Together, the initiatives illustrate a broader strategy that combines advanced threat detection, continuous monitoring and national coordination. As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and concerns over future quantum-enabled attacks grow, UAE authorities are seeking to ensure that critical infrastructure operators, government entities and private-sector organisations are equipped to transition securely towards the next generation of cryptographic protection.<\/p> \n
While large-scale quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption standards are not yet commercially available, security experts increasingly warn that organisations should begin preparing now. The challenge is particularly urgent for sectors handling long-lived sensitive data, where information intercepted today could potentially be decrypted years later using future quantum capabilities.<\/p> \n
Read more about cyber security<\/h3> \n \n - CISOs on alert \u2013 strengthening cyber resilience amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East<\/a>: As regional uncertainty rises, security leaders across the Gulf focus on resilience, faster incident response and deeper threat intelligence to protect critical systems and data.<\/li> \n
- CISA urges companies to bolster Microsoft Intune systems after Stryker cyber attack<\/a>: CISA is urging US organisations to strengthen the security of their endpoint management systems after cyber threat actors infiltrated Stryker\u2019s Microsoft environment.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","description":"Partnership between the UAE Cyber Security Council and QuantumGate aims to provide nationwide visibility of cryptographic assets, helping critical infrastructure operators to prepare for the emerging risks posed by quantum computing","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/IT-security-padlocks-red-1-denisismagilov_adobe.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643900\/UAE-launches-national-cryptography-discovery-platform-to-accelerate-post-quantum-security-transition","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:33:00 GMT","title":"UAE launches national cryptography discovery platform to accelerate post-quantum security transition"},{"body":"
A survey conducted by analyst Gartner of 350 respondents in organisations that are more advanced in their use of AI agents and intelligent automation, reported that 80% had seen some degree of job cuts<\/a> following their implementation of AI.<\/p> \nDiscussing the survey with Computer Weekly, Gartner distinguished vice president analyst, Helen Poitevin<\/a> says: \u201cThere are job cuts, but if you're getting more ROI (return on investment), you're actually not cutting more jobs.\u201d <\/p> \nPoitevin does not believe reducing headcount to fund AI investment is a viable strategy long-term. She says: \u201cThe belief is there that if we invest in this technology, we somehow have to make the trade-off by decreasing spend on personnel or decreasing spending on headcount. But what our research shows is while that may help cash balances in the short term, in the long term, the real ROI - those organisations who are getting the most benefit from AI - actually heavily invest in people.\u201d <\/p> \n
According to Poitevin, such organisations are much more likely to be building new skills, creating roles for orchestrating agents, and more likely to be mapping out career paths for their people moving forward. \u201cWhat we see is that it's actually short-sighted only thinking about headcount as the form of value instead of thinking much more broadly about value,\u201d she says. <\/p> \n
Poitevin believes that trying to emulate the tech giants, which are making big job<\/a> cuts as part of their long-term AI strategy, is not the right approach. \u201cThey are going after new forms of value where AI is a core part of their business, and the trade-offs they're making is that they believe it's just about productivity and headcount,\u201d she says. For Poitevin, reducing headcount has a detrimental effect on business in the long run. <\/p> \nSome people will argue that AI is taking away junior roles, such as in software develoment, which reduces the opportunity for people to gain job-related experience early on in their careers. Poitevin says: \u201cThis is another case of shortsightedness.\u201d Rather than believing that AI will essentially replace these people, she says businesses need to consider what tasks go away, and which ones remains when AI is deployed in certain job roles. <\/p> \n
For instance, in software development, a measure of success is how quickly can code be produced to deliver the outcome the business requires, <\/p> \n
If AI accelerates the organisation's ability to get from a problem to a solution, as Poitevin notes, this means the software development team is able to tackle more problems. From an IT leadership perspectibve, she says: \u201cThose who are creatively looking forward to how they build their future with software are definitely doubling down on making sure they have the talent pipeline to enable them to build up junior software engineers so that they go more quickly from the business problem to the software solution. \u201cIt's a bit of a Jevons paradox and it'll actually create more demand,\u201d she adds. In other words, the more efficient a business gets at developing the software it needs, the cheaper producing software becomes. \"So you get more efficient at solving problems with software, which means there's more demand, and therefore more demand for the people who can do that kind of work,\u201d she adds.<\/p>","description":"We speak to Gartner analyst Helen Poitevin about why business leaders should not use AI to reduce headcount","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/podcast\/Why-AI-wont-cut-jobs-A-Computer-Weekly-Downtime-upload-podcast","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:29:00 GMT","title":"Why AI won\u2019t cut jobs: A Computer Weekly Downtime upload podcast"},{"body":"
Online publishers and news organisations will now be able to prevent Google from using their content to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, or from appearing in the company\u2019s AI search summaries, the UK\u2019s competition watchdog has announced.<\/p> \n
In October 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) classified Google search and search advertising<\/a> with strategic market status (SMS), a designation that enables it to consider proportionate, targeted interventions to ensure that general search services are open to effective competition.<\/p> \nFollowing a consultation<\/a> on potential digital market fairness measures launched in January 2026, the CMA has now introduced conduct requirements to give publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content.<\/p> \nThis includes requiring Google to provide \u201ceffective tools\u201d that allow publishers to prevent their content being used in the company\u2019s AI features, and allowing publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the \u201cfine-tuning\u201d of AI models.<\/p> \n
Google must now ensure that publisher content is properly attributed, with clear links displayed in AI\u2011generated search results. The measures follow complaints from media and civil society organisations that publishers have experienced a drop in click-through traffic to their sites since Google started placing AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Until now, websites were unable to opt out of their content being scraped for AI overviews without also withdrawing from appearing in traditional Google search results.<\/p> \n
\u201cToday, we have introduced a world\u2011first requirement on Google\u2019s search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers,\u201d said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.<\/p> \n
\u201cWith features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them.\u201d<\/p> \n
The watchdog added while these new requirements are expected to \u201cput publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google\u201d, it will take an \u201cactive role\u201d in overseeing how Google implements the measures.<\/p> \n
\u201c[Google] will have nine months to implement all changes but the CMA expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline,\u201d said the CMA in a blogpost announcing the measures. <\/p> \n
\u201cGoogle will also be required to submit and publish compliance reports, supported by key data and metrics, explaining changes it has made and how it has complied. These are due every six months for the first year, after which the CMA will review the frequency of reporting.\u201d<\/p> \n
Google has said it would start testing a new control from Wednesday on a subset of UK-based media sites, allowing owners to manage how their links and content appear in its AI search features, with the aim of rolling the controls out globally.<\/p> \n
A study<\/a> by search engine optimisation platform Authoritas from July 2025 previously found that a site ranked first in a search result could lose around 79% of its traffic if it was listed below an AI overview.<\/p> \nHowever, a Google spokesperson at the time said in a statement that the study was \u201cinaccurate and based on flawed assumptions and analysis\u201d, using outdated estimations and a set of searches that did not represent all the queries that would generate traffic for news websites.<\/p> \n
A further study run by the Pew Research Center also showed a big hit to referral traffic from Google AI Overviews, with a month-long survey of almost 69,000 Google searches revealing that users only clicked a link under an AI summary once every 100 times.<\/p> \n
A Google spokesperson said that study also used \u201cflawed methodology and skewed queryset that is not representative of search traffic\u201d.<\/p> \n
In a blogpost<\/a> published on 3 June 2026, Google said it was engaging with regulators such as the CMA \u201cto ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve\u201d.<\/p> \nBlog author Mrinalini Loew, the general manager at Google Search Ecosystem, added the company will begin testing a new tool allowing website owners to manage how their links and content appear in its AI search features, such as AI overviews and AI mode.<\/p> \n
\u201cWe are beginning to roll these features out to a subset of website owners in the UK, allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally,\u201d she said, adding that the controls will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside the generative AI search features.<\/p> \n
Responding to the CMA announcement, tech-focused civil society group Foxglove said although it welcomes the regulator new measures, it is concerned that implementation needs to be faster to end ongoing damage to the news industry. It added further action may be needed to ensure effective scrutiny of Google\u2019s compliance. <\/p> \n
\u201cWe\u2019re delighted that the CMA is finally standing up to Google\u2019s theft of journalists\u2019 work,\u201d said Foxglove\u2019s co-executive director Rosa Curling, who added the group has been urging them to do this for the past year.<\/p> \n
\u201cGoogle\u2019s AI Overviews are a threat not only to an independent news industry, but to an informed democracy. Google\u2019s AI Overviews don\u2019t only take others\u2019 work without payment. They also make it harder for journalists to directly reach their audience \u2013 threatening their survival. Without independent journalism, it becomes far harder to hold powerful governments and corporations to account. <\/p> \n
\u201cUntil now, the only way to stop Google stealing your work was to opt out from being visible at all in Google search. With Google controlling 90% of search, this was akin to removing yourself from the internet.\u201d<\/p> \n
She added that there are concerns that Google may still be able to \u201cwriggle out\u201d of the obligations imposed by the CMA: \u201cThe measures would allow it to mark its own homework, rather than being subject to rigorous, independent audit. The timeframe is too generous \u2013 there is no reason to give Google nine months to put a stop to the terrible harm it is causing \u2013 which it has, itself, been aware of for years. <\/p> \n
\u201cThe CMA must watch Google like a hawk \u2013 both to ensure compliance with these measures, and to act urgently on any harm resulting from its new proposals around new AI features and agents in search.\u201d <\/p> \n
\n \n Read more about artificial intelligence<\/h3> \n \n - Challenging AI hype narratives with director Valerie Veatch<\/a>: Computer Weekly speaks with Valerie Veatch, the director of a documentary charting the historical development of artificial intelligence, about the difficulties of challenging hype narratives and the pressing need to build a culture of technological refusal.<\/li> \n
- Google AI engineer claims dismissal for opposing tech sales to Israel<\/a>: \u2018Our work on AI was sold to facilitate genocide\u2019: Artificial intelligence engineer claims Google unfairly sacked them for internally criticising the company\u2019s decision to continue supplying technology to the Israeli military, despite credible claims of war crimes committed in Gaza.<\/li> \n
- UK MoD awards more than two dozen contracts for AI targeting systems<\/a>: The UK Ministry of Defence is ramping up its investment into military artificial intelligence in a bid to increase the \u2018lethality\u2019 of the British armed forces.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","description":"The UK\u2019s competition watchdog has ruled that Google must provide online publishers and news organisations with the ability to opt out of their work being summarised by artificial intelligence, or otherwise used to train the company\u2019s models","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Google-magnifying-adobe-Editorial-Use-Only.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643963\/Publishers-can-now-opt-out-of-Google-AI-summaries-and-training","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:52:00 GMT","title":"Publishers can now opt out of Google AI summaries and training"},{"body":"
Clare Hickie, chief technology officer (CTO) for EMEA at Workday<\/a>, sits in the Customer Experience Centre in the technology firm\u2019s European headquarters in Dublin and reflects on the characteristics that have helped her to succeed during her digital leadership career.<\/p> \n\u201cI\u2019m a change maker; I was born as one,\u201d she says. \u201cThe most important thing for me is that I\u2019ve always got a pragmatic understanding of what needs to happen and how it\u2019s happening, and that\u2019s the only way that I can help our customers move forward.\u201d<\/p> \n
That\u2019s certainly Hickie\u2019s priority at Workday, where she\u2019s helping the cloud-based HR specialist to stay competitive in the age of AI. As Computer Weekly discovered during a recent innovation media event in Dublin, Workday is developing a range of data-rich and agentic services<\/a> to help CIOs and other business executives embrace digital change \u2013 and Hickie relishes the opportunity to help other executives gain the benefits.<\/p> \n\u201cI genuinely believe I\u2019ve got the best job in Workday. It\u2019s an incredible role to be able to help our customers get the most from their investments, but equally to inspire our potential customers or prospects on their journey in terms of choosing Workday as the right partner for change,\u201d she says.<\/p> \n
\u201cI\u2019m in the very fortunate position to be able to do that every day and to inspire, motivate and have the hard conversations. We\u2019re very candid in our roles. To have these strong conversations with CIOs is an incredible job to have.\u201d<\/p> \n\n <\/i>Taking on a new challenge<\/h2>\n
Hickie joined Workday as regional CIO in June 2018 and was promoted to EMEA CTO in June 2021. Before joining the firm, she spent 15 years at multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GSK, latterly as global head of IT HR services.<\/p>\n
It was during her time with GSK that Hickie became exposed to Workday. She says the pharma giant started working with the software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist<\/a> in 2011. GSK was an early Workday customer, particularly from European organisations. The business was eager to standardise services across 135 countries and 120,000 employees by working with a trusted transformation partner \u2013 and Workday proved a good fit.<\/p>\n \u201cI was asked to lead that project from an IT perspective, and it was new technology,\u201d she says. \u201cAt the time, it was one of the first big SaaS services to come in, because we were very much running on legacy infrastructure and architecture. After leading the implementation project, I went on to set up everything from a shared services perspective and to lead the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hickie reflects positively on her time with GSK: \u201cI had a tremendous career at GSK that was very diverse and gave me a huge amount of development opportunities along my own career path. But once I got involved in this technology project, I thought the service Workday offered was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Hickie says she didn\u2019t expect to join Workday during her time implementing the firm\u2019s technology at GSK, her interactions with the company left a good feeling. When the opportunity to join Workday came, she already had first-hand knowledge of its services. As a values-driven professional, she says the company\u2019s people and its approach to business chimed with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting, because a lot of people thought at the time that it was a bold move, especially leaving a company like GSK. But from the day I joined Workday, I\u2019ve never looked back. GSK is still a major Workday customer. I\u2019ve got huge admiration for GSK and everything it stands for in healthcare. But for me, at the time, I made the right decision,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never stopped developing \u2013 in my entire career and at Workday. As a digital leader, you\u2019re at the heart and soul of innovation and development as it occurs, and you\u2019re looking forward to what could happen next. To me, Workday is a great place to work, with super colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Managing technology operations<\/h2>\n
