Chrome May Eat Less of Your Memory When This New Feature Rolls Out

Chrome has a meme-worthy reputation for greedily gobbling up memory, but some new features will make it more efficient. The post Chrome May Eat Less of Your Memory When This New Feature Rolls Out appeared first on ExtremeTech .

How to add conditional formatting to a Google Sheets drop-down list (and why you should)

Adding conditional formatting to a Google Sheets drop-down list helps automate the formatting of your spreadsheet cells.

How to create a drop-down list in Google Sheets

Creating a drop-down list in a Google Sheets cell can speed up your data input process and it's easy to do. We'll show you how.

The Netherlands is the ideal breeding ground for green tech startups

The Netherlands is one of the best places in the world for startups and businesses working on green tech. Managing the climate is deeply rooted in Dutch culture. With nearly a third of its land below sea level, the country has been highly-adaptive to environmental challenges finding ways to turn them into opportunities for technological growth. Think, for instance, of how the Dutch have managed to reclaim land from sea with polders, or avoid flooding from the North Sea with the construction of the Delta Works, a series of dams and surge barriers along the southern West coast. The This story continues at The Next Web

WhatsApp 'Message Yourself' Feature Rolling Out to Windows Beta App Users: Report

WhatsApp Message Yourself feature is reportedly rolling out to the WhatsApp for Windows beta app. The feature lets users send texts, files, media, reminders, and more to themselves. The feature was rolled out to WhatsApp for Android and iOS late last month. It is currently said to be available on the Windows beta app version 2.2248.2.0.

Foxconn Ends Months-Long 'Closed Loop' at Largest iPhone Assembly Plant in China

Foxconn has ended a month's long closed loop at its biggest iPhone assembly plant in central China. The decision of the Taiwanese tech firm comes after the country loosened its stringent COVID-19 regulations. The company's facility in central Zhengzhou was in effective lockdown for 56 days after cases were detected in October.

Twitter Files: Elon Musk's Twitter Leak Raises Concern Over External Access to User Data

Elon Musk's Twitter Files leaks have provided outside writers unprecedented access to Twitter information, raising concern about external access to Twitter data and user accounts. Twitter's new CEO handed a collection of internal documents and emails from former Twitter employees over to external writers, who are now publishing those documents on Twitter.

Lawsuit says Musk's Twitter layoffs unfairly targeted women

Two women who lost their jobs at Twitter after Elon Musk took over allege that the company unfairly targeted women in recent layoffs, which impacted around half of the firm's employees. Carolina Bernal Strifling and Willow Wren Turkal have filed a case in a federal court in San Francisco challenging the mass layoffs, alleging that they discriminated against female employees. The company announced mass layoffs days after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. The firm told staff that around half of them may lose their jobs, but they would still get three months of severance pay. The proposed class action alleges that Twitter fired 57% of its female employees compared to only 47% of its male employees after Musk took over. Women who worked in engineering jobs had an even higher likelihood of being terminated, with 63% of women being dismissed compared to just 48% of males. Even before the layoffs, Twitter apparently hired more men overall - not an unusual situation for the tech sector. 'Elon Musk has made a number of publicly discriminatory remarks about women, further confirming that the mass termination's greater impact on female employees resulted from discrimination,' according to the complaint [ pdf ]. Twitter is charged with breaking federal and California rules that prohibit sex discrimination at work. Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said women had targets on their backs once Musk bought the firm, regardless of their contribution and abilities. Wren Turkal said at a press conference that while she had seen acquisitions at other firms, she had ever seen anything like this. I have a family, I have a kid to support, she said . All that we're looking for is fairness. I'm also worried about my friends who are financially in a difficult position or are in a difficult position for visa reasons. Since the widespread layoffs, a number of former workers have filed lawsuits against Twitter. One sacked employee filed a lawsuit last month alleging that Musk's requirements that employees be incredibly hardcore and work long hours caused disabled staff to resign. Other claims alleged that employees who were laid off did not get the promised severance compensation or the legally required prior notice. At least three employees have individually filed complaints against the company with the US National Labor Relations Board, saying they suffered reprisals for demanding improved working conditions. Twitter has faced several challenges since Musk's acquisition. This week, it came to light that makeshift bedrooms had been set up in conference rooms at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, the apparent manifestation of Musk's extremely hardcore work philosophy . The Department of Building Inspection in San Francisco is now investigating.

Draft Digital India Bill Will Be Available for Public Consultation by End of December, MoS IT Says

The draft Digital India Bill, which is set to replace the 22-year old Information Technology (IT) Act, will be available for public consultation by the end of December, according to Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The proposed legislation will deal with issues such as ownership of non-personal data and even data portability, according to the minister.

Elon Musk Says Twitter Will Soon Display Account Shadowban Status, Allow Users to Appeal Decision

Elon Musk said on Thursday that Twitter was working on a software update that would inform users if their account was shadowbanned, along with the reason, and give them an option to appeal the decision. The announcement was made after the second instalment of the so-called Twitter Files that revealed how the company allegedly built blacklists and actively limited th...

Pentagon splits up revamped $9 billion cloud deal among tech giants

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has decided to split its lucrative Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract between Google, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft. The DoD said the contracts, which are valid until 2028, may be worth up to $9 billion. The JWCC's outcome is consistent with the DoD's recent decision to use multiple providers for its infrastructure technology, rather than a single company. When the Pentagon awarded Microsoft the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract in 2019, Amazon - the industry leader in cloud infrastructure - filed a lawsuit to overturn the choice. Prior to this, IBM and Oracle were disqualified from the original bidding process, causing Oracle to file a lawsuit alleging bias . Google was also considered, but withdrew its name after staff protests (the company removed Don't be evil from its founding principles the same year). Amazon claimed in court that the Trump administration awarded the contract to Microsoft unfairly, due to political bias. A review by the Pentagon's watchdog in 2020 found no evidence to support that allegation, and the DoD confirmed it would pursue the contract with Microsoft. Last year, in a change of tune, the Pentagon reversed its decision and said it would not proceed with the Microsoft contract, as it was developed at a time when the Department's requirements were different and 'our cloud conversancy less mature.' The JWCC services as JEDI's replacement. The DoD requested proposals for cloud solutions from Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle, although at the time the General Services Administration said only Microsoft and Amazon seemed able to satisfy the Pentagon's requirements. But, in an about-face from its earlier insistence on using a single provider, the Department has decided to follow through with all four vendors. The DoD says the new contract will provide 'enterprise-wide, globally available cloud services across all security domains and classification levels, from the strategic level to the tactical edge.' It will enable individual DoD offices and programmes to buy commercial cloud services directly from all four providers. The $9 billion in funds will be distributed 'on individual orders as they are issued.' JWCC follows a rising trend that favours multiple suppliers over a single provider for government contracts. The manner in which the companies will access the money is still unknown, as is the role that interoperability will play in the provision of security, updates, and features by as many as four distinct cloud platforms for a nation's defence infrastructure.

Twitter Files: Firm Reportedly Placed People on 'Secret' Blacklists, Actively Limited Visibility, More

Twitter reportedly built blacklists and actively limited visibility of accounts on the platform using specialised tools. The second instalment of Elon Musk's Twitter Files published on Thursday claims that the company's executives and employees accessed a Visibility Filtering or VF tool that was used to block searches of users and to limit the scope of a particula...

Twitter Sued by Women Alleging Discriminatory Layoffs After Elon Musk Takeover

Twitter was sued by two women who were laid off by the microblogging platform as part of mass layoffs after billionaire Elon Musk completed his takeover deal. The lawsuit alleges that the company's mass layoffs disproportionately affected female workers. Musk, who is also Twitter's new CEO, faces a series of lawsuits over his decimation of Twitter's workforce through ...

Hades II Announced at The Game Awards 2022, Starring the Princess of the Underworld

At The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant Games confirmed a sequel for Hades, starring the princess of the underworld, Melino. Hades 2 follows a similarly tight rogue-like experience as its predecessor, where you interact with gods to gain boons, and lay waste to Chronos personification of time foot soldiers in a repeated fashion. Players will be armed with bew...

Women sue Musk's Twitter alleging discriminatory layoffs

The discrimination lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges over Musk's decimation of Twitter's workforce through mass layoffs and firings.

Twitter Set to Introduce New Controls for Ad Placements to Lure Advertisers Back After Elon Musk Takeover

Twitter is set to roll out new controls for companies to control where their ads appear on Twitter, according to an email sent to advertisers. The company earns 90 percent of its revenue through advertising, and new CEO Elon Musk has blamed civil rights organisations that have pressured brands to pause their Twitter ads for a massive drop in revenue.

Todays Cache | Battery from nuclear waste to power space missions

Americium, which will be used to make new batteries, is a by-product of plutonium decay and has never been used as a fuel.

