Web development

Top trends in tech, and retail’s early adopters

Computer Weekly identifies the retail industry’s early adopters of what McKinsey & Co deems the top tech trends Continue Reading

Developed for Big Science in Europe, highly accurate time protocols ensure fair trading in finance

Protocols developed for use at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research are now being used for many other applications, including financial services Continue Reading

Top 10 retail technology stories of 2022

Computer Weekly looks at what 2022 had in store for the retail industry – after the pandemic increasing technology adoption for most of the retail sector, what have firms put in place to survive the next few years? Continue Reading

A retail tech tour of the Battersea Power Station development

We check out the customer-facing digital features on display in the UK’s newest shopping site at Battersea Power Station Continue Reading

Twitter ‘replacement’ Hive Social shuts off service in privacy alert

Hive Social, a recently established social media network, has temporarily closed its servers to address deep structural privacy issues identified by ethical hackers Continue Reading

Is Elon Musk’s Twitter safe, and should you stop using it?

With a litany of security and compliance issues exposed and in many cases caused by Elon Musk’s takeover of social media platform Twitter, some may be asking if it’s still safe or appropriate to use Continue Reading

Metaverse could add up to $1.4tn a year to Asia’s GDP

The metaverse may still be in its infancy, but sustained investments in the technology over the next decade could have a significant impact on Asia’s economy Continue Reading

Kubernetes and the open-source maintainer question

While much of last month’s KubeCon-CloudNativeCon North America was focused on specific software projects, case studies and tech challenges, there was a discernible undercurrent of concern. And it ... Continue Reading

Justice transparency: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to The National Archives about how it is using semantic data to make court and tribunal judgments searchable Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: Building trust online

Consumer reviews website Trustpilot has built and scaled its IT security team and is now turning to agile methods and DevSecOps to further enhance its cyber capabilities Continue Reading

Government bins IR35 reforms – what you need to know

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after the government scrapped its IR35 reforms, we examine what IT contractors need to know. With hybrid working, employee experience is a priority – we look at how it meshes with customer experience initiatives. And we assess the options for unstructured data storage in the cloud and on-premise. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Online marketplace momentum ushers in new era for retailers

Superdrug is the latest in a growing list of retailers to launch its own online marketplace, joining B&Q, Boots and others in driving a new era for UK retail Continue Reading

Morrisons joins the fast-growing retail media movement

More retailers are becoming publishers as they realise the potential of their online assets, helping to fuel a new fast-growth segment of digital marketing – and Morrisons is no exception Continue Reading

KPMG: IT chiefs vote for innovation, but are they forgetting tech debt?

New study from KPMG shows businesses are keen to adopt new technologies to drive improvements to customer experience Continue Reading

Privacy Pledge signatories dream of alternative internet

A group of privacy-focused organisations have come together to establish a set of principles for taking the internet back from big tech and surveillance capitalism Continue Reading

Reimagining ethical digital technology

With ever-increasing digitisation leading to greater dependence on a range of digital technologies, enterprises need to urgently look at how they can incorporate ethical and social considerations into the tech they develop Continue Reading

Government pauses Online Safety Bill’s progress

The government has paused the Online Safety Bill’s journey towards becoming law, amid timetable pressure Continue Reading

Pandemic turns e-commerce doubters into believers

Notable UK retail e-commerce avoiders Primark, B&M and Poundland are now online players. But what are their respective digital approaches? Continue Reading

Ofcom publishes Online Safety Roadmap

The roadmap sets out how the online harms regulator will approach implementing the UK’s online safety regime, and tells tech firms to start preparing for the new rules Continue Reading

Deliciously Ella – how the brand adopted D2C during the pandemic

Plant-based brand Deliciously Ella did not intend to sell directly to customers, but shifting unsold stock during the pandemic opened digital doors for the brand Continue Reading

Digital levelling up must be a priority for the tech community

The UK government’s plans for “levelling up” have, justifiably, come in for criticism. Nice rhetoric, but where’s the delivery? Fair comment. But for the tech community, attempts at digital ... Continue Reading

Digital Poverty Alliance unveils evidence review

Evidence review into the state of digital poverty in the UK sets out policy principles and recommendations, which will be used as the basis for a national action plan to eliminate the issue Continue Reading

Primark trials click & collect for children’s products

Predominantly offline brand Primark will be trialling click & collect orders for a select number of children’s products Continue Reading

What the EU’s content-filtering rules could mean for UK tech

EU proposals to clamp down on child sexual abuse material will have a material impact on the UK’s technology sector Continue Reading

