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BULLETIN
6
A confluence of skills shortages,
worsening threats and disproportionate
spending habits is leaving organisations
increasingly vulnerable to data breaches,
malware, phishing and a variety of other
information security problems, a study
from Trustwave and Osterman Research
shows.
Only 8% of IT security decision-
makers and influencers surveyed believe
75% or more of their staff have the
specialised skills and training needed to
handle complex issues. Forty per cent of
respondents say skill sets are weakest in
emerging and evolving security threats.
Good IT staff hard to find
The gender gap in the North’s digital
technology sector is continuing to
widen, with workforces split 72:28 male
to female, compared with a 60:40 split
last year, according to the Manchester
Digital annual digital skills audit.
The disparity is even more prevalent in
technical roles, where the male to female
split is 88:12, up from 70:30 last year.
Over half of businesses surveyed said their
tech teams are all male.
Manchester Digital’s audit of over 250
digital and technology businesses also
found that developer roles are the most
difficult to fill, for the fourth year in a row,
with one in three businesses saying they’d
struggled to recruit for these roles.
Not surprisingly, these are the most
outsourced roles, along with creative
and IT.
To secure talent, businesses in the
region are experiencing above average
wage inflation: 51% of companies
said they had had to inflate salaries to
compete, compared to 44% in 2016.
Gender gap widens in the North
Inequality rife in tech
Wage inequality compared to male colleagues,
workplace gender bias and a shortage of female
role models are among the main barriers faced by
women working in the technology field, according
to a new survey by global technology association
ISACA.
Released to coincide with International Women’s
Day on March 8,
The Future Tech Workforce: Breaking
Gender Barriers
identifies the top five barriers
experienced by women in tech as:
1
Lack of mentors (48%)
2
Lack of female role models in the field (42%)
3
Gender bias in the workplace (39%)
4
Unequal growth opportunities compared to men
(36%)
5
Unequal pay for the same skills (35%)
When asked about opportunities for professional growth, 75% of respondents said
their employer lacks a gender leadership development program. Eight out of 10 women
have male supervisors and just 8% report never having experienced gender bias in the
workplace.
The City less stressful than Wall Street
People living and working in the City of London enjoy a better quality of life than those
on Wall Street, claims serviced apartment provider TheSqua.re. And here’s why:
@philjones40
Insider...
So, the Jones family has recently made the
leap and moved someone called ‘Alexa’
into the home. She’s not a new tenant
or long lost relative, but the voice of the
Amazon dot and echo devices.
I had been pondering buying an echo for some time,
when a conversation in the office finally galvanised me
into action. I ordered an Amazon dot, on the dot, to see
what all the fuss was about.
Unboxing and installing it that evening was fun as the
family got to grips with asking questions like ‘What will the
weather be tomorrow?’ and ‘What are the news headlines?’,
receiving ‘on-point’ replies from our newest female family
member.
Then I got integrating it with other applications.
First the home heating system (we use Hive from British
Gas). Then Spotify. Then I realised my new car could also be
controlled via the Alexa app. It got me thinking; there is so
much you can do.
The following day I ordered an Amazon echo for the kitchen.
It’s so handy, while cooking, to be able to set timers, add
items to a shopping list, turn on the radio or tee up our latest
Discover Weekly playlist. Bark out an instruction and something
gets done, with no need for any other action – perfect.
Workplace of the future
Exploring where home automation and integration might go
is interesting for the glimpse it gives not only of the homes of
the future, but also the workplace.
As we’ve seen, the segue between people’s home life
and work life is well and truly blurred, and the services
that individuals experience in their home environment are
increasingly impacting their expectations at work.
Imagine an environment where this technology – the
voice recognition and integration, more than the sales
vehicle behind it – is fully integrated into a work environment.
By suddenly making a process easier or more convenient for
the specifier at point of need, it has the potential to disrupt
an existing purchasing pattern and make life much easier
for users.
It’s made me think about our own interface to technology
like this – that’s what being a ‘digital first’ business is all about
– and how an ecosystem can quickly be born as businesses
rush to integrate their offer into this new marketplace. A
reminder for us all to continually keep our eyes on the future.
“Alexa, set me a reminder to stay relevant.”
See you out there.
Phil Jones MBE
,
Managing Director,
Brother UK
THE FUTURE TECH WORKFORCE:
BREAKING GENDER
BARRIERS
n
New York’s population density is 130%
higher than London’s.
n
London has more than three times more
green space than New York City.
n
City workers take around 15 days more
holiday per year than Wall Street staff.
n
The average working week in NYC is 42.5
hours, compared to 33.5 in London.
n
Life expectancy for inhabitants of the
City of London is almost 2 years longer
than that of Wall Streeters.