New research shows critical impact of IT on global sustainability initiatives

Report identifies the critical impact of IT on environmental sustainability and a misalignment of technology and sustainability objectives. Reseach published yesterday, examines the opportunities for closer collaboration between tech professionals and those responsible for enterprise sustainability to reduce the environmental footprint of their organisations. Computing has written before about the need for enterprise technology to work towards better quantifying and reducing its digital carbon footprint, partly to allow customers to do likewise. Complex technology supply chains mean that GHG emissions are usually undercounted and digital activity has a much larger impact on overall emissions than we might like to think. The good news is that if brought to scale, digital technologies could reduce emissions by 20% by 2050. Misalignment of goals This research, fielded among 1,000 sustainability program directors, saw consistent results in all global markets surveyed, including the U.S. (400), U.K. (200), France (200), and Germany (200). Some of the findings are particularly eye catching such as the gap between aspiration for greater sustainability and the reality. For example, 73% of UK sustainability managers say their company's leadership is treating sustainability initiatives as a priority, with the majority planning to meet sustainability goals within three to seven years (55%). However, only about half (51%) of those surveyed in the UK say they are on track with their goals. There is also a strong understanding that technology will have a critical part to play in determining whether sustainability goals are met. 90% of sustainability program managers in the UK agree that companies cannot reach their sustainability goals without significantly reducing their technology infrastructure energy usage, and 76% predict the impact of technology infrastructure on a company's carbon footprint will increase in the next 12 months. Even as technology's carbon footprint grows, 63% of respondents in the UK say vendors' sustainability is likely to be overlooked during the vendor selection process. An almost identical proportion (64%) of sustainability leads say they only become involved after the technology purchasing process has already begun. Furthermore, more than any other function such as finance, leadership or operations), IT was identified as not taking the necessary steps to support their company's sustainability goals. Fewer than half of those surveyed in the UK (46%) say their IT team is taking sustainability into proper consideration when making decisions about technology purchases. Data storage decisions are some of the most important The gathering, storage, analysis and monetisation of data is a challenge for enterprises when viewed from any angle, but it poses some very specific challenges to those trying to make their business more sustainable. The datasphere is now so enormous that the General Conference of Weights and Measures has had to produce new units of measurement , and all that data needs to be stored. Decisions about how and where to store that data have a substantial impact on overall sustainability and will grow in importance in line with data volumes. The true environmental footprint of datacentres, whether on premise or cloud, are undoubtedly difficult to determine, but enterprises serious about sustainability are going to have to give it some thought. Datacentre GHG emissions, particularly those related to energy consumption, have been a newsworthy topic of late but there are other factors to consider: materials impact, water use, waste management and the impact on biodiversity. Wes van den Berg, VP and GM UK & Ireland, Pure Storage This research shows that tech teams have the potential to make a significant and immediate impact on their employers' sustainability via enhanced collaboration and by recommending more sustainable infrastructure. Wes Van Den Berg, Regional Vice President, UK & Ireland, Pure Storage commented: Businesses can drive the green transition by leveraging the right technology and partners to support sustainability initiatives. This inaugural report on the central role that IT can play in overall sustainability can be an important tool for IT leaders to improve their data storage strategies. Modern sustainable infrastructure that requires less power, less cooling, and generates far less waste can have a significant and immediate impact on reducing an organisation's carbon footprint.

Cloud computing: The Pentagon just split this giant deal between AWS, Google, Oracle, and Microsoft

Pentagon's $10 billion JEDI saga with Microsoft has ended in a $9 billion cloud deal with Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and AWS.

China-Based APT41 Hacker Group Stole $20 Million Worth of US COVID-19 Relief Funds: Report

Chinese hackers stole at least $20 million (roughly Rs. 165 crore) worth of COVID-19 relief money according to a report. The funds that were stolen were taken by a group linked to the Chinese government, a Chengdu-based collective known as APT41.

Foxconn Reports Fall in Sales After Disruption Over Protests at China iPhone Plant

Foxconn said that its sales for November were down 11.4 percent from the year before, as the company's shipments were affected by a COVID-19 outbreak at the firm's biggest China plant. The company's iPhone plant in Zhengzhou was rocked by violent protests last month, leading to an exodus of workers from the factory.

Best Book for learning Python

which is the best book for learning python 3? it should cover all the basics of data stuctures and all the normal programs that we create while learning a new language.

Telegram introduces no-SIM signup, auto-delete for all chats, and more with latest update

Telegrams latest updates include a feature that allows users to use blockchain-powered anonymous numbers available on the Fragment platform.

Google Must Take Down 'Manifestly Inaccurate' Search Results if Proven by Users, EU Top Court Says

Google will have to remove data from online search results once users are able to prove that the information is inaccurate, according to a ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The judges said such proof would not need to come from a judicial decision against the publisher of a website, while users would only have to provide evidence that could ...

Biden Administration Tells US Supreme Court Section 230 of Communications Decency Act Has Limits

The Biden administration on Wednesday argued that Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act that protects social media firms from liability has limits. The legislation protects firms like Google and Meta, and states that these firms can't be treated as the publisher or speaker of information posted by users.

PlayStation to Host a Free Online Multiplayer Weekend From December 10 to 11

PlayStation is holding a free online multiplayer weekend, the company confirmed in a tweet. From December 10 to December 11, players will be able to access online multiplayer modes on PS4 and PS5 games, without having to pay for a PS Plus subscription. The lowest tier (Essential) PS Plus subscription costs Rs. 499, and offers free multiplayer access in addition to a m...

Episode 401: Two big smart home deals explained

The end of the year is a busy time for M&A as companies rush to get deals done before the start of a new tax year, and this week the smart home sector saw Assa Abloy sell its Yale and August smart lock and some other brands to Fortune Brands for $800 million. We explain Continue reading Episode 401: Two big smart home deals explained The post Episode 401: Two big smart home deals explained appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things .

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G and Realme 10 Pro 5G launched

The Realme 10 Pro+ 5G is powered by 6nm Dimensity 1080 5G chipset while the 10 Pro 5G gets Snapdragon 695 SoC.

Partner content: Accelerators powering HPC success

High performance computing (HPC) substantially improves computing performance and speed. It is no surprise organisations are increasingly opting for this emerging technology, given its capabilities to overcome the barriers seen in traditional PCs and processors. HPC systems can operate over one million times faster than typical desktop, laptop, or server setups. These superior speeds are further improved by the use of HPC accelerators, allowing organisations to rapidly process data at lower costs and with much lower latency. Computing 's latest research in this space, conducted in collaboration with Intel, finds only a fifth of organisations utilising HPC are also using accelerators, suggesting there is serious headway to be made in this area. IT leaders using accelerators overwhelmingly recognise their benefits, with 67 per cent of organisations agreeing they have improved the efficiency of workloads, while over 90 per cent report accelerators have enabled or will enable new HPC use cases for their enterprise. Delivering optimal performance depends on selecting the right processors and accelerators as well as ensuring the right hardware underpins them. Taking advantage of built-in accelerators In order to accommodate the massive processing power of HPC workloads, sizable memory bandwidth is required. Traditionally, this meant owning or leasing supercomputers to carry out HPC tasks. Thankfully, today HPC and accelerators are much more accessible and can be built into the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Initial success of HPC is reflected in IT leaders' motivation to continue or increase their HPC utilisation - 97 per cent of respondents predict their use of HPC will increase or stay the same in the next two years. This is important for enterprises needing consistent and reliable results. HPC use cases range from data analysis and AI inferencing, to simulating and modelling test scenarios. Consequently, HPC is often at the forefront of industry developments. When asked how accelerator usage has affected their organisation, respondents reported significant improvements to their response times, monitoring abilities, and performance. Adopting HPC with built-in accelerators affords organisations the critical performance needed, enabling immediate and reliable computing power without the need to purchase new hardware or lease infrastructure. Organisations can save additional costs with this approach and concentrate on maximising their investments. Actioning AI The role of computing is paramount in applications like AI. For demanding calculations like this, dedicated accelerators enhance performance and scalability. Designed to maximise throughput for training and machine learning, while ensuring optimum efficiency, AI accelerators will scale across systems and workloads with high accuracy. AI accelerators achieve outstanding results in a much shorter time frame, optimising the execution of tasks as well as costs and organisational footprint. Accelerators underpinning AI greatly expand the capabilities of organisations focused on areas such as data science, enhancing the speed of results and generated insights for very large quantities of data and complex sets. Deep learning is considerably benefitted by HPC accelerators and AI, specifically for large multidimensional data sets. HPC, strengthened by the use of accelerators and applying AI, is making significant contributions to analytics, design, scientific visualisation and simulation, and much more. Accelerating possibilities, delivering on performance, ROI, and energy saving in the long-term are all top of mind for today's organisations. Workloads have changed, meaning investing and employing the right hardware is vital in ensuring the benefits of HPC are fully realised. 44 per cent of organisations surveyed say HPC is having a transformative impact on their company, demonstrating the value in adoption. In a data-centric world, having a sound strategy that makes use of HPC and accelerators is critical in powering innovation and tackling today's challenges. To learn more about Computing's research into accelerating your HPC strategy, please visit the hub . This post is sponsored by Intel.

Berkshire NHS trust accused of destroying email evidence in case involving patient safety risks

A tribunal hearing into allegations was cut short after trust's legal team allegedly threatened claimants with five-figure liability costs Two medics who claimed Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust put the safety of geriatric patients at risk have accused the trust of destroying email evidence related to the case. Samir Lalitcumar and Ahmed Ghedri, two clinicians who made claims of poor practice against current and past employees of Berkshire Healthcare Trust, have said they were fired by the trust for raising concerns about patient safety. A tribunal hearing into allegations made by the two medics was cut short after clinicians stated that the trust's legal team threatened them with five-figure costs to keep them from testifying in tribunal. If either of the doctors had chosen to pursue their case and failed, they were faced with costs liability, or a drop-hands offer, totalling more than 300,000. The threat of costs liability was issued less than 48 hours before the trust's witnesses were scheduled to testify. Lalitcumar and Ghedri claim they were victimised and wrongfully fired for raising concerns about possibly harmful geriatric care provided by the trust that might have affected as many as 2,000 people. They further claimed there was an inadequate review procedure inside the trust for looking into how their concerns were handled and that officials at Berkshire Healthcare Trust had misled staff about some of the alleged care shortcomings. One of the allegations made at the tribunal hearing was that by deleting a former employee's email account, the trust had destroyed important evidence. The email account, according to the two medics, included crucial information which supported the claims that they had made. Ghedri told the tribunal that Joanne Evans, the trust's Human Resources head, erased important emails despite being aware that the electronic communications would probably be used as evidence in an upcoming lawsuit. This goes against IT governance for the health sector which sates that in view of ongoing or impending legal procedures, a trust should keep copies of emails. A spokesperson for NHS Digital told Computer Weekly : It is the responsibility of individual NHS organisations to ensure they have processes in place to store emails or other documents that may be required in the future. Some NHS trusts use separate email systems, rather than NHSmail, and have their own local policies and procedures in place for these. Lalitcumar and Ghedri say the trust ignored their concerns about patient safety by conducting an inadequate investigation. The trust told Computer Weekly that the allegations, including the claims of evidence deletion, were without merit, and legal counsel for Berkshire Healthcare has refuted claims that the two clinicians were dismissed as a result of protected disclosures they made in relation to the trust's geriatric care service.The trust offered Lalitcumar mediation, according to the trust's legal staff, and he was given the chance to voice his clinical concerns. The trust further said that the firing of the two was unrelated to their protected disclosures. Of course, we'll never know because the claims cannot be tested in court. The use of costs threats is a contentious litigation strategy that has recently been used to end high-profile whistleblower cases within the healthcare industry . Given the inequality of arms that exists between government-backed healthcare organisations and individual claimants, NHS employees and MPs have claimed that costs threats may prevent problems of great public interest from being discussed. In a 2019 House of Commons discussion over whistleblowing laws, former shadow health minister Justin Madders said that many whistleblowers confront an inequality of arms at tribunals. They have often lost their job by that point, and they face a very difficult situation, with highly paid QCs running rings around them, which is often the result of employers trying to find loopholes in the law to avoid liability, Madders added.