Hickie says what\u2019s clear from her CV is that she likes to get stuck into the business and develop new capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a very loyal employee, as you can tell through my timeline,\u201d she says. \u201cI was at GSK for 15 years, and I\u2019m now entering my eighth year at Workday. Even though I was at GSK for a long time, I had nine different roles as I developed my career.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her time at Workday, Hickie has moved from a more internal-facing position as CIO to an external-facing role as CTO. In her current role, which she assumed as the business emerged from the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, she reports to global CTO Joe Wilson. Each major region in Workday has a CTO.<\/p>\n
\n \n ![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Clare-Hickie-Workday-PR-140px.jpg\")
\n <\/div> \n \u201cAs a digital leader, you\u2019re at the heart and soul of innovation and development as it occurs, and you\u2019re looking forward to what could happen next\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p> \n Claire Hickie, Workday<\/span><\/em><\/p> \n <\/blockquote>\n Internal technology at Workday takes a centralised approach and is led by CIO Rani Johnson, based in the company\u2019s US headquarters in Pleasanton. While technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in modern business operations, Hickie says decisions on the strategic direction of travel and implementation of services don\u2019t have to take place at the local level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a necessity for an organisation like Workday,\u201d she says. \u201cLike many organisations that are built out at a global level, we\u2019ve got our own technology stack, which involves more than just Workday. We\u2019re also Workday\u2019s first customer, and we\u2019ve got everything bedded down for the applications and technology that\u2019s available.\u201d<\/p>\n
While decisions about technology strategy are taken at the global level, Hickie says local teams bed systems down and manage their own IT infrastructure, whether that\u2019s in EMEA, Asia-Pacific or North America. She says the technology stack is supported around the clock, with systems and services swapped in and out due to business requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a company, we don\u2019t need to make different decisions to support the regions. There are certainly areas that could operate slightly differently, but that variability is more about culture, languages and geographical locations, not at a technology level,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe come into work and we know exactly what we\u2019re operating on. The stack runs really well in our enterprise. We\u2019ve got escalation lines when something doesn\u2019t happen correctly, but we\u2019re pretty slim in how we operate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Leading from the front<\/h2>\n
While Hickie\u2019s role is more externally than internally facing, she still has to keep a watchful eye on technology developments behind the enterprise firewall. A strong awareness of Workday\u2019s innovative activities makes it easier to work with CIOs and other customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about working with the product teams and understanding requirements from a technology perspective,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have to understand the architecture, the infrastructure and then be able to communicate those capabilities out as an external perspective. Equally, we always need to understand the roadmap and what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hickie says Workday benefits from having access to a big network of customers and potential clients. Interacting regularly with these outsiders gives Workday\u2019s insiders a sense of the challenges that CIOs face and the product innovations they require.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of my role is having one-to-one conversations with CIOs and CTOs,\u201d she says. \u201cWe also work with digital leaders in large forums. I was in London this week with 120 CIOs, including some who were customers and some who were not. We also bring a lot of our customers into Workday to have these conversations and understand their challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hickie says her biggest achievement since becoming CTO is helping some of the firm\u2019s key customers get the most bang for their buck. As one of the most senior executives in the business, she also serves on the board of directors for the Workday Ltd subsidiary, suggesting that another main focus area is supporting women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Workday was named STEM Employer of the Year at the 2025 Women in STEM Awards in Dublin last October for the second consecutive year. Hickie also leads Women@Workday, an employee belonging council that creates mentoring circles, encourages shared learning, and opens new opportunities for professionals to develop.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big achievement for me is to see how diverse we continue to be and that we\u2019re shining a light in terms of encouraging young females into technology,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the staff who are here at Workday, we\u2019re mentoring and coaching them every day in terms of this technology sector, which can be a tough place to work but also provides an incredible career.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Developing new skills<\/h2>\n
Hickie recognises that the IT profession is undergoing fundamental changes due to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). It\u2019s a transformation that\u2019s taking place in Workday and externally, as the company rolls out new agentic AI services to its customers.<\/p>\n
At the event in Dublin, her senior executive colleagues discussed the company\u2019s product roadmap and the introduction of agents that the firm hopes will remove repetitive tasks from human resources, finance and other business functions. Hickie says the human remains very much in the loop, even in an era of agentic AI and increased automation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkills become absolutely imperative,\u201d she says. \u201cOur unique capabilities are becoming the foundation of how we operate as people in our job roles and functions. Emerging technology brings change, but it also brings flexibility, as the enabler of new and interesting career paths.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hickie suggests that many organisations are eager to take a two-phased approach to AI \u2013 they want to boost productivity through automation, but they also want to retain their talent. While some industry experts worry that the introduction of emerging technology could lead to a jobs apocalypse, Hickie is more optimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of dealing with our customers every day, we\u2019re often asked how we see other organisations are managing those changes,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting, because as businesses have continued to grow and be successful, we\u2019re seeing that other skills are literally being created every single day. And you can only see that trajectory accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n \n Read more interviews with tech supplier IT leaders<\/h3> \n \n - Interview: Nick Pearson, CIO, Ricoh Europe<\/a> \u2013 Working for a company undergoing a major pivot in its business model means variety and opportunity for the supplier\u2019s tech chief.<\/li> \n
- Interview: Art Hu, global CIO, Lenovo<\/a> \u2013 The IT chief at the PC, servers and storage supplier is using his experience of rolling out tech internally to boost the growing services ambitions of the Chinese tech giant.<\/li> \n
- Interview: Cynthia Stoddard, CIO, Adobe<\/a> \u2013 After nearly 10 years in post, Adobe\u2019s CIO is still driving digital transformation and looking to deliver lasting change through technology.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","description":"The IT chief went from implementing Workday software at one of the firm\u2019s largest customers to leading technology at the supplier \u2013 she discusses what she learned","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/Workday-Rugby-Ducellier-Hero.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643836\/Interview-Clare-Hickie-EMEA-CTO-Workday","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:02:00 GMT","title":"Interview: Clare Hickie, EMEA CTO, Workday"},{"body":"
A property sector initiative to introduce a digital identity scheme is being scrapped due to concerns over UK government policy and a lack of consumer benefits.<\/p> \n
Organisers of the scheme have informed Whitehall departments backing the plan, along with regulators and industry bodies, that they are withdrawing support for the implementation of a standard digital ID into the property sector.<\/p> \n
The MyIdentity initiative aimed to allow home buyers and sellers to prove their identity once, instead of having to do so multiple times. This information would then be shared with other parties, such as estate agents, mortgage providers, solicitors and conveyancers, within a government-approved digital identity trust framework<\/a>.<\/p> \nA pilot in 2021\/2022<\/a> was backed by funding from Innovate UK and supported at the time by ministers. However, after what organisers described as \u201crepeated delays and false starts in progressing a coherent identity strategy\u201d, MyIdentity and backers at the Home Builders Federation have advised more than 250 companies in the sector to reconsider any further investment of time and money into digital identity systems \u201cuntil the government sets out clear regulation and legislation, a failure on their part\u201d.<\/p> \n\u201cWe are putting all activity on digital ID in the property sector on hold. We\u2019re not convinced that it will work, as it provides no consumer benefit and, by default, no real sector benefit,\u201d said Stuart Young, managing director of Etive, the company leading the MyIdentity scheme<\/a>.<\/p> \n\u201cThis is not a decision that has been made lightly. Following extensive work over the last year or so, it is clear that the people who work on the coalface of property are not convinced of what government is trying to do. In fact, confidence has dropped dramatically. Plus, the business case just doesn\u2019t seem to be there.\u201d<\/p> \n
The government has encouraged industry sectors to set up digital ID schemes as part of its Digital Verification Services Trust Framework<\/a>, established by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The withdrawal of one of the leading schemes will come as a blow to the wider policy to introduce a government-backed digital identity programme across the UK.<\/p> \nYoung cited long-term, continued uncertainty over government policy, as far back as Tony Blair\u2019s physical ID card scheme, through the failed Gov.uk Verify programme<\/a>, and up to the mixed messaging and confusion caused by Keir Starmer\u2019s announcement of a mandatory national digital ID scheme and his subsequent U-turn<\/a>.<\/p> \n\u201cAll the same mistakes are being made,\u201d said Young. \u201cWe have told DSIT, the Ministry of Housing, etc about this over the years but they just aren\u2019t interested. I think it is wrong to mislead companies and it was clear to me that [companies] are fed up with more failed initiatives or \u2019not another initiative\u2019. Fatigued is probably the best word to describe how people feel.<\/p> \n
\u201cFor the government to try to introduce digital identity, which is only guidance and voluntary, makes it a tough sell for companies that have other shifting business priorities to deal with.\u201d<\/p> \n
Currently, home buyers and sellers must complete multiple identity checks during a single transaction, paying repeated fees. Rather than reducing friction, Young says such digital identity processes are increasing both costs and delays.<\/p> \n
In a letter to government representatives in April, MyIdentity said: \u201cThe current landscape for customer identity is characterised by significant ambiguity. Divergent and, at times, conflicting perspectives across government and industry have resulted in a lack of clear direction regarding policy, regulatory intent and the permissible scope of private sector activity. This uncertainty is compounded by the absence of definitive guidance on the government\u2019s long-term strategy and mandates in this area.\u201d<\/p> \n
A report by MPs on the Home Affairs Committee last month described the government\u2019s launch of its digital ID policy as \u201cnothing short of a fiasco\u201d<\/a> that \u201cundermined what existing public support\u201d there was for digital ID.<\/p> \nYoung added: \u201cWe remain hopeful that, over time, the digital identity challenge can be resolved and contribute positively to improving the home buying and selling process. What the industry needs is demonstrable progress, clear leadership and tangible outcomes capable of building market and consumer confidence.\u201d<\/p> \n
Computer Weekly has asked DSIT to comment on this story, but had not received a response at the time of publication. <\/p> \n
\n \n Read more about government digital ID policy<\/h3> \n \n - The UK government\u2019s digital identity scheme: Dystopian nightmare or modernised public services?<\/a> Critics and supporters of digital ID are honing their arguments for the government\u2019s consultation \u2013 but it\u2019s the public that will decide. How should you choose?<\/li> \n
- Industry calls for clarity on government digital ID plans<\/a> \u2013 The digital identity industry asks UK government for transparency on its digital identity scheme and proposes a formal collaboration agreement.<\/li> \n
- UK government\u2019s U-turn on digital ID was inevitable from the start<\/a> \u2013 The UK government\u2019s plans for a national digital identity scheme were never going to be mandatory. That\u2019s not some sort of scoop \u2013 although Computer Weekly predicted as much last year.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","description":"A major initiative to introduce a standard digital identity scheme for house buying and selling has been shelved due to political uncertainty and lack of clear benefits","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/terraced-houses-uk-teamjackson-adobe.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643785\/Property-sector-plans-for-digital-ID-collapse-over-government-policy-concerns","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:40:00 GMT","title":"Property sector plans for digital ID collapse over government policy concerns"},{"body":"
MPs on the Science, Industry and Technology Committee have called for a \u201cperiod of over-correction\u201d to break the cycle of supplier lock-in and foster a domestic UK cloud ecosystem<\/a> through mandatory re-competition and open source standards.<\/p> \nOne notable measure recommended in the report \u2013 Rewiring the state: Delivering digital government<\/a><\/em> \u2013 is that the UK government should exercise the break clause with Palantir and the Federated Data Platform (FDP)<\/a> in the NHS and publish a fully costed exit plan by the end of 2026.<\/p> \nElsewhere, the report highlights a \u201clack of competition\u201d in government cloud spending, which totals about \u00a310bn per year. It cites the March 2026 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) contract with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a primary example of market failure. AWS was the sole bidder for the 10-year, \u00a3472m deal<\/a>, despite concerns over restrictive licensing practices. <\/p> \nMeanwhile, the report recommends the establishment of a unit to monitor and disseminate digital government best practices from the European Union (EU), including how member states encourage the development of sovereign alternatives to incumbent providers. <\/p> \n\n <\/i>Dangerous levels of lock-in<\/h2>\n
The report warns that the UK public sector\u2019s heavy reliance on a small group of US-based technology providers<\/a> \u2013 specifically Microsoft, AWS and Palantir \u2013 creates dangerous levels of supplier lock-in and systemic fragility<\/a>.<\/p>\n The committee\u2019s report argues that these dependencies, often driven by proprietary software and complex, opaque contracts, undermine competition, hinder innovation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and expose the government to significant operational risks, including potential data access by the US under the Cloud Act.<\/p>\n
To address such vulnerabilities, the committee recommends a comprehensive strategy to achieve \u201ctechnology sovereignty\u201d and that the government should prioritise open source alternatives and mandate that a defined percentage of procurement budgets go to UK-based startups.<\/p>\n
