BT, Dropbox, Google and Mozy have agreed to be clearer about their terms and conditions in positive news for the cloud industry and a move that should give cloud users fairer deals. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has worked with the four companies to ensure cloud storage users are made aware of any changes to the services they offer. Each firm has committed to:
Big data could have an important role to play in helping governments and healthcare providers manage their budgets efficiently, a new report suggests. A study by Lux Research found advanced big data and analytics technologies could play a key role in helping the healthcare industry curb unnecessary spending.
The government is to investment £1.9 billion in the UK’s cyber security defence to make it “one of the safest places in the world” to do business. Under a new cyber security plan outlined by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, the UK will develop a “world-class” cyber strategy to protect businesses, citizens and the economy.
Cyber attacks using the VoIP protocol Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) are on the rise, accounting for more than 51 per cent of security ‘events’ monitored by IBM’s Security Intelligence Group over the past 12 months, it has been reported. SIP is a communications protocol for signalling and controlling multimedia communication session such as voice and video calls.
Local authorities are being urged to consider the importance of cyber investment after research showed many councils spend more on health and safety training than the do training in data protection and cyber security.
Those most in need should be given financial help to pay for fast broadband, a body representing councils in England and Wales says. The Local Government Association (LGA) wants the government to include a social tariff in its broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), ensuring low-income families get at least 10Mbps.
Cybercrime and fraud is costing businesses and individuals £10.9 billion every year, or £210 for every adult, awareness group Get Safe Online is warning. The organisation said that figure could actually be much higher, closer to £520, which is more than the average weekly earnings figure for the UK.
Some British companies remain unconcerned about the risks data security and power loss pose to their business, a new report suggests. Some 15 per cent of small and medium-sized firms polled by Barclays said they didn’t think of data breaches and cyber crime as being a “major risk” to their operations.
Businesses are planning to ditch passwords as they look to strengthen their authentication processes, new research finds. A poll of IT decision-makers at 200 firms by Wakefield Research found 69 per cent of organisations are likely to completely phase-out passwords within the next 5 years.
The state of rural broadband and mobile phone coverage is significantly lagging behind, according to survey results by the National Farmers Union (NFU).
One in four internet customers would be willing to switch providers this year according to a survey. A new study carried out by EY found that up to a quarter of us would be prepared to change internet providers. This is an increase from just over one in five (21 per cent) when the last survey was carried out in 2013.
The UK government could be set to improve rural broadband, after comments made by the prime minister, Theresa May, in her closing speech.
Thanks to a superfast broadband project, hundreds of houses in Warwickshire are set to gain access to faster internet. The Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire (CSW) project helps get difficult to reach premises and homes not on a commercial roll-out gain access to superfast broadband.
Businesses in Manchester are frustrated at their broadband connections, according to the latest YouGov study, commissioned by WiredScore. Manchester tech companies, the largest tech cluster outside of London, are becoming increasingly frustrated at the poor connectivity experienced in the city.
Over 200 businesses in Bury are set to get a broadband boost thanks to a connection grant provided by Bury Council.
The UK’s broadband infrastructure came under intense fire, in a speech made by Business Secretary Greg Clark at a recent conference. Mr Clark was speaking at the latest Institute of Directors’ annual conference in London when he made the comments.
A historic square in North Shields is set to become one of the first locations across the city to benefit from having access to superfast broadband. Thanks to the Digital Durham programme, approximately 100 homes and businesses are set to be connected to the superfast fibre broadband.
Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband has continued its roll-out of superfast broadband by connecting 300 houses and businesses in West Scotland. The new connection has resulted in properties around Drumchapel gaining access to superfast internet in conjunction with a wider Scotland £410 million roll-out.
IT spending is set to hit $3.5 trillion in 2017 as companies continue to invest in software and IT services, forecasts suggest. Tech analyst Gartner said worldwide IT spending will rise 2.9 per cent next year, from 2016 estimated spending of $3.4 trillion.
The Scottish Government’s broadband strategy is insufficient and failing rural communities, according to a report by the Scottish Rural Action (SRA).
More British people are calling for better upload speeds, according to a survey from ISPreview. The study involved over 2,200 people in the United Kingdom. Of the 94 per cent of respondents that are familiar with internet upload speeds, 30 per cent stated that they needed to have an upload performance of 20Mbps or more.
West Dorset towns and villages were celebrating after superfast broadband was rolled out to the region. Businesses and homes in the communities of Askerswell, Broadoak and Drimpton, will now be able to have fast internet connections thanks to the Superfast Dorset campaign.
Consumers need to be able to compare maximum speeds they can get according to the association for councils.
Two areas of Staffordshire are celebrating getting access to superfast broadband as part of a countywide campaign to get faster internet to rural and difficult to reach areas. The areas of Knightley and Woodseaves have gone live with fibre broadband as part of the Superfast Staffordshire campaign.
The Independent Networks Co-Operative Association has called for the government to commit to providing 80 per cent of the UK with access to fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband within the next five years.
Internet speeds in Gloucestershire could soon be significantly increased after a new initiative set up by the county council. The ‘Fastershire’ campaign is set up as a joint effort with both Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and is set to tackle slow broadband speeds in rural and difficult-to-reach areas.
Midlothian has the ninth slowest broadband speeds in the country according to a report from Audit Scotland. The report found that the average broadband speed is below 20Mbps and as a result means that the region is placed 23rd out of 32 regions.
Homes and businesses in the Midlothian region of Scotland have now been connected to superfast broadband as part of a £410 million project carried out in partnership with BT and Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband. As a result, 35,000 properties now have access to superfast broadband.
Jeremy Corbyn has released his Digital Democracy Manifesto in which he has pledged that every home and business would have "guaranteed access to superfast broadband".
According to research carried out by Fix Britain’s Internet, broadband speeds are slower in London than some villages in India. Whereas London has average speeds of 22.44 Mbps, Rani in Rajasthan has average speeds of 34.8Mbps.
According to a report by network test firm, Viavi, Europe is severely lagging behind in gigabit broadband connections and roll-outs. The report, titled Global Gigabit Monitor, looks at how quickly gigabit broadband connections are being made.
As many A-level students received their results yesterday, uSwitch, a broadband comparison website, released research offering an alternative university league table. The league table was research of where students would get the best broadband speeds.
Internet speeds in rural areas are currently just a fifth of advertised broadband speeds, according to data released by the House of Commons. This has led to calls to ban adverts that mislead consumers into buying internet packages that do not offer the full advertised speed.
Sheffield has some of the worst broadband speeds according to research taken from Uswitch. It has found that Sheffield is in the bottom five cities in the country when it comes to internet connections.
The rollout of superfast broadband in Staffordshire has significantly boosted local businesses in the area. The Lymedale Business Centre in Newcastle was the first place in the county to have access to fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology and are already reaping the rewards.
Broadband companies could see their average speeds drop by up to 25 per cent after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued a review into the way firms advertise speeds that only 10 per cent of the country can receive.
According to a coalition made up of leading ISP companies, one in four Britons are unhappy with their internet service.
A leaked proposal has revealed that the European Commission wants broadband to be a right for all and, furthermore, wants national governments to pay for the costs.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the government to fulfil its pledge for a new universal service obligation (USO) of 10 Mbps broadband speeds by 2020.
Broadband providers maybe required to advertise the average rather than the top speed of their services, under new regulations being considered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The advertising watchdog is looking at whether businesses should be prevented from promoting their services by quoting broadband speeds that only the top 10 per cent of customers can access.
MPs and digital campaigners have been angered by the decision by broadcasting regulator Ofcom not to order BT to sell its Openreach broadband division. Ofcom came to the conclusion after a year-long review of the market, which many industry watchers had expected to lead to the break-up of the company’s broadband business from its main telecoms division.
According to the latest government figures, broadband rollout has meant superfast speeds are available to over four million households and businesses.
The UK’s broadband service and cyber security will be top of the agenda for newly appointed Department of Culture, Media and Sport Minister Matt Hancock. He is taking up the role at a time when the UK’s digital strategy is coming under the spotlight after June’s vote to leave the European Union.
The first phase of broadband rollout in Telford is set to be completed a whole nine months ahead of schedule according to the Superfast Telford partnership that is leading the project.
Broadband prices could increase if the government goes ahead with implementing its universal service obligation (USO), according to a statement made by the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA).
Devon and Somerset are set to begin the second phase of rolling out superfast broadband to houses and businesses across the two counties.
Durham is set to receive superfast broadband thanks to an initiative run by the local council and BT. The Digital Durham scheme has completed its first phase of connecting fast internet to over 107,000 homes and businesses. As part of this initiative, it has installed 498 cabinets, which have successfully brought fibre to premises in the county.
According to research released by comparison site uSwitch, Norwich has come seventh in the cities offering the slowest broadband speeds across the country. This has led several businesses and households in the city to worry they could be left behind, with the technological advances that are taking place.
Local councils are still able to access European Union (EU) money to help businesses access superfast broadband networks, despite the UK's Brexit vote.
The importance of good quality broadband to rural businesses cannot be overstated and can make the difference to their success or failure. That’s according to Mark Williams, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Mr Williams, the MP for Ceredigion, said his constituency was among the top 10 in the UK for low broadband speeds.
