Four million Brits can't work from home because of poor connectivity
If your telecom's poor connectivity is preventing you from working from home, you're not alone. There are four million Brits suffering from the same woes, according to new research from uSwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.
In the past year, almost half (43 percent) of employees in the UK have worked from home at least once. Among the younger workforce, those aged 18 - 34, the percentage jumps to 55. Yet, 58 percent have suffered from slow speeds and poor call quality. The problems were so pervasive that 46 percent of those with issues believe they can no longer work from home until something changes.
Many UK SMBs don't have a succession plan
More than half (52 percent) of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK’s IT sector have no idea what they’d do if key staffers decide to quit. This is according to a new report by the Aldermore Future Attitudes, which claims these businesses are lacking a succession plan.
The report puts things in a dangerous perspective -- 22 percent of SME IT businesses see senior executives leaving as their biggest business threat.
77 percent of British consumers have worries about new payment methods
This week South Korea takes the first steps towards becoming a coinless society as shoppers will be handed pre-paid cards instead of change in a country-wide trial. If the trial is successful, bank officials will allow change to be transferred straight into the shoppers' bank accounts by next year.
But a new report from global law firm Paul Hastings shows that security fears are preventing many British consumers embracing new payment technologies. The study of over 2,000 consumers finds 77 percent are worried about using new payment methods.
UK companies losing money due to inadequate communication and collaboration tools
Inefficient communications and poor collaboration costs UK companies £8,000 per employee, every year, according to a new report by enterprise communications company Mitel. That means that a business with 500 employees or more could be losing more than £4 million every year.
Looking into productivity within the workplace, Mitel’s new report also says that employees lose nearly a day every week due to inadequate communications capabilities.
Hackers are going for your healthcare data
Every eighth person in England has had their healthcare data breached. This is the conclusion of a new report just released by Accenture. Based on a poll of 1,000 people it says that more than half of those who experienced a data breach (56 percent), were in fact, victims of medical identity theft.
The report also says that these data breaches are fairly expensive, too. On average, more than three quarters (77 percent) have had to pay roughly £172 in out-of-pocket costs, per incident.
Most Brits can't explain what ransomware is
Despite the fact that the media is constantly buzzing with stories of successful ransomware attacks, the general public in the UK is largely unaware of the threat.
Backup experts Acronis polled Brits, and in their report it says that 60 percent of respondents would not be able to explain what ransomware actually is. Sixteen percent "just heard of it," while seven percent say they could "definitely" explain what ransomware is. Fifteen percent "probably could"
Demand for IT contractors in UK is rising
Demand for IT contractors has strengthened over the past six months despite the uncertainty caused by the vote to leave the European Union. At first glance this seems counterintuitive.
Historically, contractors have been the first into and first out of a period of economic malaise or even just uncertainty. The fear was that the EU referendum result would send the jobs market into a tailspin, and that contractors would be first to feel the pain. They are, after all, a flexible resource and it is much more cost effective for organizations to divest themselves of contractors than employees. In the months leading up to the referendum last June, that is exactly what we saw. Demand for contractors weakened as organizations hesitated over their IT investments until some measure of clarity was achieved.
UK SMBs losing money filing taxes
Almost half of all SMBs in the UK (49 percent) have lost money in the digital tax submission process, signaling that there is still a lot more work to be done before the Make Tax Digital initiative is completed successfully.
This is according to a new report by cloud accountancy software Pandle, which surveyed 1,000 UK SMBs. The report says that SMBs lost money despite feeling well-informed on the recent changes to the system.
Almost half of UK business hit by cyber crime
UK-based businesses of all sizes are being urged to protect themselves against cyber crime after new government statistics showed nearly half of all UK businesses suffered a cyber breach or attack in the past year.
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2017 reveals nearly seven out of 10 large businesses identified a breach or attack, with the average cost to large businesses of all breaches over the period being £20,000 and in some cases reaching millions.
Lloyds Bank offers Windows Hello facial and fingerprint recognition
Lloyds Bank customers will soon be able to log into their accounts through fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technology, rather than typing in passwords. According to the bank, it has teamed up with Microsoft to bring the Windows 10 authentication technology to its customers.
The biometric authentication technology, which Microsoft named Windows Hello, uses a combination of infrared technology and advanced software to identify the user in various lighting conditions. It was also emphasized that fraudsters can’t bypass the security measure by using a photograph.
Outdated practices and tech affect employee morale
It’s no surprise to anyone that the UK is in the grips of a legacy technology crisis. But, in an age of digital innovation it’s not acceptable that so many organizations are still running on technology that should have been left behind over a decade ago.
The golden rule with technology in any organization is to not lag too far behind. Equipment that is old, breaks down or slows work activity will have significant effects on the motivation levels of employees, and it’s already giving way to a negativity epidemic in UK offices.
UK businesses face nearly 500 attacks a day
OK, so, Beaming says UK businesses suffered, on average, 43,000 cyber-attacks in the first quarter of 2017 -- each. If this number sounds way too big, then it would be even more interesting to hear that this is actually seven per= cent lower than what was going on in the same period last year.
Breaking the numbers down, Beaming says each business gets attacked 474 times per day. Almost all of these attacks, 92 percent of them, are targeting Internet of things devices, such as networked security cameras or building control systems, as these IoT devices can be controlled remotely, over the internet.
How the UK is positioning itself as a technology hub
The UK is cementing itself as a hub for technology and as a clear leader in Europe when it comes to digital tech investment, digital skills and collaboration within ecosystems. This is set to continue as the latest Tech Nation Report revealed that digital tech investment is increasing -- reaching £6.8 billion, 50 percent higher than any other European country. This rising of the UK’s tech credentials is now vital for business growth, connectivity and efficiency; and the the benefits aren’t exclusively being seen in London.
Technology allows businesses to transcend geographical boundaries and we’ve experienced this for ourselves. We founded the company in Wales, but can do business anywhere in the world. Tech Nation found that the digital tech sector has added nearly £400m to the Welsh economy and we at Delio are proud to be a part of that driving force. This impressive growth rate shows that perceptions about starting a tech business outside of London and specifically in Wales is changing.
Brexit could make it hard to attract and keep IT talent in the UK
Since the process to exit the EU was triggered by Theresa May on March 29, 2017, concerns have been expressed by various sectors about their ability to retain talent and recruit talented workers from the EU. Interest groups and industry bodies are lobbying to raise their concerns.
At the moment, workers from the EU (when we refer to EU workers in this article it includes the EEA countries Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein and Switzerland) are not subject to immigration control and do not need a work visa to work in the UK. The tech sector in the UK is reliant on a diverse workforce. According to techUK, 18 percent of the sector’s three million workers are foreign born, with one third coming from EU countries. Employers in this sector need to recruit the brightest and the best in this competitive market. If they are not able to do this they will lose out to competitors at home and abroad. Smaller tech companies will suffer the most as they will struggle with the costs and time involved in applying for visas and this could put them at a disadvantage.
Taking the pulse of social media to drive healthcare policy
A new study from UK think tank Demos in conjunction with health charity The King's Fund looks at how the internet and in particular social media can be used to shape health policy.
It reveals that 43 percent of internet users have now used the web to access health information, up from just 18 percent in 2007. Alongside well-administrated official sources, unregulated online forums have grown to be valuable spaces for users to discuss conditions and treatments, ask questions, and share advice with those who have had similar experiences.
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