Retail’s IT talent search intensifies

Retailers from different sectors are on the hunt to fill similar IT job roles, but are all finding different ways to source the sought-after talent Continue Reading

Like a teenager, Kubernetes looks almost grown-up, yet still a bit awkward and confused

Platform: that’s the key word that sprung to mind after attending Kubecon-CloudNativeCon Europe 2022, hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) in Valencia last week. As in, Kubernetes ... Continue Reading

John Lewis to hire more than 150 tech workers

As the retail group continues its drive to digitise, the John Lewis Partnership is aiming to hire more than 150 tech workers Continue Reading

Digital continues to deplete bank branch networks as Lloyds cuts 60 more

Lloyds Banking Group has stripped UK high streets of a further 60 branches as the take-up of digital banking continues Continue Reading

It takes a village: Protecting kids online is everyone’s responsibility

The rapid uptake of smartphones among children has contributed to the increasing number of cases of cyber bullying and online grooming. Is this an educational issue or a cultural problem, and can modern enterprise help? Continue Reading

Microsoft uses Q2 2022 earnings to delve into metaverse

Company’s CEO sees a role for Microsoft that takes the metaverse beyond gaming and into the business sphere Continue Reading

Bank account switching accelerates as consumers choose digital services

Surge in UK consumers changing current account providers is a sign that digital banking services are eating into the traditional sector Continue Reading

Advantages of traditional banks are weakening amid digital challenge, says FCA

Weakening of the advantages enjoyed by traditional banks over the years is “driven by digital innovation and changing consumer behaviour”, says regulator Continue Reading

For 2022, let's get less excited about tech

We all understand and recognise the enormous potential for technology to transform our work, our economy, our culture, our society, our lives. We all know the incredible benefits that lie in store ... Continue Reading

Accessible retail: Personalising the UX for disabled consumers

An online marketplace built with an ‘accessibility-first’ mantra is set to go live in spring 2022 – and it comes amid several new inclusive retailing moves Continue Reading

Fintech players get cosy in Luxembourg

Luxembourg aims to play a larger role in the rapidly growing global fintech market Continue Reading

The rules for a safer internet

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the government publishes the Online Safety Bill, we look at what the laws mean for internet services. A ransomware victim shares the insider story of the trauma of losing their corporate IT systems. And we ask, what happens when quantum computers get too powerful to verify their output? Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How cosmetics retailer Lush made over its approach to authentication

Evolving approaches to IT at cosmetics retailer Lush meant the organisation’s previous approach to authentication was no longer up to scratch. Find out how it overcame this hurdle Continue Reading

How in-store technology is supporting retail’s sustainability agenda

Boots, Costa Coffee and the major grocers’ in-store technology focus is switching towards systems supporting sustainability goals Continue Reading

HSBC standardises on DevOps platform

HSBC to standardise and automate software development through CloudBees platform Continue Reading

Auto-enrolment begins for Google multi-factor authentication

Google has started to turn on multi-factor authentication on consumer accounts by default, and aims to auto-enrol 150 million users by the end of 2021 Continue Reading

ICO cookie consent: How will the plan affect businesses?

A data privacy and compliance expert considers what the ICO’s proposals for an overhaul of cookie consent procedures could mean for businesses Continue Reading

Dutch scientist receives top award for work on digital media’s effect on society

Utrecht University media scientist José van Dijck wins the Spinoza Award and funds for her research into the effects of social media on society Continue Reading

How Estonia’s country-as-a-service scheme has attracted tens of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs

Estonia has created a country-as-a-service offering which is attracting entrepreneurs and businesses from across the world Continue Reading

Latest Microsoft zero-day being actively exploited

New Microsoft zero-day CVE-2021-40444 affects multiple versions of Windows and is probably being exploited through convincing phishing attacks Continue Reading

ICO in bid to end cookie pop-ups

Outgoing information commissioner Elizabeth Denham will call on her equivalents across the G7 group of countries to collaborate on an overhaul of cookie consent pop-ups Continue Reading

Around 75% of minority tech employees don’t feel a sense of belonging at work

Research by Capgemini found just over three-quarters of global tech employees who are women or ethnic minorities don’t feel a sense of belonging at work Continue Reading

Nordic banks join forces to compete with fintechs

Collaboration will be key for traditional Nordic banks to retain business amid intense competition from tech companies Continue Reading

What’s your contingency plan for when ‘online’ stops working?

Last week I had the misfortune to spend just over an hour and a half listening to a crackly loop of recorded announcements. They were remarkably dull, even before I’d heard them several dozen ... Continue Reading

Nordic fintech could lead the world

Will the Nordics become the fintech and open banking innovation capital of the world? Continue Reading

Mobile operating systems: It's not about VHS versus Betamax

In the 1970s two rival video tape formats battled out for the hearts and minds of consumers. Movies were distributed on either VHS or Betamax. Eventually,  VHS won. But today who uses video tapes? ... Continue Reading

Competition and Markets Authority turns attention to Google and Apple

Are the two dominant mobile operating system providers anti-competitive? The Competition and Markets Authority shines a spotlight on the two digital giants Continue Reading

G7 commits to action on ransomware, digital privacy

The G7 urges Russia to do more to hold criminal ransomware gangs operating from within its borders to account as it commits to more action on the issue Continue Reading

CMA secures commitments from Google on future of cookies

The Competition and Markets Authority is opening a consultation on commitments offered to it by Google to ensure its Privacy Sandbox proposals do not harm digital advertising markets Continue Reading

How the pandemic accelerated the Gulf’s edtech revolution

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital learning technologies in the Gulf region’s education sector Continue Reading

Stockholm’s startup scene seeks more diversity

Swedish capital has created a world-leading tech startup environment, but it still lacks the diversity of people needed to move it to the next level Continue Reading

Reddit enlists HackerOne to run public bug bounty programme

Online community platform is opening up its HackerOne bug bounty programme to any ethical hacker who cares to have a look under the bonnet Continue Reading

Tech startups turn to digital PR platform for media exposure

Digital PR platform Newspage helps early-stage tech startups with limited resources increase their visibility to journalists and news organisations Continue Reading

Throwback Thursday – Data governance in software testing

Data and information governance is extremely important today, perhaps even more so than it was in 2008, when Freeform Dynamics ran a study looking at what was being done to enhance capability in ... Continue Reading

Asda bags ex-Marks and Spencer CIO

Carl Dawson, who has been CIO at department store M&S for six years, is leaving the retailer to become CIO at Asda Continue Reading

Government calls for input into Covid-19 vaccine passports

Evidence gathering exercise will inform the development of the UK’s proposed Covid-19 vaccine passport scheme Continue Reading

Web founder calls for ubiquitous, safe internet access for young people

Internet access has a direct correlation to GDP. On the 32nd birthday of the world wide web, its founder calls for improvements to safe access Continue Reading

UK's Starling Bank reaches unicorn status

UK app-based bank Starling reaches unicorn status following its latest round of funding Continue Reading

Covid accelerates Bradford University remote working project

Pandemic injected fuel into university’s existing project to introduce remote working Continue Reading

Is Clubhouse safe, and should CISOs stop its use?

With more concerns being raised over the privacy and security of social media app Clubhouse, we consider whether security teams should consider restricting or stopping employees from using it Continue Reading

Internet companies should provide real-time data on disinformation, Lords told

Fact-checking experts tell House of Lords inquiry that upcoming Online Safety Bill should force internet companies to provide real-time information on suspected disinformation, and warn against over-reliance on AI-powered algorithms to moderate content 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

Audi fine-tunes its digital performance to boost online car sales

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the digital chief at Audi UK discusses how the carmaker is tackling the slump in new car sales. One of the largest global malware botnets has been taken down, but how much of a blow will it be for cyber criminals? And we hear how one county council made huge savings on its SAP installation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Revealed: Brits who fuelled ‘vicious’ conspiracy theory by Trump supporters

Trump supporters have apologised and paid millions in damages to the family of murdered Democratic Party staffer Seth Rich for promoting false allegations that Rich – not Russian agents – stole emails from the Democratic National Committee Continue Reading

JP Morgan Chase hires for UK digital bank launch

US banking giant hires in the UK in preparation for digital consumer bank launch Continue Reading

Executive interview: Antony Roberts, Audi

The head of digital at Audi UK discusses how the luxury car company has revamped its online presence as it shifts gear to drive online sales Continue Reading

Google threatens to cut off Australia

Google’s threat to end its Australian Search operation comes in the face of new legislation that would force it to pay media publishers for news content Continue Reading

Competition and Markets Authority battles with cookies and privacy

CMA is looking at proposed privacy changes to Google’s Chrome browser that could be seen as anti-competitive Continue Reading

Top 10 financial services stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 financial services IT stories of 2020 Continue Reading

Driving innovation in government

An insider's perspective on the organisation, culture and methods used to drive innovation in the Department for Work and Pensions Continue Reading

Allied Irish Bank prioritises digital services as it cuts workforce

Bank is cutting its operating costs by 10% with job cuts and facility closures, but will continue to invest heavily in technology Continue Reading

How retailers are using tech to cope with changing footfall

Customer behaviour was shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the online shopping boom, so what technology are retailers using to keep stores relevant? Continue Reading

Spending Review commits £32m to Gov.uk Accounts

Government Digital Service’s Gov.uk Accounts project will allow people to sign into government services online and get a personalised experience tailored to their needs Continue Reading

Amazon Swedish language site will expand reach of local retailers

Amazon launches Swedish language website and promises to make more products available in the Nordic region Continue Reading

Third-party code bug left Instagram users at risk of account takeover

A critical vulnerability in Instagram’s image processing could have allowed attackers to take over not just their victim’s account, but their entire device Continue Reading

Video gamers barraged with cyber attacks

From credential stuffing to SQL injection and DDoS, video game producers and players are seeing massive volumes of cyber attacks Continue Reading

CIO interview: Mark Holt, CTO, Trainline

The coronavirus pandemic has reduced train travel significantly, but for the rail ticketing app it’s been an opportunity to focus on using innovative technologies to help support passengers in new ways Continue Reading

The harsh reality for newspapers in the fight against Facebook, is that people won’t pay for news

The Australian media is the latest to try to get Facebook and Google to pay for using their news stories. That only exposes the fact that not enough readers want to do so Continue Reading

Nordic banks invest and innovate to keep digital rivals at bay

Large traditional banks are accelerating their digital transformations as the regional fintech sector makes its presence felt Continue Reading

Lessons from 1980s home computing

The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated the massive digital divide that exists across the UK. In a paper published published in August, Gemma Burgess, principal research associate & acting ... Continue Reading

GCHQ seeks researchers to tackle deep fakes and misinformation

A GCHQ research fellowship based at its Manchester office will explore various national security priorities such as deep fakes, fake news and the impact of AI Continue Reading

Businesses underestimate negative impact of bot traffic

Research from Netacea finds that although awareness of malicious bot activity is high, many are underestimating its true impact Continue Reading

Public sector not considering the elderly in development of digital services

A study by software firm Civica found public sector leaders have admitted to not targeting digital services at those over 70, despite many people this age claiming to use digital technology Continue Reading

Room for improvement in Dutch digital skills

The Netherlands has good telecommunications and IT networks that can be used safely and reliably, but there is room for improvement in digital skills among the Dutch Continue Reading

Facebook iOS SDK flaw linked to onset of Spotify app outage blighting Apple device users

Apple device users are reporting usability issues with the Spotify app, which coincides with the onset of a partial outage affecting the Facebook iOS SDK Continue Reading

Universal Credit still struggles with digital issues, says NAO

The cost of rolling out Universal Credit continues to rise, while only 20% of new claimants attempt to verify their identity online and digital skills remain an issue, according to the National Audit Office Continue Reading

Why a shared channel experience will meet user needs at DWP Digital

The Department for Work and Pensions outlines the approach it is taking to developing user-focused digital services Continue Reading

Peer-to-peer lender Zopa gets full banking licence

Peer-to-peer lending pioneer works towards creating the ‘Netflix of banking’ Continue Reading

How the Chelsea Flower Show blossomed as an online-only event

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the digital team at the Royal Horticultural Society about delivering the first online-only Chelsea Flower Show after the physical event was cancelled due to coronavirus. With all the talk about the consumer uses of 5G, we look at how next-generation mobile technology could benefit enterprise IT. And we examine the best practice in managing SAP systems during lockdown. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Berlin breaks the national mould to become a global hub

German capital is attracting tech startups from across the world as it cements its position as a leading European hub Continue Reading

Netherlands digital sector yearns for government recognition

The sector building and supporting the Netherlands’ digital infrastructure wants to be valued as highly as Schiphol airport and the port of Rotterdam are for the Dutch economy Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Digital bank Monzo cuts 120 staff

Digital challenger Monzo has announced 120 job cuts as it navigates the current economic slowdown Continue Reading

London Tech Week to go ahead through Zoom

London Tech week will go ahead next week, with the tech industry attending through Zoom Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Asos launches See My Fit to replace model photoshoots

Online fashion brand’s augmented reality technology enables customers to see how an outfit might look on them Continue Reading

MPs take part in first live test of remote voting during Covid-19 debate

MPs will use phones and computers to vote from their homes in a House of Commons debate today in the biggest change in parliamentary procedure for 150 years Continue Reading

Opportunity in times of crisis for Nordic tech startups

Nordic tech startups face some major challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this could be the making of some of them Continue Reading