A one-size-fits-all blockchain just won’t do

With manifold use cases and specific requirements for blockchains, businesses will have to choose the right variety rather than deploy a single ‘interoperable’ blockchain

Australia’s National Broadband Network project up in the air

As Australian voters go to the polls this weekend, the future of the country's National Broadband Network is up in the air

LizardStresser IoT botnet launches 400Gbps DDoS attack

Attack groups using the LizardStresser botnet are exploiting IoT devices to mount massive DDoS attacks without using amplification techniques, say researchers

Security Think Tank: Practical biometrics in the enterprise

How can organisations implement biometric authentication of users without running the risk of exposing sensitive biometric information?

Benelux CIO interview: Michiel Valk, Randstad Group Netherlands

The CIO of Dutch human resources services provider Randstad Group Netherlands tells Computer Weekly about its use of big data, mobile applications and agility

Middle East and Africa to see fastest IP traffic growth to 2020

IP traffic in Middle East and Africa to grow 41% a year to 2020, according to Cisco Visual Networking Index

Finland’s prisons move to a cashless world

Inmates in Finland’s prisons will no longer need to use cash as a pre-paid card system is rolled out

Outgoing information commissioner claims good year for ICO

The ICO is to discuss with government the implications of the Brexit vote and its effect on data protection reform in the UK, says outgoing information commissioner Christopher Graham

BT to offer secure, private network connection into Oracle Cloud

Telco plans to roll out BT Connect service to Oracle Cloud customers during final quarter of 2016

Lauri Love suicide risk if extradited to US over hacking allegations

Westminster Magistrates’ Court hears evidence from medical experts that alleged hacker Lauri Love is at risk of suicide if extradited to the US

MongoDB offers cloud overflow scaling with Atlas database as service

MongoDB has announced its entry into cloud computing with a database as a service, dubbed Atlas, at its annual developer conference in New York City

Most European firms ill equipped for insider security breaches

Nearly a third of European firms do not use basic methods of breach detection, and fewer than one in five have any form of security analytics in place, a survey has revealed

Vodafone may pull jobs out of UK after Brexit

Vodafone says it may pull its headquarters out of the UK after the country voted for Brexit

Security Think Tank: Research biometrics thoroughly before deploying

How can organisations move to biometric authentication of users without running the risk of exposing sensitive biometric information?

Google researchers teach AIs to see the important parts of images — and tell you about them

 This week is the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference in Las Vegas, and Google researchers have several accomplishments to present. They’ve taught computer vision systems to detect the most important person in a scene, pick out and track individual body parts and describe what they see in language that leaves nothing to the imagination. Read More

Decentralizing IoT networks through blockchain

 Imagine a washer that autonomously contacts suppliers and places orders when it’s low on detergent, performs self-service and maintenance, and schedules its cycles to take advantage of electricity prices; a connected car, smart enough to find and choose the best deal for parts and services; a manufacturing plant where the machinery knows when to order repairs for some of its parts… Read More

Apple doubles down on photography with new Shot on iPhone campaign

 Apple knows that the battle for people’s pockets is going to be fought in part in the photography space. With iOS 10, the company is making it even easier to get to the camera in a hurry, but in an effort to remind people that they’re already carrying a great camera around with them, Apple is launching a new round of its popular Shot on iPhone advertising campaign. Read More

The Pleurobot robo-salamander crawls and swims like a real amphibian

 The mad roboticists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have produced another biomimetic mechanoid — this one based on the lithe locomotion of the salamander. “Pleurobot” imitates the amphibian’s ambulation with its own articulated vertebrae, allowing it to slither along on land or at sea. Read More

XYZprinting’s new 3D printer is designed for the classroom

 Likely best known for its low cost 3D printing/scanning all-in-ones, hardware maker XYZprinting is making its first focused play in the education space with the da Vinci miniMaker, a $229 device designed to offer up entry-level desktop 3D printing to K-12 STEM classes. The inexpensive 3D printer is designed for ease of use, featuring push-button printing and auto-calibration, along with… Read More

Banking IT community faces uncertain Brexit future

The financial services IT community faces a period of uncertainty as finance firms reassess plans following the EU referendum result

Post-Brexit price hikes hit cloud and datacentre community, as currency fluctuations bite

Cloud and datacentre analysts claim IT buyers are already feeling the pinch from the outcome of the EU referendum, but past performance suggests demand for colocation space will rise in the event of recession

Security Think Tank: A starter guide for biometrics in security

How can organisations move to biometric authentication of users without running the risk of exposing sensitive biometric information?

