IT services and outsourcing

Climate hackathon aims to use tech to save the planet

London joins cities around the world to seek technology solutions to tackle climate change and help the environment Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Coca-Cola cloud project bottles rewards for 25,000 staff

Coca-Cola European Partners, which bottles 15 billion litres of soft drinks each year, is working with an HR technology supplier to develop flexible rewards packages for its 25,000 employees Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Unilever puts digital transformation in the hands of IT

The global IT director of digital marketing at Unilever explains how the firm has managed digital transformation by shifting the role of the IT team Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

The future of connected cars

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how software is reshaping the car industry, with internet-connected cars presenting challenges and opportunities for the sector. IT suppliers are putting up prices in the UK as the value of the pound falls – we look at the implications. And Eurostar’s digital chief talks about overhauling IT to meet demanding passenger expectations. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

John Lewis chooses three retail tech startups to receive 2016 JLab funding

Department store retailer John Lewis selects three retail tech startups to receive their share of the £200,000 JLab funding pot Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Case study: Ocado uses machine learning to help customer services deal with email overload

Ocado's head of data, Dan Nelson, reveals details of how the online grocer is using machine learning to bolster the responsiveness of its customer service teams Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How collaboration will feature in the future of digital supermarkets

Morrisons’ new deal with Ocado has helped the supermarket chain expand its online capabilities, but will we see more collaboration between retailers and digital service providers in the future? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

25 years of Linux

In this week’s Computer Weekly, 25 years after Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel, we look at how the open-source operating system has influenced modern-day IT. Our new buyer’s guide covers the fast growing technology of object storage. And we examine the rise of corporate wireless networking. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Spotify on benefits of ditching its datacentres and going ‘all-in’ on Google cloud

Spotify’s vice-president of infrastructure opens up about the company’s datacentre downsizing plans, and how taking a multi-cloud to IT consumption would not work for the firm Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Diageo opts for additional services centre in Bangalore

Drinks maker Diageo is increasing its footprint in India with a new business services centre in the city of Bangalore. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Reinventing Bahrain’s Kanoo Group through digital technology

In this quarter’s CW Middle East ezine, we feature the IT journeys of three companies in the region with detailed analysis of recent IT projects that were designed to support business transformation in a changing world. We hear how Bahrain-based conglomerate Kanoo Group is dealing with a company-wide digital transformation, Zahid Group’s biggest-ever IT investment, and how Rotana Hotels is centralising security. Continue Reading

Cloud backup saves data after fire destroys school

Data from The Academy secondary school in the seaside town of Selsey was restored just hours after a fire destroyed most of the premises, thanks to a cloud backup agreement set up a year earlier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Snowden: the IT analyst turned whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance

Oliver Stone's biopic on Edward Snowden reaches the heart of the ethical crisis posed by mass surveillance for the state and ordinary citizens Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O'Cleirigh

IT startups suffer from strict, out-of-date Dutch laws

The Netherlands government needs to ensure that legislation enables disruptive technology to flourish Continue Reading

By

• Rian van Heur

Leadership bonus – analysing our UK salary survey

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our exclusive UK salary survey shows that IT leaders are benefiting from generous bonuses as technology becomes part of mainstream business. We find out how the internet of things is transforming the railway industry. And the CIO of the Williams Formula One team explains how data analytics is boosting race performance. Continue Reading

IR35 dispute prompts mass walkout of IT contractors from MoD agency

Public sector IT contractors leave UK Hydrographic Office en masse over IR35 clampdown, Computer Weekly understands Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Dymaxia: Combining cloud, IoT and wearables to manage the anxiety of autism

Canadian startup Dymaxia explains how it's using cloud, IoT and wearable devices to help autistic people manage anxiety Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How IoT can revolutionise running railways

Mobile computing, mobile sensor networks and deep learning are behind French rail operator SNCF’s efficiency drive Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NGOs challenge UK and US mass surveillance in human rights court

Privacy International, Liberty and the American Civil Liberties Union are among 10 human rights groups backing a landmark challenge to mass surveillance in the European Court of Human Rights Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

