Industry news

UK based HEROtsc, which employs more than 6,000 staff has been acquired by Paris based Webhelp, as part of the companies aim to increase expansion into UK markets.

Webhelp which operates 24 contact centres Europe and North Africa and employs 10,500 people, has the backing of majority stakeholders Charterhouse Capital Partners.

The acquisition will provide Webhelp with UK based infrastructure and English-language based capabilities, allowing the customer management company to expand towards an international client base.

David Turner, Webhelp TSC chief executive, said: “Under our new ownership, we will continue to provide the very best career opportunities and support to our people as we continue to expand our operations geographically and into new service areas.”

A consortium of suppliers led by Accenture have been awarded a three-year contracts to maintain the visa information system (VIS) which allows EU border-control agencies to cross share information and visa records.

The contract, valued at €70 million, will see the consortium provide technical support alongside identification services, integration and biometric capabilities.

Past problems with border travel within the Schengen Area have included visa shopping, in which individuals who have failed to gain entry into the EU, have been able to gain entry at another crossing, due to a lack of record sharing. The new VIS system is designed to modernise the EU’s border control system.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is planning to work with the London Stock Exchange (LSE), in a move that is designed to increase the departments assessments capabilities.

By analysing share price information from the LSE, the DWP will be able to accurately gauge the incomes of individuals claiming income-related state benefits who have assets tied up in stocks.

The proposed contract with the LSE will involve the provision of share price information from specific periods in time, even if the data is historically old. The planned service will allow the DWP to access the necessary records directly.

Virgin Media has been selected to deliver broadband network connectivity and services to 40 casinos operated by Genting Casinos.

The service is designed to facilitate communication between staff. Max Lintott, Head of IT, Genting Casinos, said: “Our network is a pivotal platform for our business, so we don’t want to take any risks. The previous generations of data networks were coming to the end of useful life and we need a service that’s going to provide the bandwidth we need now and in the future”.

The ‘superfast’ service, which will be scalable in nature, is expected to be deployed by the end of 2013 and will cover 3,600 casino employees.

A group of investment funds are suing the affiliates of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu after substantial investment losses from investments with ChinaCast Education.

Investors are seeking tens of millions of dollars from the action against Deloitte, who audited ChinaCast for 2007 to 2010.

The investors stated in the class action lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, that "Deloitte put its name and brand behind the certification of financial statements that were almost entirely false".

ChinaCast has been hit by reports of irregularities regarding its former chief executive Ron Chan, with the company’s’ assets being placed directly under Chan’s control, according to accusers.

Ashish Gupta, senior VP and head of HCL Technologies’ infrastructure services division, explains why greater cloud adoption could result in more collaborative practices

Does every cloud really have a silver lining? Perhaps not, if you speak to UK enterprises. According to recent studies, UK–based organisations are lagging behind other markets when it comes to the adoption of cloud computing services.

Only a few years ago, leading analysts and technology experts were convinced that by 2013, cloud computing would be a non-negotiable time and money saver. The common perception at the time was that cloud would be as pervasive as electricity and personal computers in the modern business, and that organisations would be falling over themselves to implement it. So what’s gone wrong?

It’s clear that the benefits cloud computing can provide are well understood and appreciated by UK organisations. Indeed, a study conducted by research firm OnePoll on behalf of HCL Technologies found that of 250 IT managers surveyed, a staggering 95 per cent of those who had embraced cloud computing found that it enabled them to work more collaboratively and efficiently. In addition to this, 63 per cent of cloud users said that it allowed them to more easily store data, while a third (35 per cent) said that it allowed them to communicate more easily without being inundated by email.

Tellingly – and perhaps a little alarmingly – the same survey also showed that although existing cloud users have reaped the benefits of the increased collaboration that it can provide, many still view it as a risk that they cannot afford to take. More than a third of IT managers surveyed (38 per cent) that had yet to implement cloud solutions said that they were reluctant to because they felt it is too unproven as a technology to be risked.

What this tells us is that there is a marked difference between people’s perceptions of cloud computing and the reality. We’ve all heard horror stories about new, so-called ‘fad’ technologies that ultimately prove to be unreliable, or, worse still, completely disastrous. What those who are reluctant to take the leap of faith need to understand is that cloud computing is no longer the unproven, risky investment that many initially considered it to be.

Today, cloud computing is one of the most important trends in the industry and one that is significantly changing the way that businesses are run. The figures show that cloud services have matured to the extent that they allow businesses to behave in a collaborative way, and to share resources and information much more efficiently. It’s clear that those who have taken the cloud computing plunge have experienced this, but if the dream of widespread cloud usage is to become a reality, perhaps more organisations need to join them in removing the cloud shackles and exploring it as a way to deliver value?

Justice Minister Damian Green has attacked the UK’s justice system's use of IT in failing to update current systems and employ standard technological services to reduce delays.

In a speech made on Tuesday Mr Green said that the “police are still wasting far too much of their time doing data entry and photocopying and not protecting the public".

“Anyone who compares the way the criminal justice system works with any other modern workplace will be immediately struck by the terrible failure to take advantage of all the benefits that technology can bring," he added.

Green said that the MoJ must modernise in order to reduce waste and the expenditure of tax payers money, saying: "I want to see much greater use of this technology over the next eleven months as an ambitious programme of work lays solid foundations for a truly digital courts service in England and Wales in 2013."

The MoJ have moved to develop IT services in recent years, focusing on increasing shared services applications, designed to improve ICT communications and help departments meet vigorous budget cuts.

Government estimates of £3.5 billion from revenue raised from the auction of 4G spectrum have failed to materialise, with just £2.3 billion achieved.

Out of buyers including O2, EE, Vodafone, Three and BT, the highest bidder Vodafone paid £790 million spent to secure bands in 800MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrums.

Despite a gap of over £1 billion the Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said the outcome was a "positive outcome for the UK".

Despite the success of communication providers in gaining 4G spectrum for a reduced price, there is little indication that customers have started to employ the new service in large numbers.

EE have reported a 7 percent drop in earnings from 2012 compared to 2011, with a 2.8 percent decline in revenue to £1.67 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to the same time last year.

The phone operator is planning to close 78 stores during 2013 to promote cost savings, while refurbishing all other high-street stores in order to cement the new EE brand.

The decline comes despite EE becoming the first and only UK operator to launch 4G services in 2012. The exact number of customers who have signed up to the 4G service offered by EE has not been revealed.

A UK trade trip to India has established a cyber-security deal between the two countries.

The security agreement is designed to safeguard data relating to UK customers, and reassure the UK government that India’s infrastructure is secured against cyber-crime.

Downing Street has commented that the security deal would "mark an unprecedented level of co-operation with India on computer security issues”.

The deal is expected to open up UK business to Indian companies as security fears are remedied.