Azure Event Grid service allows for the easy creation of serverless workflows
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
January 2018
Cisco Container Platform Targets Hybrid Cloud Applications
Cisco Container Platform promises a consistent environment to manage and deploy containers across multiple types of infrastructure
Cisco Promises More Agile, Predictive Networks
More responsive and agile networks on the way as Cisco touts new 'intent-based networking' features
IT LIFE: Richard Gifford, Wincanton CIO
Wincanton CIO Richard Gifford discusses how Office 365 and IoT have changed logistics and his love of cycling
Red Hat Acquires Kubernetes Vendor CoreOS For $250M
Deal brings together technologies from two of the largest vendors in the Kubernetes container orchestration ecosystem as multi-cloud technology demand grows
Government’s Mass Surveillance Powers Are Ruled Illegal
British judges deal significant setback for Snooper's Charter 2.0, over personal data safeguarding concerns
The Data Revolution: Maximising Opportunities & Managing Risks
SAP Acquires Callidus Software For £1.7bn
German software giant acquires US sales software provider in order to get head start for front-office software
Microsoft, Malwarebytes Spectre Fixes Contrast With Intel’s Efforts
ANALYSIS: Updates from two vendors caused problems this month , but the difference in how they were handled was remarkable
Microsoft Disables Intel’s Spectre Patch
Microsoft issues emergency update to disable Intel’s Spectre 2 patch, amid reports of data loss caused by reboots
Google Ads Targeted By Cryptomining Malvertising Attack
Google DoubleClick advertising network serves up ads that mine for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin
Torvalds Releases Linux 4.15 With Improved Meltdown, Spectre Patches
CPU security issues required the longest Linux kernel development cycle since 2011, as Linus Torvalds releases Linux 4.15
Biometrics Are Increasingly Favoured For Authentication
Fight to protect digital identity sees biometrics, two-factor authentication and password managers increasingly favoured
Government Tackles Digital Skills With £40m Institute of Coding
Theresa May unveils Coding consortium to equip the UK with needed digital skills in the years ahead
Government Warns Critical Industries To Prep For Cyber Attack
'Up your game!' Government tells essential services to toughen their cyber defences or face stiff fines
Facebook Gives Users Greater Privacy Controls Ahead Of GDPR
Facebook to provide new privacy tools and information as 'largest ever' team aims to ensure company is complaint with GDPR
Intel Promises New Processors To Fix Meltdown, Spectre Vulnerabilities
ANALYSIS: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich confirmed chips without Meltdown and Spectre are in 2018 but questions continue about a rumored “information embargo”
Government Reaches 95 Percent Superfast Broadband Coverage Target
Government wants to extend coverage and boost speeds after meeting 2017 superfast broadband target
IoT Security Is A Concern For Silicon Readers
Nine in ten Silicon readers are worried about IoT security. Do you agree?
Dell ‘Mulls’ IPO For Pivotal Cloud Unit
Tech giant Dell is said to be exploring its options as it seeks to grow either via acquisition or an initial public offering
Cisco Acquires Skyport As Cyber-Security Investments Continue
ANALYSIS: January continues to be a month of cyber-security startup acquisitions, as Cisco, Facebook, Amazon and Sumo Logic announce new deals.
Intel Buoyed By Data Centre & IoT Despite Spectre & Meltdown
Mostly positive results for chip giant as data centre success helps revenue growth, as profitability dips
AI To Be Taught To Schoolkids Thanks To Deep Learning Kit
UK teenagers are to be taught about artificial intelligence with the launch of a new deep learning teaching kit
Ransomware Remains Weapon Of Choice For Hackers
Spyware to the left, ransomware to the right...new Malwarebytes report paints grim picture of growing cyber threats
PM Theresa May Seeks Safe AI Future For UK
British PM to propose new advisory body to oversea safe and ethical deployment of AI, and urges tech firms to tackle extremism
Microsoft Cuts Windows Server Core Containers Down To Size
Downloads of base Windows Server Core containers are 30 percent smaller than before in preview build 17079
Welsh NHS Computers Back Online After IT Outage
Chaos for doctors and nurses in Wales this week, as IT failure hits at least half of GP services
Sky Details Plans For Shift To Streaming IPTV And UK Mobile Growth
Sky plans to introduce IPTV across all its markets, while its UK mobile network gains more customers
iOS 11.3 Adds AR Features, Business Chat And More Battery Options
iOS 11.3 will let users switch off the controversial system slowdown for older iPhones
Government Urges Businesses To Prep For Tougher Data Protection Law
Lock down that data! Charities and businesses warned to prepare for implement of Data Protection Bill
Raspberry Pi Signs Darktrace To Safeguard IP
Two Cambridge firms sign deal to protect precious intellectual property and guard against cyber threats
Facebook Hires Former IBM Watson Exec As New AI Boss
Yann LeCun steps down as boss of Facebook's artificial intelligence group, replaced by a former IBM executive
Mozilla Fixes 32 Security Flaws, Accelerates Performance In Firefox 58
In its first major update in 2018, Mozilla adds incremental capabilities that help to make the Firefox Quantum browser faster than ever before.
TalkTalk Wants To Move Mobile Customers To O2 In MVNO Shutdown
TalkTalk's retreat from the mobile market continues as it invites customers to move to a discounted tariff on O2
UK Consumers Hit By £4.6bn In Cyber Crime Last Year
Worldwide 978 million internet users lost £130bn to cyber crooks, amidst an explosion in connected home gadgets and a poor grasp of basic security practices
Intel: Stop Installing Meltdown & Spectre Patches Now
Intel says it is working on new Meltdown and Spectre patches that should solve ongoing problems
Expert Advice – Information
Researchers Uncover ‘Dark Caracal’ Global Espionage Ring
The group, based in government premises in Beiruit, apparently compromises governments and individuals on a contract basis
Telefonica Turns Towns Into ‘Living Labs’ For 5G Tests
Telefonica will test 5G technologies, deployment and business models in Segovia and Talvera de la Reina
Conditions Favorable To Make 2018 A Big Year For Security Buyouts
ANALYSIS: The new year has started off with a flurry of acquisition activity in the cyber-security space that is likely to continue for the rest of the year.
NHS Gives Thumbs Up To Cloud For Medical Record Storage
New NHS Digital guidelines give broad approval to the use of cloud services for storing medical records - including facilities in Europe and the US
Microsoft Targets Schools With £135 Windows 10 PCs & Education Software Updates
Microsoft has new PCs, partnerships and software updates as it pitches vision of 'classroom of the future'
Amazon Go Brings Checkout-Free Supermarket To Public
Amazon Go relies on sensors, cameras and artificial intelligence to tell when customers are taking items from shelves, eliminating checkout queues
Study Finds Top Sites Can Be Impersonated Using Non-Latin Alphabet
Homograph attacks using international characters to spoof well-known web domains were found targeting more than 100 top brands
Apple Faces Meltdown & Spectre Class Action Lawsuit
Class action lawsuit alleges that Apple hasn't done enough to secure its products, which are not fit for purpose as a result
OnePlus Confirms 40,000 Customers Affected By Hack
A malicous script was injected into oneplus.net's payment page, recording card details as they were entered into the browser
IBM Outlines Prospects For Java In 2018
ANALYSIS: Java is still hugely popular, particularly for client-server web applications, with 9m developers. Its beauty is that it’s an evolving technology
WhatsApp Business Version Debuts On Android
WhatsApp Business promises to overhaul the experience for SMBs
IBM Finally Returns To Growth, But It’s Not All Good News
For the first time in 23 quarters sales at IBM have risen, but a quarterly loss and stagnant forecast blunts the news
TalkTalk And Vodafone Lead Ofcom Broadband & Mobile Complaints League
Volume of total telecoms complaints roughly unchanged as Ofcom seeks to improve service
US Senate Renews NSA Web Surveillance Program
'Carry on spying', US lawmakers say after the senate renews NSA warrantless internet surveillance program
Amazon’s List of 20 Potential HQ2 Sites Shows Focus On Washington DC
ANALYSIS: All the signs point to the US capital being the home of Amazon's second headquarters
UK And France Pledge To Bolster Tech & AI Links
UK and France agrees to a digital conference to promote deeper integration in the digital economy
Digital Transformation At The Met: Box, Windows XP Migration & Amazon Echo
Met Police CIO Angus McCallum talks about the adoption of Box, how the force is nearing its Windows XP migration and his views on Amazon Echo
Box Chooses London’s Tech City For New European HQ
Box gives vote of confidence to London and Tech City by opening new office on Silicon Roundabout
IT Bosses Admit Password Chaos At Their Organisations
Password madness. Companies are aware of user's password problems, but are not doing enough to solve them
iPhones Vulnerable To ‘Text Bomb’ Crash Bug
Latest security bug is a simple message, which typically causes an iPhone to crash or restart
BT Adds Mobile Roaming And Security Options For Medium Sized Businesses
BT adds new roaming destinations and MobileIron mobile device management options
Intel Confirms Newer Chips Impacted By Spectre, Meltdown Patches
Chip giant admits patches will cause reboot problems for newer chips and clarifies likely performance impact
Vodafone Touts Fixed Access Network Sharing As Path To Innovative Business Network Services
Vodafone wants to use virtualisation technology to make fixed network services easier to customise
Milton Keynes Is First To Get Vodafone & CityFibre’s 1Gbps FTTP Broadband
Vodafone and CityFibre press ahead with plans to deliver FTTP broadband to 1m homes and businesses by 2021
IBM, Maersk Target Global Trade With Blockchain Joint Venture
No more mountains of paperwork? Global supply chain to be bolstered by blockchain joint venture
Ofcom Presses Ahead With 4G & 5G Spectrum Auction Despite Three Legal Challenge
Ofcom says it is in the public interest to press ahead with auction of 4G and 5G spectrum as soon as possible
Google AutoML Will ‘Democratise’ AI By Minimising Skill Needed To Train Custom Models
Google AutoML tools will make it simple to train custom AI models that are 'beyond the dreams' of most engineers
Skygofree Android Spyware Threatens Privacy
Kaspersky finds spyware can read WhatsApp messages and take pictures, and it has been around for three years already
Oracle Issues Patches For Spectre & Meltdown Flaws
More patching for system administrators as Oracle releases 237 fixes to counter Spectre, Meltdown flaws
Innovation, Business Change and Transformation Conference Europe 2018
U.S. Lawmakers, State Attorneys Move To Overturn FCC Neutrality Vote
ANALYSIS: Call for review of FCC reversal of the 2015 reclassification of internet services to Title II has support of 50 US senators and 80 representatives
IP EXPO Manchester
AS Roma Seeks Technological Revolution In Bid To Become Football Superpower
Roma Chairman Jim Pallotta has started a tech revolution at the club to make it a European superpower and to deliver a state of the art stadium - but not VR
Google Plots 5 New Regions And 3 New Subsea Cables To Boost GCP
Google makes investments in cloud infrastructure to boost GCP and other apps
‘Russian’ Fancy Bear State-Backed Hackers Attack US Senate
The Fancy Bear hacking group, best known for infiltrating the DNC, is making efforts to steal information from US political targets and Olympics groups
Veeam Buys AWS Enterprise Continuity Start-Up For £31m
N2WS provides cloud-native enterprise backup and recovery systems for Amazon Web Services, which leads the cloud platform market
BT Launches 152Mbps & 314Mbps Ultrafast Broadband
Want to upgrade your home office? BT promises compensation if speeds drop below 100Mbps
BlackBerry Jarvis Is A Connected Car Security Scanner
The Jarvis cloud platform aims to root out security bugs that find their way into the hundreds of software components found in modern automobiles
Alexa-Powered Amazon Echo Spot ‘Smart Clock’ Launches In UK Next Week
Amazon expands Echo range as it looks to maintain smart home dominance
AWS Reaches 50 Availability Zones With London Launch
AWS opens third zone in London as it expand global footprint and promises greater reliability
Barcelona Aims To Oust Microsoft In Open Source Drive
The Catalonian capital is aiming to supplant proprietary software including Outlook, Office and Internet Explorer by the spring of next year
Fake Meltdown & Spectre Websites Target Users With Fake Patches
Meltdown and Spectre patch issues continue with scammers now getting in on the act
Jaguar Land Rover To Establish Ireland Software Development Centre
The research centre, staffed by 150 engineers, is to be located in Shannon, western Ireland, where Intel also has a research facility
Skype Gets End-To-End Encryption With Signal Protocol
The latest preview version of Skype introduces Private Conversations, using the same secure protocol used by WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Google
Questions Arise About Effectiveness of Meltdown, Spectre Fixes, Advice
ANALYSIS: Confusing array of CPU and OS patches raise the question of whether side effects caused worse thanthreats posed by Meltdown and Spectre
Tales In Tech History: Symbian
Once the world's leading mobile phone operating system, Symbian is yet another tech icon that is dead and buried
Mark Zuckerberg Promises Major Shakeup Of Facebook Newsfeed
More personal posts and less commercial content will be promoted on users' Facebook Newsfeed, CEO says
Apple MacOS Has ‘Another’ Password Flaw
Questions for Apple's quality control after yet another password vulnerability found in Mac OS
Arrival Of Open Banking To Spearhead ‘Technological Revolution’ In Finance
Open Banking: New rules that require banks to share information with third party providers come into effect. But what does it mean?
How To Fix Windows Registry Issues That Halt Microsoft Security Updates
ANALYSIS: Microsoft is halting all security updates on Windows systems with badly-behaved antivirus products. But you can fix this problem
Tech Quiz: CES 2018
What do you know about CES 2018? Take our quiz to test your knowledge!
CES 2018
Apple Faces US Senate Questions About Free Battery Replacement
Apple battery-gate rumbles on as US senator demands to know if Apple considered free battery replacements
CES: Enterprises Still Learning Valuable Lessons From Consumer Tech
ANALYSIS: Fun is now functional. VR and AR started as consumer apps and are now being used in health care, utility and other business apps
Nvidia Updates Software But Denies Impact From Meltdown & Spectre
CEO claims that Nvidia GPUs are immune to the flaws currently blighting CPUs from Intel, ARM and AMD
Microsoft Confirms More Cortana-Powered Devices In 2018
Cortana is safe for now, as Microsoft confirms Cortana is being incorporated into more OEM devices
Facebook Dismisses Claim WhatsApp Chat Groups Can Be Infiltrated
Facebook denies claim by German researchers that there is any secret way into WhatsApp groups chats
IT LIFE: Matt Starr, Spectra Logic CTO
Matt Starr talks about the future of storage, the IoT and why he would be making wine if he wasn't in IT
ICO Dishes £400,000 Fine To Carphone Warehouse For 2015 Data Breach
ICO investigation finds multiple failings that led to 2015 breach which saw 3m customers and employees data exposed
Patch Tuesday: Meltdown, Spectre Fixes Could Impact AV Systems
January's Patch Tuesday carries warnings for Meltdown & Spectre
Microsoft Warns Meltdown & Spectre Chip Fixes Will Slow PCs
'Significant' impact on some PCs and servers if the fixes to Meltdown, Spectre are applied, warns Redmond
BT Offers Business Customers Direct Access To IBM Cloud
BT promises direct connection to IBM Cloud will improve security, reliability and performance for applications and data
Samsung Galaxy S9 Smartphone Set For MWC 2018 Debut
Samsung Mobile chief says Samsung Galaxy S9 will be detailed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next month
Former Employee Sues Google Claiming Discrimination Against White Men
James Damore’s accuses Google of systematically punishing and terminating employees whose views on diversity, social justice and gender bias differed
Amazon Alexa Set To Become Power Business Tool On Windows 10 PCs
ANALYSIS: Amazon begins to move its Alexa voice control digital assistant beyond the smart home devices into the wider Windows 10 computing world
CES 2018: Wi-Fi Alliance Previews New Industry-Wide WPA3 Security Standard
In conjunction with CES 2018, the industry group behind the Wi-Fi certification label said it plans to introduce a stronger security suite this year
CES 2018: Intel Delivers 49-Qubit Quantum Chip To Researchers
At CES, Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich outlined the company's latest quantum computing advances and its move into autonomous cars with Mobileye
CES 2018: Google Assistant Heads To Cars, Smart Screens And Earbuds
Google Assistant expands to more devices, including cars, as Google seeks to establish voice-activated smart assistant dominance
CES 2018: Intel CEO Promises Meltdown & Spectre Fixes Within A Week
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich tells CES that he is grateful for industry cooperation and will release fixes soon as Apple also posts new patches
CES 2018: Samsung Takes Control Of IoT Devices With SmartThings
The cloud-connected SmartThings app, on the way this spring, aims to give users a single point of control for all their connected gadgets
Google Pay Unifies Android Pay And Google Wallet
Google unifies its payment services under a single banner - Google Pay - in bid to drive adoption
How To Protect Your Computers From Spectre, Meltdown Vulnerabilities
ANALYSIS: For some users protecting your systems against Spectre and Meltdown will be straightforward, but for others more complicated
CES 2018: Dell, HP & Samsung Windows 10 Laptops Debut
HP, Samsung, Dell and Acer have all launched Windows 10 notebooks at CES in Las Vegas, including ultra-thin and 2-in-1 models
Meltdown & Spectre: Intel Faces Class-Action Lawsuits
Intel faces legal action over industry-wide chip vulnerabilities
Stealth Malware Targets Pyeongchang Olympics Organisations
Organisations in South Korea involved in organising this winter's Pyeongchang Olympics are being hit by a disguised malware campaign
CES 2018: Planet Computers’ ‘Gemini’ PDA Channels Spirit Of Psion
UK startup Planet Computers wants to bring the physical keyboard back to the mobile device with the Gemini
US Customs Agents Now Need ‘Reasonable Suspicion’ To Copy Data
Officials at US border-crossing points such as airports now have new restrictions on when they can copy data from devices such as phones and laptops
Opera 50 Browser Adds Bitcoin Mining Protection
Opera uses ad-blocking tech to stop websites using your computer to mine for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin
Poll: Would You Use Amazon Echo Or Google Home At Work?
Voice activated digital assistants are increasing in popularity but would you use one at work?
Startup Showcase: InfoTrack
Scott Bozinis, CEO of Proptech firm InfoTrack talks to Silicon about he plans to become a market leader in the UK
IRX 2018
Tales In Tech History: Microsoft Kinect
Some assume the Kinect is another tale of Microsoft hardware woe, but it was both groundbreaking and innovative
HP Issues Recall For Laptop Batteries Amid Fire Risk
A number of laptop models from HP pose a fire or burn hazard, prompting the firm to issue an recall
Meltdown & Spectre: Apple Confirms All Macs & iPhones Are Vulnerable To Chip Bug
Apple releases mitigations for Mac, iPhone and iPad and says a Safari fix is incoming as Meltdown and Spectre continue to plague technology industry
Net Neutrality: FCC Chairman Pai Pulls Out Of CES 2018
FCC chairman cancels CES show appearance after overturning net neutrality rules, due to reported death threats
Tech Quiz: ARM Holdings
What do you know about the UK's chip giant?
Nissan Touts Brain Connectivity As Driving Aid
Lets hope it is keyless entry, as Nissan research says cars in future will tap into signals from the driver’s brain
Apple’s Cheap iPhone Battery Replacement Offer ‘To Hurt Sales’
Sales of the iPhone may be badly impacted by Apple's offer to replace batteries at a cheaper rate
Data Privacy, Security Top Microsoft’s Hot Button Tech Issues In 2018
Data privacy isn't only a top concern for Microsoft. It will go before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue the issue involving the data stored abroad
Meltdown & Spectre: Intel Chip Exploit Also Impacts ARM, AMD Chips
'Not just us' says Intel, as ARM and AMD are also said to be vulnerable to one of the flaws
Meltdown & Spectre: AWS, Azure & GCP Take Measures To Protect Cloud Customers
Public cloud vendors work to protect users from industry-wide Meltdown and Spectre chip vulnerabilities
Fix For Intel Chip Design Flaw Likely To Hurt Performance
Linux and Windows kernels to be redesigned because of Intel chip design flaw, but fix will likely slow PCs down
Login Managers Exploited By Third-Party Scripts To Capture User Emails
Hidden scripts are capturing user email addresses from browsers' login or password managers
Microsoft Ends Windows 10 Kinect Adaptor Production
Microsoft hammers another, possibly final, nail in Kinect's coffin as businesses are encouraged to migrate from the platform
Apple Mac OS Zero-Day Flaw Disclosed
Mac users welcomed to new year with zero-day vulnerability in MacOS that has been open for over a decade
Amazon And Microsoft Still Haven’t Got Alexa And Cortana To Speak
Amazon and Microsoft had hoped to get Alexa and Cortana speaking before the end of 2017, but that still hasn't happened
2017 Year In Review: Kubernetes Enables A Multi-Cloud World
ANALYSIS: 2017 was a transformational year for the open-source Kubernetes container project which is now supported on all three major public cloud providers
Data Breaches Shook Faith In Government, Ruined IT Careers in 2017
ANALYSIS: Massive data breaches destroyed people's faith while it ruined the careers of senior IT executives anda reputations of giant corporations
China’s WeChat Denies Storing Users’ Data After Spying Claim
The leading Chinese messaging app said it doesn't store users' chat history, after a top businessman said WeChat was 'watching' users
Smartphones ‘Can Be Unlocked’ Using Covert Sensor Data
Singapore researchers used sensor information freely available to any mobile app to unlock Android phones in only three tries
Police Want To Use Amazon Echo To Solve Crimes
Lancashire Police are seeing how people could submit evidence and receive information about crimes using Amazon Echo
IT LIFE: Nico Fischbach, Forcepoint CTO
Forcepoint's Global CTO Nico Fischbach discusses the future of security, his networking background and why he might open a restaurant
Mozilla Fixes Crash Data Leak Issue In Firefox Browser
The bug caused some versions of Firefox to automatically send crash reports to Mozilla's servers, without users' authorisation
Blockchain Expert Released By Kidnappers After Ransom Paid
Russian-born Pavel Lerner, a well-known cryptocurrency investor and entrepreneur, was kidnapped in Kiev on Boxing Day and has since been released
Government May Tax Tech Companies Over Extremist Content
The government may impose a tax on companies such as YouTube and Facebook to 'incentivise' them over taking down militant material
DeepMind Chief Recognised In New Year Honours List
Demis Hassabis has been named CBE for breakthroughs by the controversial Google-owned British artificial intelligence company