businessinfomag.uk
magazine
08
agenda
Wi-Fi drives growth
Two thirds (69%) of UK companies see in-
venue wi-fi as essential to the growth of their
business, according to a survey undertaken
by BT to mark the 18th anniversary of the
introduction of wi-fi in June 1997. More
than one third (37%) of businesses say that
offering wi-fi to customers has helped drive
sales, and more than one quarter (27%) say it
has helped increase customer visits. Despite
the potential for increased footfall, more than
half of businesses still don’t have in-venue
wi-fi.
in brief...
Video surge
Video now accounts for most broadband
traffic due to the global growth of YouTube
and Netflix and the proliferation of
smartphones (37% penetration globally)
and tablets (26% global household
penetration). The latest broadband report
from Futuresource Consulting warns that
emerging technologies will place additional
demand on broadband provision, notably
the Internet of Things (IoT), which will lead
to an explosion of connected devices all
demanding bandwidth.
Cloud adoption increasing
European enterprises are adding new cloud
services at a rapid rate despite concerns
over security. The latest
Cloud Adoption and
Risk Report
from Skyhigh Networks shows
that the average European enterprise now
uses 897 cloud services, 61% more than in
the same quarter last year. However, just
7% of the 12,000 cloud services analysed
by Skyhigh Networks meet the enterprise
security and compliance requirements of its
CloudTrust Program.
Invest to grow
A strong correlation between the rate at
which SMBs grow and their investment
in technology is highlighted in
The Scale-
Up Report
from Citrix. Its survey of 1,000
decision-makers shows that UK SMBs that
grew by 50% or more in the last two years
were four times more likely than businesses
that flatlined or shrank to have spent ‘much
more’ on technology in 2014 than in 2013
(27% vs 6%).
Tablets to replace laptops within 10 years
Smartphones have overtaken laptops as
the most popular device for getting online,
Ofcom research has revealed, with record
ownership and use transforming the way we
communicate.
Two thirds of people now own a
smartphone, using it for nearly two hours every
day to browse the internet, access social media,
bank and shop online.
Ofcom’s
2015 Communications Market
Report
finds that a third (33%) of internet users
see their smartphone as the most important
device for going online, compared to 30% who
still use their laptop. In 2014, just 22% turned
to their phone first, and 40% preferred their
laptop.
Smartphones are now in the pockets of 66%
of UK adults, up from 39% in 2012. The vast
majority (90%) of 16-24 year olds own one; but
55-64 year olds are also joining the smartphone
revolution, with ownership in this age group more
than doubling since 2012, from 19% to 50%.
Ofcom says the smartphone surge is being
driven by growing use of faster 4G mobile
broadband. In 2014, 4G subscriptions leapt from
2.7 million to 23.6 million.
Britons now spend almost twice as long
online with smartphones as they do with
laptops and PCs. On average, people spend
nearly two hours online each day with a
smartphone, compared to just over an hour
with a computer.
Last year saw the biggest annual increase
in time spent online in a decade, with internet
users spending over three and a half hours
longer online each week than they did in 2013
(20 hours and 30 minutes in 2014, compared to
16 hours and 54 minutes in 2013).
Over half of UK households (54%) now have
a tablet, up from just 2% in 2011.
The UK is a nation of
smartphone addicts
Our love of smartphones is even influencing
fashion. The BauBax travel jacket, which quickly
became the most funded clothing project in the
history of crowdfunding after being launched
on Kickstarter in July, comes with separate
pockets for an iPad, smartphone and charger.
The zip doubles as a pen and a stylus and
there is a built-in microfibre cloth for cleaning
screens. Other built-in features include an
inflatable neck pillow, an eye mask inside the
hood, touchscreen-friendly gloves and earphone
holders. The jacket is available in four styles –
sweatshirt, windbreaker, bomber or blazer – and
a choice of colours.
More than half (52%) of UK workers expect
tablets to replace laptops in the workplace
within 10 years, according to a new study
by EE. One in four workers has already
transitioned from laptops to tablets and 31%
say that workplace laptop usage is declining.
Undertaken to support EE’s introduction
of the UK’s first 36-month tablet plan for
businesses, the survey also found that businesses
are holding onto tablets for longer, with 30%
keeping them for over three years.
One business making good use of tablets
is sailing holiday provider Sunsail, which is
deploying ruggedised 4G tablets from EE in
combination with a digital form and data
capture app to streamline marketing, inventory
and safety check processes.
Digitising these processes is expected to save
£6,000 in labour costs and more than £3,000
in copying, toner and paper each year. The use
of digital feedback and booking forms that
customers can fill in instantly instead of paper
ones to take away has also improved customer
engagement, increasing the feedback rate from
10% to 60-70%.
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