BlackBerry ends production of mobile phones

Canadian firm to focus on a strategy built around software development, including security and applications, and mobile device management Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital knowledge at the British Library

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the technology plans at the British Library as it aims to store the UK’s printed and digital history. Graph database technology is being used to help improve food safety throughout the supply chain – we examine how it works. And tech leaders tell us how to architect IT infrastructure for moving to the cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Bangkok Airways takes customer service to the cloud

Airline is the latest Southeast Asian organisation to harness cloud-based software to improve customer services, deploying the Oracle Service Cloud Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Essex hospital trust upgrades IT infrastructure

Mid Essex NHS Trust upgrades its storage infrastructure to keep up with increasing volumes of data Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital Catapult sets up London-wide IoT network

The Digital Catapult is launching a London-wide internet of things network to support digital startups and SMEs as they develop applications and use-cases Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is Europe a growing datacentre destination?

In this quarter’s issue of CW Europe, we ask whether European datacentres will benefit from the UK’s exit from the EU. As the dust settles on the EU referendum and the new-look US-Europe Privacy Shield data transfer agreement, we look at what it could mean for European datacentre operators. For example, 451 Research issued an advisory note several days after the result of the EU referendum, suggesting operators have slowed or suspended datacentre planning until a clearer idea emerges of how the post-Brexit world will pan out. Continue Reading

Dell Technologies aims for an intelligent, connected future

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as Dell and EMC complete the largest IT supplier merger in history, we look at the new $74bn company’s strategy and what it means for IT leaders. Our latest buyer’s guide examines a key aspect of cloud – cloud bursting, used for dynamic capacity management. And we assess the latest views on the UK government’s plans for internet surveillance legislation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

MaidSafe secure internet concept enters testing phase

Scottish internet startup MaidSafe brings its vision for a more private and secure approach to the web a step closer to reality Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Insurance brokers count cost of lost business as SSP SaaS platform outage enters second week

SSP confirms to Computer Weekly it has no clear idea when all brokers will be able to continue doing business via its SaaS platform, two weeks on from Solihull datacentre power outage Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

A new nearshoring game is emerging

Countries selling themselves as nearshore business services locations need to change their sales pitches to avoid becoming like all the other countries doing the same Continue Reading

By

• Ilan Oshri

A quarter of local council procurement policies do not support use of G-Cloud, research shows

Latest research by public sector-focused IT provider Eduserv sheds further light on reasons why local councils have been slow to adopt the G-Cloud procurement framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Cloud collaboration boosts Cumbria County Council's disaster response abilities

How Cumbria County Council tackled the unsanctioned use of cloud services within its organisation and improved the robustness of its disaster response in face of December 2015's Storm Desmond Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Lessons from the Dropbox breach

Dropbox is the latest major company to confirm a data breach, albeit four years old, but – as with all recent data breaches by cloud-based services – it highlights some key security lessons Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: Small businesses dive into SaaS

In this month’s CW ASEAN, we look at why companies in Southeast Asia are embracing cloud. Increasingly, companies in the region are using the cloud by putting their applications there. Why is the cloud so compelling? What is the profile of these ASEAN companies? And what is it they are choosing to shift to the cloud? Continue Reading

Blockchain and the promise of cooperative cloud storage

Blockchain technology allows distributed retention of encrypted data and is at the heart of cooperative cloud storage Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Cloud firm Backbone relegates X-IO SAN with Atlantis tiered storage

London-based Backbone uses Atlantis USX as storage virtualisation layer on top of PCIe flash and X-IO and as a stepping stone to hyper-converged infrastructures Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Get protected: The importance of security

It is not uncommon for computer systems to be compromised by a company’s own employees. In this week’s issue we look at the Sage data breach, which highlights the risk every organisation faces from its staff. Staff are often motivated by revenge, but sometimes internal logins can be compromised, enabling hackers to circumvent firewalls. Our CIO interview is TalkTalk’s CTO, Gary Steen, and we have a report from the Intel Developer Forum on the chipmaker’s future plans. Continue Reading

