John Leonard

London

Research Editor at Computing

Research Director at Computing Also at [email protected]

Articles

More jobs to go at Microsoft next month, report

1 week ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Sales positions will be hit in July, according to insiders Microsoft is planning another round of redundancies, with a significant number of sales jobs to go, media reports say. According to Bloomberg, which cited unnamed sources, the job cuts will be announced early July after the end of the company’s current financial year. Along with other big tech companies, Microsoft has undertaken several rounds of redundancies in recent years, in part to restructure as it focuses on AI.
Microsoft has announced new 'sovereign cloud' services - but just how sovereign can they be?

1 week ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

US hyperscalers are subject to US law, including the CLOUD Act and FISA 702 Microsoft has announced new ‘sovereign cloud’ services for Europe in response to regulations and concerns about control, security and privacy.
It’s cloud-first and cloud forever confirms SAP’s ERP chief

3 weeks ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

While support for on-premises options will continue, customers will miss out on all the integrated AI goodies that cloud can offer, says David Robinson Migrating to a new ERP system is one of the most daunting tasks an IT team is ever likely to face. Little wonder, then, that ever since SAP first announced in 2015 the end of the road for its ECC ERP (then set at 2025), organisations have been worried about practicalities, costs and timescales of moving to S4/HANA or alternatives.
NHSE scraps £69m hospital bed management programme

3 weeks ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Focusing instead on EPR rollout NHS England (NHSE), the body responsible for commissioning for the NHS in England, has scrapped a £69 million project aimed at reducing waiting lists and freeing up hospital beds. The electronic bed and capacity management systems (eBCMS) programme was based on a successful trial at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
Cartier and NorthFace latest brands to be breached

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Spate of attacks on retailers and fashion firms continues Cartier and NorthFace have become the latest fashion brands to suffer a data breach. Dior, Adidas and Victoria’sSecret have all admitted theft of customer information in recent days, following attacks last month on retailers including M&S, Co-op and Harrods.
The craftiest phishing techniques and how to defend against them

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Phishing is evolving using AI for mass customisation, but the fundamentals remain the same Phishing is most successful when it catches us off balance, when time pressure is applied, and when the malicious message appears authoritative, familiar, expected or even welcome. The right combination of these factors will have even the most vigilant clicking on a link that could set off a very nasty chain of events.
Women in the workplace disproportionately affected by AI, report

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Jobs most often performed by women are most prone to automation, but some roles previously thought less vulnerable have risen up the exposure scale, finds ILO In an update to an earlier report on the impact of GenAI on jobs the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that, while clerical jobs remain most prone to automation, GenAI has not filled the gaps as much as anticipated. Meanwhile, it’s impact on some other professions has been revised upwards.
Supplier to Tesco, Aldi and Lidl hit with ransomware

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Latest in string of attacks on UK retail sector The UK retail sector has endured another cyberattack with logistics company Peter Green Chilled, which distributes perishable food supplies to major supermarkets, struck with ransomware last Wednesday. According to an email seen by the BBC, the attack forced the company to halt order processing on Thursday, although “transport activities” have not been affected, according to managing director Tom Binks.
Microsoft’s plan to retire Bing API and what it means for web search

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Computing speaks to DuckDuckGo, Brave, MetaGer and Mojeek about Microsoft’s sudden move Microsoft has announced it is to retire access to its Bing Search APIs on 11th August. “Any existing instances of Bing Search APIs will be decommissioned completely, and the product will no longer be available for usage or new customer signup,” the company says in a brief post on its Azure Updates site. “Customers may want to consider Grounding with Bing Search as part of Azure AI Agents.
UK must strengthen regulation in the face of big tech pressure, argues IPPR

1 month ago | computing.co.uk | John Leonard

Protecting incumbents is bad for the economy and SMEs says thinktank, citing Apple – Google app store duopoly The UK must stand firm on regulating big tech by strengthening the hand of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and refocusing its activities, according to the think tank IPPR.