HMRC refuses to use latest technology

Government's tax office is wary of bleeding edge technology, preferring to wait until it's proven

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will not invest in "bleeding-edge" technology, even if it could provide enhanced security.

This was the message from Chris Franklin, head of IT security architecture and technology at HMRC, speaking at the Working Together to Improve UK Cyber Security event in London yesterday.

"The trouble with bleeding-edge solutions is they tend to need patches and tweaks," said Franklin. "We have 50,000 users every day, so we can't afford service disruptions. We need mature and resilient services."

Franklin admitted that this could mean the department would potentially overlook systems offering enhanced security, if they were considered unproven in a live environment.

He added that any new systems would need to impact the customer experience in as small as way as possible.

"Any new products and capabilities we implement must be non-intrusive. Even the smallest change to our online service is a big deal. Our availability requirements mean that any interruption impacts a large number of customers."