VMware to help enterprises manage AWS, Azure and Google cloud deployments

Virtualisation giant VMware offers enterprises a helping hand with managing multi-cloud environments, spanning AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Rackspace sold to private equity house Apollo Global for $4.3bn

After weeks of speculation about its acquisition status, Rackspace confirms definitive agreement with private equity buyer Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

London datacentre market enjoys pre-Brexit surge in demand for colocation space

CBRE's pre-Brexit look at the European datacentre market sees London reap the benefits of a surge in demand for colocation space during the second quarter Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Projected gains: Odeon and UCI cinemas adopt hybrid cloud

In this issue, we profile Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group’s use of hybrid cloud as part of a digital transformation programme aimed at enhancing customer experience and staving off competition from on-demand streaming. We also look at the summertime game of musical chairs at the Government Digital Service, and at 50 years of business software. Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Dealing with digital disruption

The Nordic countries are renowned for being home to thriving tech startup scenes, so it is hardly surprising that IT is a disruptive force in the region. In this quarter’s CW Nordics ezine we look more closely at how the Nordic region is being affected by technology disruption across industry sectors and how organisations are reacting to it. Continue Reading

Rackspace ‘on brink’ of sale to private equity house – report

Reports suggest managed cloud company could be sold in a matter of days, ending its time as a publicly listed company Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Singapore’s DBS Bank signs up to Amazon cloud

The latest move in the cloud journey of DBS bank in Singapore is an agreement with Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

CW ASEAN: August 2016

In this issue of CW ASEAN, we hear from AIA’s CTO on how tech-savvy ASEAN populations are shaking up enterprise IT. Biswa Misra tells CW ASEAN about his role and the particular challenges he faces in winning customers in the young, urban and tech-savvy ASEAN nations. Continue Reading

Giving fashion a digital makeover

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how one of the UK’s biggest mail order retailers – N Brown, owner of JD Williams and Simply Be – is moving to digital. We examine the growing importance of network function virtualisation and what it means for CIOs. And a year after Microsoft turned Lync into Skype for Business, we assess how the unified communications product is faring. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nordic CIO interview: Liv Fiksdahl, DNB

CIO of Norwegian bank tells Computer Weekly how Indian outsourcing partners help her keep costs down and digitise the business Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Stadigs

AWS vs Google vs Microsoft: How the enterprise cloud war is hotting up

With Amazon, Google and Microsoft all reporting strong growth on the back of cloud, we take a closer look at how they have achieved it Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Mobile and video pay off for Google’s parent company Alphabet

Alphabet ascribes strong second quarter financial results to long-term investments in mobile and video as demand for advertising through these channels increases Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nordic CIO interview: Vesa Erolainen, Pöyry

Doubts were raised when Vesa Erolainen, CIO at Finnish engineering and consulting company Pöyry, outlined his IT transformation plan, but he ended up winning an award for it Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Revealed: The battle for GDS – how Whitehall mandarins are trying to carve up digital strategy

Insiders say senior civil servants want to break up the Government Digital Service and return IT to its previous departmental model Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Almost 60% of millennials search for jobs through company websites

Research by Monster finds the younger generation react strongly to what they find on an employer’s website when looking for work Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Digital Greenwich joins forces with University of Surrey for 5G smart city tests

Collaboration will investigate “smarter” ways to cope with challenges related to transport, health, energy and the built environment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Apple highlights services revenue and future bets as iPhone sales decline

Apple share price up on strong performance in services and investments in augmented reality and artificial intelligence, despite 27% year-on-year decline in quarterly profit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Date set for landmark hearing into EU-US data transfers

Irish court hearing triggered by Austrian law student Max Schrems could have huge implications for EU-US trade and the data privacy rights of millions of EU citizens Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Reporters

Skills shortage and poor IT infrastructure hinder tech adoption by Asean governments

