bounties to fend off cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Aviation startup goes ‘all-in’ on AWS to make its supersonic jet plans take flight

Boom Supersonic sets sights on making commercial supersonic air travel a reality for passengers again, and is leaning on Amazon Web Services to support its efforts Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Wayra partners with UK government for Latin American scaleup project

Two scaleups from three Latin American countries – Argentina, Chile and Uruguay – will be selected by a project that will help the growing firms expand overseas into the UK market Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The channel in the pandemic, datacentres for investors – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Simon Quicke joins Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna to discuss how the IT channel has fared in the pandemic, how datacentres have evolved as investment assets, STEM education for children, and data strategy at Guide Dogs Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

ABN Amro to sell head office as it focuses on enabling remote working

Dutch bank is selling its head office and redesigning another facility to facilitate increased home working Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DHL, Amazon and FedEx are most phished delivery services

DHL has emerged as the most imitated delivery brand in Europe, accounting for 77% of the total volume of phishing emails received in November 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

22,000 malicious .uk domains suspended in past year

Nominet has suspended just over 22,000 domains in the 12 months to 31 October 2020, continuing a downward trend, and with less impact from Covid-19 than might be expected Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A safe bet: How Covid-19 is fuelling investor interest in the datacentre industry

With demand for cloud and colocation capacity soaring on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic, datacentres are looking like an increasingly attractive bet for the investor community. Computer Weekly finds out why Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Greenwich launches four-year digital strategy

Strategy is based on six principles, including focusing on the needs of residents and being data-led and agile, and aims to create a truly digital council and borough Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government covers its ears as complaint by victims of Post Office abuse heads to ombudsman

Government denies responsibility for the abuse inflicted on subpostmasters by the Post Office over faulty IT system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How retailers are using technology to survive

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with high street retailers struggling to survive, we look at how technology can keep stores relevant. Everyone is focusing on flash storage, but hard disk drives are still an essential part of the IT toolkit. And we examine the latest developments in the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Subpostmasters want £300m from a government that allowed Post Office ‘reign of terror’

The government allowed the Post Office to “run amok” and destroy lives, says complaint to Parliamentary Ombudsman Continue Reading

How retailers are using tech to cope with changing footfall

Customer behaviour was shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the online shopping boom, so what technology are retailers using to keep stores relevant? Continue Reading

More than 1,300 teachers trained by National Centre for Computing Education

Government-funded centre aimed at supporting computing teachers has reached more than 29,000 teachers and trained over 1,300 to deliver computing curriculum Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

MI5 accused of withholding surveillance compliance failures from cabinet minister

MI5 withheld high-risk concerns about its ability to comply with legislation from the home secretary when it submitted applications for surveillance warrants, NGOs Privacy International and Liberty claimed last week Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

$60m Middle East tech fund targets 120 startups

Venture capital fund expects rapid regional technology growth in the post-Covid-19 world Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

How retailers are using tech to cope with changing footfall

Customer behaviour was shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the online shopping boom, so what technology are retailers using to keep stores relevant? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Lords propose making tech giants pay for using news

Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook profit from running adverts alongside publishers’ content, but no financial compensation is given for carrying that content, says Lords committee Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CIO interview: Simon Bateman, Allica Bank

Challenger bank has built its entire core banking system from scratch using the Azure public cloud and an API ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NI police unable to delete data seized unlawfully from journalists for 10 years

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is unable to delete terabytes of unlawfully seized data taken from journalists who exposed police failings in the investigation of the Loughinisland sectarian murders Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Algorithmic transparency obligations needed in public sector

Public sector’s use of algorithms with social impacts needs to be more transparent to foster trust and hold organisations responsible for the negative outcomes their systems may produce, says report Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government pumps £20m into AI research projects

Alan Turing Institute’s artificial intelligence (AI) research fellows will receive funding for 15 projects including using AI to detect cancer and improve the performance of virtual personal assistants Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Spending Review commits £32m to Gov.uk Accounts

Government Digital Service’s Gov.uk Accounts project will allow people to sign into government services online and get a personalised experience tailored to their needs Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

This Christmas, Covid-19 heightens retail security risks for everyone

Do you think it’s only retailers and consumers who need to consider cyber security when shopping online during the holidays? You’re dead wrong. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift to remote working has thrown a spanner in the works Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government must hold technology companies to account on e-waste

MPs urge UK government and global technology companies to deal with ‘tsunami of electronic waste’, which is throwing away valuable resources vital for building a sustainable future Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Data safes will give users control over their data

Belgian computer scientist tells Computer Weekly how people can regain control of their online personal information Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Robots taking jobs, but creating careers

Robotic process automation developers tell Computer Weekly about the job they never expected to be doing Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scottish government hands out laptops and tablets to the digitally excluded

As part of its Connecting Scotland programme, the Scottish government is giving out 23,000 iPads and Chromebooks to low-income families and care leavers, along with two years of mobile data Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

IP surveillance: The storage it needs, on-premise and in the cloud

Surveillance is changing, with the evolution from simple streams of sequential images to the application of AI to video, as well as an increasing move to use of the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

CCS looks to hire CDIO

Crown Commercial Service is offering nearly £150,000 for the role of chief digital information officer, who will be in charge of developing and delivering its digital and data strategy Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Nordics: Bank branch closures continue as digital banking grows

Sweden’s Handelsbanken is cutting its branch network by nearly half, which means more money will be invested in IT. But it’s not just Sweden and the Nordics – banks across the world are watching the fintech industry demonstrate to consumers what banking can be like if the right technology is in place. Also in this issue, read about the Norwegian government’s decision not to implement an outright ban on the use of 5G equipment supplied by China's Huawei. Continue Reading

Tony Blair Institute and Oracle combine to launch cloud-based vaccine management in Africa

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) and Oracle have combined to launch a vaccine management programme in several African countries Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Australia’s science agency unveils mapping tech for SMEs

The digital specialist arm of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has developed a mapping system to help robots navigate dangerous and complex terrain Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Scottish government unveils strategy for digital planning

Scotland’s government has published a document that describes its strategy for the digitisation of the nation’s planning system Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Government’s infrastructure strategy says technology is key

The strategy aims to put innovation and technology at ‘the heart’ of its approach to transforming the country, as government launches new national infrastructure bank Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Merger of national policing systems over budget and behind schedule

UK government effort to replace legacy IT systems suffers further delays, and will not be fully completed until 2025 at the earliest Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Rishi Sunak’s Spending Review pledges £100bn to transform the country’s infrastructure

Chancellor’s spending promise includes more than £260m for programmes such as 5G testbeds, local full-fibre networks and the Shared Rural Network Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK government Geospatial Commission stipulates actions to exploit location data

Report outlines some actions public bodies and companies can take to make better economic use of location data Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

From front line to back office – how supporting the cyber community keeps the NHS safe

NHS Digital’s chief information security officer describes how the Cyber Associates Network benefits security experts in health and care Continue Reading

By

• Neil Bennett, NHS Digital

Brain researchers get NVMe-over-RoCE for super-fast HPC storage

French neurological researchers deploy Western Digital OpenFlex NVMe array for super-fast HPC storage with Ethernet-based NVMe-over-Fabrics connectivity across several floors Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT

Securing UK’s critical national infrastructure is a 2021 priority

Government outlines the UK’s strategic cyber security policies for the coming 12 months, with critical national infrastructure a clear priority Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic CIO interview: Maria Lundberg, ICA Gruppen

 Continue Reading

Swedish bank cuts branches and jobs, increases IT spend

 Continue Reading

NHSX to launch data strategy for health and social care

Government sets out plans to ‘bust bureaucracy’ in the NHS, including implementing a new data strategy, consulting on changes to data collection legislation, and making progress on shared care records Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Fintechs take stock amid economic shocks

Survey reveals that the top priority for 10% of UK fintechs next year will be to survive the double blow of Covid-19 and Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What next for digital identity in the UK? Industry welcomes latest DCMS plan

After months – some would say years – of frustration and delay, tech suppliers have largely welcomed the latest government initiative to establish a digital identity ecosystem in the UK. The ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How retailers are using digital to engage with Covid Christmas shoppers

Christmas is likely to be different this year because of the pandemic, and there is likely to be an altered shopping experience. So how are retailers using digital to cope with this shift in festive shopping? Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Belgian security researcher hacks Tesla with Raspberry Pi

Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters once again succeeds in hacking a Tesla vehicle, this time by exploiting the Bluetooth Low Energy standard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office accused of lying and being in contempt of Parliament in IT scandal

Campaigning politician demands access to documents that could prove that the Post Office lied Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Covid-19 pandemic has increased speed of tech deployments across the NHS

