users continue to struggle with storage fees, but despite this the region continues to show a healthy preference towards ‘cloud-first’ decision-making when it comes to IT services adoption.” Just under half (44%) of EMEA organisations pursue a ‘cloud-first’ strategy for IT services adoption. Almost all (99%) have adopted or are planning to adopt AI/ML in 2024 and 96% believe they will face new cloud storage concerns as a result. These include the requirement to store data across a wider range of locations e.g. core data centres and edge/remote locations (46%); new data backup, protection and recovery requirements (43%); and new or increasing storage migration/movement requirements (42%). ... EMPLOYERS SEE VALUE IN SNOOPING ON HOME WORKERS Nearly half of enterprises (44%) are collecting data on employees’ home working hours, with an additional 33% planning to do so in future, claims Kinly, a provider of AV integration and collaboration services. Its Trusted Connections 2024 study, based on a survey of 425 enterprise AV professionals in the UK, Germany, Nordics and Netherlands, found that 65% of enterprises are encouraging staff to install Internet of Things (IoT) devices that can be used to monitor their home working environment: 28% say they are already collecting environmental data from people’s homes, with a further 36% planning to do so in the future. In addition, 33% are investing in analytics platforms to monitor remote workers. Respondents pointed out that athome tracking systems are not just about making sure staff are working, but also to help businesses meet their obligations to protect employee wellbeing. For example, 32% of those surveyed say their organisation is now collecting wellbeing data such as ‘tiredness indicators’ from remote staff, with a further 37% planning to track this sort of data in future. More than a quarter (28%) say their organisation is collecting environmental data from people’s homes, such as lighting and air quality, while 36% have plans to collect this data in the future. Tom Martin, CEO of Kinly, said: “With so many employees working from home, businesses can no longer guarantee a high-quality work environment. The result is people working longer hours, in conditions that wouldn’t have been acceptable at the office. IoT technology is becoming an increasingly popular way to address this, using at-home AV equipment to monitor everything from air quality to working hours and screen time.” MOBILE TECHNOLOGY KEY TO DESKLESS WORKER ENGAGEMENT Deskless workers feel considerably less valued at work than desk-based colleagues, warns workplace culture and recognition specialist O.C. Tanner. Just 43% of deskless workers, such as construction workers, delivery drivers and frontline employees, surveyed for O.C. Tanner’s 2024 Global Culture Report admit to feeling valued and appreciated compared to 61% of desk-based employees. Robert Ordever, European MD of O.C. Tanner, said: “Reaching and engaging deskless workers who tend to lack regular access to technology and tools is often seen as too difficult. Deskless workers will be the last to hear company news, struggle to complete basic administration, and lack influence and opportunities. But this status quo isn’t a given, it’s been allowed to take hold due to poor leadership and a mismanaged culture.” In its report, O.C. Tanner recommends equipping deskless workers with mobile-enabled tools as one way to ensure they feel as valued and recognised as desk-based colleagues, along with greater use of traditional offline methods such as team meetings, thank you notes and notice boards. It also advises training leaders in how to show their appreciation of deskless workers more effectively. www.octanner.com/uk ... OUT OF CONTROL Nine out of 10 organisations believe that the complexity of their technology stack has increased in the last 12 months (88%); that the explosion of data produced by cloud-native technology stacks is beyond the ability of humans to manage (86%); and that the number of tools, platforms, dashboards and applications IT teams rely on adds to the complexity of managing a multicloud environment (85%). On average, organisations 5 www.managedITmag.co.uk NEWS ORP USING AI FOR TURTLE CONSERVATION Purple Transform, a developer of AI to enhance human decision-making, is working with the Olive Ridley Project (ORP) to support sea turtle conservation in the Maldives. Five of the seven species of sea turtles worldwide are found in the Maldives, and all five are at risk of extinction. As part of Project SEUSS (Safeguarding Ecosystems Using Sustainable Solutions), OPR will use Purple Transform’s proprietary AI platform, SiYtE, to monitor sea turtles’ nesting activity and hatchings. SiYtE, which uses AI and machine learning to analyse and visualise real-time data aggregated from CCTV cameras, IoT sensors and other sources, will be used to track nesting patterns, monitor sea turtle populations and detect potential human interference. It will also strengthen ORP’s sea turtle veterinary programme, by aiding analysis of blood samples and the monitoring of sea turtle behaviour after rehabilitation. continued...
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