Key interventions include exercising the break clause for the NHS FDP, implementing a rigorous cloud consumption dashboard to monitor supplier power, and legally requiring public bodies to favour open standards over proprietary systems to ensure the government retains the ability to make strategic choices independent of dominant incumbents.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Key recommendations in the report<\/h2>\n
Federated Data Platform:<\/strong> The government should commit to exercising the February 2027 break clause in the Palantir FDP contract and develop an in-house replacement or seek an alternative from UK-owned and UK-based providers, with a fully costed exit plan for the FDP published by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n Data access and transparency:<\/strong> The government must confirm the nature of Palantir\u2019s access to patient data, the statutory basis for this authorisation, when and by whom it was authorised, and whether the information commissioner was consulted.<\/p>\n NHS single patient record<\/strong>: The government should prioritise using UK-owned and UK-based suppliers to develop and implement this<\/a> and award all contracts through open and transparent procurement processes.<\/p>\n Ministry of Defence and Palantir:<\/strong> The government must set out the reasons for awarding a \u00a3240m Ministry of Defence contract to Palantir without a competitive tender process.<\/p>\n \n \n What is the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee?<\/h3> \n
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is a cross-party body of MPs tasked with scrutinising the expenditure, policy and administration of its parent department. Via formal inquiries, it gathers evidence from ministers, officials and experts to produce research-backed reports. While the committee\u2019s findings are not legally binding, they serve as a powerful mechanism for parliamentary oversight and provide ammunition that can hold the government accountable for digital strategy.<\/p> \n
The committee\u2019s influence is exercised through mandatory government responses (usually within 60 days), public pressure and the ability to shift the national debate. Even when the government does not adopt specific recommendations, the committee\u2019s oversight can lead to increased transparency, policy adjustments and internal reviews.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Procurement and SMEs:<\/strong> Central departments and public bodies should be required to spend a defined minimum percentage of their technology procurement budgets on products from UK-based and UK-owned startups and SMEs, with quarterly progress updates published.<\/p>\n Ending supplier lock-in:<\/strong> The Government Digital Service (GDS) should produce a strategy to end supplier lock-in, including targets for supplier diversification across departments and public bodies, with quarterly reporting.<\/p>\n Cloud consumption dashboard:<\/strong> The government\u2019s promised cloud dashboard should include a breakdown of contract awards by company, their value, details of break clauses, specific licensing terms, and a value-for-money assessment.<\/p>\n All of Government cloud contract:<\/strong> The government should detail how this contract will prevent supplier lock-in, including its engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and how it will embed a pro-competition approach.<\/p>\n Technology sovereignty strategy:<\/strong> The government should define technology sovereignty. The definition should be reviewed annually, and it should set out how the government intends to support sovereign alternatives to incumbent providers.<\/p>\n Open source in the Procurement Act 2023:<\/strong> The government should use the update to this act to require public sector bodies to prioritise open source tools and technology over proprietary offerings.<\/p>\n Data access contingencies:<\/strong> The government should detail its contingencies for safeguarding citizens\u2019 data should the US trigger data access provisions under the Cloud Act 2018, and share relevant impact assessments.<\/p>\n Monitor EU digital government initiatives:<\/strong> As part of the government\u2019s \u201cwider reset\u201d in relations with the EU, DSIT should establish a unit to monitor and disseminate digital government best practice from, with a remit to engage with European Commission and member state-level bodies, in particular to focus on how the EU and member states develop sovereign alternative providers.<\/p>\n \n \n Industry reaction: Welcomed but measured<\/h3> \n
Nicky Stewart, senior advisor to the Open Cloud Coalition, said: \u201cWe agree with the need to reduce vendor lock-in across the public sector and to move towards a system that rewards choice, interoperability and fair competition for all providers.\u201d<\/p> \n
\n Conservative peer Lord Chris Holmes said: \u201cThis is an important report from the committee which the government must consider seriously and respond to. The most important recommendation is to increase competition in the UK cloud market. This is a critical question of resilience. The cloud concentration risk for the UK right now is beyond worrying. It is also a question of economic value and growth for UK business and a key consideration for any serious discussion around sovereign capability and capacity.\u201d<\/p> \n
\n Bill McCluggage, director of IT strategy and policy in the Cabinet Office and deputy government CIO from 2009 to 2012, said: \u201cI applaud the committee\u2019s thoroughness, but we need to be honest about what select committees actually do. They shine a light; they don\u2019t drive change. This is Parliament holding the executive to account, not the government committing to act.<\/p> \n
\u201cWith the current political pressures bearing down on the government, economic headwinds, a crowded legislative agenda, and an ever-present lobbying machine from the big tech players, I\u2019d be really surprised if more than a handful of these recommendations make it into policy in any meaningful timeframe. We\u2019ve seen this film before.\u201d<\/p> \n
\n Owen Sayers of Secon Solutions, an enterprise architect with more than 20 years\u2019 experience in delivering national policing systems, said: \u201cIt\u2019s the most radical set of recommendations I\u2019ve seen in any Parliamentary report in 10 years. The title of the report clearly means they are laying out \u2013 or seeking to reset \u2013 government policy.<\/p> \n
\u201cI doubt the government can fully ignore it, but some of the measures \u2013 such as following Europe\u2019s lead, which is very sensible right now in technical and compliance\/derisking terms \u2013 might be hard for Whitehall and the government to stomach. Are they brave enough to take the recommendations and work through them to develop a new, more balanced and less US-centric policy? I seriously doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","description":"A Science, Innovation and Technology Committee report contains recommendations that would radically alter UK public sector IT, procurement and relationship with hyperscalers if adopted","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Westminster1-fotolia.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643883\/SIT-Committee-urges-Palantir-exit-in-push-to-end-US-cloud-grip","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:41:00 GMT","title":"SIT Committee urges Palantir exit in push to end US cloud grip"},{"body":"
In spite of efforts by the UK government to encourage smaller IT firms to bid for contracts<\/a>, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has signed a multi-year contract with Capgemini<\/a> worth \u00a3500m to deliver contact centre as a service (CCaaS).<\/p> \nDuncan Aitchison, research director at TechMarketView<\/a>, noted that the contract shows the IT service provider\u2019s two-decade-long relationship with HMRC is set to continue for a further 10 years.<\/p> \nLast August, as part of its Enterprise Customer Relationship Management programme, HMRC put out a tender<\/a> for a provider of software as a service (SaaS) customer relationship management to replace its existing system. At the time, HMRC said it would also be tendering for what it called \u201can intelligent client function\u201d along with system and service integrators and supplementary software capabilities.<\/p> \nCapgemini\u2019s role in the contract is support implementation, system design, workflow integration, ongoing support and continuous optimisation to enable greater adaptability.<\/p> \n
To achieve this, it will be working in collaboration with Nice<\/a>, a provider of CCaaS, and Route 101, a Nice implementation partner. The overall goal is to deliver a system that expands self-service options and uses technologies such as AI to make it easier for customers to get the information and support they need.<\/p> \nNice is categorised as a leader in Gartner\u2019s Magic quadrant for contact center as a service<\/em> report, where other companies in the top quadrant include Genesys, Amazon Web Services, Five9 and Talkdesk.<\/p> \nIn the report, Gartner noted that its clients are increasingly voicing frustration regarding Nice\u2019s AI project deployment times, which, according to Gartner\u2019s analysis, often exceed initial expectations. \u201cClients considering deploying Nice AI capabilities should work closely with their account team to validate the proposed functionality, availability of deployment resources and readiness of their own data environment to meet deployment commitments,\u201d the analyst warned.<\/p> \n
\n \n Read more HMRC stories<\/h3> \n \n - How HMRC has been quietly building surveillance<\/a> capabilities: HMRC has bought phone scanning equipment and analysis software capable of extracting data from mobile devices as it steps up its electronic intelligence gathering capabilities.<\/li> \n
- Amazon Web Services bags Fujitsu\u2019s HMRC loss<\/a>: US tech giant wins contract to run three datacentres for the government department after cutting ties with Fujitsu.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
HMRC has recognised the need to make its contact centre more streamlined. In February 2025, the National Audit Office reported<\/a> that HMRC spent \u00a34.3bn between 2023 and 2024 to collect \u00a3829bn of tax.<\/p> \nAccording to the HMRC, the new system is cloud-native, and will deliver improved operations and efficiency gains to meet key outcomes including enhanced digital experiences, smarter automation, and more seamless customer interactions.<\/p> \n
Seamless customer interaction is something businesses have asked for. The Chartered Institute of Taxation\u2019s survey of members found that the inefficiency of HMRC is causing problems in businesses. Technical officer Lindsay Scott said: \u201cOur survey highlighted examples of prolonged and difficult interactions with HMRC customer services to ask for HMRC errors to be corrected. The introduction of a complex cases service could help to provide an avenue for resolution of these difficult cases, reducing costs and the negative impact that these errors have on taxpayers and their businesses.\u201d<\/p> \n
The contract, which is set to begin in August, will see HMRC use the Nice CXone AI-powered customer experience platform, deployed on a purpose-built UK sovereign cloud, to orchestrate intelligent self-service. HMRC said the platform will enable it to streamline complex citizen journeys, and empower contact centre operations with real-time, AI-driven insights while supporting strict compliance with UK data security requirements.<\/p> \n
Rob Walker, managing director at Capgemini in the UK, said: \u201cThis new agreement reflects the strength of our long-standing commitment to HMRC innovation and our ability to deliver complex, large-scale, AI-powered transformation programmes that create tangible value for citizens. In collaboration with HMRC, Nice and Route 101, we are building a value partnership that goes beyond technology delivery \u2013 one that is focused on long-term outcomes, innovation and continuous improvement for millions of users across the UK.\u201d<\/p> \n
In May, HMRC signed a 10-year, \u00a3175m contract with Quantexa, which provides a data unification platform to support the modernisation of HMRC\u2019s core data infrastructure. According to Quantexa, this will give HMRC a clearer, connected view of its data to improve performance, help identify tax at risk, and strengthen control. It also lays the groundwork for advanced AI capabilities and supports wider transformation efforts such as more seamless customer service. <\/p>","description":"This particular deal is for contact centre as a service, which sees artificial intelligence being deployed to streamline processes","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/call-centre-headphone-2-adobe.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643880\/Capgemini-wins-another-10-year-HMRC-deal","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:45:00 GMT","title":"Capgemini wins another 10-year HMRC deal"},{"body":"
\u201cYou\u2019ll never see a product with our logo\u2026we\u2019re what our customers want us to be,\u201d says Jonatan Gustafsson, business applications manager at Kitron<\/a> Group, a leading Scandinavian electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company that\u2019s headquartered in Asker, Norway.<\/p> \nKitron works across the value chain of electronics from design and development through to manufacturing, service and upgrades. It may not be a marquee name outside its domain, but Kitron has scale and breadth. It reported around \u20ac738m in annual revenues for its last fiscal year, has about 3,000 staff and has an operational footprint that extends across Europe, Asia and North America. As for its electronics products, it serves businesses in everything from connectivity and electrification to industry and defence\/aviation via medical devices.<\/p> \n
This is classic enterprise resource planning (ERP) territory, and Kitron is a prized customer of IFS, a software company that is also from Scandinavia and is squarely focused on industry. Kitron is a company that works under the hood of customers \u2013 and under its own hood is IFS, where it\u2019s has been core to operations for 15 years. <\/p> \n
Gustafsson says: \u201cSince we span from Europe to the US, China, Malaysia and India, we have people working around the clock. So it\u2019s important to be stable, have a solid foundation and make sure that everything is available all the time, from the shop floor and reporting production to financial reporting.\u201d<\/p> \n
In environments such as this where multiple-nines uptime is essential and domain expertise has high relevance, it\u2019s important that supplier and customer have stronger bonds than those of an everyday tech-buyer relationship.<\/p> \n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a great relationship with IFS and we\u2019ve been able to influence and have a tight connection,\u201d Gustafsson says. \u201cIFS is strong in the EMS domain in the Nordics and it\u2019s nice to know there\u2019s a lot of competence. Within an hour from where I live, there\u2019s a lot of competent people in the area and a big consulting and knowledge base in the region. That makes the people working with the system stronger.\u201d<\/p> \n
Kitron is expanding rapidly with a stated aim of becoming a \u20ac1.5bn annual revenue player, and it is trying to do so without losing its central controls and culture.<\/p> \n
\u201cWe have special systems in some areas but it\u2019s usually IFS in the background supplying and feeding other systems for product and maintenance, Gustafsson says. \u201cKitron is a fast-growing company and we\u2019re trying to have a standardised approach using the \u2018One Kitron\u2019 unified model.\u201d<\/p> \n\n <\/i>Up close and personal<\/h2>\n
Gustafsson is taking practical steps to build intimacy and influence in the IFS ecosystem:| \u201cFirst, we\u2019ve been part of the company advisory board so we\u2019re not just looking a year ahead. And then we have the partner network which is quite well established, so we have access to people with specific competence in the ecosystem that we talk to at partner conferences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, and we know that with the IFS partner ecosystem we can find, if not IFS itself, then a network partner operating at a certain level, with local domain knowledge in any area.\u201d<\/p>\n
That level of intimacy is proving of value as Kitron upgrades to the latest IFS software offerings. \u201cWe are in the process of upgrading to the latest generation of IFS Cloud<\/a> but we\u2019re using the functionality through mobile devices and we\u2019re not being locked down to a PC or whatever other fixed device,\u201d Gustafsson says.<\/p>\n Cloud would appear to be a good fit for a company with wide geographic spread and ambitions to scale. \u201cWe have a lot of global support functions, sourcing, procurement\u2026and we want to be efficient in what we do,\u201d Gustafsson adds.<\/p>\n
An example of that growth came recently from the defence industry where Kitron recently announced it had picked up a \u20ac16m order for products used in counter-drone systems. <\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Here comes AI<\/h2>\n
Despite their focus on operational excellence and lean manufacturing, Kitron\u2019s IT leaders see value in the ever-changing technology landscape and, inevitably, artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n
