BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Cyber security concerns on the rise Concerns about cyber threats amongst UK SMEs have risen significantly in the last year as they consider the impact on brand, reputation, and revenue. According to pan-European research commissioned by Sharp Europe, nearly four in ten respondents (38%) are more worried about cyber security threats than a year ago, with over a quarter admitting to some form of security breach. The research found that around one third of businesses had their operations impacted by a cyber security breach. These breaches included phishing (31%), malware (30%), data loss (30%), and computer virus attack (25%). In addition, nearly a quarter have been subject to password attacks (24%) and cloud security issues (23%). Yet 61% lack confidence in their businesses’ ability to deal with and mitigate security risks. Given this, surprisingly three out of five of UK small businesses say their IT security budget will not be increased this year. www.sharp.eu Direction of technology Findings of TD SYNNEX’s second annual Direction of Technology Report capture the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence across the technology business partner ecosystem and show how many technology resellers are growing despite rapidly changing demands and market uncertainty. The global survey of more than 550 technology resellers finds that despite the many headwinds across the industry, technology partners are meaningfully preparing for a shifting reality by rebalancing priorities and business offerings. The report – which is based on findings from a survey conducted in partnership with Canalys – can be summarised into five key findings: n In just one year, the number of partners offering AI/ML solutions increased 625%. Several high-growth technologies like cloud, AI and IoT, cybersecurity, and hyperscale infrastructure are dominating partner offerings. Security was the top technology sold, followed closely by networking, servers and storage, and hybrid cloud. n Shifting skills needs reveal gaps in the talent pipeline. More than one-third of respondents said managed services were their top business skill needed, while the same percentage said security was their top technology skill need. Following security, networking and data analytics were the most in-demand technology skills among partners globally, and after managed services, professional services and business planning were the most sought-after business skills. n 73% of IT spending will be partner delivered in 2023, according to a Canalys estimate, underscoring the technology channel as an essential go-to-market strategy for capturing value. Cybersecurity leads the way as the technology that is most often partner-delivered (91.5%). n 77% of channel partners report seeing revenue growth this year, and partners are achieving this by shifting their business models and offerings in real time to meet changing market demands. Sales of product lifecycle services, owned IP and resale of packaged services rose 150% to 200%. n The number of partners that reported ESG management as important to their businesses jumped 125%. 37% of partners report additional ESG investment and 38% perform ESG through hybrid or outsourced partnerships. https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ IoT providers fail to deliver A new State of IoT Adoption report launched by global IoT connectivity solutions provider Eseye, revealed that companies are settling for sub-standard IoT connectivity performance, with only 1% of respondents achieving better than 98% connectivity levels on average across their device estates. In fact, only 16% of respondents are achieving more than 95% connectivity. The report highlights that respondents appeared satisfied with their service despite experiencing connectivity levels that are significantly below best practice. 95% said that cost was an important aspect when choosing their connectivity provider. However, 71% admitted that cheap commodity SIM and data connectivity providers aren't a good long-term investment, which suggests they may have been impacted in the past. This highlights the importance that value plays in IoT connectivity decisions. An example of this is that nearly all respondents (89%) agreed that an end-to-end services programme that gives them access to IoT services under one roof would be beneficial to their business. The majority of respondents (81%) expect the number of IoT devices in the field will increase over the next 18 months and nearly three quarters (72%) are planning to increase their IoT budgets in the next two years. www.eseye.com Greenwashing worries universally high Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index 2023 – the company’s flagship global study on consumers’ sustainability concerns and behaviours reveals that worries about greenwashing are universally high. Over half of respondents believe brands across all industries are misleading when reporting their sustainability actions, even ‘born-good’ sectors, like electric vehicles or alternative meat products. A key finding from the study is that in terms of overall sustainability perceptions, the electronic devices sector is in the bottom 10 with an index score of 22 (where 100 highest and -100 lowest). Kantar’s sustainability experts suggest the sector is perceived by consumers to have inherent sustainability issues, and brands need to focus on solving these and work on radical innovation to better appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers. www.kantar.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Shortlists See page 22 Direction of Technology 2023: TD SYNNEX Ecosystem Report
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