IT news in your industry sector

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 21

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Clare McDonald and Caroline Donnelly are joined by Computer Weekly’s acting management editor, Angelica Mari, to talk about some of the past week’s biggest news stories Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Moscow’s 2019 Startup Village rewards innovation

Moved to a bigger site, Moscow’s annual Startup Village continues to expand, with interest from large corporates growing Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

Saudi banks trial blockchain-based identity technology at ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Airbus opens cyber innovation hub in Wales

Newport hub will focus on industrial control systems, artificial intelligence and data analytics Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attackers using wider range of threats

Businesses need to ensure they are able to defend against a wide range of threats in the face of increased malicious Office documents, Mac malware and web application exploits, report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms downloading vulnerable open source software

Vulnerable open source software components are posing a security threat to UK firms, according to a report that also shows how best practice, including automation, can reduce the risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Scotland ‘needs stronger digital leadership’

Despite some good progress, Scotland needs greater strategic direction to further its digital endeavours, says central auditor Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

European and UK space agencies start CAV connectivity project

Academia and telecoms operators partner to investigate 5G and satellite systems for connected and autonomous vehicles, with proofs of concept expected for 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ministry of Defence appoints chief scientific adviser

The first female to hold the role, professor dame Angela McLean will direct the department's core research programme and advise on all science and technology matters Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Hospitality industry at highest risk of phishing

Benchmarking report shows average phish-prone percentage across all industries and sizes of organisations at 29.6% – up 2.6% since 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

London named top five global retail colocation hub by Synergy Research Group

The latest quarterly colocation market tracker data from Synergy Research Group highlights differences between growth trends between retail and wholesale sectors, and the impact the hyperscale sector is having on both Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Steel firm adds steel to resilience with Scale hyper-converged

Carrs Tool Steels had to move on from legacy servers and found hyper-converged infrastructure from Scale Computing the ideal fit for a small business that couldn’t afford downtime Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK takes world lead in surveillance camera security

Although the UK is sometimes referred to as “the most surveilled country” in the world, it has taken the lead in setting minimum security requirements for surveillance cameras. But how will this make a difference internationally? Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nominations open for UK’s security unsung heroes

The Security Serious cyber awareness campaign has opened nominations for the fourth annual cyber security Unsung Heroes awards Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government must address shortcomings to make data strategy work

A National Audit Office report outlines the challenges that need to be investigated around making more effective use of data in citizen service delivery and government operations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

West Midlands paramedics test remote ultrasonic sensor scans

Ultrasound sensor works with a haptic glove worn by a paramedic connected over 5G to a clinician, who provides remote diagnosis Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Small business not necessarily weakest security link

Small businesses may not be the weakest link in the supply chain after all, with a lack of skills and best practices being bigger factors, a study by (ISC)² reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Disaster planning: How to expect the unexpected

Focusing too much on specific disasters rather than considering an organisation’s data protection, network security and process requirements, can lead to unpredicted vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Surveillance camera czar calls for stronger UK code of practice

Surveillance cameras are for supporting communities, not spying on them, but the UK needs stronger regulation and citizen engagement in this area, says surveillance camera commissioner Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Asos trials AR catwalk technology

Online retailer Asos has partnered with HoloMe to trial an augmented reality catwalk for users of its fashion app Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

UK citizens call for diversity in AI to be addressed

Public wants government and tech companies to tackle diversity issues related to the application of artificial intelligence, a study has found Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Online porn age-verification checks delayed for six months

Changes to force UK internet users to prove their age to access adult content are postponed for a third time because of failure to notify the European Commission of key policy details Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Facebook officially unveils cryptocurrency plans

Facebook has released details about its Libra cryptocurrency, but questions still remain over how, and if, it will work Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

HCL delivers digital services to Cricket Australia

Cricket governing body chooses Indian IT supplier to expand the boundaries of its customer engagement platforms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Enterprises challenged with security basics

Visibility, security tool overload and manual reporting are cited as top concerns by UK security leaders, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK to launch security standard for surveillance cameras

The UK is launching the world’s first voluntary cyber security standard and compliance certification mark for the manufacturers of surveillance cameras Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most mobile apps vulnerable to malware

iOS and Android apps equally vulnerable to being exploited remotely by malware, report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How AirAsia streamlined its customer service