WhatsApp Avatar Feature Rolling Out to Users With Support for 36 Customisable Stickers

Meta-owned instant messaging service, WhatsApp has rolled out an 'Avatars' feature which offers customisable digital personas. These can be made from a combination of hairstyles, facial features, and outfits. The feature could be used as a profile picture or as part of 36 customised stickers that could be used in chat and elsewhere. In the Meta family of applications,...

Instagram to Inform Creators When Posts Are Blocked From Being Recommended to Other Users

Instagram will now inform users and creators about posts that are blocked from being recommended to other users. Users will be able to check which posts are blocked from recommendations via their account settings. The Meta-owned service shows users recommendations in places like the explore page and home feed.

ChatGPT Can Fool Humans Even When It's Wrong, Backs Up Assertions With Fake Quotes

ChatGPT, OpenAI's powerful chatbot that can generate sentences to mimic human-written text, is capable of fooling users, even when it is wrong, according to experts. The chatbot was able to generate a news story on Microsoft's earnings for 2021, and while the earnings figures were not accurate, it also generated a fake quote from CEO Satya Nadella that appeared to be ...

Meta in Big Tech Club but Dwarfed by 'Giant Tech' Company Apple, Nick Clegg Says

Meta may be a Big Tech firm, but it is dwarfed by Giant Tech company Apple, according to Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at the social media firm. Apple is eight times the size of Meta in terms of stock market capitalisation, he said. Clegg's comparison underlines Meta's steep market slide over the past 16 months, a slide that Apple has contributed to by evi...

Twitter to lower Blue pricing for web users to $7: The Information

The move was likely a pushback against the 30% cut that Apple Inc takes on revenues from apps on its operating system, the report said

Most Apples iCloud data can now be end-to-end encrypted

Apple announced a few other advanced security features including one geared toward journalists, human rights activists and government officials

Twitter Blue Pricing to Be Lowered for Web Users to $7, App Store Subscribers to Pay $11: Report

Twitter is said to be planning to modify the price of its Twitter Blue subscription service, days after Elon Musk publicly criticised Apple's App Store 30 percent commission on apps and in-app purchases. The company is reportedly planning on charging web users $7 (roughly Rs. 580) per month, while users who pay through the iPhone app will have to pay $11 (roughly Rs. ...

Apple Announces End-to-End Encrypted iCloud Backups, Security Keys Support for Apple ID, More

Apple on Wednesday announced support for Advanced Data Protection, a feature that enables end-to-end encryption of iCloud data. iCloud currently protects 14 sensitive data categories with end-to-end encryption technology, and the new feature will raise the number to 23. Apple has also added support for security keys, and will show iMessage users a security warning for...

I&B Ministry asks Google to comply with its advisory against online betting advertisements

The latest guideline was issued by the Ministry in October after it noted violations of a previous advisory in June 13, 2022.

Todays Cache | ChatGPT opens a new search paradigm

OpenAI most recently introduced its large language model (LLM) ChatGPT for people to play with. The foundation accepts the chatbot has some limitations. And several users have also highlighted that it returns nonsensical responses. But, the bot has some uses.

Google's 10-week accelerator is on the hunt for green start-ups

Google's two new startup accelerator programs support companies whose goal is to create technology that combats climate change.

Central Bank Digital Currency Transactions to Remain Anonymous 'To a Certain Degree': RBI

Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) transactions would remain anonymous to a certain degree, Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar said on Wednesday. The IT department allows cash transactions up to a certain limit to be carried out without government ID proof, but the RBI is yet to clarified the degree to which CBDC transactions will be anonymous.

Uber, Motional Launch Public Robotaxi Service Using Hyundai Electric Vehicles in Las Vegas

Uber and Motional launched their public robotaxi service in Las Vegas on Wednesday, even as the hype around self-driving technology has started to wane. The robotaxis have vehicle operators for now, but the firms are working to make a fully driverless experience available to the public next year. Riders will be matched with a vehicle and Uber will show them an offer t...

Google Chrome Rolls Out Three Address Bar Search Shortcuts: All Details

Google Chrome has gained three new search shortcuts with its latest update. The search giant has rolled out three useful new shortcuts to its Chrome browser, that can be accessed from the address bar, allowing you to search for bookmarks, history, and tabs, right from the address bar.

Uber Fined AUD 21 Million in Australia Over Misleading Advertisements About Fares, Cancellation Fees

Uber was fined AUD 21 million (roughly Rs. 115 crore) by an Australian court on Wednesday, for misleading customers over fares, and threatening cancellation fees that it never charged users. Uber apologised to Australian users on its website, and said it had made changes to its platform based on concerns that were raised with the ride-hailing firm.

Interview: SoftIron, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

IT is a major component of modern businesses. Companies rely on IT services to ensure that their operations continue to run consistently and without errors. IT teams are responsible for managing and protecting important data, which in turn promotes innovation and efficiency. The UK IT Industry Awards are for the truly outstanding individuals, companies and projects in this important sector. This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 9 th November. One of the finalists was SoftIron, in the running for the Infrastructure Innovation of the Year. Before the awards, we caught up with Kenny Van Alstyne, Chief Technology Officer at SoftIron, to find out what makes his company different from other technology firms. Kenny has served as CTO for SoftIron since August 2021. Previously, as Chief Cloud Architect at US government contractor Peraton, he was responsible for the invention and development of their cloud platform. In a career spanning over 20 years, he has had extensive experience developing, deploying, and managing sophisticated, often mission-critical, and highly sensitive cloud and data infrastructure for organisations including the Department of Homeland Security, Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Oceanographic Office, the US Army and the National Coastal Data Development Center. Kenny's mission at SoftIron is to bring everything he has learned in building secure, sophisticated and resilient clouds to the wider market in a way that radically simplifies their deployment and ownership. Van Alstyne holds several system and methodology patents and is credited for the original publication outlining the procedure for utilising US Department of Defense smartcards on Linux. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Kenny Van Alstyne: Founded in 2012, with group headquarters here in the UK, we describe what we do as 'making the products that underpin the next evolution of IT infrastructure'. We launched HyperCloud just a few months back - the world's first complete technology for building and running clouds. It's designed from the ground up and manufactured in our own facilities by us; HyperCloud is an entirely new class of cloud technology that eliminates the silos of storage, network and compute. Instead it's a fully turn-key, totally integrated and supported, intelligent cloud fabric of all the hardware and software you need to build and run a cloud, including the management and service delivery layers that deliver a true cloud experience. The approach we've taken enables extremely low touch operations but still delivers the highest level of resiliency, all without requiring hyperscale-like scaling of IT staffing. HyperCloud can be deployed in as little as half a rack, in half a day, and - and this is what is so incredible - with just generalist IT skills, yet you can also scale effectively infinitely! It's already being used in mission critical environments today, including some with very sensitive security requirements. We really believe that with HyperCloud, almost anyone can overcome the challenges of building and running cloud infrastructure. W hat makes you different from other technology companies? SoftIron is unique in that we design and manufacture everything ourselves - and that we don't build clouds by 'composition'. Over the last few decades, the IT industry has evolved into complex, discrete silos of compute, network and storage, with layers upon layers of software, all provided by a multitude of vendors, focused on ever smaller parts of the puzzle. Teams of discrete IT specialists are needed to thread it all together to compose something that's useful, secure and reliable. It's a complexity brick wall, and global IT is charging toward it. It serves the vendors, but it doesn't serve the customers. At SoftIron we're really changing all of that. Starting from scratch, we've reimagined what it is to build, deploy, and manage cloud infrastructure, eliminating the silos and subsequent complexity. Our radical approach to cloud infrastructure really frees our customers to build the hybrid and/or multi cloud strategy that meets their objectives, with the kind of reliability, availability, elasticity and serviceability previously reserved for hyperscale cloud builders, but within the capabilities of your average IT team. And, of course the fact we design and manufacture everything ourselves enables us to optimise the designs for low power, efficient operation, savings customers big time on their energy bills. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? The launch of HyperCloud in September 2022 is an achievement I'm particularly proud of. We're already starting to see traction amongst large government and enterprise customers and service providers globally, who see the potential of this game changing technology. I'm going to be cheeky and throw in one more: we officially inaugurated our brand new, Advanced Computer Manufacturing in Sydney, Australia in November. Backed by a Defence Department innovation grant, it's Australia's first-ever component-level IT infrastructure manufacturing facility, and will produce ICT componentry HyperCloud. What are you working on this year? We're continuing the development and go-to-market strategy for HyperCloud, working with customers and strategic partners globally to achieve success together, extending its capability while building out our company around the world to service the demand it's creating. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? Especially following the pandemic years, the awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase the incredible ideas, innovations and efforts from our peers, and to come together to support each other. I think it's also important to recognise those companies that are actually creating the IT technologies, not just putting them into practice. There's a rich heritage of that here in the UK and we're proud to be part of that. The opportunity to reconnect with friends and partners face to face is so rewarding, and we look forward to coming back next year!