\u201cAI and an agentic framework can go from 25% progress and it\u2019s going to learn along the way how to complete a product. We\u2019re seeing a technology shift in utilising AI but [the opportunity and challenge] is not so much about IT but people and change,\u201d Gustafsson says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity is to set the foundation and let it learn along the way. People have to treat it not as an RPA [robotic process automation] flow following rules but as a tool that learns. Kitron has roots that go back into the 1960s with waterfall type of development and we\u2019re moving into a more Agile sort of development. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we get people working as efficiently as possible together with AI instead of performing repetitive manual tasks? How do you scale without having to hire? It\u2019s very important that people are interested and enjoying it. People have to get on board to be successful as we\u2019re in a world constantly changing and we have to learn, learn, learn. But before starting to hand out information to LLMs [large language models], we are relying on our security framework and keeping safety first when it comes to data.\u201d<\/p>\n
AI will doubtless change EMS just as it will change everything but Kitron ultimately wants to keep its feet on the ground and outperform on operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a manufacturing company and that\u2019s where we\u2019re making our money,\u201d Gustafsson says. \u201cStable and efficient operations \u2013 that\u2019s what\u2019s paying our salary and that\u2019s what I tell my staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n \n Read more about IFS<\/h3> \n \n - IFS exec: Moving to cloud creates sustainability benefits<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- IFS Cloud bolsters ESG reporting, reverse supply chains<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- What to expect from IFS Industrial X Unleashed<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- IFS doubles down on industry specificity for cloud platform<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- IFS ups its industrial AI, sustainability capabilities<\/a>.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","description":"Norway-headquartered Kitron Group is on a growth path and relies on local-market nous and partners","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/ERP-Industrie.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/feature\/Scandinavias-Kitron-leans-into-AI-but-depends-on-ERP-and-local-links-to-keep-electronics-production","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:32:00 GMT","title":"Scandinavia\u2019s Kitron leans into AI but depends on ERP and local links to keep electronics production"},{"body":"
The National Federation of Subpostmasters (NFSP) was hit by a ransomware attack after a bug was exploited in its web hosting provider\u2019s software.<\/p> \n
The attack is still causing technical problems, with emails between the Post Office and the NFSP \u201cpaused\u201d, said the Post Office.<\/p> \n
The NFSP was targeted on 30 April, days after a bug in software from web hosting company cPanel was discovered and exploited by hackers.<\/p> \n
The affected software, the cPanel web\u2011based hosting control panel, is used to manage servers and websites. In April, the provider released a security advisory to address a critical vulnerability<\/a> affecting its software.<\/p> \n\u201cThe cPanel attack resulted in our website having a ransomware attack, with the attackers making demands for release of our files,\u201d said NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow. He said the ransomware attack has been reported to the Information Commissioner\u2019s Office (ICO), adding that his IT team had confirmed that no data was lost during the attack. He told Computer Weekly he has just received a report on the issue and is \u201cstill trying to get to the bottom of it\u201d.<\/p> \n
Ransomware is malware that locks and encrypts a victim\u2019s data, files, devices or systems, rendering them inaccessible and unusable until the attacker receives a ransom payment.<\/p> \n
According to reports<\/a>, tens of thousands of servers were likely compromised as a result of the cPanel vulnerability.<\/p> \nComputer Weekly learned of the ransomware attack on the NFSP after staff received warnings from the Post Office that a security issue was affecting emails to and from the federation.<\/p> \n
The Post Office\u2019s chief information security officer (CISO) wrote to staff, warning them of a security issue affecting the NFSP that has forced it to pause emails.<\/p> \n
A Post Office spokesperson told Computer Weekly: \u201cFollowing a recent security incident experienced by an external supplier, we have taken the precaution of temporarily suspending some interactions and integrations between the Post Office and the affected supplier. The Post Office is managing the incident in accordance with its cyber security incident management processes and is working with the impacted party.\u201d<\/p> \n
The spokesperson added that branch operations are not impacted, and that no compromise of Post Office networks or applications has been identified.<\/p> \n
In his initial correspondence with staff on 22 May, CISO Neil Bennett wrote: \u201cFollowing a recent security issue involving an external organisation, we have taken the precaution of temporarily pausing inbound and outbound email between the Post Office and [NFSP].<\/p> \n
He said emails sent to @nfsp.org.uk will not be delivered and senders won\u2019t receive an automatic bounceback. He added that emails from @nfsp.org.uk will not reach the inbox during this period.<\/p> \n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t email @nfsp.org.uk addresses until further notice,\u201d he wrote.<\/p> \n
Bennett warned staff not to try to work around the pause via insecure means of electronic communication, such as personal email, text or WhatsApp.<\/p> \n
\u201cIf required, you may engage in telephone calls with NFSP stakeholders, but please ensure you validate their identity before discussing anything potentially sensitive, such as turning on cameras,\u201d he advised.<\/p> \n
In an update on 2 June, Bennett said the issue remains ongoing and that there has been no change to prior guidance.<\/p> \n
\n \n Read more about ransomware<\/h3> \n \n - Analysis of a form of ransomware called Vect has uncovered a serious flaw that breaks its core functionality and turns it from a locker to a wiper<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- Ransomware exponents can target identity, bypassing technical defences. Boards should prioritise identity security, align investments and embed cyber risk in governance<\/a>.<\/li> \n
- Ransomware-as-a-service operations are increasingly seeking to forge connections with employees, contractors and trusted partners of their target organisations as an alternative to straight-up hacking, says NCC<\/a>.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","description":"National Federation of Subpostmasters suffered a ransomware attack in April after hackers exploited a bug in the web hosting software it uses","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/Ransomware_hero.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643958\/Subpostmaster-federation-hit-by-ransomware-attack","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:10:00 GMT","title":"Subpostmaster federation hit by ransomware attack"},{"body":"
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in tax administration worldwide. What began with the introduction of VAT across several Gulf states has evolved into a broader push towards digital tax compliance, driven by e-invoicing<\/a> mandates, corporate taxation and increasingly sophisticated regulatory oversight.<\/p> \nFor organisations operating across the region, compliance is no longer a periodic exercise conducted at the end of a reporting cycle. Instead, governments are moving towards real-time or near real-time monitoring of business transactions, fundamentally changing how tax obligations are managed.<\/p> \n
Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the region\u2019s pioneers through its Fatoora e-invoicing platform, while the UAE is preparing to introduce its Decentralised Continuous Transaction Control and Exchange (DCTCE) framework as part of its own e-invoicing roadmap. Similar initiatives are expected to expand across other GCC markets as governments continue investing in digital public infrastructure and revenue collection capabilities.<\/p> \n
\u201cSaudi Arabia\u2019s Fatoora system is among the most advanced continuous transaction control regimes anywhere in the world,\u201d said Jay Riche, CEO of Dariba Technologies. \u201cThe UAE\u2019s incoming DCTCE framework is distinct from almost anything operating at scale in North America or Europe. These are not adaptations of legacy models but redesigns of the compliance relationship itself.\u201d<\/p> \n\n <\/i>From periodic reporting to continuous compliance<\/h2>\n
Historically, tax compliance has centred on periodic reporting cycles, allowing organisations to identify and correct errors before submitting returns to tax authorities. Continuous transaction control (CTC) models change that dynamic by requiring invoice data and transaction details to be validated electronically in real time.<\/p>\n
This shift places greater emphasis on the quality and structure of enterprise data, particularly within enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.<\/p>\n
Industry experts argue that many organisations underestimate the operational challenges involved in meeting new e-invoicing requirements. Beyond generating electronic invoices, businesses must ensure that transaction data is accurate, consistent and aligned with evolving technical specifications issued by regulators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is not how to manage compliance more efficiently,\u201d said Riche. \u201cIt is how to make continuous compliance structurally inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
To address these requirements, many organisations are embedding tax logic directly within financial and operational systems rather than relying on downstream compliance processes. This approach enables tax validation to occur at the point of transaction, reducing the risk of errors and improving audit readiness.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Data becomes a strategic asset<\/h2>\n
The expansion of digital tax regimes is also increasing the strategic value of tax-related data. The UAE\u2019s introduction of corporate income tax in 2023, combined with the planned roll-out of e-invoicing from 2027, is expected to create new opportunities for both regulators and businesses to analyse financial information with unprecedented detail.<\/p>\n
As tax authorities gain access to structured transaction data, compliance activities are likely to become increasingly data driven. At the same time, organisations that can leverage the same information internally may gain valuable insights into operational performance, tax planning and risk management.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest near-term impact in the GCC is at the intersection of e-invoicing and corporate tax,\u201d said Riche. \u201cCompanies that leverage that data for their own planning, rather than simply producing it for the authority, will have a genuine competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to play a larger role in this environment. Suppliers and tax teams are exploring the use of AI for regulatory monitoring, transaction analysis, anomaly detection and audit risk assessment.<\/p>\n
Businesses operating across multiple Gulf countries must navigate different reporting obligations, technical standards and data localisation requirements. This complexity is creating demand for specialist technology providers that can help organisations interpret regulations and configure systems accordingly.<\/p>\n
According to Riche, one of the key challenges lies in keeping pace with rapidly evolving guidance from authorities such as Saudi Arabia\u2019s Zatca and the UAE\u2019s Federal Tax Authority (FTA).<\/p>\n
\u201cGlobal vendors understand the mandate but often underestimate what it demands operationally, the field-level data requirements, the ERP configuration discipline and the pace at which technical specifications evolve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As tax processes become increasingly digital, organisations are also paying closer attention to data security and sovereignty. Tax records contain highly sensitive financial information, and regulators across the GCC are introducing rules governing where data can be stored and processed. These requirements can vary significantly between jurisdictions, creating additional complexity for multinational organisations.<\/p>\n
Experts say businesses should avoid assuming that a single cloud deployment model will satisfy regulatory requirements across the region. Instead, compliance strategies increasingly need to account for local data residency obligations, auditability and transparency around AI-driven decision-making processes.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, industry observers expect tax authorities across the GCC to continue expanding their use of analytics, automation and digital oversight tools.<\/p>\n
The longer-term vision extends beyond electronic invoicing towards fully interconnected compliance ecosystems capable of analysing transactions, tax filings and corporate disclosures in near real time. Some experts also anticipate greater cooperation and data sharing between tax authorities across the region, potentially increasing visibility into cross-border business activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe companies that treat tax data as a strategic asset, and not simply a compliance obligation, will find it a genuine competitive advantage,\u201d said Riche. <\/p>\n
\n \n Read more about tech in the Middle East<\/h3> \n \n - Resilience under pressure \u2013 how regional conflict is reshaping the Middle East tech strategy<\/a>: From AWS outages in the UAE to stronger focus on data control and cyber security, tech leaders say the Israel-US-Iran conflict is challenging, but not stopping the region\u2019s digital goals.<\/li> \n
- Middle East tech trends 2026 \u2013 AI, cyber security and sovereign infrastructure take centre stage<\/a>: As artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to production and cyber threats escalate, the Middle East is entering a decisive phase of digital transformation, says Omdia chief analyst Trevor Clarke.<\/li> \n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","description":"As Gulf governments accelerate tax digitisation initiatives, organisations face growing pressure to modernise financial systems, improve data quality and prepare for a future of continuous compliance","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/paperwork-calculator-finance-miss-irine-adobe.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643877\/E-invoicing-and-digital-tax-compliance-reshape-the-GCC-regulatory-landscape","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:38:00 GMT","title":"E-invoicing and digital tax compliance reshape the GCC regulatory landscape"},{"body":"
Back in 2024, research at Harvey Nash found that just over 10% of businesses already had or were planning to appoint a Chief AI Officer<\/a> (CAIO). This was an exciting development \u2013 but would it last, or would AI roles perhaps become subsumed into existing tech leadership briefs such as CIO, CTO, CDO as AI became business as usual?<\/p> \n A couple of years later, the answer is clear: it is here to stay \u2013 and it\u2019s spreading fast. We see this ourselves in the mandates we work on with clients who are increasingly looking to appoint senior postholders with direct responsibility for AI. Of course, the job title for this may not be CAIO specifically \u2013 there are a host of titles emerging such as Head of AI, Chief AI Scientist, AI Transformation Officer, Responsible AI Director and more.<\/p> \n\n <\/i> Sector hotspots<\/h2>\n
These appointments are especially prominent in financial services where organisations are generally advanced in their technology systems and data platforms, and where AI is a natural fit with the tech-enabled operating models of digital banking. HSBC has recently announced the appointment of a CAIO<\/a>, for example, while NatWest<\/a> appointed a Chief AI Research Officer last year.<\/p>\n Senior AI roles are also widespread in highly regulated sectors such as energy, where there is a particular focus on ensuring there is strong governance over the deployment of AI, managing the risks and maintaining compliance with data privacy and security rules. Other sectors where AI is really on the march include legal, accountancy and consultancy. The Big Four firms, for example, have CAIOs or equivalent and are driving significant efforts to integrate AI into both internal ways of working and solutions for clients. Graduate recruitment has reportedly dropped as AI begins to do more and more analytical work.<\/p>\n
In general terms, it is the large FTSE and Fortune enterprises where AI roles are proliferating. At the mid-market level, it is more likely that the CIO or equivalent retains the lead on AI, perhaps with the appointment of a role a level below to lead on data, automation and the factors that lay the foundations for AI. The reality, after all, is that many organisations are still a long way from being AI-ready: there is still a considerable amount of modernisation and digitisation that needs to happen first.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the CAIO role is rapidly reaching into more and more businesses. Indeed, an eye-catching piece of research from IBM<\/a> finds that as many as three-quarters of organisations (76%) now have a CAIO or equivalent, a huge jump from 26% in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>Qualities of a CAIO<\/h2>\n
So what are the skills and attributes of this new generation of CAIOs? Needless to say, a strong track record in and passion for technology comes with the territory. Many postholders have a CTO type background. But they are not merely \u2018techies\u2019 excited by the inner workings of an LLM. We have in fact seen quite a marked evolution of the CAIO role over the last couple of years. In the early days, they were often positioned as \u2018evangelists\u2019 whose function was in essence to raise awareness of AI, spread the word, and prepare the way for adoption. Now, as AI has matured and agentic deployment is the buzzword, the CAIO role has become much more about \u2018doing\u2019: commercially credible leaders who are driving ROI, engaging with boardrooms, managing enterprise change, reshaping operating models and managing governance and risk controls too.<\/p>\n
It is not an overstatement to say that there is now a new, fixed career path for technology professionals to aspire to: the CAIO position is becoming a career goal for many, alongside the traditional targets of CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO etc. The role may sit slightly below the CIO and CTO in terms of seniority and remuneration, but it is becoming an established feature of the tech leadership org chart.<\/p>\n
In some ways, this reflects the wider reality that tech roles are always evolving. Another post on the rise, for example, is Chief Product Officer (CPO). We are seeing this especially in fintech organisations where products need a tech solution for their channels to market. We are even seeing the appointment of some Chief Product and Technology Officers (CPTO) as a result. <\/p>\n<\/section> \n\n <\/i>CAIO here to stay<\/h2>\n
Looking ahead, we expect the ubiquity of the CAIO to only increase. AI is the fastest moving market we have ever seen. The pace of development is incredible, so that organisations need to constantly check themselves, via a CAIO or equivalent, against key questions such as: Do we have the best utilisation possible? Are we keeping up with our competitors? Are we governing this appropriately and managing the risks?<\/p>\n
This brings us back to the business as usual (BAU) question at the start. With AI moving so fast, it feels like it will never just be BAU. How could it be, when AI never stands still? For that reason, a CAIO or equivalent feels like a necessity for more and more organisations. Say \u2018ciao\u2019 to the CAIO therefore \u2013 they\u2019re spreading and are here to stay.<\/p>\n
Kirsteen Bell and Peter Birch are Directors of technology & digital executive search at Harvey Nash<\/i> <\/p>\n<\/section>","description":"Chief AI Officers are proliferating as organisations look to deploy agentic AI, make a return on investment, and meet their governance obligations.","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Artificial_intelligence_AI.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/opinion\/The-unstoppable-rise-of-the-Chief-AI-Officer","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:20:00 GMT","title":"The unstoppable rise of the Chief AI Officer \u00a0"},{"body":"
An artificial intelligence (AI) agent developed by Microsoft has been credited with helping it half the projected time it thinks it will need to develop a commercially viable quantum computer<\/a>.<\/p> \nDuring the company\u2019s annual Build 2026 software developer conference, Microsoft showcased how its Discovery agentic AI tool has enabled it to improve the quality of qubits in its next quantum chip, Majorana 2.<\/p> \n
Using Discovery, which has been designed to speed the scientific process and accelerate collaboration, Microsoft\u2019s quantum team said the chip\u2019s qubits can maintain their quantum state 1,000 times longer than its first-generation hardware, enabling more reliable computation. Majorana 2 offers a mean qubit lifetime of 20 seconds, with some instances lasting as long as one minute. <\/p> \n
The research team has focused on developing topological qubits, which it said offer inherently low error rates, small size and digital control. The Microsoft researchers said they have improved Majorana 1\u2019s material stack<\/a> to create a more stable topological phase.<\/p> \nMajorana 2 replaces Majorana 1\u2019s superconductor, aluminium, with lead, and also updates the semiconductor active region to a combination of indium arsenide and indium arsenide antimonide. According to Microsoft, this change in materials results in significant increases in performance.<\/p> \n
The researchers said the topological gap, which protects the topological qubits from environmental noise and errors, is more than double that of the previous quantum processor.<\/p> \n
According to Microsoft, the improvement in reliability, speed and small qubit size have put the team on a path to achieve a scalable quantum computer that is commercially viable by 2029.<\/p> \n
\n
A survey conducted by analyst Gartner of 350 respondents in organisations that are more advanced in their use of AI agents and intelligent automation, reported that 80% had seen some degree of job cuts<\/a> following their implementation of AI.<\/p> \n Discussing the survey with Computer Weekly, Gartner distinguished vice president analyst, Helen Poitevin<\/a> says: \u201cThere are job cuts, but if you're getting more ROI (return on investment), you're actually not cutting more jobs.\u201d <\/p> \n Poitevin does not believe reducing headcount to fund AI investment is a viable strategy long-term. She says: \u201cThe belief is there that if we invest in this technology, we somehow have to make the trade-off by decreasing spend on personnel or decreasing spending on headcount. But what our research shows is while that may help cash balances in the short term, in the long term, the real ROI - those organisations who are getting the most benefit from AI - actually heavily invest in people.\u201d <\/p> \n According to Poitevin, such organisations are much more likely to be building new skills, creating roles for orchestrating agents, and more likely to be mapping out career paths for their people moving forward. \u201cWhat we see is that it's actually short-sighted only thinking about headcount as the form of value instead of thinking much more broadly about value,\u201d she says. <\/p> \n Poitevin believes that trying to emulate the tech giants, which are making big job<\/a> cuts as part of their long-term AI strategy, is not the right approach. \u201cThey are going after new forms of value where AI is a core part of their business, and the trade-offs they're making is that they believe it's just about productivity and headcount,\u201d she says. For Poitevin, reducing headcount has a detrimental effect on business in the long run. <\/p> \n Some people will argue that AI is taking away junior roles, such as in software develoment, which reduces the opportunity for people to gain job-related experience early on in their careers. Poitevin says: \u201cThis is another case of shortsightedness.\u201d Rather than believing that AI will essentially replace these people, she says businesses need to consider what tasks go away, and which ones remains when AI is deployed in certain job roles. <\/p> \n For instance, in software development, a measure of success is how quickly can code be produced to deliver the outcome the business requires, <\/p> \n If AI accelerates the organisation's ability to get from a problem to a solution, as Poitevin notes, this means the software development team is able to tackle more problems. From an IT leadership perspectibve, she says: \u201cThose who are creatively looking forward to how they build their future with software are definitely doubling down on making sure they have the talent pipeline to enable them to build up junior software engineers so that they go more quickly from the business problem to the software solution. \u201cIt's a bit of a Jevons paradox and it'll actually create more demand,\u201d she adds. In other words, the more efficient a business gets at developing the software it needs, the cheaper producing software becomes. \"So you get more efficient at solving problems with software, which means there's more demand, and therefore more demand for the people who can do that kind of work,\u201d she adds.<\/p>","description":"We speak to Gartner analyst Helen Poitevin about why business leaders should not use AI to reduce headcount","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/podcast\/Why-AI-wont-cut-jobs-A-Computer-Weekly-Downtime-upload-podcast","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:29:00 GMT","title":"Why AI won\u2019t cut jobs: A Computer Weekly Downtime upload podcast"},{"body":" Online publishers and news organisations will now be able to prevent Google from using their content to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, or from appearing in the company\u2019s AI search summaries, the UK\u2019s competition watchdog has announced.<\/p> \n In October 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) classified Google search and search advertising<\/a> with strategic market status (SMS), a designation that enables it to consider proportionate, targeted interventions to ensure that general search services are open to effective competition.<\/p> \n Following a consultation<\/a> on potential digital market fairness measures launched in January 2026, the CMA has now introduced conduct requirements to give publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content.<\/p> \n This includes requiring Google to provide \u201ceffective tools\u201d that allow publishers to prevent their content being used in the company\u2019s AI features, and allowing publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the \u201cfine-tuning\u201d of AI models.<\/p> \n Google must now ensure that publisher content is properly attributed, with clear links displayed in AI\u2011generated search results. The measures follow complaints from media and civil society organisations that publishers have experienced a drop in click-through traffic to their sites since Google started placing AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Until now, websites were unable to opt out of their content being scraped for AI overviews without also withdrawing from appearing in traditional Google search results.<\/p> \n \u201cToday, we have introduced a world\u2011first requirement on Google\u2019s search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers,\u201d said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.<\/p> \n \u201cWith features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them.\u201d<\/p> \n The watchdog added while these new requirements are expected to \u201cput publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google\u201d, it will take an \u201cactive role\u201d in overseeing how Google implements the measures.<\/p> \n \u201c[Google] will have nine months to implement all changes but the CMA expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline,\u201d said the CMA in a blogpost announcing the measures. <\/p> \n \u201cGoogle will also be required to submit and publish compliance reports, supported by key data and metrics, explaining changes it has made and how it has complied. These are due every six months for the first year, after which the CMA will review the frequency of reporting.\u201d<\/p> \n Google has said it would start testing a new control from Wednesday on a subset of UK-based media sites, allowing owners to manage how their links and content appear in its AI search features, with the aim of rolling the controls out globally.<\/p> \n A study<\/a> by search engine optimisation platform Authoritas from July 2025 previously found that a site ranked first in a search result could lose around 79% of its traffic if it was listed below an AI overview.<\/p> \n However, a Google spokesperson at the time said in a statement that the study was \u201cinaccurate and based on flawed assumptions and analysis\u201d, using outdated estimations and a set of searches that did not represent all the queries that would generate traffic for news websites.<\/p> \n A further study run by the Pew Research Center also showed a big hit to referral traffic from Google AI Overviews, with a month-long survey of almost 69,000 Google searches revealing that users only clicked a link under an AI summary once every 100 times.<\/p> \n A Google spokesperson said that study also used \u201cflawed methodology and skewed queryset that is not representative of search traffic\u201d.<\/p> \n In a blogpost<\/a> published on 3 June 2026, Google said it was engaging with regulators such as the CMA \u201cto ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve\u201d.<\/p> \n Blog author Mrinalini Loew, the general manager at Google Search Ecosystem, added the company will begin testing a new tool allowing website owners to manage how their links and content appear in its AI search features, such as AI overviews and AI mode.<\/p> \n \u201cWe are beginning to roll these features out to a subset of website owners in the UK, allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally,\u201d she said, adding that the controls will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside the generative AI search features.<\/p> \n Responding to the CMA announcement, tech-focused civil society group Foxglove said although it welcomes the regulator new measures, it is concerned that implementation needs to be faster to end ongoing damage to the news industry. It added further action may be needed to ensure effective scrutiny of Google\u2019s compliance. <\/p> \n \u201cWe\u2019re delighted that the CMA is finally standing up to Google\u2019s theft of journalists\u2019 work,\u201d said Foxglove\u2019s co-executive director Rosa Curling, who added the group has been urging them to do this for the past year.<\/p> \n \u201cGoogle\u2019s AI Overviews are a threat not only to an independent news industry, but to an informed democracy. Google\u2019s AI Overviews don\u2019t only take others\u2019 work without payment. They also make it harder for journalists to directly reach their audience \u2013 threatening their survival. Without independent journalism, it becomes far harder to hold powerful governments and corporations to account. <\/p> \n \u201cUntil now, the only way to stop Google stealing your work was to opt out from being visible at all in Google search. With Google controlling 90% of search, this was akin to removing yourself from the internet.\u201d<\/p> \n She added that there are concerns that Google may still be able to \u201cwriggle out\u201d of the obligations imposed by the CMA: \u201cThe measures would allow it to mark its own homework, rather than being subject to rigorous, independent audit. The timeframe is too generous \u2013 there is no reason to give Google nine months to put a stop to the terrible harm it is causing \u2013 which it has, itself, been aware of for years. <\/p> \n \u201cThe CMA must watch Google like a hawk \u2013 both to ensure compliance with these measures, and to act urgently on any harm resulting from its new proposals around new AI features and agents in search.\u201d <\/p> \n Clare Hickie, chief technology officer (CTO) for EMEA at Workday<\/a>, sits in the Customer Experience Centre in the technology firm\u2019s European headquarters in Dublin and reflects on the characteristics that have helped her to succeed during her digital leadership career.<\/p> \n \u201cI\u2019m a change maker; I was born as one,\u201d she says. \u201cThe most important thing for me is that I\u2019ve always got a pragmatic understanding of what needs to happen and how it\u2019s happening, and that\u2019s the only way that I can help our customers move forward.\u201d<\/p> \n That\u2019s certainly Hickie\u2019s priority at Workday, where she\u2019s helping the cloud-based HR specialist to stay competitive in the age of AI. As Computer Weekly discovered during a recent innovation media event in Dublin, Workday is developing a range of data-rich and agentic services<\/a> to help CIOs and other business executives embrace digital change \u2013 and Hickie relishes the opportunity to help other executives gain the benefits.<\/p> \n \u201cI genuinely believe I\u2019ve got the best job in Workday. It\u2019s an incredible role to be able to help our customers get the most from their investments, but equally to inspire our potential customers or prospects on their journey in terms of choosing Workday as the right partner for change,\u201d she says.<\/p> \n \u201cI\u2019m in the very fortunate position to be able to do that every day and to inspire, motivate and have the hard conversations. We\u2019re very candid in our roles. To have these strong conversations with CIOs is an incredible job to have.\u201d<\/p> \n Hickie joined Workday as regional CIO in June 2018 and was promoted to EMEA CTO in June 2021. Before joining the firm, she spent 15 years at multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GSK, latterly as global head of IT HR services.<\/p>\n It was during her time with GSK that Hickie became exposed to Workday. She says the pharma giant started working with the software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist<\/a> in 2011. GSK was an early Workday customer, particularly from European organisations. The business was eager to standardise services across 135 countries and 120,000 employees by working with a trusted transformation partner \u2013 and Workday proved a good fit.<\/p>\n \u201cI was asked to lead that project from an IT perspective, and it was new technology,\u201d she says. \u201cAt the time, it was one of the first big SaaS services to come in, because we were very much running on legacy infrastructure and architecture. After leading the implementation project, I went on to set up everything from a shared services perspective and to lead the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n Hickie reflects positively on her time with GSK: \u201cI had a tremendous career at GSK that was very diverse and gave me a huge amount of development opportunities along my own career path. But once I got involved in this technology project, I thought the service Workday offered was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hickie says she didn\u2019t expect to join Workday during her time implementing the firm\u2019s technology at GSK, her interactions with the company left a good feeling. When the opportunity to join Workday came, she already had first-hand knowledge of its services. As a values-driven professional, she says the company\u2019s people and its approach to business chimed with her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s interesting, because a lot of people thought at the time that it was a bold move, especially leaving a company like GSK. But from the day I joined Workday, I\u2019ve never looked back. GSK is still a major Workday customer. I\u2019ve got huge admiration for GSK and everything it stands for in healthcare. But for me, at the time, I made the right decision,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never stopped developing \u2013 in my entire career and at Workday. As a digital leader, you\u2019re at the heart and soul of innovation and development as it occurs, and you\u2019re looking forward to what could happen next. To me, Workday is a great place to work, with super colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n Hickie says what\u2019s clear from her CV is that she likes to get stuck into the business and develop new capabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a very loyal employee, as you can tell through my timeline,\u201d she says. \u201cI was at GSK for 15 years, and I\u2019m now entering my eighth year at Workday. Even though I was at GSK for a long time, I had nine different roles as I developed my career.\u201d<\/p>\n During her time at Workday, Hickie has moved from a more internal-facing position as CIO to an external-facing role as CTO. In her current role, which she assumed as the business emerged from the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, she reports to global CTO Joe Wilson. Each major region in Workday has a CTO.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a digital leader, you\u2019re at the heart and soul of innovation and development as it occurs, and you\u2019re looking forward to what could happen next\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p> \n Claire Hickie, Workday<\/span><\/em><\/p> \n <\/blockquote>\n Internal technology at Workday takes a centralised approach and is led by CIO Rani Johnson, based in the company\u2019s US headquarters in Pleasanton. While technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in modern business operations, Hickie says decisions on the strategic direction of travel and implementation of services don\u2019t have to take place at the local level.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a necessity for an organisation like Workday,\u201d she says. \u201cLike many organisations that are built out at a global level, we\u2019ve got our own technology stack, which involves more than just Workday. We\u2019re also Workday\u2019s first customer, and we\u2019ve got everything bedded down for the applications and technology that\u2019s available.\u201d<\/p>\n While decisions about technology strategy are taken at the global level, Hickie says local teams bed systems down and manage their own IT infrastructure, whether that\u2019s in EMEA, Asia-Pacific or North America. She says the technology stack is supported around the clock, with systems and services swapped in and out due to business requirements.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a company, we don\u2019t need to make different decisions to support the regions. There are certainly areas that could operate slightly differently, but that variability is more about culture, languages and geographical locations, not at a technology level,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe come into work and we know exactly what we\u2019re operating on. The stack runs really well in our enterprise. We\u2019ve got escalation lines when something doesn\u2019t happen correctly, but we\u2019re pretty slim in how we operate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n While Hickie\u2019s role is more externally than internally facing, she still has to keep a watchful eye on technology developments behind the enterprise firewall. A strong awareness of Workday\u2019s innovative activities makes it easier to work with CIOs and other customers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about working with the product teams and understanding requirements from a technology perspective,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have to understand the architecture, the infrastructure and then be able to communicate those capabilities out as an external perspective. Equally, we always need to understand the roadmap and what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Hickie says Workday benefits from having access to a big network of customers and potential clients. Interacting regularly with these outsiders gives Workday\u2019s insiders a sense of the challenges that CIOs face and the product innovations they require.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of my role is having one-to-one conversations with CIOs and CTOs,\u201d she says. \u201cWe also work with digital leaders in large forums. I was in London this week with 120 CIOs, including some who were customers and some who were not. We also bring a lot of our customers into Workday to have these conversations and understand their challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Hickie says her biggest achievement since becoming CTO is helping some of the firm\u2019s key customers get the most bang for their buck. As one of the most senior executives in the business, she also serves on the board of directors for the Workday Ltd subsidiary, suggesting that another main focus area is supporting women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Workday was named STEM Employer of the Year at the 2025 Women in STEM Awards in Dublin last October for the second consecutive year. Hickie also leads Women@Workday, an employee belonging council that creates mentoring circles, encourages shared learning, and opens new opportunities for professionals to develop.<\/p>\n \u201cA big achievement for me is to see how diverse we continue to be and that we\u2019re shining a light in terms of encouraging young females into technology,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the staff who are here at Workday, we\u2019re mentoring and coaching them every day in terms of this technology sector, which can be a tough place to work but also provides an incredible career.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section> \n Hickie recognises that the IT profession is undergoing fundamental changes due to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). It\u2019s a transformation that\u2019s taking place in Workday and externally, as the company rolls out new agentic AI services to its customers.<\/p>\n At the event in Dublin, her senior executive colleagues discussed the company\u2019s product roadmap and the introduction of agents that the firm hopes will remove repetitive tasks from human resources, finance and other business functions. Hickie says the human remains very much in the loop, even in an era of agentic AI and increased automation.<\/p>\n \u201cSkills become absolutely imperative,\u201d she says. \u201cOur unique capabilities are becoming the foundation of how we operate as people in our job roles and functions. Emerging technology brings change, but it also brings flexibility, as the enabler of new and interesting career paths.\u201d<\/p>\n Hickie suggests that many organisations are eager to take a two-phased approach to AI \u2013 they want to boost productivity through automation, but they also want to retain their talent. While some industry experts worry that the introduction of emerging technology could lead to a jobs apocalypse, Hickie is more optimistic.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of dealing with our customers every day, we\u2019re often asked how we see other organisations are managing those changes,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting, because as businesses have continued to grow and be successful, we\u2019re seeing that other skills are literally being created every single day. And you can only see that trajectory accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n A property sector initiative to introduce a digital identity scheme is being scrapped due to concerns over UK government policy and a lack of consumer benefits.<\/p> \n Organisers of the scheme have informed Whitehall departments backing the plan, along with regulators and industry bodies, that they are withdrawing support for the implementation of a standard digital ID into the property sector.<\/p> \n The MyIdentity initiative aimed to allow home buyers and sellers to prove their identity once, instead of having to do so multiple times. This information would then be shared with other parties, such as estate agents, mortgage providers, solicitors and conveyancers, within a government-approved digital identity trust framework<\/a>.<\/p> \n A pilot in 2021\/2022<\/a> was backed by funding from Innovate UK and supported at the time by ministers. However, after what organisers described as \u201crepeated delays and false starts in progressing a coherent identity strategy\u201d, MyIdentity and backers at the Home Builders Federation have advised more than 250 companies in the sector to reconsider any further investment of time and money into digital identity systems \u201cuntil the government sets out clear regulation and legislation, a failure on their part\u201d.<\/p> \n \u201cWe are putting all activity on digital ID in the property sector on hold. We\u2019re not convinced that it will work, as it provides no consumer benefit and, by default, no real sector benefit,\u201d said Stuart Young, managing director of Etive, the company leading the MyIdentity scheme<\/a>.<\/p> \n \u201cThis is not a decision that has been made lightly. Following extensive work over the last year or so, it is clear that the people who work on the coalface of property are not convinced of what government is trying to do. In fact, confidence has dropped dramatically. Plus, the business case just doesn\u2019t seem to be there.\u201d<\/p> \n The government has encouraged industry sectors to set up digital ID schemes as part of its Digital Verification Services Trust Framework<\/a>, established by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The withdrawal of one of the leading schemes will come as a blow to the wider policy to introduce a government-backed digital identity programme across the UK.<\/p> \n Young cited long-term, continued uncertainty over government policy, as far back as Tony Blair\u2019s physical ID card scheme, through the failed Gov.uk Verify programme<\/a>, and up to the mixed messaging and confusion caused by Keir Starmer\u2019s announcement of a mandatory national digital ID scheme and his subsequent U-turn<\/a>.<\/p> \n \u201cAll the same mistakes are being made,\u201d said Young. \u201cWe have told DSIT, the Ministry of Housing, etc about this over the years but they just aren\u2019t interested. I think it is wrong to mislead companies and it was clear to me that [companies] are fed up with more failed initiatives or \u2019not another initiative\u2019. Fatigued is probably the best word to describe how people feel.<\/p> \n \u201cFor the government to try to introduce digital identity, which is only guidance and voluntary, makes it a tough sell for companies that have other shifting business priorities to deal with.\u201d<\/p> \n Currently, home buyers and sellers must complete multiple identity checks during a single transaction, paying repeated fees. Rather than reducing friction, Young says such digital identity processes are increasing both costs and delays.<\/p> \n In a letter to government representatives in April, MyIdentity said: \u201cThe current landscape for customer identity is characterised by significant ambiguity. Divergent and, at times, conflicting perspectives across government and industry have resulted in a lack of clear direction regarding policy, regulatory intent and the permissible scope of private sector activity. This uncertainty is compounded by the absence of definitive guidance on the government\u2019s long-term strategy and mandates in this area.\u201d<\/p> \n A report by MPs on the Home Affairs Committee last month described the government\u2019s launch of its digital ID policy as \u201cnothing short of a fiasco\u201d<\/a> that \u201cundermined what existing public support\u201d there was for digital ID.<\/p> \n Young added: \u201cWe remain hopeful that, over time, the digital identity challenge can be resolved and contribute positively to improving the home buying and selling process. What the industry needs is demonstrable progress, clear leadership and tangible outcomes capable of building market and consumer confidence.\u201d<\/p> \n Computer Weekly has asked DSIT to comment on this story, but had not received a response at the time of publication. <\/p> \n MPs on the Science, Industry and Technology Committee have called for a \u201cperiod of over-correction\u201d to break the cycle of supplier lock-in and foster a domestic UK cloud ecosystem<\/a> through mandatory re-competition and open source standards.<\/p> \n One notable measure recommended in the report \u2013 Rewiring the state: Delivering digital government<\/a><\/em> \u2013 is that the UK government should exercise the break clause with Palantir and the Federated Data Platform (FDP)<\/a> in the NHS and publish a fully costed exit plan by the end of 2026.<\/p> \n Elsewhere, the report highlights a \u201clack of competition\u201d in government cloud spending, which totals about \u00a310bn per year. It cites the March 2026 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) contract with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a primary example of market failure. AWS was the sole bidder for the 10-year, \u00a3472m deal<\/a>, despite concerns over restrictive licensing practices. <\/p> \n Meanwhile, the report recommends the establishment of a unit to monitor and disseminate digital government best practices from the European Union (EU), including how member states encourage the development of sovereign alternatives to incumbent providers. <\/p> \n The report warns that the UK public sector\u2019s heavy reliance on a small group of US-based technology providers<\/a> \u2013 specifically Microsoft, AWS and Palantir \u2013 creates dangerous levels of supplier lock-in and systemic fragility<\/a>.<\/p>\n The committee\u2019s report argues that these dependencies, often driven by proprietary software and complex, opaque contracts, undermine competition, hinder innovation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and expose the government to significant operational risks, including potential data access by the US under the Cloud Act.<\/p>\n To address such vulnerabilities, the committee recommends a comprehensive strategy to achieve \u201ctechnology sovereignty\u201d and that the government should prioritise open source alternatives and mandate that a defined percentage of procurement budgets go to UK-based startups.<\/p>\n Key interventions include exercising the break clause for the NHS FDP, implementing a rigorous cloud consumption dashboard to monitor supplier power, and legally requiring public bodies to favour open standards over proprietary systems to ensure the government retains the ability to make strategic choices independent of dominant incumbents.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n Federated Data Platform:<\/strong> The government should commit to exercising the February 2027 break clause in the Palantir FDP contract and develop an in-house replacement or seek an alternative from UK-owned and UK-based providers, with a fully costed exit plan for the FDP published by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n Data access and transparency:<\/strong> The government must confirm the nature of Palantir\u2019s access to patient data, the statutory basis for this authorisation, when and by whom it was authorised, and whether the information commissioner was consulted.<\/p>\n NHS single patient record<\/strong>: The government should prioritise using UK-owned and UK-based suppliers to develop and implement this<\/a> and award all contracts through open and transparent procurement processes.<\/p>\n Ministry of Defence and Palantir:<\/strong> The government must set out the reasons for awarding a \u00a3240m Ministry of Defence contract to Palantir without a competitive tender process.<\/p>\n The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is a cross-party body of MPs tasked with scrutinising the expenditure, policy and administration of its parent department. Via formal inquiries, it gathers evidence from ministers, officials and experts to produce research-backed reports. While the committee\u2019s findings are not legally binding, they serve as a powerful mechanism for parliamentary oversight and provide ammunition that can hold the government accountable for digital strategy.<\/p> \n The committee\u2019s influence is exercised through mandatory government responses (usually within 60 days), public pressure and the ability to shift the national debate. Even when the government does not adopt specific recommendations, the committee\u2019s oversight can lead to increased transparency, policy adjustments and internal reviews.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Procurement and SMEs:<\/strong> Central departments and public bodies should be required to spend a defined minimum percentage of their technology procurement budgets on products from UK-based and UK-owned startups and SMEs, with quarterly progress updates published.<\/p>\n Ending supplier lock-in:<\/strong> The Government Digital Service (GDS) should produce a strategy to end supplier lock-in, including targets for supplier diversification across departments and public bodies, with quarterly reporting.<\/p>\n Cloud consumption dashboard:<\/strong> The government\u2019s promised cloud dashboard should include a breakdown of contract awards by company, their value, details of break clauses, specific licensing terms, and a value-for-money assessment.<\/p>\n All of Government cloud contract:<\/strong> The government should detail how this contract will prevent supplier lock-in, including its engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and how it will embed a pro-competition approach.<\/p>\n Technology sovereignty strategy:<\/strong> The government should define technology sovereignty. The definition should be reviewed annually, and it should set out how the government intends to support sovereign alternatives to incumbent providers.<\/p>\n Open source in the Procurement Act 2023:<\/strong> The government should use the update to this act to require public sector bodies to prioritise open source tools and technology over proprietary offerings.<\/p>\n Data access contingencies:<\/strong> The government should detail its contingencies for safeguarding citizens\u2019 data should the US trigger data access provisions under the Cloud Act 2018, and share relevant impact assessments.<\/p>\n Monitor EU digital government initiatives:<\/strong> As part of the government\u2019s \u201cwider reset\u201d in relations with the EU, DSIT should establish a unit to monitor and disseminate digital government best practice from, with a remit to engage with European Commission and member state-level bodies, in particular to focus on how the EU and member states develop sovereign alternative providers.<\/p>\n Nicky Stewart, senior advisor to the Open Cloud Coalition, said: \u201cWe agree with the need to reduce vendor lock-in across the public sector and to move towards a system that rewards choice, interoperability and fair competition for all providers.\u201d<\/p> \n Conservative peer Lord Chris Holmes said: \u201cThis is an important report from the committee which the government must consider seriously and respond to. The most important recommendation is to increase competition in the UK cloud market. This is a critical question of resilience. The cloud concentration risk for the UK right now is beyond worrying. It is also a question of economic value and growth for UK business and a key consideration for any serious discussion around sovereign capability and capacity.\u201d<\/p> \n Bill McCluggage, director of IT strategy and policy in the Cabinet Office and deputy government CIO from 2009 to 2012, said: \u201cI applaud the committee\u2019s thoroughness, but we need to be honest about what select committees actually do. They shine a light; they don\u2019t drive change. This is Parliament holding the executive to account, not the government committing to act.<\/p> \n \u201cWith the current political pressures bearing down on the government, economic headwinds, a crowded legislative agenda, and an ever-present lobbying machine from the big tech players, I\u2019d be really surprised if more than a handful of these recommendations make it into policy in any meaningful timeframe. We\u2019ve seen this film before.\u201d<\/p> \n Owen Sayers of Secon Solutions, an enterprise architect with more than 20 years\u2019 experience in delivering national policing systems, said: \u201cIt\u2019s the most radical set of recommendations I\u2019ve seen in any Parliamentary report in 10 years. The title of the report clearly means they are laying out \u2013 or seeking to reset \u2013 government policy.<\/p> \n \u201cI doubt the government can fully ignore it, but some of the measures \u2013 such as following Europe\u2019s lead, which is very sensible right now in technical and compliance\/derisking terms \u2013 might be hard for Whitehall and the government to stomach. Are they brave enough to take the recommendations and work through them to develop a new, more balanced and less US-centric policy? I seriously doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","description":"A Science, Innovation and Technology Committee report contains recommendations that would radically alter UK public sector IT, procurement and relationship with hyperscalers if adopted","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Westminster1-fotolia.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643883\/SIT-Committee-urges-Palantir-exit-in-push-to-end-US-cloud-grip","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:41:00 GMT","title":"SIT Committee urges Palantir exit in push to end US cloud grip"},{"body":" In spite of efforts by the UK government to encourage smaller IT firms to bid for contracts<\/a>, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has signed a multi-year contract with Capgemini<\/a> worth \u00a3500m to deliver contact centre as a service (CCaaS).<\/p> \n Duncan Aitchison, research director at TechMarketView<\/a>, noted that the contract shows the IT service provider\u2019s two-decade-long relationship with HMRC is set to continue for a further 10 years.<\/p> \n Last August, as part of its Enterprise Customer Relationship Management programme, HMRC put out a tender<\/a> for a provider of software as a service (SaaS) customer relationship management to replace its existing system. At the time, HMRC said it would also be tendering for what it called \u201can intelligent client function\u201d along with system and service integrators and supplementary software capabilities.<\/p> \n Capgemini\u2019s role in the contract is support implementation, system design, workflow integration, ongoing support and continuous optimisation to enable greater adaptability.<\/p> \n To achieve this, it will be working in collaboration with Nice<\/a>, a provider of CCaaS, and Route 101, a Nice implementation partner. The overall goal is to deliver a system that expands self-service options and uses technologies such as AI to make it easier for customers to get the information and support they need.<\/p> \n Nice is categorised as a leader in Gartner\u2019s Magic quadrant for contact center as a service<\/em> report, where other companies in the top quadrant include Genesys, Amazon Web Services, Five9 and Talkdesk.<\/p> \n In the report, Gartner noted that its clients are increasingly voicing frustration regarding Nice\u2019s AI project deployment times, which, according to Gartner\u2019s analysis, often exceed initial expectations. \u201cClients considering deploying Nice AI capabilities should work closely with their account team to validate the proposed functionality, availability of deployment resources and readiness of their own data environment to meet deployment commitments,\u201d the analyst warned.<\/p> \n HMRC has recognised the need to make its contact centre more streamlined. In February 2025, the National Audit Office reported<\/a> that HMRC spent \u00a34.3bn between 2023 and 2024 to collect \u00a3829bn of tax.<\/p> \n According to the HMRC, the new system is cloud-native, and will deliver improved operations and efficiency gains to meet key outcomes including enhanced digital experiences, smarter automation, and more seamless customer interactions.<\/p> \n Seamless customer interaction is something businesses have asked for. The Chartered Institute of Taxation\u2019s survey of members found that the inefficiency of HMRC is causing problems in businesses. Technical officer Lindsay Scott said: \u201cOur survey highlighted examples of prolonged and difficult interactions with HMRC customer services to ask for HMRC errors to be corrected. The introduction of a complex cases service could help to provide an avenue for resolution of these difficult cases, reducing costs and the negative impact that these errors have on taxpayers and their businesses.\u201d<\/p> \n The contract, which is set to begin in August, will see HMRC use the Nice CXone AI-powered customer experience platform, deployed on a purpose-built UK sovereign cloud, to orchestrate intelligent self-service. HMRC said the platform will enable it to streamline complex citizen journeys, and empower contact centre operations with real-time, AI-driven insights while supporting strict compliance with UK data security requirements.<\/p> \n Rob Walker, managing director at Capgemini in the UK, said: \u201cThis new agreement reflects the strength of our long-standing commitment to HMRC innovation and our ability to deliver complex, large-scale, AI-powered transformation programmes that create tangible value for citizens. In collaboration with HMRC, Nice and Route 101, we are building a value partnership that goes beyond technology delivery \u2013 one that is focused on long-term outcomes, innovation and continuous improvement for millions of users across the UK.\u201d<\/p> \n In May, HMRC signed a 10-year, \u00a3175m contract with Quantexa, which provides a data unification platform to support the modernisation of HMRC\u2019s core data infrastructure. According to Quantexa, this will give HMRC a clearer, connected view of its data to improve performance, help identify tax at risk, and strengthen control. It also lays the groundwork for advanced AI capabilities and supports wider transformation efforts such as more seamless customer service. <\/p>","description":"This particular deal is for contact centre as a service, which sees artificial intelligence being deployed to streamline processes","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/call-centre-headphone-2-adobe.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643880\/Capgemini-wins-another-10-year-HMRC-deal","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:45:00 GMT","title":"Capgemini wins another 10-year HMRC deal"},{"body":" \u201cYou\u2019ll never see a product with our logo\u2026we\u2019re what our customers want us to be,\u201d says Jonatan Gustafsson, business applications manager at Kitron<\/a> Group, a leading Scandinavian electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company that\u2019s headquartered in Asker, Norway.<\/p> \n Kitron works across the value chain of electronics from design and development through to manufacturing, service and upgrades. It may not be a marquee name outside its domain, but Kitron has scale and breadth. It reported around \u20ac738m in annual revenues for its last fiscal year, has about 3,000 staff and has an operational footprint that extends across Europe, Asia and North America. As for its electronics products, it serves businesses in everything from connectivity and electrification to industry and defence\/aviation via medical devices.<\/p> \n This is classic enterprise resource planning (ERP) territory, and Kitron is a prized customer of IFS, a software company that is also from Scandinavia and is squarely focused on industry. Kitron is a company that works under the hood of customers \u2013 and under its own hood is IFS, where it\u2019s has been core to operations for 15 years. <\/p> \n Gustafsson says: \u201cSince we span from Europe to the US, China, Malaysia and India, we have people working around the clock. So it\u2019s important to be stable, have a solid foundation and make sure that everything is available all the time, from the shop floor and reporting production to financial reporting.\u201d<\/p> \n In environments such as this where multiple-nines uptime is essential and domain expertise has high relevance, it\u2019s important that supplier and customer have stronger bonds than those of an everyday tech-buyer relationship.<\/p> \n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a great relationship with IFS and we\u2019ve been able to influence and have a tight connection,\u201d Gustafsson says. \u201cIFS is strong in the EMS domain in the Nordics and it\u2019s nice to know there\u2019s a lot of competence. Within an hour from where I live, there\u2019s a lot of competent people in the area and a big consulting and knowledge base in the region. That makes the people working with the system stronger.\u201d<\/p> \n Kitron is expanding rapidly with a stated aim of becoming a \u20ac1.5bn annual revenue player, and it is trying to do so without losing its central controls and culture.<\/p> \n \u201cWe have special systems in some areas but it\u2019s usually IFS in the background supplying and feeding other systems for product and maintenance, Gustafsson says. \u201cKitron is a fast-growing company and we\u2019re trying to have a standardised approach using the \u2018One Kitron\u2019 unified model.\u201d<\/p> \n Gustafsson is taking practical steps to build intimacy and influence in the IFS ecosystem:| \u201cFirst, we\u2019ve been part of the company advisory board so we\u2019re not just looking a year ahead. And then we have the partner network which is quite well established, so we have access to people with specific competence in the ecosystem that we talk to at partner conferences.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, and we know that with the IFS partner ecosystem we can find, if not IFS itself, then a network partner operating at a certain level, with local domain knowledge in any area.\u201d<\/p>\n That level of intimacy is proving of value as Kitron upgrades to the latest IFS software offerings. \u201cWe are in the process of upgrading to the latest generation of IFS Cloud<\/a> but we\u2019re using the functionality through mobile devices and we\u2019re not being locked down to a PC or whatever other fixed device,\u201d Gustafsson says.<\/p>\n Cloud would appear to be a good fit for a company with wide geographic spread and ambitions to scale. \u201cWe have a lot of global support functions, sourcing, procurement\u2026and we want to be efficient in what we do,\u201d Gustafsson adds.<\/p>\n An example of that growth came recently from the defence industry where Kitron recently announced it had picked up a \u20ac16m order for products used in counter-drone systems. <\/p>\n<\/section> \n Despite their focus on operational excellence and lean manufacturing, Kitron\u2019s IT leaders see value in the ever-changing technology landscape and, inevitably, artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n \u201cAI and an agentic framework can go from 25% progress and it\u2019s going to learn along the way how to complete a product. We\u2019re seeing a technology shift in utilising AI but [the opportunity and challenge] is not so much about IT but people and change,\u201d Gustafsson says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe opportunity is to set the foundation and let it learn along the way. People have to treat it not as an RPA [robotic process automation] flow following rules but as a tool that learns. Kitron has roots that go back into the 1960s with waterfall type of development and we\u2019re moving into a more Agile sort of development. <\/p>\n \u201cHow do we get people working as efficiently as possible together with AI instead of performing repetitive manual tasks? How do you scale without having to hire? It\u2019s very important that people are interested and enjoying it. People have to get on board to be successful as we\u2019re in a world constantly changing and we have to learn, learn, learn. But before starting to hand out information to LLMs [large language models], we are relying on our security framework and keeping safety first when it comes to data.\u201d<\/p>\n AI will doubtless change EMS just as it will change everything but Kitron ultimately wants to keep its feet on the ground and outperform on operations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a manufacturing company and that\u2019s where we\u2019re making our money,\u201d Gustafsson says. \u201cStable and efficient operations \u2013 that\u2019s what\u2019s paying our salary and that\u2019s what I tell my staff.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Federation of Subpostmasters (NFSP) was hit by a ransomware attack after a bug was exploited in its web hosting provider\u2019s software.<\/p> \n The attack is still causing technical problems, with emails between the Post Office and the NFSP \u201cpaused\u201d, said the Post Office.<\/p> \n The NFSP was targeted on 30 April, days after a bug in software from web hosting company cPanel was discovered and exploited by hackers.<\/p> \n The affected software, the cPanel web\u2011based hosting control panel, is used to manage servers and websites. In April, the provider released a security advisory to address a critical vulnerability<\/a> affecting its software.<\/p> \n \u201cThe cPanel attack resulted in our website having a ransomware attack, with the attackers making demands for release of our files,\u201d said NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow. He said the ransomware attack has been reported to the Information Commissioner\u2019s Office (ICO), adding that his IT team had confirmed that no data was lost during the attack. He told Computer Weekly he has just received a report on the issue and is \u201cstill trying to get to the bottom of it\u201d.<\/p> \n Ransomware is malware that locks and encrypts a victim\u2019s data, files, devices or systems, rendering them inaccessible and unusable until the attacker receives a ransom payment.