IT suppliers

London tech manifesto calls on next mayor to support tech industry

The London tech manifesto, put together by several tech organisations, calls on the city’s next mayor to support tech companies, increase digital skills investment and tackle the lack of diversity in the sector Continue Reading

Finnish government strengthens country’s IT network security

Finland’s government has created a new national organisation to help public and private bodies improve network security Continue Reading

Sutton Council trials in-home sensor tech

The council is deploying sensors in the homes of vulnerable people to be able to detect when they might need help Continue Reading

In-sourcing IT in Wales has provided a positive change, says auditor

While savings have not been as great as expected, the decision to in-source IT in Welsh government has been a success, according to Audit Wales Continue Reading

Microsoft is most impersonated brand in phishing attempts

Technology companies continue to be frequently spoofed by cyber criminals in their phishing attempts Continue Reading

Cloud archiving: A perfect use case, but beware costs and egress issues

The advantages of cloud archiving are ease of use and being well-suited to potential latency issues, but IT teams need to be aware of costs and issues around moving data from and between clouds Continue Reading

Why Microsoft’s $19bn acquisition of Nuance makes sense

Microsoft regularly demos real-time speech-to-text transcription and has just spent $19bn on bolstering its voice capabilities Continue Reading

AET gets Ctera to smooth hybrid cloud access to big files

Remote locations with unreliable WAN connections needed to share large files, which was a real headache until US engineering firm got Ctera edge filers with Azure cloud as a tier Continue Reading

Europe provides growth for TCS despite year floored by pandemic

Tata Consultancy Services grows its continental European business despite economic slowdown brought by Covid-19 restrictions Continue Reading

The evolution of RPA

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at the future of robotic process automation (RPA). Google’s legal victory against Oracle over the use of Java APIs has huge significance for software developers. And we find out how expectations of IT have grown as firms prepare for the post-Covid workplace. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Another 27 Danish banks get access to open banking APIs

Nordic banks gain access to open banking capabilities from Nordic API Gateway, with an agreement through their shared IT service provider Continue Reading

Ctera KubeFiler to bring Kubernetes storage to its cloud gateways

KubeFiler uses the container storage interface to allow Kubernetes to access persistent storage as if it were from a local NAS device, and while keeping existing access profiles Continue Reading

Loan Charge Group MPs demand IR35 shake-up to stop contractors becoming ‘zero-rights employees’

Inquiry by Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group calls on government to tweak IR35 legislation during passage of next Finance Bill Continue Reading

IR35 reforms: MPs call on government to clean up UK’s ‘wild west’ contracting labour supply chain

A 200-strong group of MPs is calling for urgent action from the government to protect contractors from the dubious practices of non-compliant umbrella companies and badly behaved employment agencies just days after private sector IR35 reforms came into force Continue Reading

Demands for changes to ‘barmy’ rules on digital evidence have government’s ear

The government is listening to calls for changes in how digital evidence is considered in court, as Post Office IT scandal spells out current rule's inadequacy Continue Reading

Where now for storage? Hitachi, IBM and Pure Storage

Part II: Storage supplier strategy in the cloud era: Hitachi, IBM and Pure Storage. We snapshot the big six hardware makers, as they take things to the cloud and as-a-service models Continue Reading

Where now for storage? Dell EMC, NetApp and HPE

Part I: Storage supplier strategy in the cloud era: Dell EMC, NetApp and HPE. We snapshot the big six hardware makers, as they take things to the cloud and as-a-service models Continue Reading

Lose-lose US sanctions apply brakes to Huawei’s 2020 growth

Bans on Huawei products in infrastructures around the world begin to affect its bottom line, but comms technology provider shows growth and reaffirms commitment to creating greater value for customers and society in the face of adversity Continue Reading

Commerzbank picks Google for cloud migration

German bank expands its work with Google Cloud and plans to move 85% of applications to its platform Continue Reading

IR35 reforms: Slow government progress on umbrella regulation exposes IT contractors to tax risks

With thousands of IT contractors set to start working through unregulated umbrella companies for the first time when the IR35 reforms take hold in the private sector, concerns are growing about the danger this could pose to their income and tax affairs in years to come Continue Reading

The ticking timebomb of IR35

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal that IT contractors are seeking a multimillion-pound payout after confusion over the forthcoming IR35 tax reforms. Many firms are building data lakes to improve their analytics – we examine the storage implications. And we talk to the CIO at the London School of Economics. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Data warehouse storage: Has cloud made on-premise obsolete?

There once was no alternative to building a data warehouse on-premise, but with cloud providers targeting analytics, building data warehouses on-site is looking obsolete Continue Reading

How far has open banking come in Europe?

Open banking is a relatively new concept, having come into effect in Europe only in the last couple of years. So what is the state of play? Continue Reading

TSB Smart Agent integrated into mobile banking app

TSB has integrated a smart agent, developed to relieve pressure on its contact centres during the Covid-19 pandemic, into its mobile app Continue Reading

Backup survey: UK councils’ downtimes five times longer than average

Backup product supplier Veeam’s freedom of information request finds councils’ average downtime is seven hours and that backup and disaster recovery testing is not done frequently Continue Reading

Ecolabels and data sanitisation key to recycling and reusing IT assets

Ecolabels on hardware and data sanitisation of devices are key to recycling and reusing old IT equipment respectively, helping enterprises avoid unnecessary asset destruction and contributing to increasingly high levels of electronic waste globally Continue Reading

NHS Shared Business Services launches £1bn digital hardware framework

Framework consists of 19 suppliers, and offers user IT hardware products and services to the NHS and public sector organisations Continue Reading

NHS Wales shapes up ambitious plans for digital patient-facing app

Computer Weekly looks at NHS Wales’ project to create a patient-facing app and a collaborative ecosystem for technology suppliers and NHS providers to deliver joined-up care Continue Reading

The 3-2-1 backup rule: Has cloud made it obsolete?

The 3-2-1 backup rule was made for small-scale use in the pre-cloud era when tape still ruled. Is it relevant in the 2020s, or can we repurpose its fundamental principles? Continue Reading

Former Skyscanner COO will lead Scotland’s tech-led recovery programme

Following his independent review of the Scottish tech sector, Mark Logan will oversee a programme to establish the country as a world-class technology hub Continue Reading

Interview: Ivan McKee, Scottish innovation minister

Scotland’s innovation minister talks to Computer Weekly about the country’s new digital strategy, the importance of inclusion, and why the strategy is underpinned by ethical thinking Continue Reading

$50m ransomware demand on Acer is highest ever

Record-breaking double-extortion cyber attack saw REvil gang exfiltrate financial data from Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Continue Reading

QLC flash storage: What it costs and its best use cases

QLC flash brings high capacities at costs coming down close to spinning disk. So what are the use cases for QLC solid state, which make best use of its relatively low endurance Continue Reading

Government bids final goodbye to Gov.uk Verify

Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary Julia Lopez confirms launch of “discrete” successor to Gov.uk Verify Continue Reading

Reshaping the women-in-tech debate in Denmark, from the top down

Tech Nordic Advocates adopts a different approach to closing the gap between women and men in the Danish tech startup sector Continue Reading

NHS will get shared care records by September 2021, says Matt Hancock

The health secretary sets September 2021 target for shared care records roll-out, and wants to explore potential of moving patient data being held in proprietary systems to the cloud Continue Reading

Survey: Backup failures hit a high as pandemic working hits home

Veeam survey finds distributed working plus operations that span on-prem and the cloud the background to high numbers of failures in backup and restore, with 40% of SLAs not met Continue Reading

Capita restructures to simplify its business

Business services supplier creates two core units that focus on public sector and commercial enterprise customers and will sell off non-core assets Continue Reading

Nordic healthcare digitisation drives medtech growth

Nordic medtech is growing rapidly as the healthcare sector adopts technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things Continue Reading

One-fifth of all UK tech investment went to just 10 scaleup firms in 2020

Annual Tech Nation report shows UK technology firms saw record levels of investment in 2020, but a significant proportion of it was concentrated in a small number of scaleup enterprises Continue Reading

Insurers unable to fill a quarter of tech roles

Insurance companies need to fill tech skills gaps if they are going to prosper in the age of insurtech Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: IPSE warns of UK contracting talent exodus unless start date delayed

Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed research into what contractors plan to do once the IR35 reforms come into play highlights growing risk of talent shortages Continue Reading

Government plans for fresh AI strategy

The government wants to “unleash the power of AI” and be “the most pro-tech government ever”, according to digital secretary Oliver Dowden Continue Reading

Potential miscarriages of justice of Scottish subpostmasters move to full review

The Post Office Horizon scandal gets bigger as subpostmaster prosecutions in Scotland are reviewed Continue Reading

Scottish farm subsidy body slashes dev time with Pure all-flash

Rural directorate ditched hybrid flash EMC SAN for Pure all-flash storage and cut developer time in half, while beta testing Cloud Block Store and planning container project Continue Reading

Met Police chooses Capgemini as strategic IT infrastructure services provider

Capgemini has a history of providing the force with day-to-day technology services, and will now deliver its infrastructure services under the Pegasus programme Continue Reading

Private equity house buys McAfee enterprise business

Deal to sell off enterprise unit will see McAfee become a pure-play consumer organisation Continue Reading

Cumbria and Nottinghamshire care homes pilot diagnostic telemedicine

Two care homes trial telemedicine system that allows GPs to carry out detailed patient assessments without leaving the surgery Continue Reading

Nordic innovators change emphasis on gender equality in society

Female technology innovators in the Nordics take a different approach to trying to improve opportunities for women Continue Reading

UK contactless payment limit more than doubled

UK increases the amount that can be spent in one go using a contactless payments card to £100 Continue Reading

Glitch signs collective bargaining agreement with unionised workers

US software startup’s ‘milestone’ agreement with employees focuses on job security and labour rights rather than salaries and benefits Continue Reading

UK’s Arkivum up for €4.8m EU science data archive project

CERN-led multi-petabyte scale research data archive bid will use Google cloud and compete with AWS-based and open source designs from other providers Libnova and Onedata Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: Hays calls on Treasury to delay April 2021 start date by a year

UK and Ireland managing director of recruitment giant Hays writes to HM Treasury to demand a delay and review of the government’s plans to roll out the IR35 reforms to the private sector from April 2021 Continue Reading

SME backup: Card maker ditches tape-only for Nakivo 3-2-1 setup

IG Design Group gains a modern backup regime with data held on disk, in the cloud and long-term on tape in a move that has helped it to slash backup and restore times Continue Reading

PGA Tour teams up with AWS to improve fan engagement during tournaments

PGA Tour selects Amazon Web Services as its official cloud service partner as it sets about revamping tournament viewing experience for golf fans Continue Reading

HSBC offers to help customers transitioning to digital banking as branch closures continue

HSBC is offering its customers training in how to bank digitally in a safe and effective way as it, like many banks, moves customers out of branches and towards using online services Continue Reading

Reading Borough Council to overhaul IT infrastructure

Council and its children’s services partner award contracts worth £13.2m for shared IT infrastructure Continue Reading

Digital secretary Dowden outlines UK post-Brexit data approach

The UK government is searching for a new information commissioner with an updated remit to use data to support growth and innovation, and plans on reaching new international data partnerships Continue Reading

Budget 2021: Putting tech at the core of the plan for growth

This week’s UK government Budget represents a great opportunity to place tech and digital as the cornerstone of UK economic growth after Brexit Continue Reading

It’s now or never for UK fintech, government told

The UK government faces a ‘now or never’ moment if it wants financial technology to play a central role in the economy for years to come Continue Reading

Nordic startups strive to fuel international e-commerce transformation

Nordic startups are developing technology for retailers that want to improve the customer experience when buying online Continue Reading

UKtech50 2021: The most influential people in UK technology

Computer Weekly has announced the 11th annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK tech sector Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: Contractors call for further delays to April 2021 start date

Research by the online tax consultancy arm of Ernst & Young reveals lack of preparedness among contractors for the onset of the IR35 tax avoidance reforms in the private sector Continue Reading

Tech-enabled hybrid working enables HSBC to cut 40% of its global office space

Bank is making huge reductions in the amount of office space it uses through a global hybrid-working policy Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Nordic startups aim to take the lead in pet tech advances

Nordic technology startups are looking to take pet tech mainstream following the acceleration of the industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Also in this issue, read how businesses can learn lessons from Nordic technology startups to prepare employees to return to the office after Covid-19 restrictions lift. Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: What IT contractors need to know

Computer Weekly asks contracting experts to answer questions about PSC bans, compliant umbrella companies and challenging status determinations, with the latest IR35 reforms coming into place Continue Reading

Arcserve and StorageCraft merger aims for ‘single pane of glass’

Arcserve and StorageCraft bring a lot of similarities but enough differences for their backers to bet on with their merger, with unifying management between product sets the only priority currently stated Continue Reading

Veeam v11 adds continuous data protection and cloud archive

Backup specialist’s annual upgrade brings continuous data protection to offer better RPOs and RTOs than existing snapshot functionality and without impact on running processes Continue Reading

BBVA teams up with Google Cloud for IT security strategy revamp

Spanish bank banking giant BBVA is forging even closer ties with long-standing technology partner Google Cloud to bolster the security posture of its IT infrastructure Continue Reading

Computers in space – managing a datacentre on the ISS

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the International Space Station gets a datacentre upgrade, we look at the challenges of system maintenance in space. As nation states increase their cyber attacks, we assess the risk for businesses. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at the colocation market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Startup founders worried about proposed capital gains tax changes

British technology startups are concerned about proposed changes to widen the UK’s capital gains tax, with just over four in five saying they would consider moving their enterprise abroad Continue Reading

European Commission proposes UK data adequacy agreement

The publication of two draft data adequacy decisions brings the UK closer to a final positive decision, which will enable the continued free flow of data between the EU and the UK if green-lit by member states Continue Reading

Data lake storage: Cloud vs on-premise data lakes

The data lake is a fundamental concept of data management. But what type of storage do you need to build a data lake on and what are the pros and cons of on-premise vs the cloud? Continue Reading

Fingerprints will help payment cards retain relevance

Biometric payment cards using fingerprint technology could add billions to global banking revenues, says UBS Continue Reading

Finnish IT sector demand increases after months of decline

IT sector in Finland sees small signs of recovery as demand increases after months of Covid-19-related decline Continue Reading

HMRC denies misleading House of Lords over IT contractors’ use of tax avoidance schemes

MPs from Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group write to HMRC CEO Jim Harra to demand the department be investigated for breaching the civil service code Continue Reading

Defra to lead creation of cloud-focused IT sustainability standard for use across government

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs continues its work to help government departments clean up their IT supply chains by creating a ‘cloud sustainability’ workstream Continue Reading

TransferGo to harness Google-inspired tech capability

Payments fintech TransferGo chooses cloud-native core banking platform to build a digital wallet and expand its services Continue Reading

C40, C60 R3, go! Pure adds to FlashArray//C QLC flash range

Hybrid storage killers: Pure Storage adds entry-level FlashArray//C40 R3 QLC array plus re-CPUed C60 R3 that will scale to 5PB or more Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: HMRC reminds firms to use ‘reasonable care’ when applying new tax rules

As the countdown to the IR35 reforms being rolled out to the private sector continues apace, HM Revenue and Customs issues compliance guidance for firms in-scope of the new rules Continue Reading

Digital investments will add £232bn to UK economy by 2040

The UK economy could grow by £232bn over the next two decades if investments in digital technologies continue Continue Reading

University benefited from early virtual desktop investments when pandemic struck

Edinburgh Napier University was able to react quickly to some of the main challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

Goldman Sachs reopens UK digital savings account

US banking giant resumes online account for UK savers after temporarily withdrawing it in response to high demand Continue Reading

Government launches digital identity trust framework

The government’s draft framework, which aims to set out rules for the use of digital identities, will be tested with industries, services, users and organisations ahead of a final version being published Continue Reading

TCS to recruit 1,500 UK tech professionals this year

Indian IT service provider Tata Consultancy Services commits to recruiting UK IT professionals Continue Reading

Century-old insurer uses low code as digital demands increase

Lloyds of London insurance and reinsurance broker Miller breaks from the past by adopting low-code software development platform Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: Deloitte confirms post-April 2021 ban on PSCs

Consultancy giant confirms that contractors will only be able to engage with it via a third-party umbrella or employment agency after April 2021, as part of its IR35 compliance strategy Continue Reading

IBM refreshes entry-level FlashSystem arrays with a little NVMe

Big Blue refreshes three entry-level systems – the 5200, 5035 and 5015 – with the flagship of them gaining all-NVMe flash storage capability and cluster scaling to 10s of PB Continue Reading

Experian to close more than two million Gov.uk Verify accounts

Gov.uk Verify’s largest identity provider is closing down its accounts, telling users to re-register with one of the two remaining providers by the end of March 2021 Continue Reading

Russia’s Sber launches international AI contest for children

Children from across the world invited to take part in artificial intelligence competition launched by Russian bank-turned-tech business Continue Reading

NHSX backs mobile app to detect kidney disease

The app, which is being funded by the AI in Health and Care Award programme, turns a smartphone camera into a clinical-grade tool to help detect kidney disease Continue Reading

Government R&D funding fails to maximise ‘catapult’ potential

Barriers in the UK’s research and development funding system mean technology and innovation centres, also known as catapults, are prevented from maximising their potential economic impact Continue Reading

Security firm Stormshield loses source code in cyber attack

Source code from two products developed by French cyber security firm was compromised in a December 2020 incident Continue Reading

Five key points about unstructured data storage on-prem and cloud

We look at unstructured data, the myriad forms of data it comprises and the key storage options available, which include NAS and object storage on-prem and in the cloud Continue Reading

Boeing outsources to Dell affecting 600 IT jobs

US aircraft manufacturer contracts hundreds of IT roles to Dell as it accelerates outsourcing plans Continue Reading

SolarWinds chases multiple leads in breach investigation

Investigators at SolarWinds are exploring multiple theories as to how the company’s systems were compromised Continue Reading

CCS goes live with £800m NHS IT framework

Digital Capability for Health framework covers development and IT management services for health and social care organisations Continue Reading

Google grows cloud sales as parent’s profits top $40bn

Alphabet announces massive overall profits and increased Google cloud sales Continue Reading

SolarWinds patches two critical CVEs in Orion platform

New vulnerabilities disclosed as SolarWinds reels from December 2020 Solorigate/Sunburst attack – but do not appear to have been exploited yet Continue Reading

Nordic region provides autonomous vehicle test bed

Nordic region has the suppliers, environment and appetite for pioneering the development of autonomous vehicles Continue Reading