Interview: Bell Integration, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

Bell has invested in strategic partnerships to provide services internally and externally that drive innovation into our modern workplace. November marks the return of the UK IT Industry Awards . These awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 9 th November in London. One of the finalists is Bell Integration, which is in the running for the Best Technology Refresh Project of the Year. We caught up with Sarah Speed, Head of IT at Bell Integration, to find out what makes her company different from other technology firms. Sarah has worked in IT as a change/transformation professional for over 20 years across multiple industry sectors, and is currently Head of Information Technology at Bell Integration. Sarah provides management and leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment within Bell. As an advocate of flexible working, and of supporting Bell's commitment to be a destination employer, Sarah has transformed the way in which Bell users are supported by the technology around them. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Sarah Speed: For over 25 years, Bell Integration has been offering our customers disruptive, market-leading technology solutions and IT managed services that reduce cost, improve productivity and increase business efficiency. What makes you different from other technology companies? SS: As Bell is privately owned, we are able to react fast to our customers' needs by providing a full stable of 'cradle to the grave' multi-vendor services that address the pain points of deploying, managing, supporting and decommissioning modern hybrid IT environments. We pride ourselves on providing consistent, high quality experience for all our customers, and work with many global fin-techs and telcos, ensuring their IT services and infrastructure is always available, scalable and resilient. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? SS: Bell has seen significant growth over the last five years, and is now starting to move into more territories worldwide, creating a diverse culture within a remote working environment. Bell has invested in strategic partnerships to provide services internally and externally that drive innovation into our modern workplace. What are you working on this year? SS : As we continue to expand, we will push further in our commitment to implement AI and Automation to drive our business operations and offer these services out to our customers. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? SS : It's wonderful to be able to showcase and celebrate successful organisations, teams and individuals, whose use of technology is crucial to shaping the future of IT, our industry and global digital maturity. The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 9 th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table .

Interview: Creative ITC, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

Success is built on delivering outstanding customer experience and we never forget that. As society emerges from years of pandemic, IT finds itself ever more central to our personal and working lives, and IT professionals have never been more crucial to the functioning of businesses and society. The UK IT Industry Awards are designed to celebrate and promote the organisations, teams, projects, technologies and individuals who have given so much, and those who continue to help shape the future of IT, our industry and digital society. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing , the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 9th November in London. One of the finalists is Creative ITC, which has reached the shortlist for two categories: Services Company of the Year and Cloud Innovation Provider of the Year. We talked to Keith Ali, Group MD at Creative ITC, to find out why he thinks his company deserves to win. Keith sets Creative Group's strategic direction, enabling clients to digitally transform for continued growth and profitability. Previously head of technical strategy at Cisco, Keith also spent eight years overseas running IT departments throughout APAC and the US. A chartered engineer and passionate technologist, Keith is driven by how IT can be applied to positively affect the Creative ITC's entire economic future. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Keith Ali: Creative ITC is a privately-owned UK IT infrastructure and cloud enablement company, delivering exceptional solutions across five continents. Our managed services and cloud solutions are all developed in the UK and tailored to meet the needs of clients in fast-moving industries like construction, healthcare and finance, to help them achieve their business objectives sooner. Success is built on delivering outstanding customer experience - and we never forget that. What makes you different from other technology companies? KA: Lots of businesses say they have 'customer-first approach' - but when push comes to shove, what does that actually mean? What makes Creative stand out from the crowd is how truly embedded that ethos is in our culture. We don't just talk the talk - we walk the walk. We've built a team that really cares about helping our company and our clients flourish. A shining example is when a client recently experienced a major critical incident. Within one hour, we had five volunteers giving up their weekend to work through the night - both remotely and on-site - to help them resolve the issue. Unhampered by red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, our 24/7 hands-on support continued until everything was resolved, and we've worked alongside them to ensure a smooth road to recovery. Put simply, we all felt it was the right thing to do. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? KA: While I'm immensely proud of Creative's continued growth, the achievement that really stands out for me does so not because of the financials involved. Our contract win with SNC-Lavalin was our company's largest deal to date - but more importantly for me, it's also clear evidence that our business strategy is paying off. We've carved out a niche in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector, developing a portfolio of solutions tailored specifically to help companies meet a unique set of industry challenges. I'm incredibly proud our approach is taking Creative from strength to strength. Our unparalleled AEC expertise enabled us to take on the big boys in this competitive deal. SNC-Lavalin saw the value of partnering with Creative, choosing David over multiple industry Goliaths. What are you working on this year? KA : We're continuing to develop our range of solutions to help clients overcome mounting challenges as the marketplace and technology continue to evolve. Growing demand for IT systems that are easier and cheaper to own and manage is behind the shift towards Everything-as-a-Service. We understand that XaaS solutions need to not only align with future needs but also dovetail seamlessly with existing IT investments. To help clients overcome obstacles with modernising IT systems, we've developed a Modern Application Platform (MAP), designed to de-risk legacy system updates while stretching budgets through container orchestration and performance improvements. MAP provides customers with a single-stop solution for updating older software to the very latest languages and frameworks, while carefully arranging and simplifying scary and costly cloud transitions. Hot on the heels of infrastructure virtualisation, application virtualisation is now snowballing. Yet compute and storage - and therefore virtualisation - are coming ever closer to the edge. This increases the need for greater workload mobility, automated operations, and improved performance and availability of resources. These are some of the main drivers behind our focus on developing more tailored, scalable solutions for customers, building on our successful history of delivering exceptional managed services. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? KA : The UK IT Industry Awards highlight the positive impact IT has on business and celebrate the very best of our home-grown talent - the people who are truly changing the world through innovative technology. We're proud to be a home-grown UK IT business punching well above our weight on a global stage. Supporting our customers' success through digital transformation has always been at the heart of Creative and we're delighted to be shortlisted for two awards this year, showcasing the expertise and achievements of the entire Creative team. The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 9 th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table .

Interview: BlackBerry, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

We're really proud of our partnership with Greater Manchester Police, which is a shining example of putting BlackBerry AtHoc to work in a fast-paced, critical incident environment. This week marks the return of the UK IT Industry Awards : the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by Computing and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday.One of the finalists in the running is BlackBerry, which has reached the shortlist for two categories: Best Public Sector IT Project of the Year and Best Security, Defence or Law Enforcement IT Project of the Year. We talked to Keiron Holyome - Vice President, UKI, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at BlackBerry - to find out how their company has used IT for success. Keiron joined BlackBerry in January 2021, bringing over 20 years of experience in sales leadership roles at multinational technology organisations including McAfee, Computacenter, Gartner, Lenovo and Dell. Most recently he has held senior leadership positions in cybersecurity companies and is focused on helping organisations understand and prevent cyberattacks. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Keiron Holyome: BlackBerry keeps governments and enterprises of all sizes connected and secure across devices, networks, embedded systems, and mission critical communications. Trusted by over 2,000 organisations globally, BlackBerry's AtHoc critical event management solution combines a secure emergency notification system with incident response tools and capabilities. It enables response teams to be deployed quickly and equipped with the information needed to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from critical events faster. What makes you different from other technology companies? In times of crisis, mobility and secure communications are essential. But different organisations and individuals can't all be equipped with the same devices and applications. BlackBerry AtHoc stands apart from other solutions by enabling first responders to notify, cascade vital information and log acknowledgements from all key parties within and external to their organisation irrespective of the recipient's preferred platform and software, and whether they are a BlackBerry AtHoc customer. At the click of a button, a detailed alert is sent to everyone that needs to know - quickly, securely, and concurrently - to any nominated recipient, in their preferred format and on devices already in day-to-day use. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? We're really proud of our partnership with Greater Manchester Police, which is a shining example of putting BlackBerry AtHoc to work in a fast-paced, critical incident environment. Originally installed for internal communications, resourcing and staff welfare through the pandemic, GMP have pivoted to BlackBerry AtHoc's core use in critical event management over the last year. The solution is now used to connect a 'shield of communication' that spans the full range of blue light services, public and private sector organisations that may be called on to respond in any kind of emergency incident across Greater Manchester. Progress from a manual alert telephone procedure to a digitally driven, simultaneous alert system has enabled GMP to achieve an 85% reduction in the time taken for the Force to alert all relevant agencies while also increasing the accuracy of initial information and subsequent updates. While the process of informing partner agencies of an incident would traditionally have occupied multiple contact centre agents and taken over an hour to complete the initial task, with BlackBerry AtHoc, a single operator is able to notify all key responders in less than 10 minutes. Time can be the difference between life and death in emergency responsebut time is also money, and AtHoc is enabling GMP to redeploy call centre operator resources away from time-consuming tasks to better serving the community. What are you working on this year? One enhancement we are excited to be working on brings together two parts of our business, cybersecurity and critical event management. We will be offering integration of BlackBerry AtHoc with our cybersecurity managed extended detection and response (XDR) product, CylanceGUARD, to provide a system for fast, secure alerts on cybersecurity incidents, such as a cyberattack. When there is a cyber event, CylanceGUARD users would normally be notified 'manually' by BlackBerry's security analyst team. With the integration of BlackBerry AtHoc with CylanceGUARD, all affected customers and other pre-identified individuals will be notified concurrently with timely updates via secure communications, without the need for additional steps. This new sync feature will dramatically speed the notification and decision-making process in the event of cyberattack, enabling companies to isolate and treat affected systems more quickly to reduce potential financial and reputational impact. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? Events like the UK IT Industry Awards shine a spotlight on innovation and acknowledge where technology has made a real life difference to businesses and communities. We're delighted to be part of that recognition, highlighting our ongoing collaboration with GMP and contribution to improving critical incident response for communities across Greater Manchester. The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 9 th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table .

Interview: Vodafone, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

'As a global business we aim to drive positive change in the world' Information technology has become a vital part of businesses today. It aids all corporate sectors in automating their systems and processes to achieve goals, generate revenue, and lessen the inefficiencies of their work. The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing , the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 9 th November. One of the finalists was Vodafone, which reached the shortlist for not just one or two, but five categories: IT Team of the Year; Best Technology Refresh Project of the Year; Digital Transformation Project of the Year; Business IT Innovation of the Year; and Security Innovation of the Year. Before the awards, we caught up with Ravikumar Hanumanthaiah, Head of Enterprise UK IT Operations at Vodafone, to find out what makes his company different from other technology firms. Hanumanthaiah is a seasoned professional & people leader with diverse experience in Engineering and Technology. He has acumen for innovation & excellence, with strong technical background and reputation of leading and delivering complex and large IT transformations, critical programs and operational transitions and services. He has extensive telecom experience and is passionate in leading large professional and successful teams, motivating team members to be results-oriented and customer-centric. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Ravikumar Hanumanthaiah: Vodafone's purpose is to connect for a better future, with expertise and scale. As a global business we aim to drive positive change in the world. Our aim is to build a sustainable digital society that is inclusive for all, where technology and connectivity are enhancing the future and improving people's lives. Vodafone launched in the UK with first ever mobile call in 1985 and grown into a global technology communications business. How is your company different from its peers? Vodafone's core mission is focussed on digital society, inclusion for all and planet to connect for a better future. This is underpinned by our spirit beliefs on four main pillars -create the future, experiment and learn, get it done together and deepen customer engagement. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? Every person, wherever they are in the world, should have access to technology. Our initiative - 'everyone.connected' - aims to close the digital divide. As a leading telecommunications provider, we are determined to support those who need it most - students, jobseekers, small businesses, remote communities and the elderly. We know that connectivity leads to opportunity, and we're doing all we can to make sure nobody is left behind. We have offered data to schools, super low deals for struggling businesses and charities to help with digital poverty and cost of living crisis. W hat are you working on this year? Vodafone Digital & IT is working to deliver customer value at a sustainable speed, with the best community of engineering teams and practices. This is underpinned organisationally with the drive to reduce mean time to resolution of major outages that impact our IT systems. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? Vodafone Digital & IT believe these events are critical to showcase best in industry initiatives which can be looked on by other organisations as a way forward, the events also provide a platform to continue to drive the organisation goals and external recognition supports our talented people who are fundamental to every success.

Interview: Kainos, UK IT Industry Awards winner

'Kainos' aim is simple: to have a lasting positive impact on every client, changing the way they work for the better' Every business plan now includes information technology (IT) as a crucial and integral part. IT is used not only by multinational firms that manage mainframe systems and databases but also by small businesses that own just a single computer. The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 9 th November. Kainos, in partnership with Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), was announced the winner of the Best Public Sector IT Project of the Year . Before the awards, we caught up with Steffen Lydum, Principal Delivery Manager, and Alistair Coggins, Product Consultant, at Kainos to find out how their organisation has used IT for success. Steffen has been managing multi-million-pound delivery and business development activities for public sector clients in Kainos for the last 5 years. He has supported Government departments and agencies to develop and launch GDS aligned services that have helped to digitally transform the day-to-day lives of operational users and the public. He has achieved this through leading large scale multidisciplinary teams consisting of blended supplier and client environments to deliver the required outcomes. Prior to joining Kainos, Steffen has worked for IBM, Detica and BAE Systems Digital Intelligence in digital delivery roles. Steffen Lydum, Principal Delivery Manager, Kainos Alistair has been with Kainos for the past 18 months and in that time has led the product discovery and delivery for public sector clients. He has been supporting the DVSA as a client-side product lead refining the product strategy, creating a value led roadmap and guiding a team of product owners to deliver iterative user-centric products. In the 15 years prior to joining Kainos Alistair has built many public facing products for Three UK, Virgin Media, The National Trust, Zurich Insurance and a procurement PaaS start-up. Alistair Coggins, Product Consultant, Kainos Computing: What makes you different from other technology companies? Kainos' aim is simple: to have a lasting positive impact on every client, changing the way they work for the better. We're driven forwards by our ambition to maximise the impact we make today and the legacy we leave tomorrow. We challenge ourselves, the organisations we partner with, and the communities we operate in, to be more than ready for what comes next. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? Department for Transport (DfT) Kainos have been involved with the Street Manager service since its infancy in 2017. We have provided support to DfT throughout all phases by delivering the service, transitioning into live operation and are now delivering continuous improvement and service support whilst ensuring we meet DfT and user needs. In the last year, we have continued to achieve a high-quality service for Local Highway Authorities and Utility companies. We have also strengthened our relationship with DfT by signing a new contract to manage the service on their behalf for a further minimum three years. Finally, the project continues to present opportunities for staff to develop skills and grow through: Retaining staff over a long period of time on the project as they find the work interesting, challenging and enjoy working closely with the DfT service team. Continuing to take on Earn As You Learn students and recent graduates, enabling them to start their careers in IT delivery and digital transformation. Promoting many staff into more senior roles within the project team which is something we are very proud of. Having a project with very positive reputation within Kainos as a great place to build skills and experience. Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Future Theory Test Service: The driving theory test is a rite of passage for 1.6 million learner drivers annually, and one of citizen's first interactions with UK government. The project transformed how DVSA delivers the test, returning control through bringing the service in-house after 19 years of outsourcing. With 3 million tests per year, the service is one of the largest online testing initiatives globally. The new service lays the foundations for DVSA to transform the test across autonomous and electric vehicle technologies, supporting UK government's future of mobility and clean growth ambitions. We are most proud of the successful public launch in September 2021, against the backdrop of substantial public demand generated through pausing testing during Covid-19 lockdowns. It was a real testament to the resilience and scalability of our new service, fulfilling 15,000 bookings per day, up from an average of 7,000 bookings pre-pandemic. Our dedication to designing accessible, inclusive digital services has also been critical. Over 19% of citizens require additional support during their test, without which they are 50-80% more likely to fail. The new service has considerably improved availability and the booking experience for citizens with access needs, where we have enabled a 130% increase in the number of candidates requesting 'reasonable adjustments', thereby supporting equality for all. What are you working on this year? Alistair and Steffen are focused on growing Kainos' Transport sector and continuing to deliver key complex projects for our clients. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? Awards inspire organisations to be the best they can be and reflect a collective ambition and innovation that makes the IT industry so special. Recognising exceptional talent, problem-solving technologies, positive cultures, and customer achievements are brilliant ways to bring people together and encourage healthy competition to drive the industry forward.

Interview: UST, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

For more than 22 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through digital transformation. Every business plan now includes information technology (IT) as a crucial and integral part. IT is used not only by multinational firms that manage mainframe systems and databases but also by small businesses that own just a single computer. The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 9 th November. One of the finalists was UST, in the running for the DevOps Engineer of the Year. Before the awards, we caught up with Visharad Dhavle, Senior DevOps/SRE Engineer (Architect Level) at UST to find out what makes his company different from other technology firms. Dhavle describes himself as a high-energy, confident IT professional with an infectious enthusiasm for technology. He is a Masters in Computer Application with 11 years of comprehensive experience in application design, development, testing, release management and DevOps, SRE, and has been recognised for executing multiple roles as developer, application architect, technical lead, DevOps engineer, mentor and trainer. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Visharad Dhavle: For more than 22 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through digital transformation. What makes you different from other technology companies? Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? Through sustainable DevOps practices, UST paved the path for the FTSE 100 leading retailer to achieve their Sustainability Goals with a 50% reduction in web-app CO2 footprints. What are you working on this year? Improving the velocity while minimising the risk that comes with change through DevOps and SRE. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? To recognise exceptional people, projects and technological innovation.

Interview: Vitality, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

Our core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. Every business plan now includes information technology (IT) as a crucial and integral part. IT is used not only by multinational firms that manage mainframe systems and databases but also by small businesses that own just a single computer. The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 9 th November in London. One of the finalists is Vitality, who is in the running for the Business IT Innovation of the Year. We caught up with Simon Evans, Business Performance Director at Vitality, to find out what makes his company different from other technology firms. Evans is a highly experienced and dynamic Business Improvement and Change Leader specialising in Lean Six Sigma, Change Adoption and Innovation. He is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and describes himself as a lean practitioner with a proven record of leading large scale change programmes to deliver tangible bottom line results. Evans has been at Vitality since 2014 and is the Executive Business Sponsor for the company's Digital Claims Transformation programme submission. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Simon Evans: Vitality are the first insurance company to reward people for healthy living. We are owned by Discovery Holdings, a leading global insurer with over 5.2 million clients and we aim to be the best at what we do, offering comprehensive and award-winning health and life cover and positively different car insurance to our members. How is your company different from its peers? Our core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We believe in the idea of 'shared value'. It's a unique approach to insurance which is based on the scientifically proven principles of behavioural economics. We help our members take a more active role in managing their own wellness, which can encourage the development of healthy long-term habits that are good for them, good for us and good for society. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? Discovery has joined the ranks of 50 companies recognised in Fortune Magazine's 2022 Change the World list. The seminal list features organisations from around the globe that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Fortune writers and editors, with help from the Shared Value Initiative, evaluated companies to find those that have a demonstrable and significant positive impact on customers and society. Evaluation pillars include measurable social impact, business results, and degree of innovation. Through a rigorous process, a highly selective list of the world's best practices was determined. Discovery ranked in the top 5 on the list for our shared-value banking model, helping people to adopt better financial behaviours - and rewarding them for it. We believe this recognition validates our ongoing focus on making people healthier in all aspects of life, in line with our core purpose, and positions us alongside other leading companies on a global stage. What are you working on this year? With several strategic deliverables underway, shifting from monolith legacy systems to microservices and modular apps, the roadmap is significant for the year ahead. But beyond that, the Vitality Tech Leadership team are investing in our most precious asset, our People. With the implementation of Technology Career Pathways, our Tech Tribe Team Week and our Tech Tribe Awards, the foundation to continue to deliver Award-winning products is set. Coupled with the introduction of the Vitality Intern Programme, we will be closing the gap between Academia and Industry through quality, shared value experiences. It is an exciting time to be part of Vitality's Tech Team! Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? Events such as the UK IT Industry Awards show approval and gratitude for a job well done, and it makes people aware that good work will be rewarded. It shows others, such as the general public and other companies, that outstanding accomplishments are recognised. Awards help showcase the best of an industry, they highlight the passion, drive and determination from a wide range of companies, awards bring credibility and can boost business. Events such as this often leads to interest in both the industry itself as well as specific companies, they can open doors for new opportunities. The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 9 th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table .

Interview: Content Guru, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

At Content Guru we place a strong emphasis on continuous innovation and improvement. The UK IT Industry Awards are one of the most prestigious in the technology sector. The awards celebrate the role of the IT team, the centrality if IT teams to businesses and and the impact of tech teams further afield. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards are the epitome of professionalism and industry knowledge. This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 9th November in London. One of the finalists is Content Guru, in the running for the Cloud Innovation Provider of the Year. Computing caught up with Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO and Co-Founder of Content Guru, to find out what makes his company stand out from the crowd. Taylor is one of the Co-Founders of Content Guru, a Bracknell-headquartered cloud communications technology provider employing 400 people around the world. Taylor's responsibilities include product innovation, market development and Content Guru's healthcare and public sector practice. A pioneer in cloud communications and real-time billing, Taylor has been active in growing his business group since setting up his first company aged 22, alongside his brother, Sean. A regular guest lecturer on strategy and entrepreneurship at King's College London, his alma mater, Taylor first started reading his father's copies of Computing in early childhood, initially believing the magazine was called 'Backbytes'. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Martin Taylor: Content Guru enables mission-critical customer communications for hundreds of the world's largest organisations through its cloud platform, storm . When you get in touch with an organisation's contact centre - whether a utilities provider, a retail giant, or a government agency, it is most likely that your call, chat, email or social media interaction is processed, queued, routed or handled by us. Our storm solutions, and the offices and data centres that power it, operate across the globe - from California to Tokyo. The UK is the second largest market for contact centres and, according to McKinsey, Content Guru is the number one cloud technology provider in it. Our customers include Europe's largest passenger volume airline, some of the country's biggest banks and insurers, five of Britain's six electricity supply companies, various major retailers and 999, 111 and 101 call handling services for police, ambulance and healthcare providers. CTG: What makes you different from other technology companies? MT: At Content Guru we place a strong emphasis on continuous innovation and improvement. We establish weekly Kaizen goals in every department, and prioritise investment into our ongoing R&D programme. The business was founded by a group of tech-minded friends from university, and to this day almost all UK colleagues have a Russell Group degree background, with over 70% working in technical roles. We employ a mix of highly diverse, highly intelligent people with a modal age of 25 (many of whom go on to achieve senior leadership roles). Our years of experience and intense technical focus give us an edge over our competitors in the battleground that is today's customer experience market. CTG: What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? MT: We've invested a huge amount of time and resource into improving our Customer Data Platform, which combines the benefits of data aggregation, customer journey mapping, customer relationship management and knowledge management. This enables organisations to harness their existing data and transform it into actionable insights about their business. We were delighted to celebrate our work on this innovation at the Computing Cloud Excellence Awards, where we won Cloud Data Management Solution of the Year. CTG: What are you working on this year? MT : Every day, human beings create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data - so much so that 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years. As the power of using this data has become more apparent, we have focused on next-generation technology services that enable organisations to 'mine' this information and use it to improve business processes, employee engagement, and customer experience. Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation are also key themes in our R&D roadmap, as we continue to roll out this innovative technology to empower large scale organisations to deliver enhanced customer service. CTG: Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? MT : The UK IT Industry Awards are a pivotal part of celebrating IT talent in the country - from the organisations that implement the technology, to the vendors who underpin it, to the people whose creativity drives the development of innovative solutions. Having been winners multiple times at the UK IT Awards, colloquially known to us as Britain's IT Oscars, we have ourselves benefitted from being celebrated with such an esteemed award - it does wonders for a company's reputation, as well as colleague motivation and satisfaction. The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 9 th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table .

Amazon, EU reach deal to end antitrust investigations

Amazon has reached a deal with the European Commission to escape a fine for allegedly misusing seller data, according to the Financial Times. As part of the agreement, Amazon have to will treat rival products equally to its own in the Buy Box section of its website, enhancing third-party sellers' visibility. Most purchases on Amazon are made via the Buy Box. The company has also pledged to provide new featured offers for consumers who are less worried about delivery speed, and will allow merchants using its Prime membership programme to pick any shipping provider and directly negotiate rates, instead of forcing them to use Amazon's logistics services. Amazon got in trouble with Italian regulators about these practices last year, eating a 1.3 billion fine as a result. According to the FT , the deal could be announced on 20th December, although the date may change. 'There's very little to discuss,' a source told the publication. Amazon will be obligated to honour its commitments for at least five years once the deal is formalised. The new deal would represent a huge win for the European Union, serving as an example of how large tech firms would be required to adhere to the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) . The DMA is a comprehensive set of rules designed to reduce the market dominance of companies with a solid hold on the internet economy, known as 'gatekeepers'. The primary objective of the reforms is to stop tech giants from abusing their dominance and hurting smaller competitors. When Amazon pledged in July to take steps to make its seller programme fairer, the company said it felt 'unfairly' targeted by regulations like the DMA. However, it also said it was 'engaging constructively' with authorities to resolve concerns over its business. The deal with the EU means Amazon will avoid formal charges of breaching EU law and a hefty financial penalty. Companies violating DMA rules could face serious repercussions. They run the risk of being fined up to 10% of their total worldwide sales; and if they break the law again, the maximum possible penalty climbs to 20%. Amazon's assistant general counsel, Chris Meyers, said at a conference on Monday that Amazon's commitments were consistent with how the company intended to follow Brussels' new regulations. 'The specific commitment that we have proposed, and which we think also meets the obligations of the DMA, is really the approach we are going to take under the DMA,' he said. This alleged deal comes three years after investigators in Brussels began an unrelated investigation into whether or not Amazon uses data to engage in anti-competitive practices. At that time, European Commission said: 'When providing a marketplace for independent sellers, Amazon continuously collects data about the activity on its platform. Based on the Commission's preliminary fact-finding, Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information - about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace.' The probe, which started in 2019, focused on the typical agreements that Amazon requires of its marketplace sellers. According to the Commission, these agreements provided the company power to analyse and use that data for its own advantage.

Microsoft is planning to build a super app to challenge Apple, Google app stores: report

Microsoft is inspired by Tencents mobile strategy to create an all-in-one app.

EU Said to Prepare to Bar Meta From Running Ads Based on Personal Data: All Details

Meta could be barred from running ads based on users' personal data without their consent in the EU. Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems filed a complaint against Meta with Ireland's data protection agency in 2018, alleging that the firm just moved the consent clause in the terms and conditions, instead of having a yes/no option for personalised ads.

iPod Co-Creator Tony Fadell Launches Ledger Stax Offline Cryptocurrency Wallet: All You Need to Know

Tony Fadell, the co-creator of the iPod, has launched the Ledger Stax, a hardware wallet used to store cryptocurrency offline. The Ledger Stax is a credit-card sized device featuring a curved spine and e-ink display, and is priced at $279 (roughly Rs. 23,000).

From chef to digital technician: how a Skills Bootcamp helped me pivot to a career in tech

Ive always enjoyed cooking at home and when the time came to decide on a career path, I was really excited about the prospect of heading to college to train as a chef. However, I soon realised that - while I loved the actual cooking - the long hours and intense environment of working in a real kitchen were having an effect on my mental health. I knew this wasn't going to be the career path for me. I've always been interested in gaming, and it prompted me to think about whether a role in technology was an option. Tech also felt like an area with the potential to go down different routes. And, if I'm being honest, it also felt as though that was where the money was! All of this made me curious about what my options might be. I didn't know if I had the right experience or whether I would have to go to university to get a specific qualification, depending on the area of tech I might want to go into. After some research, I came across an AWS re/Start Skills Bootcamp run by Skills City and operated by IN4 Group - a digital technology skills and talent provider in Media City, Salford. A quick look at the website told me that, over a 12-week period, I would learn about cloud foundations, networking, python programming, databases and AWS. The programme was also fully funded, and it came with the promise of a guaranteed interview at the end. I signed up, completely threw myself into it and haven't looked back since. The course was fully remote, which I found great for learning at my own pace. If I needed to pop out, I could still be listening in to a session, and then unpick it in more detail when I got home. There were also opportunities to be in-person, and IN4 Group organised introductions to people within the tech industry as well as social get-togethers. Being able to share the experience with others from a non-technical background was really encouraging and reassuring. As a chef, committing recipes to memory and remembering exact amounts were essential. That came in useful when memorising multiple AWS services One of the areas I found challenging was learning to code, especially using languages like Python. As someone who'd never done anything like that before it felt quite intense, but resources like HackerRank were great for when I wanted to get some extra practice in or breakdown certain instructions, alongside the support from the course leaders. As the course progressed, I also realised that I didn't have to become a brilliant coder - just having that overview and knowing how to code at an intermediary level has still been incredibly useful. The part I really loved was learning about the different AWS services - and this is where some of my existing skills came into their own. For example, as a chef, committing recipes to memory and remembering exact amounts were essential. That came in useful when memorising multiple AWS services, what they consisted of and how they complimented each other, for example. Equally, the ability to get 10 different dishes ready at the same time in a kitchen meant I really thrived on the project management element and meeting deadlines. I think there's an assumption that all tech roles require hard skills like coding, but for me, it's these soft skills that have helped me in my role today. At the end of the course, I had job offers from a couple of the organisations I'd been introduced to during the programme - including IN4 Group. The company offered me a role as a digital technician, which I happily accepted. After the stressful environment of a busy kitchen, finding the right working environment was important and I chose IN4 Group because of the culture and the supportive nature of the team. I'm six months into my career in technology and have already been promoted to senior digital technician where I am responsible for working with the delivery teams to ensure the smooth running of future tech bootcamps. Going on that journey myself, I feel much more qualified to understand what's working well and where we can improve, and I'm currently working to analyse and manage different data sets as part of that. For anyone doubting whether a tech bootcamp is for them, don't! One of the things that put me off initially was the belief that it would be expensive and take up a lot of time but there are so many routes that are making a career in tech more accessible - whatever your background may be. Quinn Towler is a senior digital technician at IN4 Group