<\/p> \n According to reports<\/a>, tens of thousands of servers were likely compromised as a result of the cPanel vulnerability.<\/p> \n Computer Weekly learned of the ransomware attack on the NFSP after staff received warnings from the Post Office that a security issue was affecting emails to and from the federation.<\/p> \n The Post Office\u2019s chief information security officer (CISO) wrote to staff, warning them of a security issue affecting the NFSP that has forced it to pause emails.<\/p> \n A Post Office spokesperson told Computer Weekly: \u201cFollowing a recent security incident experienced by an external supplier, we have taken the precaution of temporarily suspending some interactions and integrations between the Post Office and the affected supplier. The Post Office is managing the incident in accordance with its cyber security incident management processes and is working with the impacted party.\u201d<\/p> \n The spokesperson added that branch operations are not impacted, and that no compromise of Post Office networks or applications has been identified.<\/p> \n In his initial correspondence with staff on 22 May, CISO Neil Bennett wrote: \u201cFollowing a recent security issue involving an external organisation, we have taken the precaution of temporarily pausing inbound and outbound email between the Post Office and [NFSP].<\/p> \n He said emails sent to @nfsp.org.uk will not be delivered and senders won\u2019t receive an automatic bounceback. He added that emails from @nfsp.org.uk will not reach the inbox during this period.<\/p> \n \u201cPlease don\u2019t email @nfsp.org.uk addresses until further notice,\u201d he wrote.<\/p> \n Bennett warned staff not to try to work around the pause via insecure means of electronic communication, such as personal email, text or WhatsApp.<\/p> \n \u201cIf required, you may engage in telephone calls with NFSP stakeholders, but please ensure you validate their identity before discussing anything potentially sensitive, such as turning on cameras,\u201d he advised.<\/p> \n In an update on 2 June, Bennett said the issue remains ongoing and that there has been no change to prior guidance.<\/p> \n The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in tax administration worldwide. What began with the introduction of VAT across several Gulf states has evolved into a broader push towards digital tax compliance, driven by e-invoicing<\/a> mandates, corporate taxation and increasingly sophisticated regulatory oversight.<\/p> \n For organisations operating across the region, compliance is no longer a periodic exercise conducted at the end of a reporting cycle. Instead, governments are moving towards real-time or near real-time monitoring of business transactions, fundamentally changing how tax obligations are managed.<\/p> \n Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the region\u2019s pioneers through its Fatoora e-invoicing platform, while the UAE is preparing to introduce its Decentralised Continuous Transaction Control and Exchange (DCTCE) framework as part of its own e-invoicing roadmap. Similar initiatives are expected to expand across other GCC markets as governments continue investing in digital public infrastructure and revenue collection capabilities.<\/p> \n \u201cSaudi Arabia\u2019s Fatoora system is among the most advanced continuous transaction control regimes anywhere in the world,\u201d said Jay Riche, CEO of Dariba Technologies. \u201cThe UAE\u2019s incoming DCTCE framework is distinct from almost anything operating at scale in North America or Europe. These are not adaptations of legacy models but redesigns of the compliance relationship itself.\u201d<\/p> \n Historically, tax compliance has centred on periodic reporting cycles, allowing organisations to identify and correct errors before submitting returns to tax authorities. Continuous transaction control (CTC) models change that dynamic by requiring invoice data and transaction details to be validated electronically in real time.<\/p>\n This shift places greater emphasis on the quality and structure of enterprise data, particularly within enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.<\/p>\n Industry experts argue that many organisations underestimate the operational challenges involved in meeting new e-invoicing requirements. Beyond generating electronic invoices, businesses must ensure that transaction data is accurate, consistent and aligned with evolving technical specifications issued by regulators.<\/p>\n \u201cThe question is not how to manage compliance more efficiently,\u201d said Riche. \u201cIt is how to make continuous compliance structurally inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n To address these requirements, many organisations are embedding tax logic directly within financial and operational systems rather than relying on downstream compliance processes. This approach enables tax validation to occur at the point of transaction, reducing the risk of errors and improving audit readiness.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n The expansion of digital tax regimes is also increasing the strategic value of tax-related data. The UAE\u2019s introduction of corporate income tax in 2023, combined with the planned roll-out of e-invoicing from 2027, is expected to create new opportunities for both regulators and businesses to analyse financial information with unprecedented detail.<\/p>\n As tax authorities gain access to structured transaction data, compliance activities are likely to become increasingly data driven. At the same time, organisations that can leverage the same information internally may gain valuable insights into operational performance, tax planning and risk management.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest near-term impact in the GCC is at the intersection of e-invoicing and corporate tax,\u201d said Riche. \u201cCompanies that leverage that data for their own planning, rather than simply producing it for the authority, will have a genuine competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is also beginning to play a larger role in this environment. Suppliers and tax teams are exploring the use of AI for regulatory monitoring, transaction analysis, anomaly detection and audit risk assessment.<\/p>\n Businesses operating across multiple Gulf countries must navigate different reporting obligations, technical standards and data localisation requirements. This complexity is creating demand for specialist technology providers that can help organisations interpret regulations and configure systems accordingly.<\/p>\n According to Riche, one of the key challenges lies in keeping pace with rapidly evolving guidance from authorities such as Saudi Arabia\u2019s Zatca and the UAE\u2019s Federal Tax Authority (FTA).<\/p>\n \u201cGlobal vendors understand the mandate but often underestimate what it demands operationally, the field-level data requirements, the ERP configuration discipline and the pace at which technical specifications evolve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As tax processes become increasingly digital, organisations are also paying closer attention to data security and sovereignty. Tax records contain highly sensitive financial information, and regulators across the GCC are introducing rules governing where data can be stored and processed. These requirements can vary significantly between jurisdictions, creating additional complexity for multinational organisations.<\/p>\n Experts say businesses should avoid assuming that a single cloud deployment model will satisfy regulatory requirements across the region. Instead, compliance strategies increasingly need to account for local data residency obligations, auditability and transparency around AI-driven decision-making processes.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, industry observers expect tax authorities across the GCC to continue expanding their use of analytics, automation and digital oversight tools.<\/p>\n The longer-term vision extends beyond electronic invoicing towards fully interconnected compliance ecosystems capable of analysing transactions, tax filings and corporate disclosures in near real time. Some experts also anticipate greater cooperation and data sharing between tax authorities across the region, potentially increasing visibility into cross-border business activities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe companies that treat tax data as a strategic asset, and not simply a compliance obligation, will find it a genuine competitive advantage,\u201d said Riche. <\/p>\n Back in 2024, research at Harvey Nash found that just over 10% of businesses already had or were planning to appoint a Chief AI Officer<\/a> (CAIO). This was an exciting development \u2013 but would it last, or would AI roles perhaps become subsumed into existing tech leadership briefs such as CIO, CTO, CDO as AI became business as usual?<\/p> \n A couple of years later, the answer is clear: it is here to stay \u2013 and it\u2019s spreading fast. We see this ourselves in the mandates we work on with clients who are increasingly looking to appoint senior postholders with direct responsibility for AI. Of course, the job title for this may not be CAIO specifically \u2013 there are a host of titles emerging such as Head of AI, Chief AI Scientist, AI Transformation Officer, Responsible AI Director and more.<\/p> \n These appointments are especially prominent in financial services where organisations are generally advanced in their technology systems and data platforms, and where AI is a natural fit with the tech-enabled operating models of digital banking. HSBC has recently announced the appointment of a CAIO<\/a>, for example, while NatWest<\/a> appointed a Chief AI Research Officer last year.<\/p>\n Senior AI roles are also widespread in highly regulated sectors such as energy, where there is a particular focus on ensuring there is strong governance over the deployment of AI, managing the risks and maintaining compliance with data privacy and security rules. Other sectors where AI is really on the march include legal, accountancy and consultancy. The Big Four firms, for example, have CAIOs or equivalent and are driving significant efforts to integrate AI into both internal ways of working and solutions for clients. Graduate recruitment has reportedly dropped as AI begins to do more and more analytical work.<\/p>\n In general terms, it is the large FTSE and Fortune enterprises where AI roles are proliferating. At the mid-market level, it is more likely that the CIO or equivalent retains the lead on AI, perhaps with the appointment of a role a level below to lead on data, automation and the factors that lay the foundations for AI. The reality, after all, is that many organisations are still a long way from being AI-ready: there is still a considerable amount of modernisation and digitisation that needs to happen first.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the CAIO role is rapidly reaching into more and more businesses. Indeed, an eye-catching piece of research from IBM<\/a> finds that as many as three-quarters of organisations (76%) now have a CAIO or equivalent, a huge jump from 26% in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/section> \n So what are the skills and attributes of this new generation of CAIOs? Needless to say, a strong track record in and passion for technology comes with the territory. Many postholders have a CTO type background. But they are not merely \u2018techies\u2019 excited by the inner workings of an LLM. We have in fact seen quite a marked evolution of the CAIO role over the last couple of years. In the early days, they were often positioned as \u2018evangelists\u2019 whose function was in essence to raise awareness of AI, spread the word, and prepare the way for adoption. Now, as AI has matured and agentic deployment is the buzzword, the CAIO role has become much more about \u2018doing\u2019: commercially credible leaders who are driving ROI, engaging with boardrooms, managing enterprise change, reshaping operating models and managing governance and risk controls too.<\/p>\n It is not an overstatement to say that there is now a new, fixed career path for technology professionals to aspire to: the CAIO position is becoming a career goal for many, alongside the traditional targets of CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO etc. The role may sit slightly below the CIO and CTO in terms of seniority and remuneration, but it is becoming an established feature of the tech leadership org chart.<\/p>\n In some ways, this reflects the wider reality that tech roles are always evolving. Another post on the rise, for example, is Chief Product Officer (CPO). We are seeing this especially in fintech organisations where products need a tech solution for their channels to market. We are even seeing the appointment of some Chief Product and Technology Officers (CPTO) as a result. <\/p>\n<\/section> \n Looking ahead, we expect the ubiquity of the CAIO to only increase. AI is the fastest moving market we have ever seen. The pace of development is incredible, so that organisations need to constantly check themselves, via a CAIO or equivalent, against key questions such as: Do we have the best utilisation possible? Are we keeping up with our competitors? Are we governing this appropriately and managing the risks?<\/p>\n This brings us back to the business as usual (BAU) question at the start. With AI moving so fast, it feels like it will never just be BAU. How could it be, when AI never stands still? For that reason, a CAIO or equivalent feels like a necessity for more and more organisations. Say \u2018ciao\u2019 to the CAIO therefore \u2013 they\u2019re spreading and are here to stay.<\/p>\n Kirsteen Bell and Peter Birch are Directors of technology & digital executive search at Harvey Nash<\/i> <\/p>\n<\/section>","description":"Chief AI Officers are proliferating as organisations look to deploy agentic AI, make a return on investment, and meet their governance obligations.","image":"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Artificial_intelligence_AI.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/opinion\/The-unstoppable-rise-of-the-Chief-AI-Officer","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:20:00 GMT","title":"The unstoppable rise of the Chief AI Officer \u00a0"},{"body":" An artificial intelligence (AI) agent developed by Microsoft has been credited with helping it half the projected time it thinks it will need to develop a commercially viable quantum computer<\/a>.<\/p> \n During the company\u2019s annual Build 2026 software developer conference, Microsoft showcased how its Discovery agentic AI tool has enabled it to improve the quality of qubits in its next quantum chip, Majorana 2.<\/p> \n Using Discovery, which has been designed to speed the scientific process and accelerate collaboration, Microsoft\u2019s quantum team said the chip\u2019s qubits can maintain their quantum state 1,000 times longer than its first-generation hardware, enabling more reliable computation. Majorana 2 offers a mean qubit lifetime of 20 seconds, with some instances lasting as long as one minute. <\/p> \n The research team has focused on developing topological qubits, which it said offer inherently low error rates, small size and digital control. The Microsoft researchers said they have improved Majorana 1\u2019s material stack<\/a> to create a more stable topological phase.<\/p> \n Majorana 2 replaces Majorana 1\u2019s superconductor, aluminium, with lead, and also updates the semiconductor active region to a combination of indium arsenide and indium arsenide antimonide. According to Microsoft, this change in materials results in significant increases in performance.<\/p> \n The researchers said the topological gap, which protects the topological qubits from environmental noise and errors, is more than double that of the previous quantum processor.<\/p> \n According to Microsoft, the improvement in reliability, speed and small qubit size have put the team on a path to achieve a scalable quantum computer that is commercially viable by 2029.<\/p> \n Read more about artificial intelligence<\/h3> \n
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<\/i>Taking on a new challenge<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Managing technology operations<\/h2>\n
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\n <\/div> \n <\/i>Leading from the front<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Developing new skills<\/h2>\n
Read more interviews with tech supplier IT leaders<\/h3> \n
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Read more about government digital ID policy<\/h3> \n
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<\/i>Dangerous levels of lock-in<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Key recommendations in the report<\/h2>\n
What is the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee?<\/h3> \n
Industry reaction: Welcomed but measured<\/h3> \n
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\n Read more HMRC stories<\/h3> \n
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<\/i>Up close and personal<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Here comes AI<\/h2>\n
Read more about IFS<\/h3> \n
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Read more about ransomware<\/h3> \n
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<\/i>From periodic reporting to continuous compliance<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Data becomes a strategic asset<\/h2>\n
Read more about tech in the Middle East<\/h3> \n
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<\/i> Sector hotspots<\/h2>\n
<\/i>Qualities of a CAIO<\/h2>\n
<\/i>CAIO here to stay<\/h2>\n