Integrating multiple customer touch points with Salesforce has enabled Asia’s leading low-cost carrier to shorten waiting time and improve customer service Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Lloyds Bank uses community effort to push out DevOps

The developers and IT operations teams were once separate. Now they are one. The challenge is getting this to scale across the business Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NetApp ports services to NetApp HCI for multi-cloud storage

NetApp will debut multi-cloud services on its NetApp HCI hyper-converged platform, with the first being its Kubernetes orchestrator service and Cloud Volumes Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Women in IT trailblazer Maggie Berry gets OBE

Early pioneer of networking who aimed to get more women into technology is included in Queen's Birthday Honours Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Looming private sector IR35 reforms prompts calls for gig economy-focused tax system overhaul

The growth of the gig-based economy has exposed weaknesses in the UK tax system – exacerbated by the IR35 reforms – that mean an overhaul is needed, panel claims Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

London Tech Week opinion 3: The coming of age moment

With London Tech Week held recently various tech sector executives have kindly offered to provide their opinions of this year’s London Tech week. Here are the opinions already published: London ... Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IoT Security Foundation publishes smart building whitepaper

The IoT Security Foundation has published a guide on security for smart buildings to highlight key issues and gather feedback to inform future guidance for industry stakeholders Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Telcos hail progress improvements in meeting UK full-fibre broadband deployment targets

Senior management from Openreach, TalkTalk and Three use Connected Britain keynote to share insights on how full-fibre broadband deployment is progressing across the country Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Oxford University accepts £150m for artificial intelligence research

Oxford University has accepted £150m to build a new humanities hub that will include a centre for artificial intelligence ethics research from Stephen Schwarzman, a US private equity boss Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Converged security takes centre stage at IFSEC

The importance and benefits of combining physical and cyber security was underlined in the opening session of the 2019 IFSEC security conference Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government pushes data-driven agenda

A smart data report has been published with consultations under way, while an open call for evidence has been launched to help shape the national data plan Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Regional alliances boost Nordic AI industry

Universities and technology businesses in Nordic countries are working cross-border as part of two pan-Nordic organisations Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Fintech IT chiefs earn more than chief financial officers

Fintech IT heads are the top earners but this will change as the industry matures and needs for different skills Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: How Hackney Council will help accelerate innovation across London boroughs

Hackney Council’s director of ICT, Rob Miller, talks to Computer Weekly about how one of the most digitally advanced local authorities plans to collaborate with counterparts across the capital to revamp public services delivery Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

University graduates to Rubrik backup appliance with Azure cloud

University of Reading could only back up 20% of its data on an ageing tape library, so it modernised with a Rubrik appliance and Azure cloud storage in a cost-neutral project Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Luxembourg tech startups get premium connections

Luxembourg is at the centre of a continent with ambitious plans to develop a thriving tech industry, but what makes it different? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Edwards, Freeform Dynamics

GDS director general to move on to global promotion role

Kevin Cunnington will be travelling around the world to promote government services under a newly created unit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Facebook announces global digital currency Libra

Facebook is launching digital coin to open up affordable financial services to the world Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ministry of Justice publishes public cloud security baseline

Guidelines from the Ministry of Justice aim to avoid potential cloud security issues such as S3 ‘leaky buckets’ Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Promoting digital health in the NHS

Uniquely, Sam Shah, director for digital development at NHS England, is both a clinician and a technology leader, and he hopes to use both skillsets to overhaul IT across the UK’s health service. Continue Reading

Applying AI to road safety

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit a Tokyo project where artificial intelligence is helping to improve road safety by detecting potential subsidence. As bug bounty programmes become popular, we look at what’s involved and the pitfalls to avoid. And we discuss digital development in healthcare with NHS England. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Openreach trials will speed up broadband upgrade

Tests to focus on process of migrating households and businesses to fibre to the premise and voice over IP Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK to host world’s first surveillance camera day

The UK is to host the world’s first surveillance camera day to raise awareness about surveillance cameras and generate a debate about how they are used Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Business needs to see infosec pros as trusted advisers

How can security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• RV Raghu, ISACA

Post Office asks Court of Appeal for permission to appeal judgment in first Horizon trial

The Post Office has applied to the Court of Appeal to appeal judgment in Horizon trial Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DevSecOps is key to uniting opposing forces