Apple Introduces 700 New Price Points in Biggest Upgrade to App Store Pricing Structure

In its biggest change to the App Store pricing structure to date, Apple is introducing 700 new price points for developers listing apps on its storefront. The new price points will provide greater flexibility and control over setting the price for an app. The new App Store pricing update is in effect for subscription-based apps and will be extended to paid apps and in...

Microsoft Said to Plan 'Super App' to Loosen Grip of Google, Apple on Mobile Search Space

Microsoft is said to have recently considered building a super app to loosen the hold of Apple and Google on the mobile search space. The company may have considered a super app with shopping, messaging, news and web search services according to a report.

Telegram Lets Users Sign Up Without Phone Number, Adds Automatic Message Deletion, More

Telegram will allow users to sign-up without a SIM card, the company has announced. It is also rolling out Topics 2.0, auto-delete for chat messages, aggressive anti-spam mode and more. The app has allowed users to now sign up by using blockchain-powered anonymous numbers available on the Fragment platform.

Microsoft Agrees to Release Call of Duty on Nintendo Platforms for 10 Years Amid Regulatory Scrutiny

Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it had agreed on a 10-year commitment to release Call of Duty for Nintendo platforms, a few days after it was revealed that the company had offered Sony same day releases for PlayStation consoles for a 10-year period. The agreement was announced by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in a tweet on Wednesday.

Meta expected to face new fines after EU privacy ruling

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said in a statement that the rulings concerned Meta's use of data for targeted advertising

Apple is sued by women who say AirTag lets stalkers track victims

In a proposed class action, the women said Apple has been unable to protect people from unwanted trafficking through AirTag that it called the stalker proof device

Twitter Fired Deputy General Counsel Over Concerns About Role in Information Suppression, Elon Musk Says

Elon Musk on Tuesday tweeted that he had fired James Baker, Twitter's deputy General Counsel. Twitter's new CEO said that Baker was fired over concerns about his role in supressing information posted to Twitter. Last week, Journalist Matt Taibbi in collaboration with Elon Musk published the Twitter Files alleging suppression of information on the microblogging platf...

TSMC Expects Annual Revenue of $10 Billion From US Chip Plants; Apple to Use New Chips, Tim Cook Says

TSMC on Tuesday said that it expects an annual revenue of $10 billion (roughly Rs. 82 crore) from its chip fabrication plants in the US. The Taiwan-based chipmaker said that the first fabrication plant would be operational by 2024, followed by a second one in 2026 for more advanced chips.

European scientists are developing nuclear waste batteries for use in space

Ministers at the European Space Agency (ESA) recently approved funding for a special project to build nuclear waste-powered batteries for use in space exploration. If successful, the new tech would make it possible to conduct operations in areas where access to solar energy is degraded or absent, such as on the dark side of the moon. Researchers working with the ESA believe they can use americium, a radioactive element derived from plutonium decay, to generate sufficient heat to both warm equipment and generate electricity to power functionality. This would represent the first time americium has been used in this manner, This story continues at The Next Web

The workings of ChatGPT, the latest natural language processing tool

The latest artificial intelligence tool is creating a buzz among computer scientists and programmers due to its creative capabilities. The tool has been developed by OpenAI, a research institute founded in 2015

The Netherlands startup scene is booming, but it still needs to do more

The European startup scene is booming, with the total equity value exceeding $3 trillion in 2021 the highest number ever recorded. Currently, four countries are the major players in the ecosystem: the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and France, which host nearly two-thirds of the continents top 1,000 startups and scaleups. Among them, Amsterdam has seen explosive growth, with a whopping 53% average year-over-year growth since 2011. It has also been ranked as Europes second top performing startup hub for 2021 preceded by London, and followed by Paris and Berlin. Yet, compared to the other countries, the Netherlands is This story continues at The Next Web

A Chief Automation Officer could transform your business heres how

Content provided by IBM and TNW Companies that dont have a digitization and automation strategy will probably not survive in the next decade. Why? Because a host of technological developments are making it possible to free employees from a range of routine operations, so they can focus on the most impactful areas of business. Enterprises that embrace automation can have happier customers, more satisfied employees, and streamlined operations. From back-office tasks to the inspection of industrial complexes and manufacturing sites, there are tools and platforms to collect and analyze various types of data, and take actions that automate repetitive tasks This story continues at The Next Web

Adobe Stock to Accept Generative AI Artworks, Updates Guidelines for Submissions

Adobe has decided to allow artwork generated through Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its Stock photo service. The move is intended to help Adobe get past copyright infringement issues, while also allowing it to experiment with AI on a deeper level. The company has amended its policies that now require contributors to adhere to a bunch of rules.

Meta Oversight Board Calls for Overhaul of 'Cross-Check' Programme That Prioritises VIP Users

Meta's Oversight Board on Tuesday recommended that the world's biggest social media firm revamp its 'Cross-check' system that adds a layer of enforcement review for millions of Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to celebrities, politicians and other influential users. Oversight Board director Thomas Hughes said the system prioritises users of commercial value t...

TSMC Set to Expand US Semiconductor Plant in Arizona, Plans to Build a Second Facility in by 2026

TSMC is set to expand its massive semiconductor plant in Arizona on Tuesday, and the Taiwanese chipmaker will unveil plans to build a second facility in Phoenix by 2026, according to the White House. The company's existing facility will start reducing the size of its current 5nm chips to 4nm.

Sony Ready to Make Humanoid Robots Quickly Once Usage Becomes Clear, CTO Hiroaki Kitano Says

Sony on Tuesday said it has the technology to make humanoid robots quickly once the Japanese conglomerate has identified how they should be used effectively. The firm previously launched an advanced version of its robot dog Aibo in 2018, selling about 20,000 units within six months. Meanwhile, Elon Musk recently unveiled a prototype of the company's Optimus robot, whi...

Mickey 17: Bong Joon-Ho and Robert Pattinson Sci-Fi Movie Gets March 2024 Release Date

Mickey 17, the upcoming collaboration between Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho and actor Robert Pattinson, just got a release date. Warner Bros. unveiled a first-look teaser with a theatrical release date of March 29, 2024. Based on the Edward Ashton novel, Mickey 7, the film follows an expendable clone, who refuses to let the new iteration replace him. Mickey 17 a...

Russia's No. 2 bank VTB suffers largest DDoS in history

Russia's state-owned bank VTB has been hit by the most intense distributed denial of service (DDoS) it has ever suffered. Following the attack, the bank issued a warning about a temporary access issues with its mobile app and website, but reassured customers their data was still secure. 'The bank's technological infrastructure is under an unprecedented cyber attack from abroad,' said VTB, according to Reuters . 'The largest not only this year, but in the whole time the bank has operated.' VTB said it was taking steps to fend off the attack, which it claims originated from outside Russia. DDoS attacks target online services and websites and overwhelm them with massive volumes of traffic that the server or network cannot accommodate. The main goal behind such attacks is to create problems for the business by making their website inoperable. The disruption also causes issues for individual users, who are prevented from accessing the services they require. According to VTB, the majority of the malicious traffic used in the attack originated outside Russia, although some requests came from Russian IP addresses. The bank intends to provide law enforcement with those Russian addresses for verification. Hackers have targeted several state-owned businesses and government organisations in Russia over the past nine months in response to the country's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Websites belonging to the Kremlin, Aeroflot and Sberbank have all experienced brief outages or access issues. Last week, it emerged that threat actors have been targeting Russian organisations with a new strain of malware designed to erase all data on a compromised computer. Russian news website Izvestia said the wiper, which masquerades as ransomware, was used in attacks on Russian mayor's offices and courts. Meanwhile, attacks on websites and infrastructure in Lithuania, Norway, and the United States this year have been attributed to or claimed by pro-Russian hackers. Slovak cybersecurity firm ESET said last week that Russian state-sponsored threat operation Sandworm was using a novel strain of ransomware known as RansomBoggs in a new wave of attacks targeting Ukrainian organisations, first seen in late November. Also last month, a 'sophisticated' cyberattack on the European Parliament website caused service disruptions moments after members voted to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said a pro-Kremlin group had claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier this year, researchers discovered the HermeticWiper malware on many Ukrainian organisations' networks, hours before Russia invaded. Microsoft said in a June report that Russia was targeting countries supporting Ukraine - especially the USA and Poland - in the ongoing war. Since the start of the war, Microsoft has identified more than 100 organisations in 42 countries that have been impacted by the attacks. Over 60% of the activity targeted entities in NATO states and the USA was the main country targeted, accounting for 12% of the worldwide total.

Apple Faces Antitrust Complaints in Brazil, Mexico Over 'Anti-Competitive Practices'

Apple faces antitrust complaints from MercadoLibre in Brazil and Mexico. The e-commerce giant has accused Apple of indulging in anti-competitive practices and said the iPhone maker has abused its monopoly in the distribution of digital goods and in-app purchases.

Contractors beware: HMRC targeting umbrella corps

The UK's tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), is cracking down on umbrella companies that contractors use to pay their taxes. According to multinational law firm Pinsent Masons , the number of First Tier tax tribunal cases awaiting hearing has surged more than sevenfold since the same quarter last year. At the end of June 2022, there were 10,000 cases backlogged, up from 1,200 at the end of June 2021. The main reason behind the rapid increase is the large number of cases HMRC that is pursuing against umbrella firms it believes have underpaid VAT. With a large number of umbrella companies suspected of VAT avoidance, the tax tribunal backlog has grown massively in a very short time, said Steven Porter , a partner at the law firm. Contractors looking to sign up with an umbrella company should be aware that it is likely the umbrella company will be required to pay VAT. HMRC will view any claims to the contrary with suspicion. The changes to the off-payroll working (OPW) rules, commonly known as IR35 , came into effect on 6th April 2021, making medium and large-sized private and public sector organisations responsible for determining the employment status of the contractors they engage, for tax purposes. In other words, organisations now have to decide whether the contractors they use should be taxed as off-payroll workers or permanent employees. Under previous IR35 rules, which were in place for nearly 20 years, contractors were allowed to self-declare their tax liabilities; that is, whether they should be taxed in the same way as salaried workers or as off-payroll employees. HMRC says that system was open to abuse because contractors could intentionally mis-classify their working arrangements with their employers to curtail their tax liabilities. The change to IR35 has led to a sharp rise in contractors' use of umbrella firms, especially in the tech industry. Contractors who use an umbrella firm have the choice of working on a contractual basis while still having an employer handle things like tax returns, etc. HMRC...and the tribunal are aiming to clear the backlog of tribunal cases quickly - HMRC are confident that they will win and move on to collecting the VAT it believes it is owed, said Porter. HMRC sees the tax affairs of contractors as an area where it is missing out on a lot of unpaid tax. Umbrella companies are firmly in its crosshairs. A spokesperson at HMRC said: We are using our civil and criminal powers to challenge those involved in Mini Umbrella Company (MUC) fraud, including deregistering tens of thousands of MUCs who we believe were exploiting the VAT Flat Rate Scheme and removing their access to the Employment Allowance. We have made a number of arrests in relation to MUC fraud and also taken steps to recover input tax in cases where it is established that a business in the supply chain knew, or should have known, there was fraud. Some government departments have struggled to implement the new IR35 rules correctly. Last month, NHS Digital and Defra were among those that were required to settle bills for unpaid taxes.

God of War Ragnarks Photo Mode Now Live, Lets You Change Facial Expressions for Kratos, Atreus, Others

God of War Ragnarks photo mode is finally here, as part of a version 3.00 update. The feature can be accessed by pressing the Square button in the games options menu, and lets you apply facial expressions to lead characters namely Kratos, Atreus, Freya, Brok, Sindri, Tyr, Angrboda, Thor, and Thrd. Similar to photo mode in other AAA titles, players can ...

AirTag Stalking: Apple Faces Lawsuit by Two Women Over Dangerous Tracking by Exes

Apple was sued by two US women who have claimed that the company's AirTag allows stalkers to track and locate their victims. The Cupertino company had advertised the AirTag as stalker proof when it launched the device in April 2021, but privacy advocates have warned, and police reports have verified, that the tiny devices can be misused to track people without t...

Facebook Dating Will Allow Users to Verify Their Age Using AI Face Scanning, Meta Says

Meta has announced that it was prompting users on Facebook Dating to verify that they're over 18 if the platform suspects a user is underage. According to the US social media giant, it has partnered with a firm called Yoti, which uses facial cues to determine a user's age without identifying them.

Samsungs Multi-Fingerprint Sensor Will Be 2.5 Billion Times More Secure, May Release by 2025: ISORG CEO

Samsungs fingerprint ID could become 2.5 billion times more secure with multi-fingerprint scanning technology. The tech giant has revealed plans of an All-in-One OLED 2.0 panel that would turn the phones entire display into one giant sensor capable of scanning multiple fingerprints at the same time.

Interview: Discover Financial Services, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

Discover serves a broad market, offering easy-to-use digital banking products and a good value while providing a great customer experience. Digitisation means that technology has shifted from being an enabler to essentially defining businesses, with automation increasingly being strategically deployed to reduce inefficiencies and drive growth. Banking and finance is an example of how digitisation can change almost everything about how customers engage with service providers. The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows. This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 9 th November. One of the finalists was Discover Financial Services, which reached the shortlist for two categories: Development Team of the Year and Infrastructure Innovation of the Year. Before the awards, we caught up with Simon John Williams, Director Of DevOps & Delivery Excellence at Discover, to find out what makes his company different from other technology firms. Simon John Williams, Director of DevOps & Delivery Excellence, Discover Financial Services Simon has a rich background in financial services working for high-profile Tier 1 banks and consultancies to help define and implement strategic change. His specialisation is in digital transformation, with thought leadership pieces for UK broadsheets such as the Guardian, and regular speaking events including serverless con. He joined Discover in 2021 as Director of DevOps & Delivery to lead in the transformation of Discover's payment network to a product centric way of working - with a focus on automation, delivering process standardisation and change, and the cultural shift for product centricity. Computing: Please provide some background on your company for our readers. Simon John Williams: Discover Financial Services is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognised brands in the US financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchants and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. How is your company different from its peers? Discover serves a broad market, offering easy-to-use digital banking products and a good value while providing a great customer experience. We lead the industry with practical, innovative features like Cashback Rewards and Credit Scorecard. We have a unique business model that is right for the times - we are the only bank that is 100% consumer focused, without the legacy of high-cost branches because we have been digital from the start, and with a proprietary payments network. We're big enough to have the resources to compete with the large banks, but small and focused enough to be nimble and innovate like our FinTech competitors. What one company achievement in the last 12 months are you most proud of? Discover has initiated five key strategic initiatives in the form of Runway; these objectives are to align Discover to a new product centric way of working and seismically shift the technical landscape to a simplified modern technology stack. Significant progress has been made in this area to migrate workloads onto a container ecosystem and implement a single way of working around this technology. By enabling a developer-as-a-service consumer model, it has allowed the complexity of the ecosystem to be abstracted away from the developers so that they can concentrate on delivering business value. This has led to more productive developers and happier end users. What are you working on this year? This year the DevOps & Delivery excellence is working to optimise the product delivery lifecycle (PDLC). This has a wider remit than the typical software delivery lifecycle (SDLC), since it includes more on the left-hand side for architecture, product owner and business collaboration. We have been looking at the three tenants of optimisation of people, process and technology. So how do we create a process which enables best practices and standardises our procedures, how do we change culture to have a continual improvement mindset and building enterprise-wide solutions, and finally harmonising our technical stack, providing connectivity through these tools and automation around the process. Why are events like the UK IT Industry Awards important to the IT industry? The UK IT Industry Awards are important for individuals and teams since they can be recognised by a forum of their peers for the excellent work they are doing. This gives them exposure not just within the sector but across the industry letting them know the valuable work they are doing. From a company perspective, it gives insight into not only what the art of the possible is from similar sectors, such as moving from legacy to cloud but concrete examples of how it was performed. Companies also benefit by seeing who their strategic partners could be, so what technology companies Discover can get expertise from, and which Vendors have performed well against their peers. The networking aspect is also very valuable; being able to connect with technologists solving similar challenges in different sectors gives a new perspective on how to achieve excellence.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Gameplay Reveal Confirmed for The Game Awards 2022, Merely Hours After Release Date Leak

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is getting a gameplay reveal at The Game Awards 2022, EA has confirmed. The announcement comes in the wake of a release date reveal on Steam, which also included details on pre-order bonuses and system requirements for the same. The sequel is set five years after the events of Fallen Order, and follows Cal Kestis story as a powerful Jedi Kn...

Microsoft Offers Sony 10-Year Contract for Upcoming Call of Duty Titles on PlayStation: Report

Microsoft has reportedly offered Sony a 10-year contract for upcoming Call of Duty releases on PlayStation. The company is facing a full-scale EU probe into its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and previously offered a 3-year deal to Sony after the current agreement expires, which the latter termed inadequate.

Facebook owner Meta may remove news from platform if U.S. Congress passes media bill

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone in a tweet said the company would be forced to consider removing news if the law was passed

These Chrome extensions will put cash-saving coupons right in your browser

If you use Chrome to shop online, you can save money on your holiday shopping. These Chrome extensions are sure to help you snag all sorts of great discounts.

Xiaomi Host Mini PC Design Leaked; May Feature 100W PSU, Run on Windows: Report

Xiaomi may be entering the desktop PC segment with leaks on Weibo suggesting two models with a small form factor design. One of them, the Xiaomi Mini Host, will reportedly feature a 100W PSU and compact chassis. The other is believed to have an AMD Ryzen 6800H APU onboard.

Europe, take note: France bans short-haul flights

France has been given the green light to ban short-haul domestic flights. Specifically, between locations where there is a train alternative that takes less than 2.5 hours. When the French government suggested the measure in 2021 as part of the countrys Climate Law, it was contested by the Union of French Airports (UAF) and the European branch of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe). This led to an investigation by the European Commission, which gave the final approval on Friday making France the first EU member state with a short-haul flight ban. Initially, the measure will affect routes between This story continues at The Next Web