Shared Services Strategy Set to Under Perform
The National Audit Office warns that the UK Government’s Shared Services Strategy is unlikely to meet its £1 billion savings target due to governance flaws, funding uncertainty, and IT integration problems. The programme, intended to standardise finance, payroll and HR across Whitehall via five cloud‑based platforms, has seen uneven department commitment and persistent interoperability issues, exemplified by the abandoned Applicant Tracking System. While the finance function shows progress, HR lags and the commercial function has opted out entirely. The NAO recommends clearer governance and tighter compatibility controls to salvage the initiative.
NHS England Urges Patients to Use App Notifications
NHS England launched a “Tap the NHS App” campaign urging patients to enable push notifications for appointment reminders. A Censuswide survey found 12% of respondents forgot appointments and 11% arrived late, amounting to an estimated 16 million missed GP visits in...
Capita Win Long-Term Deal to Manage Synergy Shared Services
Capita has been awarded the £370 million Synergy Business Process Services contract, a multi‑department deal covering the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Defra. The agreement, spanning up to ten years with optional extensions, will see...
City of London Corporate Seeks Future Ready Partner
The City of London Corporation has launched a £2.4 million Future Ready Programme aimed at building a financially sustainable, digitally enabled organization. It is seeking a strategic partner to guide project management, R&D, consultancy and public‑relations services. Suppliers must complete an...
How the Iran War Could Impact States and Localities
Pro‑Iranian hacktivists have begun targeting U.S. entities after the U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, including a Pennsylvania township and Amazon Web Services data centers in the Middle East. The attacks are largely low‑level—website defacements, DDoS and SQL injections—but could cascade into...
Protecting the Electricity Grid Is Crucial for National Security
The sponsor‑generated column from Hitachi Energy argues that protecting the United States electricity grid is a matter of national security. It highlights growing cyber and physical threats that could destabilize critical infrastructure and the economy. The piece promotes modernizing the...
HMRC Agrees £200k Extension for Desk-Monitoring Tool as It Works on Long-Term ‘Strategic Solution’
HM Revenue and Customs has approved a six‑figure, £218,000 extension to its OccupEye desk‑occupancy sensor contract with FM:Systems, covering three offices for an additional year with a possible second year. The extension buys time while HMRC develops a long‑term, cloud‑based...
Q&A: Tech and Policy Intersect in Education Savings Accounts
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are expanding as states seek flexible schooling options. Odyssey provides a digital‑wallet platform that processes applications, payments, and vendor vetting for ESA programs, now handling Texas’ $1 billion TEFA rollout—the largest in U.S. history. The system offers...
Singapore Strengthens Technology and Innovation Leadership
At the 2026 Committee of Supply, Singapore pledged SG$800 million to launch a semiconductor RIE Flagship, SG$60 million for a National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre, and another SG$800 million for a Decarbonisation Grand Challenge. A*STAR will spearhead these programmes alongside the Economic...
Back to Books? Key Takeaways From NTIA Listening Sessions
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) held public listening sessions on Feb. 11 and Feb. 18 to discuss how to use unspent funds from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Analysts at Kaptivate compiled the comments, highlighting strong...
The Philippines: Building Responsible Digital Citizenship in Bulacan
Students from Bulacan Agricultural State College joined the Kilos Kabataan: Unite for a Digital Safe Future virtual forum, organized by the Philippine Information Agency and DICT Central Luzon. The event addressed misinformation, cyberbullying, scams and other online threats, emphasizing fact‑checking,...
Malaysia: AI Sensors Improve Pedestrian Safety in Subang Jaya
The Subang Jaya City Council has launched SENSA, an AI‑driven pedestrian safety system, at a school crossing in the city. The solution combines analytical cameras, sensors, audio warnings and blue LED lights to alert drivers and pedestrians in real time....