Unifying DevOps and security teams with the aid of automation will bring harmony and added business benefits, says systems engineer Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Transport for London supports innovation to tackle road congestion

The London RoadLab programme has selected products using emergent technologies to alleviate problems caused by roadworks Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Top infosec task is getting on board agenda

How can security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Department of Health aims to drive change through tech innovation

Revamped Accelerated Access Collaborative is intended to “genuinely drive change” in NHS by identifying the best in healthtech, aligning policy and establishing testing mechanisms Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Airbus works with Microsoft to trial HoloLens in aircraft manufacturing

Aircraft company Airbus believes mixed reality systems, powered using headsets such as HoloLens, will drive its digital manufacturing strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC urged to delay April 2020 extension of IR35 rules to private sector by 'at least' 12 months

An analysis of the responses HMRC has reportedly received to its consultation on extending the IR35 tax avoidance reforms to the private sector suggests the tax agency is coming under pressure to put its plans on hold for at least 12 months Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Asco breaks silence on ransomware attack

A week after reportedly being hit by a ransomware attack, Belgium-based mechanical equipment manufacturer Asco has finally provided some details Continue Reading

Lloyds bank adds savings and credit card to open banking

Lloyds Banking Group launches the latest edition of its open banking journey Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

WekaIO adds enterprise features to scale-out NAS file system

WekaIO has Dell EMC’s Isilon, NetApp, GPFS and Lustre in its sights with its massively scalable hybrid-cloud NAS file system that also runs in the Amazon cloud Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK Armed Forces seeks digital recruitment platform provider

The UK's Armed Forces has gone to market to procure a new digital recruitment platform, to be implemented by March 2022 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Building a cyber-physical immune system

Shantanu Rane, researcher in cyber-physical systems security at the Palo Alto Research Center, explains how our own immune systems can inspire the design of modern cyber-physical systems Continue Reading

By

• Shantanu Rane, PARC

Security Think Tank: Infosec needs to avoid FUD and keep it real

How can security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• Ellie Hurst, Advent IM

Government reviews regulation to enable tech innovation

The government reforms are aimed at ensuring that regulations keep up with technological change Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

How digital transformation underpins Three’s 5G ambitions

At Three, the smallest of the UK’s four mobile network operators, a transformative attitude to underlying IT is helping the firm mount a serious challenge to its rivals when it comes to 5G roll-out Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI storage: Machine learning, deep learning and storage needs

Artificial intelligence workloads impact storage, with NVMe flash needed for GPU processing at the highest levels of performance – and there are other choices right through the AI data lifecycle Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Innovation drives Nominet to cyber security

Embracing an innovation strategy for a mature organisation led domain name registry Nominet to found a cyber security business based on its core expertise, its CEO tells London Tech Week Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Europe: Why are Dutch companies slow to take advantage of the IoT?

Many organisations in the Netherlands are missing out on the benefits of the internet of things because they lack awareness of its potential. Also read why construction of Apple's first non-US datacentre has halted in Denmark, and why some scientists have raised questions about the effects of 5G mobile phone radiation on public health. Continue Reading

UK firms need to address risky user habits

McAfee calls for companies to ramp up their security culture and improve the integration of technical security controls to minimise exposure from workers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Collaboration is key to digital success in public safety

Multi-agency engagement has a significant potential to boost the digital delivery of citizen safety services, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Security risk ratings key to security/business understanding

How can security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

UK tech visa application numbers rise for the fifth year in a row, Tech Nation confirms

Data from visa endorsement body Tech Nation reveals 45% year on year jump in tech visa applications, with India and the US emerging as the two major sources of candidates Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Digital chief at Department for Work and Pensions gets extension

Acting chief digital information officer Simon McKinnon will stay in the role until 2020, since a successor for Mayank Prakash has yet to be found Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

AI-enabled cyber attacks a reality soon, warns Mikko Hypponen

Technology continues to shape human conflict and artificial intelligence will be no exception, so business needs to up its ability to detect attacks and respond, says security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AWS skills collaboration gives rise to two-year pre-university cloud qualification

Amazon Web Services joins forces with Career College Trust to create cloud course that will prepare students for entry-level tech jobs or further education at university Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Currencycloud takes Lego approach to payments infrastructure: Fintech Interview 22

Currencycloud offers emerging fintechs make chiild's play of building a payments infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DCMS adds cash to 5G testbed fund and moves to ease planning laws

