Mitie: Covid and hybrid work prompted a makeover for cleaning tech – a mop and bucket won’t cut it May 26, 2021 The pandemic has given society the breathing space to redesign what a workplace should offer and in the age of the invisible virus, the humble mop and bucket won’t cut it. After a socially starved year, offices will likely become more collaborative and social in the future, adopting measures like ‘hot desking’. But these [...]
Contentsquare secures $2.8bn price tag after Softbank-led funding round May 26, 2021 Data analytics platform Contentsquare has secured a valuation of $2.8bn (£1.9bn) following a funding round led by Japanese investment giant Softbank. The digital experience firm, which helps companies understand how people interact on their website or app, nabbed the price tag after raising $500m in a Series E round. The cash injection was led by [...]
How AI is transforming drug discovery May 25, 2021 | City Talk 12 June 2007 marked a day in history that grow in significance in the coming decades. On that day a robot named ‘Adam’ ended the monopoly of humans over the discovery of scientific knowledge by identifying the function of a yeast gene. By searching through public databases, Adam generated hypotheses about the genetic codes for [...]
McAfee forced to refund customers following auto-renew probe May 25, 2021 Antivirus software giant McAfee will be forced to refund some customers whose contracts were automatically renewed following an investigation by the competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into the anti-virus software market in 2018 amid concerns about unfair practices. A super-complaint filed by Citizens Advice warned that UK customers could [...]
Stage and stream: Amazon inks broadcast deal for National Theatre productions May 25, 2021 Amazon Prime has inked a deal to stream four productions filmed by the National Theatre this summer, including the original stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. The tie-up will also include Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Hamlet, which also features the Sherlock star, filmed at the Barbican in 2015. Amazon [...]
Investment professionals must beware of the cyber risks in portfolios May 25, 2021 | City Talk Internet security blog posts are usually more at home on the inside pages of IT trade publications than on the front pages of international newspapers. The one published by Microsoft Corporate Vice President Tom Burt on 2 March, about the emergence of “state-sponsored threat actor” Hafnium, was a notable exception. A new threat had emerged, [...]
Software group Aveva shares rise as business bounces back May 25, 2021 Shares in Aveva pushed higher this morning after the software group reported strong growth in the second half following an initial pandemic-induced hit to trading. Aveva, which specialises in industrial software, posted revenue of £820m for the year to the end of March — a decrease of 1.6 per cent but in line with expectations. [...]
UK is the most digitally advanced country in Europe May 24, 2021 The UK is the most digitally advanced country in Europe after the pandemic accelerated digital adoption, new research shows. A survey of more than 20,000 European citizens by McKinsey reveals 86 per cent of the UK has used ecommerce or online services in the past six months. Some 7m Brits have accessed new digital services [...]
Super sniffers: Trained dogs could spot Covid with 94 per cent accuracy May 24, 2021 Trained dogs can detect the smell of Covid-19 with up to 94 per cent accuracy, new research has suggested, which could be a major breakthrough in testing. The study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), has not yet been peer-reviewed but showed dogs were able to sniff out samples from people who [...]
London ‘knowledge hacking’ app Uptime raises $3m from Youtube founder May 22, 2021 London-based education app Uptime has raised a further $3m (£2.1m) in a star-studded investment round from backers including Youtube co-founder Chad Hurley. Uptime, which describes itself as a “knowledge hacking app”, raised the funds as an extension to its seed round, bringing its total raised so far to $19m. Hurley, who is also an investor [...]