Category: News

AWS gets three year cloud contract with Home Office

Posted on December 5, 2023 by - News

The Home Office has signed a three-year cloudy deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) valued at £450,281,369.

The contract falls under the G-Cloud 13 framework and is to provide public cloud hosting services to the Home Office. T

This latest agreement follows a series of collaborations between the Home Office and AWS, which are becoming increasingly controversial.

Last year, a report from the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) and think tank TaxWatch revealed that AWS has secured UK public sector contracts exceeding £600 million since 2017.

The report also highlighted concerns about tax payments, with AWS allegedly avoiding £84 million in taxes during the same period.

Insight Enterprises snaps up SADA

Posted on December 5, 2023 by - News

Insight Enterprises has snapped up six-time Google Cloud Partner of the Year SADA for $410 million.

Insight claims the deal puts it in the same class as Accenture and Deloitte as one of Microsoft and Google’s three biggest cloud players.

Insight said the additional earnout for SADA owners has a target of $210 million based on SADA’s three-year performance after the close of the acquisition. Insight expects the deal to add 20 to 30 cents per share to its adjusted earnings per share in December 2023 and 55 to 75 cents per share in 2024.

SADA delivered net revenue of $251 million in 2022 and gross profit of $200 million.

SADA  has Google Cloud specialisations, including security, infrastructure, cloud migration, data analytics, application development, location intelligence and machine learning. Insight has 22 Microsoft specialisations.

Insight said the deal extends its AI capabilities across two leading generative AI platforms.

 

Palantir’s NHS data sharing deal faces court action

Posted on December 4, 2023 by - News

Campaigners have launched legal action to halt a data-sharing deal between the NHS and Palantir.

For those who came in late, Palantir scored a £330 million contract with the NHS to create and operate a Federated Data Platform (FDP) to streamline information sharing among health service trusts and integrated care systems.

The FDP aims to improve service efficiency and address the 7.8 million patient backlog of care hospitals face, enabling them to discharge patients more efficiently.

However, the contract award is a little bit risky as it is giving a ton of UK data to a company which is rather too friendly with the US military.

While Palantir won’t own the data and requires NHS permission for access, campaign groups, including legal organisation Foxglove, are sceptical of the company’s track record.

Softcat’s annual survey talks up cyber security

Posted on December 4, 2023 by - News

Softcat’s annual survey of more than 4,000 reseller customers across 2,900 organisations in the UK and Ireland has revealed that cyber security is a top priority for more than half.

It is the second consecutive year cyber-security has emerged as the dominant focus, with 56 per cent of respondents pinpointing it as their top priority.

Softcat’s chief technologist for cyber-security, Kieron Newsham, said it was important for organisations to not only recognise the importance of cyber security but also use new technologies for recovery and normalisation after cyber incidents.

Digital workspace claims the spotlight as the second most prioritised area.

The survey found that a third of organisations (39 per cent) emphasise devices and end-user computing for the upcoming year.

FourNet swallows 01T

Posted on December 1, 2023 by - News

Woodridge, IL, USA — Great White Shark Opening Mouth — Image by © Denis Scott/Corbis

Digital transformation outfit FourNet has acquired global network MSP, 01T.

FourNet said the acquisition gives its critical infrastructure customers end-to-end, fully resilient network connectivity. This includes the Prime Minister’s Office, ambulance services, and large enterprises.

It also removes the need for FourNet to use third-party network aggregators.

For those not in the know, 01T specialises in designing, building and managing high-speed global networks. It delivers connectivity and wide area network (WAN) services to organisations that rely on resilient networks.

2024 will be a big year for cybersecurity

Posted on December 1, 2023 by - News

A cybersecurity expert predicts 2024 will be a big year for cybersecurity as the world integrates some key tech.

NordLayer’s Carlos Salas said that in 2024, we will see such trends as the growth of remote work, human firewalls, the impact of AI, and the demand for cybersecurity specialists.

He said: “Besides standard cybersecurity topics like the seriousness of ransomware attacks, data leaks, and emerging business exploitation apps, from expert knowledge sharing and conversations with clients, we predict what other topics will keep businesses on edge next year.”

Research on the US workforce revealed that 40 per cent of the workforce capable of working remotely has moved from working full-time on-site to either a hybrid or fully remote work arrangement between 2019 and 2023.

Cloud computing will be compulsory by 2028

Posted on November 30, 2023 by - News

Fortune tellers at Gartner group have been shuffling their Tarot cards and concluded that cloud computing will shift from being a technology disruptor to being compulsory for firms by 2028

Big G says that IT spending on public cloud services remains unabated. In 2024, worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to total $679 billion and exceed $1 trillion in 2027.

Gartner analyst Milind Govekar said that organisations are actively investing in cloud technology for its potential to foster innovation, create market disruptions, and enhance customer retention to gain a competitive edge.

“While many organisations have started seizing the technical advantages of the cloud, only a few have unlocked its full potential in supporting business transformation. As a result, organisations use the cloud to launch a new wave of AI-driven disruption, enabling them to unlock business value at scale.”

Crowdstrike crosses $3 billion ARR

Posted on November 30, 2023 by - News

Cybersecurity outfit CrowdStrike’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) has exceeded $3 billion in its latest financial results for the first time.

Revenue was $786 million, a 35 per cent increase in its third quarter of fiscal year 2024, which ended October 31, 2023.

Non-GAAP net income attributable to CrowdStrike rose to $199.2 million, compared to $96.1 million in the same period last year.

Subscription revenue grew 34 per cent to $733.5 million, while revenues for professional services surged 58 per cent to $52.5 million.

Hexaware opens Birmingham-based facility

Posted on November 29, 2023 by - News

Global IT and digital solutions outfit Hexaware Technologies has opened a new Birmingham facility, aiming to create 250 jobs.

The facility was officially opened by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who participated in a ribbon cutting and traditional Indian lamp lighting ceremony.

Mumbai-based Hexaware said that since then, a surge in demand for applications operations, end-user computing services, and ServiceDesk support has convinced it to step up its growth in the West Midlands while diversifying its portfolio of services.

The expansion plan forms a vital part of the business’ UK growth strategy, which is focused on establishing itself as a trusted partner for innovative IT and digital services.

Microsoft prepares to add GPT-4 Turbo to Bing Chat

Posted on November 29, 2023 by - News

Microsoft campusSoftware King of the World Microsoft is to add GPT-4 Turbo to Bing Chat, which the Redmond-based tech giant recently renamed Copilot.

Vole abandoned the Bing Chat branding for its generative AI-backed chatbot earlier this month. The company now uses Copilot to refer to the service.

Regardless of the name Microsoft uses for its widely popular chatbot, the company is sparing no effort in a bid to improve it. In line with this, Bing AI (A.K.A. Copilot) is slated to get GPT-4 Turbo soon despite some unresolved issues around the implementation.

Now, an exchange on X between a Bing AI user and Microsoft’s head of Advertising and Web Services Mikhail Parakhin has shed some light on the transition to GPT-4 Turbo.

Swetrix mixes up cookie-less Google analytics alternative

Posted on November 28, 2023 by - News

Scottish start-up Swetrix today announced the launch of its new “cookie-less” alternative to Google Analytics.

Swetrix is focused on visitor privacy, which is increasingly relevant today as invasive user monitoring continues to be problematic—and is illegal in some EU countries.

Swetrix touts itself as an analytics solution compliant with privacy regulations, including GDPR in the EU zone. The company said it allows users to be compliant with HIPAA for healthcare data, PCI DSS for payment card data and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

North Koreans are attacking software supply chains

Posted on November 28, 2023 by - News

According to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), North Korea is using sophisticated techniques to target global organisations through software supply chain attacks.

In a joint advisory, the NCSC detailed the tactics DPRK state-linked cyber actors used, emphasising the growing threat and complexity of such attacks.

Supply chain attacks, a method where malicious actors compromise elements of the software distribution process, have become a favoured tool for DPRK cyber actors. These attacks, often involving zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits in third-party software, allow the actors to access specific targets or indiscriminate organisations through their supply chains.

The NCSC said these attacks are aligned with broader DPRK-state priorities, including revenue generation, espionage and the theft of advanced technologies.

The advisory comes on the heels of a new Strategic Cyber Partnership announced between the UK and the Republic of Korea, underscoring their commitment to collaboratively addressing common cyber threats.

Microsoft bans cloud resellers from government framework

Posted on November 27, 2023 by - News

Microsoft, software king of the world, has banned third-party IT suppliers from reselling its cloud services through the government’s soon-to-be launched Cloud Compute 2 procurement framework.

The government’s procurement arm, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), told suppliers they hoped to get a spot on the four Lot framework, valued at £1.35 billion.

Microsoft is one of 12 cloud providers to have secured a spot on the framework’s first Lot, geared towards public sector IT buyers who want to buy cloud services directly from the hyperscalers.

The framework’s second Lot is for public sector IT buyers that want to procure the providers’ services in Lot One indirectly through a third-party reseller or managed service provider. There are 39 suppliers on that Lot.

Wasabi grew at double the market rate

Posted on November 27, 2023 by - News

Expanding its channel network did the cloudy outfit Wasabi Technologies some good – it managed to grow at double the market growth rate in 2023.

Wasabi had partner deals in Europe and new platform capabilities aimed at partners.

The company said its main issue is “guilt by association” due to hyperscalers being scrutinised in Europe for lock-in and egress fees.

Wasabi EMEA VP and GM John Howes said that while this issue did not directly affect the company, it highlights its value proposition.

Broadcom concludes VMware deal

Posted on November 24, 2023 by - News

After securing regulatory approval in China, Broadcom has finally concluded its $69 billion acquisition of cloud-computing company VMware.

The massive deal was announced in May 2022 and is part of CEO Hock Tan’s cunning plan to enhance Broadcom’s software business.

It was not plain sailing as the acquisition encountered significant regulatory hurdles worldwide, leading to three postponements of the closing date. The last was China’s regulatory green light, which has been signed off despite the controversy over US-China chip restrictions.

The European Commission approved after Broadcom proposed remedies to address issues related to rival Marvell Technology. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority approved following a thorough investigation.