Medicare Claims Processing Modernization Gains Urgency at CMS
The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency is pushing CMS to replace the decades‑old COBOL‑based Medicare claims system with a real‑time, cloud‑native platform. CMS issued an RFI in January seeking vendors capable of supporting at least two million members and processing...
IT Vendor Payments Under Investigation at North Kansas City Schools
North Kansas City School District uncovered $630,000 in payments to an IT vendor that may have been for fictitious consulting services. The payments, $9,000 per month from fiscal 2020 through 2025, were approved by an employee who failed to disclose...
AI's Impact on the Army Officer Corps, PTB Preview, and a SCSP's New Quantum Commission
SCSP released an interactive report estimating that artificial intelligence could influence 25 % to 64 % of tasks across all 131 Army officer MOS, with combat arms still seeing over a quarter of duties affected, especially during deployments. The study proposes four...
Experts Warn Age‑verification Laws Create Global Surveillance Network
371 security/ privacy academics, including a Turing Award winner, just issued a letter saying age verification laws are building global surveillance infrastructure. Every search, message, and article read would require ID verification. Democrats are working w/ Republicans to push these laws...
What Is Continuous Threat Exposure Management? A Risk-Driven Approach for State and Local Agencies
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is emerging as a risk‑driven framework for state and local governments, shifting focus from sheer vulnerability counts to business‑impact exposure. CDW outlines a five‑stage process—scoping, discovery, prioritization, validation, and mobilization—that integrates asset inventory, threat data,...
New Jersey County Says Malware Attack Took Down Phone Lines, IT Systems
Passaic County, New Jersey, confirmed a malware attack that knocked out its phone lines and crippled county IT systems on March 5, 2026. The county is collaborating with federal and state authorities to contain and investigate the breach. This incident...
Strength in Numbers: Nonprofit Launches Consortium to Improve Public Health Data and Outcomes
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced a new public‑health data consortium, partnering with Veritas Data Research and HealthVerity to create a secure data exchange for state and territorial health agencies. The effort seeks to integrate real‑world...
Boulder Valley Schools, Colo., Ban ChatGPT for Students
Boulder Valley School District blocked ChatGPT on all student devices and Wi‑Fi after safety concerns about group chats, multimedia generation, and inadequate age verification. The district is promoting MagicSchool AI, a teacher‑approved platform with built‑in guardrails. The ban received backing from...
Sierra Space and Vast Detail Their Series C Investment Rounds
Sierra Space closed a $550 million Series C round, lifting its valuation to roughly $8 billion and marking a strategic pivot toward national‑security satellite programs. The funding will support new product development and expanded production capacity, including contracts worth up to $1.19 billion with...
New $250M W.Va. Gas Pipeline Set to Begin Construction
West Virginia officials announced a privately funded $250 million Hope Gas natural‑gas pipeline in Mason County. The 30‑mile, 24‑inch line will break ground in April 2026 and finish by year‑end, delivering fuel to the Monarch Compute Campus. The campus aims to...
FCC to Unlock Billions for Modern Broadband Infrastructure
Unleashing new infrastructure builds. For too long, regulations have actually *required* providers to keep communities on slow, aging, & outdated copper networks—instead of allowing them to invest and build the modern, high-speed ones that consumers want. The FCC will vote this month...
States Pilot Agentic AI to Revolutionize Government Services
A report from the National Association of State CIOs outlines how states are beginning to explore ways to use agentic AI across state agencies in ways that could transform how government work gets done and how citizens interact with government. https://t.co/6cNwEmicvl...
Ukrainian Customs Officers Complete Advanced Scanner Maintenance Training in the UK
Six Ukrainian customs officers completed a week‑long advanced maintenance course at the Rapiscan Systems factory in the United Kingdom. The training, part of the EU‑funded EU4IBM‑Resilience project, focused on preventive maintenance, troubleshooting and component replacement for mobile cargo scanners. It...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Move to Protect Ratepayers From Effects of Data Centers
Oklahoma House Bill 2992 aims to shield residential electricity bills by requiring new large‑load customers—such as data centers, cryptocurrency miners and AI computing facilities—to negotiate their own power contracts and provide collateral for infrastructure costs. The measure, which passed the...
Experts Find Holes in Planned Changes to EU Landmark Online Privacy Law
A new noyb survey of 500 data‑protection officers shows a stark mismatch between the EU Commission’s proposed "digital omnibus" tweaks to the GDPR and the practical needs of compliance professionals. The study highlights dissent over easing the Right‑to‑Access request process,...
“If You Wanted to Have Civil Disobedience and Start the Process of Unraveling a Society, We're a Pretty Big Target”:...
National Gas, the operator of the UK’s critical gas transmission network, has partnered with Palo Alto Networks to secure its cloud‑first transformation. The collaboration delivers a full‑stack security stack covering network firewalls, Prisma Cloud, and emerging XDR capabilities while preserving...
How States Use Purpose-Driven Innovation and AI to Improve Accuracy in Public Programs
State governments are rapidly integrating AI, but success depends on purpose‑driven deployment rather than novelty. Agencies align AI projects with clear goals such as improving benefit accuracy, boosting efficiency, and restoring public confidence, while adhering to strict security and accountability...
Texas FD Responses to some Rural Calls in Jeopardy as Funding Dispute Grows
Sherman Fire Rescue responded to roughly 600 calls in unincorporated Grayson County in 2025, a service currently funded through a city‑county contract. The contract costs the city about $30,000 per month, but a voter‑rejected sales‑tax measure has left the county...
HHS Launches Cybersecurity Module Within RISC 2.0 Toolkit
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has added a cybersecurity module to its Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) 2.0 Toolkit, giving health systems a standardized way to assess cyber risk. The module uses a questionnaire scored against the...
Intertraffic: Umovity to Showcase Integrated Mobility Solutions
Umovity, the joint brand of Econolite and PTV Group, will unveil integrated mobility solutions at Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026. The company presents a Mobility Operating System that unites planning, simulation, real‑time operations, analytics and optimisation into a continuous decision‑making loop. Highlights...
Palantir’s £250m Government Deal ‘Represents a Vote of Confidence in the UK’, Minister Says
Palantir secured a £240 million contract extension with the UK Ministry of Defence, citing an “absence of competition” for technical reasons. The firm also eyes a potential £500 million NHS Federated Data Platform deal, expanding its footprint in health and defence. Security...
Treasury Taps Tech Firms to Advise on Public Sector AI Adoption
HM Treasury has set up an advisory panel that includes IBM, Faculty AI and the Tony Blair Institute to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption across government departments. The group will evaluate existing AI pilots, recommend scaling strategies, and feed insights into...
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB Publishes £5.2 Million Contract for GP IT
Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has issued a £5.2 million contract to modernise GP IT systems in line with the Primary Care Digital Services Model. The three‑year agreement, starting 1 December 2026, can be extended to 2031 and requires a...
Unanimous Vote Passed on SB 275, the State-Endorsed Digital Identity Program Amendments Bill
Utah’s Senate voted unanimously to pass SB 275 Sub 2, amending the State‑Endorsed Digital Identity Program. The legislation authorizes a wallet‑based digital ID that places data control and privacy in the hands of citizens. It builds on the SB 260...
HTN Now: Exploring and Tackling the Real Pain Points Around the Use of Digital Systems
A recent HTN audience survey, presented by Aire Innovate’s Ian Dove and Fiona Costello, identified persistent pain points in NHS digital systems. Staff cite inadequate training, top‑down development, poor interoperability and extensive manual workarounds, while IT capacity backlogs stretch change...
NativeID Debuts Free Digital Identity Page to Protect Nigerian Businesses From Impersonation and Scammers
NativeID has launched a free digital identity platform aimed at Nigerian small and medium enterprises. The service consolidates scattered contact details from Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Business and other channels into a single, verified page. It offers a shareable link, QR‑code...
Middle East Weekly: Aito Secures First UAE Order, Qatar Launches 36 Digital Services, Dubai Tests Autonomous Taxis, and More
Chinese EV makers are deepening their Gulf foothold as Greenland Group inks a deal to export 5,000 vehicles to the UAE and Aito lands its first 200‑unit order in the Emirates. Dubai is set to launch autonomous taxis, initially deploying...
NHS SBS Launches Communication Framework Spanning Chatbots, SMS Messaging, Mail Processing
NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) has introduced a new procurement framework that enables NHS trusts to acquire digital communication technologies such as chatbots, SMS messaging, and hybrid mail. The framework lists 25 fully‑vetted suppliers across seven distinct lots covering digital...
Commission Holds First Meeting of Special Panel on Child Safety Online
The European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, convened the inaugural meeting of a new Special Panel on child safety online. The panel, announced in the 2025 State of the Union, will draft expert recommendations to protect children...
Post Office Awards Non-Horizon Modernisation Work to Accenture
The Post Office has awarded a £45 million three‑year contract to Accenture to modernise its back‑office IT applications, covering finance, HR, data management and process automation via cloud solutions. The agreement, running from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2029, excludes the controversial Horizon system....
GDS Reveals Benefits of Using UPRNs
Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) are permanent 12‑digit codes that uniquely identify every addressable location in the UK. By providing a stable identifier, they eliminate inconsistencies in address data, enabling seamless linking across public and private datasets. The Open UPRNs...
Home Office Signs £49 Million Biometric Deal
The UK Home Office has awarded Indian AI firm Mastek a five‑year, £49 million contract to manage and upgrade its biometric infrastructure, including the Biometrics Services Gateway and the National DNA Database. The deal includes optional two‑year extensions and covers specialist...
Intertraffic 2026: Quarterhill Advocates Layered Weight Enforcement Strategy
Quarterhill’s Intertraffic 2026 briefing promotes a layered weight‑enforcement model that couples in‑lane weigh‑in‑motion (WIM) direct enforcement with supplemental screening WIM systems and traditional static scales. Direct enforcement automates citations from sensor data, expanding coverage and lowering staffing needs, while static...
Hogan Lovells Partners with LawFairy to Offer Pro Bono Support for Undocumented Children in the UK
Law firms Hogan Lovells and LawFairy have launched a technology initiative to provide pro‑bono immigration support for undocumented children in the UK. The decision‑support platform, built with Central England Law Centre, screens eligibility for British nationality and triages cases for...
From Localization to Leverage: How Data Control Will Define India’s Digital Sovereignty
India’s data‑localization push laid the groundwork for digital sovereignty, but the focus is shifting from where data resides to who controls it. In the AI‑driven hybrid cloud era, governance, transparency, and accountability become critical as data fuels models across multiple...
Is SDA Getting Ahead of Itself on Missile-Warning Satellites?
The Government Accountability Office released a critical review of the Space Development Agency’s missile‑warning satellite program, highlighting a heavy reliance on contractor‑provided technology‑readiness assessments and an aggressive two‑year acquisition cadence. GAO found that SDA lacks an enterprise‑wide schedule, has limited...
Codific Highlights Five Key Cyber Risks to Power Grids
Codific’s new analysis outlines five recurring cyber‑attack pathways that threaten power‑grid operations, from spear‑phishing and credential theft to remote‑access exploitation, ransomware, and the misuse of legitimate industrial commands. The report stresses that most disruptive incidents follow familiar patterns rather than...
Vietnam: Digital Infrastructure Powers Transparent Elections
Vietnam is embedding digital technology across every stage of its upcoming 2026‑2031 elections, linking voter data, candidate registration, and public communications to a unified online platform. The National Resident Database now fuels accurate voter lists, while QR codes, digital maps...