UK government launches fund to boost smart device security
It's estimated that there could be as many as 75 billion connected devices worldwide by 2025, but the increased popularity of 'smart' equipment comes with risk as many products currently on sale lack basic cybersecurity.
In response to this threat the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is launching a £400,000 ($490,000) fund for innovators to design schemes to boost the security of internet-connected products.
London insurance market turns to tech to maintain its world-leader status
A survey, by IT services provider NTT DATA, of senior leaders in the London insurance market shows a major appetite for technological change within the industry.
It finds that 70 percent of insurance leaders are looking to invest in robotic process automation (RPA) in the future, while 51 percent are focusing their budget on AI and machine learning, exploring use cases like using AI in underwriting to recognize patterns in large data sets and inform human decision making.
UK SMEs see their future in the cloud
Cloud computing features strongly in the plans of SMEs for the coming year, with 57 percent planning increased adoption, according to a new report.
The study from UK IT services provider OGL Computer shows that 59 percent plan on increasing the use of applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Teams and SharePoint.
Phishing dominates the UK threat landscape
Using analysis of the last three year's worth of data breach information from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), cyber security awareness platform CybSafe has revealed that phishing breaches have jumped significantly.
In 2019, UK organizations reported more cyber security breaches to the ICO than ever before. A total of 2,376 reports were sent to the public body last year, up from 540 in 2017, and 1,854 reports in 2018.
Will Brexit cause UK tech ambitions to decline?
Throughout the 2010s, the UK has faced a thick fog of uncertainty. The decade has seen four general elections take place, as well as the momentous 2016 EU Referendum; such events have caused even the most experienced business leaders to feel less than confident.
However, the results of the December 2019 general election suggest that stability could be on the horizon. Regardless of one’s political leanings, many will view the Conservative Party’s overwhelming majority as a welcome break in Westminster’s political deadlock. Indeed, we are already seeing breaks in the deadlock, with the Brexit Bill finally being passed through the House of Commons on 9th January 2020. Whilst we now wait for the bill to be passed by the House of Lords, the fact it swiftly made its way through the Commons has already increased the likelihood of the UK leaving the EU by January 31st 2020. Such activities have enabled businesses to plan future activities with greater confidence. However, despite greater certainty, one industry in particular remains concerned about the impact of Brexit on its future growth; the tech industry. So, it is vital that we get to the bottom of its concerns.
Weak passwords leave UK businesses at risk of cyberattack
Millions of people and hundreds of thousands of businesses in the UK are using cracked or weak passwords for their online accounts according to new research.
Cybersecurity and data analytics CybSafe has conducted a blind-analysis of the passwords used by over 21,000 staff at a sample group of 250 UK businesses, and finds that three quarters are employing staff with vulnerable password combinations -- either passwords which are too simple, or which have been compromised in previous data breaches.
Tech startups set to shake the traditional insurance market
The insurance industry has been around for over 300 years, but the rise of small, agile businesses employing new technology like AI is disrupting life for more established players.
A study from IT and consulting firm NTT DATA shows 'insurtech' startups have globally raised more than $11bn in the last three years, more than double previous years.
A quarter of UK smaller businesses don't have an IT disaster plan
Almost one in four of UK SMEs -- around 1.4 million businesses -- don't have an IT disaster recovery plan in place. Yet, 80 percent of businesses who suffered a major incident ended up failing within within 18 months, according to the Association of British Insurers.
A survey of over 1,100 IT workers by technology services provider Probrand also finds 54 percent reveal that their disaster plan isn't regularly tested to identify and fix any potential flaws in their DR process.
UK government scraps controversial plans for adult site age checks
The UK government's plans for age verification checks on porn site users, which were delayed in June of this year, have now been scrapped, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced today.
The checks would have required users to register a credit card or buy a 'porn pass' in order to access adult material online.
Which countries are best at protecting your privacy?
We all know that standards of privacy and surveillance vary around the world. But which places are best at protecting your privacy?
Research from security testing site Comparitech finds that no single country is consistent in protecting the privacy of its citizens, most are actively monitoring citizens, and only five could be deemed to have 'adequate safeguards'.
UK tech startups confident of growth in spite of Brexit worries
A new survey of 100 business leaders in early stage, UK-based technology companies finds that 73 percent are confident or very confident they will increase their turnover in the coming 12 months.
Although this is seven percent down on the previous quarter, 79 percent say they intend to hire more staff (up six percent) and 66 percent hope to raise investment (up seven percent) according to the latest Tech Tracker report from Studio Graphene.
If it's Wednesday you're probably on the internet
New research from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that average daily internet traffic is highest on Wednesdays, while evening traffic peaks on a Tuesday.
The ONS used data from the London Internet Exchange (LINX) network statistics portal to analyze usage trends across the country.
UK office workers waste 1.8 billion hours a year because of poor technology
Office workers across the UK are wasting 14 days per person each year -- or 1.8 billion hours a year in total -- because the technology they’re given isn't good enough.
A new study of 2,000 office workers from technology solutions company Insight shows 80 percent at some point have felt they don't have the technology they need to do their jobs properly. While 34 percent also say not being equipped with the right technology makes remote and flexible working difficult and stressful.
NHS: The Long-Term Plan
On the 7th January, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens launched the Long-Term Plan -- a 10-year plan setting out what the National Heath Service will be prioritizing in the next decade -- to much fanfare. It’s unlikely the launch passed anyone in the UK by – the press coverage blanketed the start of the longest month of the year a bit like the snow. The key messages show continuity from the Five Year Forward Plan -- integrated care remains the panacea to many of the challenges the NHS faces.
While the focus remains on the UK's exit from Europe, we are unlikely to see a new health bill that will support movement towards integrated care. So, how will the industry achieve this cornerstone of the Long Term Plan without formal governance in place to make it work? Of course, integrated care requires collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem, for partners to act as one. For anyone who has worked with, or even been a patient within the health system, this seems a tall order. But there a number of ways to achieve it; set up a partnership board with each provider having a seat at the board -- a shared sovereignty model if you will, in other areas we are likely to see one provider take a lead position or a third option of a partnership approach whereby innovative contracting is used with shared financial risk.
Seven out of 10 Brits want tougher penalties for breaching privacy rules
According to a new survey carried out by YouGov for data privacy company myGaru 71 percent of of UK adults want to see tougher action in penalizing companies that abuse data privacy by misusing third party data.
Around a third of the public (34 percent) have already made changes to the privacy settings of one or more of their social media accounts since the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal and 19 percent say they would make more or new changes in the future.
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