EIU report highlights governments’ desire for better use of data, including cloud access Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Estonia seeks UK datacentre to protect citizens' personal data from hackers - report

The Baltic state is reportedly in early stage talks with the UK and Luxembourg governments about setting up a backup site in either country to protect citizens’ data from risk of hackers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CW Middle East: July-September 2016

In this issue of CW Middle East, we look at how CIOs in the region are formulating their virtualisation strategies as organisations warm to the benefits of cloud computing. Today, virtualisation in the Middle East has gone beyond a shoddy virtual private network (VPN) installed on a desktop, to more sophisticated cloud-based technologies that are enabling a more mobile, more agile workforce. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Microsoft reports strong quarter driven by cloud

Microsoft reports quarterly profits of $3.12bn, largely driven by the success of its focus on cloud services Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

French public sector’s never-ending struggle with the cloud

The French government has more hurdles to overcome than many of its European neighbours when it comes to adopting cloud computing services Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Chef CTO urges action to prevent DevOps staff burnout

Chef CTO Adam Jacob has called on enterprises to cultivate a supportive working culture to protect DevOps staff from burnout Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CIO Interview: Graeme Hackland, Williams Martini Racing

Williams Martini Racing CIO Graeme Hackland discusses network infrastructure, data analytics and the future for wearable tech and augmented reality in Formula 1 motor racing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Standard Chartered takes global delivery network to next level

Bank to invest $3bn in global delivery network, with particular focus on scaling up Malaysian centre Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Case study: Odeon goes to hybrid cloud for digital transformation

Odeon cinema chain reveals how it is using hybrid cloud to power its digital transformation and tackle competitive threats Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DWP trials blockchain technology for benefit payments

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) trials blockchain's distributed ledger technology, with benefit claimants using a mobile app to track welfare payments Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Make fictional expense claims a thing of the past

Some executives think that travel and entertainment (T&E) expense claims are a licence to practise their creative fiction skills Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

CW@50: A history of IT outsourcing

Computer Weekly looks at where and when IT outsourcing was invented and considers the changes the sector has gone through since Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New Jersey turns to technology to keep offenders out of jail

New Jersey is developing criminal justice applications that will save offenders from spending years in jail before their cases are heard Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

McLaren-Honda rebuilds network platform on NTT foundations

McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team embarks on three-year technology partnership with NTT Communications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The challenges facing social tech and what will tackle them

As part of the Cast launch event, government, corporate and social tech representatives discussed some of the challenges facing social tech and how we can grow tech for good initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Amazon.com CTO cautions enterprises against underestimating value of test and development

Speaking at the AWS Summit in London, Amazon.com CTO hits out at legacy suppliers and urges enterprises to get experimental to protect themselves against competitive threats Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Saudi Telecom Company leads nation’s transformation agenda

Saudi Telecom Company and its technology partners support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s drive into digital public services Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Lufthansa IT services arm transforms to meet customer demands

IT supplier Lufthansa Systems is changing its business model as its airline customers invest in digital technologies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Overcoming the scale-up challenge of enterprise DevOps adoption

CIOs and IT leaders share their advice on what enterprises can do to accelerate the spread of DevOps within their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Nordic CIO interview: Tore Burheim, University of Bergen

IT director of Norwegian university tells Computer Weekly about digitising education and creating co-operative clusters Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Stadigs

How will UK IT adapt after Brexit?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the aftershocks continue from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, we look at the implications and challenges for the UK technology community. Our latest buyer’s guide examines expense management software. And IT leaders discuss ethics in IT and debate the question – can you trust your technology? Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Thailand’s TMB Bank modernises IT through the cloud

Bank used a move to Office 365 as a starting point for its transformation into a cloud-first organisation Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Facilities firm ISS picks IBM Watson IoT to manage client sites

Danish outsourcing and services firm signs new deal with IBM to use Watson’s internet of things capabilities to better manage its clients’ properties Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five retail-based startups head for 2016 Jlab incubator

Five of the 23 startups that pitched for a place on John Lewis’s 2016 startup programme will be spending the summer in the retailer’s Jlab accelerator Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Brexit: Datacentre investments set to slow as economic stability concerns hit CIOs