The pandemic has increased use of technology across the NHS, but how has it been received by clinicians, and how has it impacted daily life for NHS organisations? Continue Reading

How Covid-19 has accelerated tech innovation in the NHS

Of all the terrible things that Covid is, what it has done is accelerate the digital journey. In this issue of Computer Weekly, we look at the track and trace app, which was redeveloped and enhanced at breakneck speed, and explore how the pandemic has accelerated the roll-out of new technology such as artificial intelligence and video conferencing tools at NHS trusts. We also present some research into how Covid has affected IT spending. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nominet introduces new resources for cyber scam victims

Domain name registrar is working with law enforcement to provide new information, guidance and resources for potential victims of online scams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Telcos could face huge fines under new security laws

Government boasts of unprecedented powers to boost the security standards of the UK’s critical national infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon Swedish language site will expand reach of local retailers

Amazon launches Swedish language website and promises to make more products available in the Nordic region Continue Reading

By

• Jane Hamrin

NCSC issues retail security alert ahead of Black Friday sales

National Cyber Security Centre issues refreshed guidance as cyber criminals turn their eyes to the holiday shopping season Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Manchester United praised for swift response to cyber attack

Manchester United’s systems were attacked last week, and the club has been praised for a swift and decisive response Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Finnish finance giant pilots fingerprint payments

OP Financial introduces biometric security technology to enable higher-value payments to be made safely using contactless cards Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Leeds Teaching Hospitals gets new imaging tech

The hospital trust is the first of six in a Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) to deploy technology to underpin the programme Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020

Members of Parliament are targeted by millions of spam and phishing emails every month, according to a Freedom of Information disclosure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Subpostmasters want £300m from a government that allowed Post Office ‘reign of terror’

The government allowed the Post Office to “run amok” and destroy lives, says complaint to Parliamentary Ombudsman Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Claritas taps AI to enhance medical images

A Singapore startup has developed a cloud-based medical imaging platform to enhance the quality and accessibility of radiology images for doctors and patients Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

HM Land Registry drafts digital ID standards

The department’s draft identity-checking requirements aims to provide clarity for software developers creating solutions to be used for property lawyers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Local authorities lagging behind in digitisation of citizen records

Nearly a third of councils can't tell how much citizen information they store is in digital format, study shows Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

University of Melbourne to advance digital health

Australia’s University of Melbourne has established a research outfit to build and clinically validate healthcare technology solutions Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Transparency and honesty key to major programmes success, says NAO

Major government projects often lack underlying data on costs and benefits, and it’s often not clear who is accountable for integration of different elements, according to a National Audit Office report on lessons learned on the programmes Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW APAC: Expert advice on zero-trust security

Zero trust is a security model that eliminates the traditional perimeter and assumes that no user or device can be trusted until proven otherwise. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how enterprises can take a zero-trust approach to securing their network, devices and workforce. Continue Reading

Lush’s 25-year journey to digital excellence

Retailers are increasingly focused on using technology to better serve customers, but for high street cosmetic brand Lush, tech has always been part of the picture Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Security sector broadly backs Boris Johnson’s Cyber Force

Security community says the presence of a robust cyber defence force alongside a robust physical one will be vital to the UK’s national security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fujitsu staff under investigation for potential perjury in Post Office IT trial named

Court documents reveal the names of the Fujitsu employees under investigation for potentially providing misleading information in criminal trials Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US cyber security chief fired for contradicting Trump

CISA chief Chris Krebs ousted for doing his job fighting disinformation in an apparent purge of officials deemed disloyal to president Donald Trump Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The case of Julian Assange as he faces US extradition bid – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Bill Goodwin, investigations editor, joins Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna to discuss the case of Julian Assange, whose recent extradition hearing at the Old Bailey Bill reported on Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

HMRC warns over uptick in Self Assessment tax scams

HMRC issues updated warnings as 2021 Self Assessment deadlines loom Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDS looks for Gov.uk head of technology and architecture

GDS role is offering up to £85,000 a year and includes being responsible for developing the Gov.uk programme as government aims to make it a platform for content, rather than just a publishing system Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Financial services data volumes heighten risk of insider breach

Financial services organisations hold so much data that it is becoming virtually impossible to safeguard properly against data breaches caused by malicious or careless employees Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Botched software update to blame for Post Office Horizon crash

Post Office says planned firmware update caused the problem that left branches unable to do business for 90 minutes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA