IT innovation, research and development

Crown Commercial Service to procure £360m online benefits system

Procurement agency wants new platform to become a one-stop shop for employee benefits across government Continue Reading

Hundreds of European retail banks will disappear as challengers scoop up customers

One in every 10 banks in Europe will no longer exist as digital challengers take customers from them Continue Reading

Gothenburg – a hotbed for early startups

Sweden’s second-largest city is by no means the biggest startup hub in the Nordic region, but its global reach is a distinct advantage Continue Reading

Singapore proposes data portability provisions

The Personal Data Protection Commission is seeking public feedback on proposed provisions that will let consumers move their personal data across organisations Continue Reading

GDS to ‘cajole’ departments into using voice-based services

The vision of GDS director-general Kevin Cunnington is to get governments to roll out voice technology into major services by 2027 Continue Reading

Capita’s NHS contract under review after patient records blunder

Outsourcer’s health service deal in doubt following the latest in a “litany of failings”, with 160,000 patient records being wrongly archived Continue Reading

UC Expo 2019: Experts talk up future tech in unified communications

Automation and AI are increasingly prevalent in unified comms, but do enterprises really need it? Continue Reading

UK leads in government AI readiness

The UK is one of the best placed in the world to take advantage of related technologies for public service delivery, according to a study Continue Reading

London council trials Verify-based digital ID scheme for vulnerable citizens

Programme under way at Tower Hamlets will allow residents to build a digital footprint and get better access to council services Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank creates 500 IT roles in Scotland

New recruits will support banking group’s digital transformation as it aims to give customers “Google-like experiences” Continue Reading

École Hôtelière de Lausanne puts Amelia the robot at its core

When Switzerland-based hospitality school EHL began to automate processes, it was met with staff inertia, but that all changed after its benefits became clear Continue Reading

Government digital leaders to receive salary boost

The Cabinet Office revealed plans to increase the pay of some senior roles in an effort to compete with the industry Continue Reading

Identity custodians needed in digital era

Digital identity systems will fail if they do not take humans into account, warns identity innovator, suggesting that a ‘digital guardian’ could help overcome most of these challenges Continue Reading

ANZ CIOs hit roadblocks in digital agenda

Top IT leaders in Australia and New Zealand are grappling with cultural roadblocks and slow progress in advancing the countries’ digital agenda Continue Reading

Augmented data management draws more enterprise interest

With AI and machine learning, organizations are starting to augment their data management. This is changing the way enterprise users capture, govern and integrate data. Continue Reading

CW APAC: Expert advice on data management

Data is growing exponentially, so managing it well is crucial to business success. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how companies and data management experts are tackling data challenges, studies the findings of Gartner’s CDO study, and finds out how organisations are augmenting data management through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Continue Reading

CIOs want staff with good soft skills to help drive digital change

Effective communication of what is being done and why is vital for organisations implementing digital transformation, survey shows Continue Reading

UK government boosts AI Council with new appointments

New recruits come from online-only retailer Ocado, the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information, and the Alan Turing Institute Continue Reading

CW500 Club: Rising to the IT ethics and sustainability challenge

As technologists are asked to take a position of continuing leadership in the digital revolution brought about by tools such as artificial intelligence, the Computer Weekly CW500 Club looked at how to innovate in an ethical and sustainable way Continue Reading

Optus shows off real-time call translation smarts

The Australian telco has bigger plans to make its network more open to enable developers to build and integrate new services into phone calls Continue Reading

UK pensions trust launches £1.5bn tender for digital services delivery

The National Employment Savings Trust wants its new supplier to build innovations such as data analytics to services provided via digital channels Continue Reading

Footasylum steps up artificial intelligence to drive customer centricity

Retailer Footasylum is placing its bets on cloud-based emergent technologies to accelerate automation and personalisation across the business Continue Reading

Network Rail appoints Aidan Hancock as IT chief

Former BP technology chief Aidan Hancock joins the rail company to lead its digital transformation efforts Continue Reading

Councils urged to support 5G readiness

Local authorities must do more to facilitate the roll-out of next-generation mobile connectivity, study finds Continue Reading

HSBC hires Ian Bromwich as UK CIO

New incumbent Ian Bromwich joins HSBC from Lloyds Banking Group Continue Reading

Security standard for surveillance cameras set for launch

A long-overdue cyber security standard for the manufacturer of surveillance cameras is on track for an official launch in June Continue Reading

Health screening IT unfit for purpose since 2011

National health bodies do not have full visibility of all the patients who need screenings, and a replacement system faces further delay, a new PAC report has found Continue Reading

More power for NHSX chief as top health service IT executive steps down

Operations director at NHS England Matthew Swindells has handed over his IT duties to the chief executive at the new digital unit, Matthew Gould Continue Reading

Government hints at biometric regulations

Immigration minister says options are being considered around governance and oversight of biometric technologies use Continue Reading

Home Office seeks immigration technology head

The Home Office is looking for a suitable candidate to fill its newly created high-profile IT role, which will cover Brexit-related requirements around immigration technology Continue Reading

Interview: Data takes centre stage at Lloyd’s of London

The 330-year-old insurance market is evolving its data efforts as part of a far-reaching modernisation strategy, focusing on artificial intelligence and driving employee data literacy Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Netherlands offers young hackers re-education

Young hackers in the Netherlands are being rehabilitated through punishments that educate rather than incarcerate. Also read how almost 90% of businesses in the Netherlands are barely aware of the competitive advantages the IoT can offer them, and why Dutch sat-nav pioneer TomTom is focusing on the business-to-business sector. Continue Reading

Northern Ireland generating cyber security knowledge and jobs

Northern Ireland is establishing itself as an international hub of cyber security research and innovation, providing growing employment opportunities Continue Reading

Red Hat Enterprise Linux to contribute $10tn to global business

A study on the economic impact of Red Hat Enterprise Linux by IDC revealed that the operating system is expected to contribute to business revenues worth 5% of the global economy Continue Reading

MP sets out concerns over GP at Hand software

Concerns raised over the robustness and breadth of the software underpinning Babylon Health’s app amid calls for an inquiry into the tool Continue Reading

Highways England trials self-driving trucks for roadworks

A pilot is aimed at reducing project timescales and increasing worker safety, though vehicles are expected to take another two to three years to be fully operating Continue Reading

How the DWP Dojo innovates

Juan Villamil, director of enterprise infrastructure and production operations at DWP Digital, discusses how the Department for Work and Pensions tests out new tech ideas Continue Reading

Nurturing innovation at DWP

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the Department for Work and Pensions’ Innovation Dojo and how it’s helping to try out new digital ideas. We look at Anthos, Google’s new multicloud platform which the supplier claims will redefine enterprise IT. And we report from the NCSC cyber security conference, where experts discussed the lessons learned from recent high-profile attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Tech manifesto calls on health secretary to ‘get basics right’

Royal College of GPs says joining up IT systems is essential to enable innovation Continue Reading

Labour calls for creation of ministry for cyber security

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jo Platt accuses government of failing to provide leadership to fend off cyber risks Continue Reading

Co-operative Bank creates over 100 IT jobs in Manchester

The Co-operative Bank is looking for talent to support its digital strategy and previous banking and IT experience is not a necessity Continue Reading

Lloyd’s of London unveils digital ambitions

Reforms will include a split into two automated exchanges, which is expected to boost performance and savings while reducing cost of services to customers Continue Reading

Department of Health enhances medical innovation programme

The Accelerated Access Collaborative initiative is expected to fast-track pioneering treatments and produce multimillion-pound savings to the NHS Continue Reading

Boots appoints former NHS IT executive as director of innovation

Retailer Boots has enlisted Richard Corbridge, former chief digital and information officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, to support its digital transformation initiatives Continue Reading

Middle East Interview: Bahrain fintech drive gathers speed

Bahrain wants to be a launchpad into the wider region for financial technology firms looking to scale Continue Reading

Department of Health pushes online regulation agenda

Tech giants commit to initiative to remove harmful content from their websites but MPs call for further changes in algorithms Continue Reading

How Amadeus used FPGAs to break Moore’s Law threshold

The innovation team at Amadeus worked with technology university ETH in Zurich to test how FPGAs can be used in artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Rehumanising healthcare through technology

Tech companies internationally are offering innovative ways to access niche healthcare services that promise to ease patients’ fears about the use of technology over humans Continue Reading

Brighton Dome theatre gets access to city’s 5G mobile testbed

Brighton Dome & Festival is to deploy a 5G network to explore future applications for the technology in the arts Continue Reading

Department for International Trade slashes tech SME funding

Smaller UK companies will see their ability to showcase their offerings at large international events compromised, trade bodies say Continue Reading

Bosses want to see explainable AI

Almost one-third of UK bosses surveyed in the latest PwC global CEO survey plan to use artificial intelligence in their businesses – but explainable AI is critical Continue Reading

Home Office to award £300m contract for management of biometric services

Government department is behind schedule in the selection of suppliers to work on two platforms covering fingerprints, DNA and facial matching capabilities Continue Reading

Malaysia to get its first AI park

Malaysia’s first artificial intelligence park to be developed by a trio of local and Chinese firms is expected to raise the country’s standing in the global race for AI supremacy Continue Reading

British 5G developers to test their mettle in South Korea

DCMS launches £2.4m project to support the development of 5G applications for public transport alongside its South Korean counterpart Continue Reading

Digital map of UK underground pipes and cables to be developed

The Underground Asset Register is expected to reduce the costs and safety issues associated with maintaining underground cables and pipes Continue Reading

Central government fails to meet SME tech spending targets

Smaller businesses find it “impossible” to win public sector tenders while the number of single-bid contracts rises, report says Continue Reading

European Union to create central biometrics database

New rules will see the introduction of a repository of personal data from hundreds of millions of citizens to support law enforcement across member states Continue Reading

Cabinet Office seeks chief digital information officer

The newly created role will sit within the Government Digital Service and lead a 630-strong reporting function for digital, data and technology strategy Continue Reading

Internet Watch Foundation raises stakes in war against online child porn

Organisation’s work around tackling the spread of child sexual abuse imagery is being enhanced with advanced video tagging technology and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Market must address IT failures in large infrastructure projects, government says

If companies want certainty that strategic investment will continue post Brexit, they need to address areas such as technical complexity management, says the chief executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Continue Reading

CW500 Interview: Roger Taylor, chair of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation

Roger Taylor, chair of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, talks about the importance of standards and regulation when developing AI systems, and why businesses should start thinking of these things now Continue Reading

London Ambulance Service trials real-time access to patient data

The NHS Identity Service pilot enables clinicians to access summary care records on secure iPads Continue Reading

Digital court system reaches first key milestones

The platform rolled out at Crown Courts in England and Wales a year ago has increased speed and efficiency of online citizen services and saved 100 million sheets of paper so far Continue Reading

UK government adds voice to citizen services delivery

Voice technology enables access to more than 12,000 information items through Alexa or Google Home Continue Reading

Spotify opens new London R&D hub

Music streaming service Spotify has opened a new technology hub in London, as part of its push to open offices outside the US and Stockholm Continue Reading

20 firms join Tech Nation’s cyber security scale-up programme

Tech Nation scale-up programme is designed to boost the UK’s cyber sector, accelerate the growth of its top companies and build a robust, cross-industry network Continue Reading

Widespread adoption of digital ID could boost economic growth

New study argues that the standard could bring benefits to businesses in sectors such as financial services as well as government – but it all depends on high adoption rates Continue Reading

UK government to introduce online porn age checks

World-first regulations will see age verification introduced in July and enforced by the British Board of Film Classification. Non-compliant sites risk withdrawal of payment services or being blocked Continue Reading

HM Land Registry completes blockchain trial

HM Land Registry’s blockchain project is part of a wider digital transformation initiative which aims to simplify and speed up the process of buying and selling property Continue Reading

How UnaBiz is disrupting the IoT market in APAC

From offering low-cost connectivity to hardware design and integration services, the Singapore-based technology supplier is causing a stir in the internet-of-things market Continue Reading

Singtel and NUS claim quantum breakthrough

Researchers from Singtel and the National University of Singapore have succeeded in coordinating the paths of photons across a fibre network to drive wider adoption of quantum key distribution Continue Reading

Home Office curbs bulk emails following data breach

Department has introduced new rules for mass messaging after exposing email addresses of EU settled status scheme applicants Continue Reading

Findings published from three-month pilot for NHS App

Biometric login functionality and additional repeat prescription ordering capability are among the enhancements made in response to user feedback to the NHS App Continue Reading

Dutch national weather service adopts cloud to expand service offerings

The migration of legacy systems to an AWS set-up will precede the design of a real-time early warning centre for the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute Continue Reading

Post-Brexit IT talent shortages concern UK CIOs

Finding and training tech staff remains an issue and is set to get worse after the UK leaves the European Union, says Barclaycard study Continue Reading

NHS launches care home availability portal

New tool is aimed at optimising hospital occupancy and saving social care staff “hours of phoning around” Continue Reading

NCSC seeks new breed of cyber security startups

The UK intelligence community is seeking to promote a new breed of technology startup to help detect, respond to and facilitate rapid recoveries from cyber attacks on the UK Continue Reading

UK government launches cloud sustainability probe

Government departments are being asked to provide information about the energy footprint of the cloud services they use Continue Reading

Mott MacDonald builds smart cities on Azure cloud

The Microsoft cloud will be used to run digital twins of city infrastructure to help city planners manage infrastructure more effectively Continue Reading

Lancaster University enhances student engagement with cloud-based chatbot

University is using Amazon Web Services to enhance the development of a voice-enabled “online companion” with machine learning and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Black holes and ejaculations

There’s a bookshop located in Old Street Station near our office where we can sometimes be found nonchalantly perusing the blurbs of various works of literature during our lunch break. The other ... Continue Reading

European Commission tackles transformation challenges with cloud

Modernisation plan continues at the EC, with an upcoming migration and major savings on the horizon Continue Reading

CW Middle East: Visibility and security of networks are top IT priorities

The 2019 Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities survey shows that enterprise buyers in the Middle East, like those in the UK and Europe, are looking to lock down their networks in the face of an almost constant barrage of threats and malicious actors. Also read how Facebook planned to use its Android app to track the location of its customers and to allow advertisers to send political advertising, and what further details operator O2 has revealed about how it is planning for the advent of 5G. Continue Reading

EC publishes artificial intelligence guidelines

Report is intended as a starting point of an international discussion around trustworthy AI and its recommendations will be put to the test in a trial later this year Continue Reading

UK introduces world’s first online safety regulations

Announcing ‘the end of online self-regulation’, a duty of care is introduced to hold companies accountable for potential harm and safety of users of their services Continue Reading

NHS IT jobs need to be promoted differently

More ambition and a mindset change is required to attract more technology talent to the national health service Continue Reading

Dutch government to make AI national priority

The Dutch government wants to increase its focus on the artificial intelligence sector, as other countries gain an advantage Continue Reading

Interview: Innovating with data science

Amadeus’s head of data science for innovation, Baptiste Chatrain, discusses his GitHub page and how the business innovates with data Continue Reading

No-deal Brexit threatens future of UK CAV sector

The UK has turned itself into a global leader for connected and autonomous vehicles, but its position is at risk because of Brexit, a new report warns Continue Reading

NHSX announces new leadership

DCMS director-general Matthew Gould is to take over as chief executive of the NHSX, with recruitment set to accelerate at the newly formed digital strategy unit Continue Reading

Prepare to deploy custom hardware to speed up AI

Latest forecasts suggest spending on artificial intelligence is ramping up, and organisations that need raw machine learning performance are turning to custom hardware Continue Reading

How AWS is powering Australia’s education technology startups

Cloud giant is gearing up education technology startups in Australia to develop cloud applications for schools and universities Continue Reading

Home Office Brexit app will work on Apple devices

An agreement has been reached to make the app for EU nationals to apply for settlement in the UK work on iOS-based products Continue Reading

5G’s first five years: A look ahead

With 5G mobile networks edging closer to reality, GSMA Intelligence’s Matthew Iji looks ahead to consider how the technology will be adopted between now and 2024 Continue Reading

MI5 and the Met ramp up use of analytics to tackle terrorism

Police and intelligence organisations are working on technologies that will help “sharpen radars” around detecting terrorist intents Continue Reading

Most business decision-makers and knowledge workers happy to work alongside robots

Fears that automation will remove jobs for knowledge workers are reducing as opportunities emerge to upskill and eradicate mundane work Continue Reading

Manchester startups help GCHQ tap into new source of ingenuity

The first group of startups to emerge from a Manchester-based accelerator programme has contributed new ways of thinking to UK’s GCHQ intelligence agency Continue Reading

Government invests in knife-detection tech research

The Home Office and the Department for Transport are channelling more than £460,000 into fast-tracking the development and deployment of technologies that can detect concealed blades in public spaces Continue Reading

SMEs forced into automation as Making Tax Digital goes live

Small businesses are faced with all manner of challenges as the government presses ahead with its plan to digitise the UK tax system Continue Reading

Digital industries lead UK economy

Technology, media and creative businesses are leading national economic growth, according to research Continue Reading