Malaysia approaches fintech with Islamic twist

A fintech Islamic finance platform that links leaders with businesses via banks in Malaysia will change the role of Islamic lenders

Australia’s NAB bank accused of “violating” customer through data sharing

Australian bank NAB is accused of violating a customer over industry data sharing

CW@50: Spreadsheets and ERP – 50 years of software coding business

Business software has been a rich field for IT professionals over the past five decades, and we are on the cusp of a new era of customers rolling their own for competitive advantage

Bet365 bets on Simplivity hyper-converged for test and dev

Bet365 follows up its move to object storage with efficiency gains that result from migration of test and dev work to Simplivity hyper-converged infrastructure from HDS SAN

Prison services colluded with Ofcom in test of mobile phone blockers

Documents reveal trials of mobile traffic interception technology in UK jails, which may have affected users beyond the prison walls

Greater focus on UK tech talent essential in face of Brexit

The UK is already suffering from an IT skills crisis, so how will leaving the European Union affect tech jobs now and in the future?

Cryptography pioneer Marty Hellman calls for compassion in personal, cyber, and international threats

 It’s been a long time since Marty Hellman and his collaborator Whitfield Diffie ushered in a new era of private communication with their invention of public key cryptography — but better late than never when it comes to winning the Turing Award, referred to by some as the Nobel Prize for technology.. I talked with Hellman about tech, global politics, and keeping relationships alive. Read More

Writing aid for the blind provides a case study for “compassionate engineering” at Carnegie Mellon

 New mobile games and robot butlers are all well and good, but there are also many applications for the latest technology in poverty-stricken school districts and in the service of the disabled. A Carnegie Mellon project that targets both of those things is described by its leaders as an exercise in what they call “compassionate engineering.” Read More

Doppler Labs intros Here One, with improved live audio tuning and music streaming

 The folks at Doppler Labs have come a long way in a few short years. The company, led by Noah Kraft and Fritz Lanman, first launched with a fully mechanical ear plug for concerts. Last year, they launched the Here Active Listening System, which put a tiny micro-computer in their users’ ears, letting them control which frequencies they want to hear. Today, however, all those steps… Read More

Snowfox trackerphone is another mobile alternative for parents to give kids

 Finland-based Internet of Things startup Haltian, which back in 2014 crowdfunded an IoT developer device aimed at lowering the barrier of entry to building connected devices, is lining up its next IoT device: a tracker phone for parents to give younger kids. Read More

Devialet announces a golden speaker for the discerning music lover

 From fancy chocolates to jet airplanes to teeth, gold makes things better. Devialet took this to heart when they introduced their 4500 Watt Gold Phantom, a powerful speaker with gold-plated side panels and audio quality that, in the right environment, is out of this world. Devialet, as you recall is a French speaker company that has 80 patents in the realm of music reproduction. Their… Read More

Hands On with Even, $99 earphones customized to the way you hear

 Dr. Dre may make some of the most popular headphones on the planet but Beats are likely tuned to the way Dre likes to listen to the music – with heavy bass. You are not Dre and your ears and my ears and everyone else’s ears hear a slightly different way. Even your left and right ear have a distinct way of listening to different types of sounds. Even is a new set of earphones… Read More

Happy Atoms launches to teach kids about the wonders of molecules

 While I absolutely despise most STEM toys I’m going to give Happy Atoms a pass simply because it is aimed at educators and not for the home market. Created by chemistry set maker Thames & Kosmos along with Pittsburgh-based Schell Games, Happy Atoms teaches kids about building molecules using magnetic atoms that connect in “happy” ways. The entire kit comes with… Read More

Intel considers sale of security business

Intel is reportedly considering the sale of its security business to generate capital as the company restructures

Solid state storage in the datacentre: More than a flash in the pan

As IT organisations transform their datacentres to meet the efficiency and agility demands of the digital enterprise, flash storage is increasingly viewed as a key element

Hospitals targeted using camouflaged old malware

Specialised devices running older versions of operating systems are becoming critical points of cyber attack vulnerability, warns TrapX Security

Hover Camera is a personal drone for selfie lovers

 If you’re done with selfie sticks and are looking for what comes next in the narcissistic world of self-photography, look no further than Hover Camera, a new “personal” drone that gives you a different — more aerial — view of you and your life. Hover Camera is a tiny foldable drone that hovers around you, controlled by a compatible smartphone app, snapping 4k… Read More