IT for media and entertainment industry

Computer Weekly UKtech50: Rising Stars 2014

Chosen by the Computer Weekly team from people we’ve met over the past 12 months, here are our five rising stars of 2014 Continue Reading

Films leaked online after Sony Pictures hack

High-quality copies of still-to-be-released films have been leaked online a week after Sony Pictures Entertainment was reportedly hacked Continue Reading

Three pondering bid for O2 or EE, say reports

As BT conducts sales talks with both O2 and EE, reports have emerged the owner of Three is also preparing a bid for one or other of the two networks Continue Reading

ITN deploys wireless transmission technology for breaking news

ITN introduces camera-mounted wireless transmission technology from BT to track breaking news stories around London Continue Reading

Interview: The IT powering animated movie-making

Video special effects require similar processing to oil and gas, but lack the budget, says head of technology at Illumination Mac Guff, Bruno Mahe Continue Reading

How the BBC became digital in three-and-a-half years

The BBC has undergone a digital transformation that started 18 months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games Continue Reading

BBC takes iPlayer video production to AWS cloud to beat bottleneck and storage woes

Having run Video Factory on AWS for over a year, BBC's Robert Shield explains how he overcame iPlayer bottleneck and availability challenges Continue Reading

Firms lack technology for workforce of the future

European businesses will rely increasingly on freelance, geographically dispersed employees as they vie to attract the top skills to their organisations over the next 5 years. Continue Reading

Disney spreads the magic through wearable technology

The Walt Disney Company is using wearable technology to improve customer experience and engage with visitors Continue Reading

UK ranks third in right to be forgotten requests to Google

The UK has made the third-highest number of requests for links to be removed from Google's search results Continue Reading

CIO interview: Ben Hine, technology director, UKTV

UKTV director Ben Hine says every piece of the company's technology has been replaced over the last four years Continue Reading

DDN launches scale-out NAS GS7K GPFS product bundle

DataDirect Networks launches the GS7K, a pre-configured GPFS scale-out NAS/parallel file system storage product Continue Reading

Q&A: MarkLogic CEO Gary Bloom talks strategy

Gary Bloom, CEO of NoSQL database supplier MarkLogic, talks to Computer Weekly about strategy Continue Reading

UKtech50 2014 - help us choose the 50 most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly is launching the fifth annual UKtech50, our definitive list of the movers and shakers in UK IT - tell us your nominations Continue Reading

Google denies breach after hackers leak millions of user logins

Google denies claims cyber criminals stole users' data and downplays the threat after a hacker purportedly leaked 4.9 million Gmail logins Continue Reading

Nude celebrity hack forces changes at Apple and 4Chan

Apple and image-sharing site 4Chan take security measures after celebrity iCloud accounts were compromised and photos leaked Continue Reading

Apple and FBI launch iCloud hack investigation

Apple and FBI investigate the breach of Apple’s iCloud causing fresh business concerns over cloud security Continue Reading

Nude celebrity pictures posted online after alleged iCloud hack

Hundreds of nude images of female celebrities have been leaked, allegedly after Apple’s iCloud service was hacked Continue Reading

Brighton & Hove Albion deploys free Wi-Fi at Amex Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion picks The Cloud and Ruckus to supply a new Wi-Fi solution at the American Express Community Stadium Continue Reading

South Korea arrests 16 suspects in massive cyber fraud

South Korea has arrested 16 suspects in connection with a multi-million-dollar fraud enabled by the theft of 27 million online gaming credentials Continue Reading

DDoS attacks hit Sony’s PlayStation Network and other gaming services

Sony's PlayStation Network and other gaming services reported disruptions at the weekend in a suspected cyber attack campaign Continue Reading

FT turns to cloud to manage advertising bookings

Business newspaper replaces 20-year-old ad-booking system with a cloud-based service Continue Reading

Company Magazine ditches print to go online only

The womens’ monthly publication Company Magazine has announced it will become a standalone digital brand from October Continue Reading

Why John Linwood is not to blame for BBC’s failed technology project

Former BBC CTO has won his case for unfair dismissal over the failed £100m DMI project, but what lessons can be learned? Continue Reading

Sacked BBC CTO wins unfair dismissal case

Former BBC chief technology officer John Linwood has won his case for unfair dismissal against the broadcaster Continue Reading

Russian blogger law comes into action

A new information security law which places restrictions on Russian bloggers and social media users has come into force today Continue Reading

Paddy Power hit by data breach in 2010

Gambling firm Paddy Power owns up to 2010 data breach after recovering a compromised dataset in Canada Continue Reading

Italy gives Google 18-month privacy compliance deadline

The Italian data protection watchdog has given Google 18 months to comply with EU privacy laws Continue Reading

Hackers abuse Bitly API in novel attack, reports Websense

A cyber attack targeting MSNBC highlights cybercriminals’ abuse of the public’s trust in news sites, says Websense Security Labs Continue Reading

BBC 4G broadcast research wins support of Huawei and EE

BBC Research and Development has teamed up with Huawei and EE to explore the role of 4G mobile networking in the future of broadcasting Continue Reading

BBC News commits to digital investment amid loss of 220 jobs

BBC News has announced a restructure where it will invest more into digital transformation and original journalism. Continue Reading

UK leads international partnership to fight financial malware

The UK National Crime Agency is leading international collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to fight bank theft malware Continue Reading

Why using voice biometrics is a good idea

Banks and other organisations are turning to voice biometrics, but why do they believe the technology is good idea? Continue Reading

Smart light bulbs get security update

Smart light bulb maker LIFX has issued a firmware update after security researchers exposed a security weakness Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: The dos and don’ts of a good incident response plan

What does a good information security incident response plan look like? Continue Reading

Facebook apologises over psychological experiments

Facebook has apologised over the controversial psychological experiments carried out on 689,000 users without their consent in 2012 Continue Reading

Wimbledon bunker tour: The IT behind the tennis championships

Computer Weekly goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon to investigate the technology supporting of one of the biggest tennis championships Continue Reading

BBC promotes R&D controller Matthew Postgate to CTO role

The BBC has appointed its research and development (R&D) controller Matthew Postgate as the corporation's chief technology officer (CTO) Continue Reading

Industrial control systems increasingly under attack, says Kaspersky

Targeted attacks on industrial control systems take place on a regular and increasing basis, says Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

Facebook under fire over secret experiment on users

Facebook has come under fire for conducting a psychology experiment on 689,000 users without their consent Continue Reading

Wearable tech must comply with privacy laws, warns ICO

Wearable technology must comply with UK data privacy laws, warns the ICO Continue Reading

Google begins complying with European takedown requests

Google has begun removing search results in response to takedown requests from European citizens Continue Reading

Facebook launches Slingshot to rival Snapchat

Facebook has launched its limited lifetime messaging app Slingshot in the US to rival Snapchat Continue Reading

YouTube to block indie labels unwilling to join paid service

YouTube plans to drop music videos from independent record labels unwilling to join its new subscription music service Continue Reading

Domino’s breach underlines value of personal data, say experts

The latest cyber breach to hit a high-profile brand underlines the high value of personal data, say security experts Continue Reading

Microsoft admits running out of IP addresses for Azure

Microsoft has assured US Azure customers data remains in the US, despite running out of US-registered IP addresses at times Continue Reading

EE drives mobile phone deals with CRM software implementation

Mobile phone operator Everything Everywhere claims a 400% increase in phone deals after rolling out customer relationship management software Continue Reading

Turing Test 2014 marks historic milestone in artificial intelligence

A computer program has made history by passing the artificial intelligence test set by computer science pioneer Alan Turing Continue Reading

Microsoft retaliates to China’s Windows 8 spying claims

Microsoft has launched a social media campaign against China’s claims that Windows 8 is being used for US spying Continue Reading

CIOs should 'leave innovation to marketing'

CIOs should focus on managing the technical infrastructure and leave innovation to other parts of the business – conclusion of a major study. Continue Reading

Cyber threats hiding in plain sight, says Palo Alto Networks

Cyber attackers exploit commonly used business applications to bypass security controls, research shows Continue Reading

UK shoe retailer Office hit by data breach

Data breach at UK shoe retailer Office prompts calls for online firms to beef up security around customer details Continue Reading

IT supplier insolvencies fall for first time as economy recovers

Technology companies have reached a turning point as insolvencies fall for the first time in 2014 Continue Reading

Google launches right-to-be-forgotten application form

Google has introduced an online application form for Europeans who want personal data to be removed from online search results Continue Reading

BSkyB retunes IT to ready-for-anything datacentre quad

British broadcaster BSkyB has based its IT on four core datacentres that are resilient, interconnected, energy-efficient and cloud-ready Continue Reading

Android Outlook app has privacy issues, warn researchers

Microsoft’s Outlook.com app for Android is exposing users' data, warn security researchers Continue Reading

eBay under fire over handling of data breach

eBay is coming under increasing criticism over its handling of the data breach that exposed millions of user records Continue Reading

US cyber criminal jailed for 20 years

US authorities have jailed a cyber criminal for 20 years, for trading in stolen credit cards and identities Continue Reading

YouTube Twitch acquisition not imminent, say reports

YouTube’s acquisition of videogame-streaming company Twitch is not imminent, according to latest reports Continue Reading

Internet of things security is relevant to business, says researcher

Internet of things is relevant to enterprise information security professionals, says researcher Continue Reading

Minnesota passes mobile kill switch law to stop theft

Minnesota has become the first US state to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the theft of smartphones Continue Reading

Net neutrality under threat from US plan

The US telecoms regulator has approved proposals that opponents believe will quash the principle of net neutrality Continue Reading

Ex-BBC CTO claims he was the scapegoat for failed DMI project

John Linwood, former chief technology officer at the BBC, claimed he is the “fall guy” for the failed £100m Digital Media Initiative. Continue Reading

Orange data breach underlines need for encryption, say experts

The theft of 1.3 million customer records from Orange, France underlines the need for encryption, say experts Continue Reading

Internet privacy could thwart data security, warns expert

Steps to improve online privacy could thwart data security, warns security expert Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

Case study: How the BBC uses cloud to process media for iPlayer

The BBC has taken its iPlayer video-on-demand service to the cloud and cut media processing time from 9-10 hours to 20-30 minutes Continue Reading

Infosec 2014: Threat knowledge is key to cyber security, say experts

Business should improve awareness of cyber risks to stay ahead of criminals, say experts Continue Reading

Software developers suffer as IT companies endure rising insolvencies

Increase in the number of IT insolvencies expected as the economy improves Continue Reading

UK and Ireland cyber attacks up 300% in 2013, says FireEye

UK and Ireland enterprises were hit by an average of more than 70 new infections a day in 2013, a report shows Continue Reading

Cyber threat detection paramount, says SANS fellow

Cyber threat prevention is ideal, but detection is a must, says Eric Cole, SANS Institute fellow Continue Reading

Heartbleed prompts tech firms to pledge open-source support

Top tech firms have joined forces to support open-source software to help prevent future bugs like Heartbleed Continue Reading

Obituary: Pioneering Computer Weekly journalist Ron Coates

Former Computer Weekly deputy editor Ron Coates died recently after a period of ill health. Continue Reading

Facebook reports strong quarter driven by mobile ads

Facebook has beaten analyst expectations with first-quarter profits of $642m and revenues of $2.5bn, up 72% Continue Reading

Microsoft halts Windows 8.1 update for businesses due to bug

Microsoft has suspended the Windows 8.1 update for business users because of a bug. Continue Reading

TCG releases TPM 2 specification for improved security

The Trusted Computing Group has published an updated specification for the Trusted Platform Module Continue Reading

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading

Turkey lifts Twitter ban

Turkey has lifted a ban on Twitter after the constitutional court ruled that the block breached freedom of expression Continue Reading

Study alleges deeper NSA influence on RSA

RSA adopted a second NSA-developed encryption tool, increasing the agency's spying capabilities, a study claims Continue Reading

UK update to copyright law imminent

The UK is to update its 1988 copyright law for the digital age in line with a nearly three-year-old review Continue Reading

Google says government data requests are up 120% since 2009

Government requests for information about Google customers, have increased by 120% since 2009 Continue Reading

Security an unnecessary expense, say one in six techies

One in six IT professionals see security as an unnecessary expense, a study has revealed Continue Reading

Target data breach: Why UK business needs to pay attention

Late last year, US retailer Target was hit by one of the biggest data breaches in the industry's history. So what happened and why is it relevant to UK businesses? Continue Reading

Customer privacy an ongoing challenge, says Unilever

Unilever has set up a programme to address the continually evolving challenge of privacy issues relating to customer data Continue Reading

Pirated software malware to cost business $491bn in 2014, study shows

Malware deliberately loaded into pirated or counterfeit software is expected cost enterprises $491bn in 2014 Continue Reading

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have urged businesses to take action on a cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of 25,000+ Unix servers worldwide Continue Reading

SMEs believes they are immune to cyber attack

Most SMEs believe they are not at real risk of cyber attack, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

Hacktivism: good or evil?

IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics Continue Reading

More than 162,000 WordPress sites used in DDoS attack

Security researchers have uncovered a DDoS attack that used more than 162,000 legitimate and unwitting WordPress websites Continue Reading

Tim Berners-Lee calls for internet users’ "bill of rights"

World Wide Web creator marks its 25th anniversary by calling for a “free, open and truly global internet” enshrined in a "bill of rights" Continue Reading

Dark web key enabler for cyber criminals, say McAfee researchers

The dark web is a key conduit for the malware industry to refine and distribute its products and services, say security researchers Continue Reading

Channel 4 CTO Bob Harris leaves to set up consultancy firm

Channel 4 chief technology officer Bob Harris is leaving the broadcaster at the end of March to set up his own consultancy business Continue Reading

No more email? Why companies are turning to collaboration technology

Collaboration technologies are helping companies improve their employees' work-life balance Continue Reading

Microsoft takes aim at passwords

Microsoft says it is determined to solve the problem of ineffective authentication that relies on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

Employee mobiles expose firms to attack, says Webroot

Employees mobile devices expose companies to malicious applications and attacks, according to the latest mobile threat report from Webroot Continue Reading

UK firms see 1,000+ internal data breaches a day, study finds

Internal threats are not a high priority for UK firms despite more than 1,000 internal data breaches a day Continue Reading

NHS England puts patient database on hold

NHS England is to delay by six months the roll-out of its controversial Care.data scheme for sharing patient records through a central database Continue Reading

Cut Microsoft admin rights to mitigate 92% of threats, study shows

Removing Microsoft admin rights from employees mitigates 92% of critical vulnerabilities reported in 2013 Continue Reading

BBC starts search for suppliers to replace £2bn Atos outsourcing deal

The BBC is moving away from its single-supplier outsourcing deal to a multi-sourced 'tower' approach for its technology services Continue Reading

Rights groups call on White House to open privacy review

A coalition of 25 rights groups is calling for a 90-day US government review of big data and the future of privacy to be opened up to the public Continue Reading

UK among targets of 'Mask' advanced cyber espionage campaign

The UK has been hit more than 100 times in an advanced global cyber espionage campaign that has gone undetected for more than five years Continue Reading