As the economic uncertainty around Brexit continues, CIOs may put new datacentre investments on hiatus, warns analyst Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Most influential women in UK IT: Rising Stars 2016

Read about the judge's choice for the 2016 Computer Weekly most influential women in UK IT Rising Stars Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Hays Recruitment service desk project is all gain and no pain

The firm was attracted by the many benefits of a cloud-based service desk, but chief among them was the low risk involved in implementation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Isle of Man: From seaside getaway to tech startup hub

The Isle of Man government is stepping up efforts to position itself as the low-tax jurisdiction of choice for the startup community. But what's it like to do business there? Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Technology key to supporting World Expo 2020 in Dubai

Businesses in Dubai need to get ready for the expected boost in demand that will come with the World Expo exhibition to be held in the city in 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

LogMeIn customers complain over price hikes and contract renewals

Remote management supplier denies not notifying customers about impending price rises and renewal dates, as end-user complaints mount Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

MPs’ private emails are routinely accessed by GCHQ

Computer Weekly investigation reveals the extent of interception of MPs’ and peers’ email communications and data Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell and Bill Goodwin

It makes sense to go hyperscale/hyper-converged

Hyperscale computing and storage are the norm for web giants. Hyper-converged scenarios make it possible for small and medium-sized enterprises to gain the advantages of combined server/storage nodes Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

How to build your own IoT with Azure

Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform has gone well beyond mere virtual machines and orchestrated workflows. It can now also power internet of things applications Continue Reading

By

• Danny Bradbury

Bristol Water outsources IT as business model transforms

Bristol Water outsources IT to Wipro to support it through a period of transformation to its operating model Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

An overview of cloud customer relationship management

Businesses are confident about buying customer relationship management (CRM) software as a cloud-based service. Computer Weekly looks at the main players Continue Reading

By

• Lindsay Clark

UK startups seek to lead the world in smart city technologies

Government trade mission to south-east Asia helps UK startups to target the region’s growing smart city projects Continue Reading

By

• Zafar Anjum

Virgin Media uses Salesforce to build omni-channel sales

Virgin Media is using Salesforce to offer a single customer view irrespective of the channel the customer uses to talk to the company Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital inclusion charity demands government enforcement of web accessibility laws

AbilityNet claims government is "falling down on the job" by failing to act against firms that do not make their websites and services accessible to disabled users Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Lawmaker Vaizey hails UK role in resolving datacentre sovereignty issues

Digital economy minister talks up government’s work in supporting the growth of the UK’s technology sector Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ING Turkey uses digital technology to improve services and grow customer base

Turkish bank uses business process management technology to offer financial services through 1,500 grocery stores, technology outlets and post offices Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Countdown begins to new EU data protection rules

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with the new EU data protection rules ready to become law, firms now have just two years to prepare for the stringent regulations – we assess the challenges. Manufacturing giant Rolls-Royce talks about why it moved its HR systems to the cloud and the lessons it learned. And we look back at 50 years of technology innovation in storage. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

HSBC cuts hundreds of UK IT jobs

HSBC is cutting its UK IT workforce and transferring jobs to lower-cost countries as part of its global delivery strategy Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Future Retail Contest: Using tech to tackle retail’s biggest problems

IC Tomorrow’s Future Retail Contest aims to help the retail industry tackle some of its business issues by leveraging retail-focused startups Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Safer cycling project wins BT smart city contest

Northern Irish startup See.Sense scoops £15,000 prize in BT smart city contest after developing a connected bike light Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Graph databases are making connections

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the recent global scandal revealed by the Panama Papers relied on graph databases to uncover secrets from huge volumes of data – we look at the business benefits of the technology. Most organisations are failing to take basic IT security measures – we examine why. And we analyse the latest flash storage innovations. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Gulf Air creates private cloud to support open-source big data engine

Airline is using a private cloud and open-source software to enable it to analyse social media and understand what consumers think about it Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA