VMware CEO talks up growth opportunities on back of Dell-EMC merger

With Dell set to close its acquisition of EMC on 7 September 2016, VMware CEO talks up the benefits of the deal for VMware and its customers

Security Think Tank: Blended attacks require blended defences

How can businesses best prepare their cyber defences in light of the fact that attackers are increasingly using malware designed to evade detection and analysis?

Cyber security breaches reported to ICO double in a year

An increase in cyber security incidents reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office is further evidence of the need to shift to automated, artificial intelligence-led defences, says Huntsman Security

Latest Broadband Forum spec offers faster route to gigabit speeds

The Broadband Forum’s new specifications for FTTdp management use software-based techniques to offer an easier and quicker route to gigabit broadband for comms providers

Challenger bank Fidor adopts attack formation

Computer Weekly talks to the man behind the digital challenger bank recently acquired by French retail banking giant BPCE

Evidence of DNS tunnelling in two-fifths of business networks

Cyber criminals are capitalising on the failure of many businesses to examine their DNS traffic for malware insertion and data exfiltration, according to Infoblox

IoT will help ease transition to renewables, says National Grid chief

The National Grid’s chief executive, Nicola Shaw, wants to use the internet of things to balance energy demand as the UK transitions to renewable energy sources

Executive interview: Expanding banking through APIs

Western Union’s head of digital ventures, Khalid Fellahi, discusses how the money transfer service is embracing digitisation

Less than a third of organisations prepared for IoT security risks

The security industry needs to address the security basics with the growing number of IoT devices in corporate networks, according to security firm Tripwire

Apple faces record multibillion-euro tax penalty

Apple has been hit with a €13bn tax bill after European competition authorities ruled the company benefited from an illegal tax deal in Ireland

VMware makes case for IT's involvement in line of business cloud purchases

Cloud software company VMware claims IT departments should not fear the shift in technology buying power to line of business units, as their skills and experience will be in high demand

VMware to help enterprises manage AWS, Azure and Google cloud deployments

Virtualisation giant VMware offers enterprises a helping hand with managing multi-cloud environments, spanning AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform

Hewlett Packard Enterprise extends on-demand analytics

HPE adds a set of pre-built analytics functions on to its Haven OnDemand service to simplify business intelligence app development

Snapchat’s 8-bit Serena Williams game is interactive history

 A new game from ESPN’s Discover channel sponsored by Gatorade highlight Snapchat’s efforts to distinguish itself as a marketing vector for brands, as well as its potential to expand beyond its media sharing origins with add-on apps and features that could end up with it resembling a more multi-faceted platform. Serena Match Point isn’t ground-breaking in terms of… Read More

PlayStation Now streaming service available today on Windows PCs

 You don’t need a PlayStation to play PlayStation games anymore: Sony’s Playstation Now subscription-based game streaming service is now out for PC, and you an grab the app and start playing some of PlayStation’s best legacy titles immediately if you’ve got a Windows machine. It’ll cost you, of course – but not as much as you would’ve paid for the… Read More

Google opens up registration for its first-ever indie games festival

 Google is kicking off registration for its first-ever festival aimed at celebrating indie games on Android. The company is now taking sign-ups for those who want to attend the Google Play Indie Games Festival in San Francisco, and it’s announcing the exhibitor line-up. This includes 30 games, half of which have yet to be released to the general public, or are still in a limited beta.… Read More

The monetization promise and pitfalls of Pokémon Go

 Pokémon Go has been downloaded more than 100 million times since its July debut, making it the biggest-growing mobile game ever. Naturally, the phenomenon has drawn much commentary about what this means for marketing, but I am more interested in what it teaches us about making money. Read More

Forum to drive cloud adoption in the Philippines

An online forum has been set-up in the Philippines to promote cloud take-up in the country

Apple patches triple iOS security threat

Businesses and consumers are being urged to update their versions of Apple's iOS to fix three critical, zero-day vulnerabilities that enable attackers to spy on victims

EE pushes further into content delivery with Apple Music tie-up

Mobile network operator will offer six months of Apple Music free to new and upgrading customers as it expands into content provision

Law firms planning litigation market for GDPR

Businesses should be preparing for the storm of litigation that is likely to be unleashed when the GDPR goes into force, warns Stewart Room of PwC Legal

UK tech firms spend less, deliver more on training

Survey shows technology firms spend 46% of the national average on learning and development per employee, but deliver an above-average number of hours’ training

Samsung Pay used for 100 million transactions

Samsung reports that its mobile payments app, which will soon be available in the UK, has transacted 100 million payments in its first year of availability

Ramnit Trojan targeting UK banks reactivated

IBM X-Force researchers advise banks to use adaptive malware detection and real-time endpoint malware intelligence to counter the latest evolution of Ramnit banking malware

Rackspace sold to private equity house Apollo Global for $4.3bn

After weeks of speculation about its acquisition status, Rackspace confirms definitive agreement with private equity buyer

Data breaches: Different regions, very different impacts

The cost, scrutiny and pressure of dealing with a data breach will become more apparent in the near future as European legislation takes effect

UK organisations still not taking ransomware seriously

Security experts say UK organisations are not taking ransomware attacks seriously enough, after two studies reveal that tens of UK universities and NHS Trusts have been attacked

French submarine maker data breach highlights challenges of IP security

French naval contractor data breach proves that protecting intellectual property is challenging, say security experts

A quarter of financial sector data breaches linked to lost or stolen devices

Financial sector breaches in the US doubled in 2015 over the year before, according to a report by security firm Bitglass

Apple iPhones plagued by device failure and crashing apps, report claims

A report on mobile device performance produced by Blancco Technology Group says the performance of Apple iPhones is flagging compared with Android-based devices

Halo 5: Forge gives PC users level creation powers on September 8

 Halo 5: Forge, the level creation tool that lets players build their own worlds and create new game experiences for Halo 5: Guardians, has come to Windows 10 PCs. The free download puts gamers in the developer’s seat, and adds support for mouse and keyboard, and up to 4K resolution, likely beating out the Xbox One add-on in terms of giving you finer control over world building. Xbox… Read More

There is life in Finland’s IT sector despite Nokia and Microsoft layoffs

Regional development organisations in Finland describe how despite massive job cuts Nokia and Microsoft have provided the foundations for IT industry development

Zahid Group uses ERP to revolutionise business

As Saudi Arabia sets out to diversify its economy away from oil, the kingdom’s companies are undergoing rapid transformation

Singapore models entire country in 3D with smart map

Singapore authorities are creating 3D maps of the entire country to help organisations in the public and private sector make better planning decisions.

UK second only to US in DDoS attacks

Distributed denial of service attacks on UK organisations have eased from a peak in the fourth quarter of 2015, but the UK remains the world’s second most targeted country

CW@50: Bugs, blunders and bad practices

Computer Weekly’s arrival on September 22, 1966 reflected a growing global industry and the hopes for British computing

London datacentre market enjoys pre-Brexit surge in demand for colocation space

CBRE's pre-Brexit look at the European datacentre market sees London reap the benefits of a surge in demand for colocation space during the second quarter

Sony unveils PlayStation Now for PC and wireless DualShock 4 USB adapter

 PlaySation Now, the all-you-can game subscription service that provides access to classic PlayStation titles on-demand, is making its way to Windows PCs, starting now in Europe and rolling out soon in North America. Sony’s also making it easier to game on your PC, with a DualShock 4 USB wireless controller adapter, letting you use your PlayStation 4 gamepads on both Mac and Windows… Read More

The 48 startups that launched at Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 2

 The world’s most prestigious startup school launched 48 companies today at part 2 of its Summer 2016 Demo Day. Nanoparticle analytics and delivery robots were amongst the products revealed in the B2B, biotech, enterprise, edtech, fintech, and hardware verticals. You can check out our write-ups of all 44 startups that launched yesterday, and TechCrunch’s picks for the top 7 from… Read More

Apache Spark grows in popularity as Hadoop-based data lakes fill up

Apache Spark is growing in popularity and finding real-time use across Europe, including in online betting and on railways, and with Hadoop

Tools of the trade to drill into behavioural data

Data science toolkits enable organisations to extract, manipulate and interpret data to boost their business intelligence

European law enforcement seeking smart ways to fight cyber crime

Cyber crime continues to increase in volume and sophistication, but European law enforcement is fighting back, using collaboration and industry partnerships to compensate for a lack of resources

DWP digital experts brought in to help assess plans for Government Digital Service

The new GDS chief Kevin Cunnington has turned to his former DWP colleagues to help as he prepares his plans for the team

Mixed reaction to Anderson review of bulk surveillance powers

While the Anderson review’s recommendation of a technical advisory panel has been welcomed, human rights groups say the opportunity to move to more targeted surveillance has been missed

How Middle East CIOs can steer business strategy

The perception of the role of CIO at organisations in the Middle East is gradually shifting from back-end support to business enabler

Australian census website failure spreads skepticism

The public post-mortem of the Australian census website meltdown continues as the IT industry gives its opinions

Bangkok Hospital recognised for its use of electronic records

Private hospital in Thailand is recognised for its effective use of IT by a global accreditation body

Microsoft and Lenovo deepen strategic ties

Microsoft announces another cross-licensing deal that will see its software pre-installed on millions of Android devices

Aviva partners with Silicon Valley accelerator to kick-start innovation

Insurance firm Aviva is partnering with Silicon Valley startup accelerator Plug and Play to gain access to new innovations

Cyber criminals target holiday-related P2P media platforms

Cyber criminals capitalise on the popularity of holiday-related media sites to spread malware

400 security events a second monitored on Olympics network

IT records as well as sporting records were set at the recent Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

Trend Micro confirms rise of ransomware and whaling

Ransomware is confirmed as a pervasive threat and whaling emerges as a strong trend, according to the latest security report by Trend Micro

Sony may unveil two new versions of the PS4 next month

 Sony will reportedly unveil two new versions of the PlayStation 4 at its upcoming New York press event on September 7. Read More

The Analogue Nt mini console is a loving tribute to NES history

 The Analogue Nt mini isn’t an NES – it’s better. The third-party system created by designer Christopher Taber is a work of art in its own right, crafted from a solid piece of aluminum and offering internals that boast no-compromise gameplay experience, vs. what you’d get from a home hack using emulation software. Analogue’s Nt mini is the smaller sibling to the… Read More

Nearly two-thirds of IT leaders expect a serious data breach

Many organisations need to update IT systems to ensure business operations are both truly agile and secure, a report has revealed

Intel Developer Forum: Silicon Photonics boosts datacentre connectivity

Microsoft Azure datacentres increase connectivity to 100Gbps thanks to Silicon Photonics interconnect

Mobile phone sales drop as smartphone buyers bide their time

Slowing smartphone shipments contributed to an overall decline in mobile phone sales during the second three months of 2016, according to Gartner

Cisco confirms 5,500 lay-offs amid restructuring

Networking giant has confirmed it will cut more than 5,500 jobs in an effort to trim the fat in low-growth business areas and enhance its performance elsewhere

Three years left to prep UK’s mobile network infrastructure for 5G

The UK’s mobile networking infrastructure needs a radical overhaul to get ready for the first 5G mobile networks, says O2 CTO Brendan O’Reilly

BT and Nokia to work together on 5G research

BT and Nokia plan to work together on customer use cases, proof of concept trials, technology standards and equipment to support 5G

Australian 2016 census sabotage puts a question mark on private cloud

Industry experts question why the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ website for the 2016 census, which recently underwent a DDoS attack, was not run on public cloud

Number of students taking computing A-level rises but ICT popularity falls

Government describes rise in computing student numbers as encouraging, but boys still dominate tech subjects

Isaca holds first online infosec career fair

Information professionals’ organisation Isaca is to hold an online career fair to give cyber security job seekers direct access to employer organisations

Police arrest woman in connection with Sage data breach

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with a data breach at accounting software firm Sage

Volvo joins forces with Uber for autonomous vehicle pilot

Self-driving Volvo cars will take to the streets of Pittsburgh as part of a test of autonomous technology spearheaded by ride-sharing firm Uber

Expect ransomware arrests soon, says bitcoin tracking firm Chainalysis

Law enforcement organisations are set to ramp up arrests of cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks, according to financial technology startup Chainalysis

Intel sees 5G networks as opportunity to sell more server chips

Intel focuses on the back-end infrastructure behind upcoming 5G networks as it sees an opportunity for its processors and other datacentre technology

No alternative to bulk surveillance powers, says Anderson report

The government welcomes a review of the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill that found there is no viable alternative to the bulk data collection powers proposed by the bill

“Mr. Robot” is now a mobile game that’s played through a fake messaging app

 The hit cybersecurity-focused TV show “Mr. Robot,” a psychological thriller popular among the tech crowd for its relatively accurate portrayal of hacking, is now a mobile game. Released by Telltale Games in association with NBCUniversal, and developed by Night School Studio in collaboration with Universal Cable Productions, the game is played through the fictional E-Corp messaging… Read More

Reigns is a medieval game of life or death (mostly death)

 Reigns is a new gaming app, currently featured as a favorite by Apple. You are a king and the answer to whether you live or die — and how — is in the cards. Quite literally. As ruler, you are presented with a deck. Each card is someone in your kingdom who is asking for help or notifying you of a problem on the rise. How you answer determines your fate. A swipe to the left is one… Read More

How the VPN industry is creating its stake in online gaming

 From single-player, 16-bit 2D arcade games to free-to-play online multi-player games, the gaming industry has come a long way in the last decade. We can only watch with awe as newer games surprise us with their stunning graphics and engaging game play. However, more and more game developers have jumped into the fray and started catering to the online multi-player games genre. Read More

Facebook is building its own Steam-style desktop gaming platform with Unity

 Facebook may try to compete with Steam, or at least win back revenue lost when casual gaming shifted to mobile. Today Facebook formally announced it’s working with game engine Unity to build a dedicated, downloadable desktop gaming platform, plus it’s broadening the Facebook.com experience for gamers. Both will allow publishers to offer their iOS and Android games on desktop in… Read More

More new Pokémon revealed for Sun and Moon, and one is a pile of sand

 The Pokémon Company, what is going on right now. How is it possible that one of the new pocketable monsters you created for Pokémon Sun/Moon is actually a pile of sand?? Look: What are you doing to me? Do you think this is okay? Here’s what the sand blob evolves into when hit with a water attack: THAT’S A DAMN SANDCASTLE, POKÉMON! Get it together. Meanwhile, there are other… Read More

HPE boosts MSA and StoreVirtual with sub-$10,000 flash storage options

HPE launches new StoreVirtual 3200 entry-level array that can cost as little as $6,000, plus the SME-focused MSA 2042 array which has 800GB of flash embedded

Interview: Delivering the facts about Stem careers

Edwina Dunn, chair of the Your Life campaign, says the tech industry must work harder to make students aware of Stem careers if it hopes to recruit more young people

Cisco to cut one-fifth of its global workforce

Company reportedly plans to cut up to 14,000 jobs as it shifts focus from networking hardware to software and cloud-based systems

Ford promises to mass-produce an autonomous car by 2021

The world’s first high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle will operate in a ride-hailing or sharing service by 2021, says Ford

Intel Developer Forum: Out of the server room and onto smart devices

Augmented reality and building intelligence into IoT endpoints were among the highlights at Intel’s annual conference

Cyber attack recovery 300% dearer due to skills shortage

The improvement of specialist security expertise is one of the top three drivers for an additional investment in IT security, but many struggle to find people with the skills they need, a report reveals

Nvidia’s GTX 10-series notebooks deliver VR power on the go

 Eventually, we’ll never leave our VR-enabled domiciles. But until that happens, we occasionally need to go outside – and Nvidia’s GeForce GT 10-series notebooks mean that when you do, you can at least take VR with you. The new 10-series GPUs for notebooks follow the 10-series desktop line launched earlier this year, which includes the GTX 1080, the first card by the company… Read More

Twitch is acquiring popular video game community and software maker Curse

 Live streaming video platform Twitch (a subsidiary of Amazon) is doubling down on video games with the acquisition of a significant player in the world of video game communities: Curse. The terms of the deal are undisclosed and Twitch declined to comment beyond the official announcement. Curse operates myriad websites and services — some of them were created in-house over the past… Read More

Pokemon Go goes mixed reality with Gestigon’s gesture tech

 Come for the Pokémon Go AR, stay for the muzak Pokémon show theme: Gesture control startup Gestigon has created their very first mixed reality experience you can control with your own hands, and their source of inspiration is the Niantic and Nintendo-developed game that everyone’s going crazy for. The new offering from Gestigon uses its middleware tech combined with a Google… Read More

Xbox Game Preview will soon let Windows 10 users try games early

 Microsoft’s answer to Steam’s Early Access is coming to Windows 10. Xbox Game Preview will be available on Microsoft’s desktop OS beginning soon, staring with Rockfish’s Everspace later this year. Game Preview gives players a chance to try games while they’re still cooking, as work-in-progress titles complete with warts. It’s not something everyone enjoys,… Read More

Microsoft signals broader gaming push with Xbox Wireless for partners

 Microsoft wants everyone to know the joy that is low latency wireless gaming peripheral connections. The company is making the Xbox Wireless connection tech it uses between Xbox One and official controllers available to PC OEMs and accessory makers, starting with Lenovo’s new Cylon-like gaming rigs. Xbox One controllers can be used with PCs now, but you need a dongle to make them talk… Read More

Watch what happens when a theme park dies in Fallout 4’s Nuka-World trailer

 Fallout 4’s latest expansion, Nuka-World, is coming ton August 30, and puts you smack dab in the middle of a decrepit, low-rent Disney World snatched right from your nightmares. It does look like a blast, with animatronic wonders and a variety of different themed park sections to explore. New quests are included in the DLC, as well as new item and building options so you can make your… Read More

Minecraft comes to VR today with Windows 10 Edition beta

 Minecraft is now ready for its virtual reality debut: The update for the Minecraft Windows 10 Beta that adds VR support is available today. It’s a free update for people who already own the Windows 10 Edition Beta version of the game, but you can also get on board if you purchase the beta edition now. There’s support for windows and mice, if you’re good enough at operating… Read More

The Pokémon Go influence on new tech

 Pokémon Go has changed the trajectory of the world on a scale just slightly smaller than Google Search and Facebook — but it will be felt through all industries in the coming years. It looks like a simple game that incorporates a few unique and compelling features. But this game has taken technologies from niche research and gaming communities and thrust them into the world’s… Read More

Nordic CIO interview: Johan Tömmervik, SKF

Johan Tömmervik, CIO of Swedish-founded bearing and seal manufacturer SKF, tells Computer Weekly about the challenge of creating services for a diverse customer base

It’s not too late to turn the tide on Investigatory Powers Bill

The government has set David Anderson QC an almost impossible task in his review of the sweeping bulk powers proposed in the Investigatory Powers Bill – but it is not too late to make a difference

IDC: Global public cloud spend set to double by 2020

Market watcher predicts use of public cloud will soar over the next five years, with IaaS and PaaS leading the way

Google Fiber to expand tests of gigabit-speed wireless broadband

Google Fiber plans to expand tests of wireless broadband to accelerate the roll-out of low-cost superfast internet across the US

Care charity Avante enhances unified communications capabilities with 3CX

Kent-based residential care charity Avante Care and Support installed an IP PBX to manage telephony across multiple sites and a mobile workforce

Government announces digital apprenticeship service as part of apprenticeship levy guidelines

The government has released guidelines for the upcoming apprenticeship levy, including how businesses can access funds to train apprentices

Rackspace divests Cloud Sites as managed cloud services take off

Rackspace offloads ‘non-core’ Cloud Sites business as speculation about its future as a public company continues

Choosing the right colocation provider

Quocirca's Clive Longbottom runs through the list of items enterprise IT managers should look for in prospective colocation providers

Prisons to get power to remotely pull plug on illicit mobile phones

The Home Office is to give prisons in the UK new powers to cut off illicit use of mobile phones by inmates

Security Think Tank: Brexit – An opportunity for infosec pros to take the lead

What are the pros and cons of Brexit for information security professionals and data protection?

IT departments fear they lack skills to implement IoT

Adoption of IoT systems in enterprises is being held back by worries over skills, says a joint report by Capita and Cisco

Russia competition watchdog fines Google $6.8m over Android

As Google faces a fine of around $3bn for anti-competitive practices in Europe, Russian authorities have ordered the internet giant to pay $6.8m for abusing its dominant position with Android device makers

Microsoft acquires Beam interactive game live streaming service

 Microsoft has acquired Beam, a Seattle-based interactive game streaming service that lets viewers play along with streamers as they watch. Beam’s model takes the mostly passive interaction that streaming fans may be used to from services like Twitch and YouTube, and adds the ability for viewers to interact with the streamer via crowdsourced controls. Players interacting through Beam… Read More

Disney enlists Google Cloud’s Vision for a ‘Pete’s Dragon’ AR mobile game

 It’s no Pokemon Go, but it’s charming nonetheless, employing Google’s Cloud Vision to add a little bit of CGI dragon magic to your immediate vicinity. The “Dragon Spotting” game is free and accessible through a mobile browser designed to promote Disney’s upcoming Pete’s Dragon remake. The page offers up the player simple instructions through a series… Read More

New Pokémon in Sun and Moon include sad fish, surfing Raichu

 Please, please let me visit the room where new Pokémon are created. I want to know exactly what was going on when the team came up with Wishiwashi, a small, sad fish that becomes a group of slightly less sad fish when it reaches a certain level. Wishiwashi is one of three entirely new Pokémon revealed today for the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon games for Nintendo 3DS. The other all-new… Read More