The government is to invest £40m in new projects under its 5G Testbeds and Trials scheme, and will explore new ways to liberalise planning laws to support quicker 5G deployment Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHSX chief replaces senior digital clinician at NHS Digital

Matthew Gould takes over board seat from chief clinical information officer Simon Eccles Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Operational technology security improving, but attack surface continues to grow

Critical national infrastructure providers and others are improving cyber security capabilities around industrial control systems, but the cyber threat remains high and continues to evolve, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Rise in business-led IT spend increases risks and opportunities

Digitally leading businesses benefit from faster time to market, better employee experience and improved finances, but lack of partnership between CIOs and business units can jeopardise progress, says Harvey Nash / KPMG survey Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Culture secretary Wright hails Tech Nation AI growth programme at CogX

Jeremy Wright, DCMS secretary of state, urges artificial intelligence tech firm founders to step forward for Tech Nation’s Applied AI growth programme, while McKinsey offers qualified endorsement of UK AI optimism Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

From oil crash to tech startup boom in Norway

For countries highly dependent on oil, the global price crash had huge potential ramifications – one of which, in Norway, was the development of a thriving technology sector Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Government’s national Innovation Strategy launches

The long-awaited Innovation Strategy document includes evolving use of data, eradicating legacy and seconding senior tech staff to the private sector Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Focus on business impact and likelihood of cyber attacks

How can cyber security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Austrian Supreme Court green-lights GDPR case against Facebook

A potential landmark case against Facebook for violating General Data Protection Regulation rights has been given the go-ahead by the Austrian Supreme Court Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why the rise of IT managed by the business is driving creative thinking

Organisations that encourage business units to implement and run their own IT systems have an edge over competitors that rely entirely on the IT department, research from Harvey Nash and KPMG reveals Continue Reading

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• Steve Bates, KPMG

In a cyber data breach, preparation is key

The importance of preparation was strongly emphasised at a breach response workshop hosted by DAC Beachcroft as part of London Tech Week Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government increases efforts to drive Verify uptake

Renewed push to create a ubiquitous digital identity market will include a consultation with the private sector and the creation of a dedicated unit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

London Office of Technology and Innovation launches in ‘willing and able’ local authorities

The LOTI coalition of local authorities kicks off to speed up the adoption of new technologies and approaches within local authorities Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Scale targets edge workloads with HE500 hyper-converged nodes

Scale Computing adds hyper-converged infrastructure nodes to provide edge compute and storage that is fully compatible with its datacentre-scale HCI appliances Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Most code-signing processes insecure, study shows

The majority of organisations are failing to enforce security for code-signing processes, providing opportunities for cyber criminals, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Are schools delivering on digital skills?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the differing approaches to teaching computer science across the UK and assess the pros and cons of each. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the technologies and best practices of multicloud environments. And we find out what you get for your money when buying cyber insurance. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

MP brands Huawei exec a ‘moral vacuum’ as operators demand 5G clarity

Huawei chief security officer John Suffolk faces tough questions from parliament’s Science and Technology Select Committee over the firm’s links to the Chinese government Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Should tech companies capitalise R&D spending?

Technology companies frequently ask whether they should capitalise their research and development costs. There are clear benefits, increasing reported profit and hence potential valuations, but what are the risks? Continue Reading

By

• Daniel Domberger, Livingstone

Security Think Tank: Frame cyber security impacts in business contexts

How can security professionals communicate effectively with the board and senior business leaders – what works and what doesn’t? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Implementing Dmarc a top priority for UK

Basic email security should be a top priority for UK firms, followed by reducing third-party web exposure and monitoring data flows leaving the enterprise, a Rapid7 study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Virgin Atlantic partners with Accenture to bring self-service capabilities to cargo management

Transatlantic airline becomes the first to adopt the latest version of Accenture's cloud-based Freight and Logistics platform as part of its digital transformation push Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Tech firms back UK in spite of Brexit

Theresa May announces funding to boost development of quantum technologies, as well as a tech competitiveness study, as sector companies pledge to invest further in the country Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Western Digital aims to help rethink unstructured data storage

Zonedstorage.io is Western Digital-backed idea to re-architect unstructured data storage with sequential writes to high-capacity media such as SMR HDDs and ZNS NVMe flash Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor