TECHNOLOGY

UK tech spend grows at its third fastest rate in more than 15 years

Published

5 months ago

November 9, 2022

UK tech spend grows at its third fastest rate in more than 15 years

Despite 90% of digital leaders in the UK expecting an economic downturn, tech spend this year is set to grow at its third fastest rate in over 15 years,

More than half (52%) of digital leaders in the UK expect their technology budget to rise, and only around one in seven expect their budget to fall, according to the world’s largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers.

But the Nash Squared Digital Leadership Report, in collaboration with CIONET found that investment has slowed in emerging tech like AI, RPA and Big Data in the UK, threatening opportunities to innovate through global economic instability. Although investment remains strong in cloud (67% reporting large-scale usage in the UK), companies are cutting back their investment in Big Data and RPA that are key to innovation and to gaining a competitive advantage.

Almost half of large organisations in the UK hit by a cyber attack

Amidst the huge investment in the cloud, over a third (41%) of digital leaders in the UK are reporting that the cloud is creating security headaches due to the complexities it can create, especially for large distributed organisations. Almost half (44%) of the largest organisations in the UK (total IT budget >$250m), report a major cyber attack in the last two years. Meanwhile, global unrest and a growing awareness of the politicisation around cyber warfare has led to almost half of digital leaders in the UK (45%) fearing an attack from foreign powers – shooting up from just 12% in 2018.

The report also found:

Shortage of cyber talent continues to be a significant issue for digital leaders – Cyber continues to be one of the most sought after technology skills in the UK. A DCMS report in 2021[1] found that the UK’s cyber security recruitment pool has a shortfall of 10,000 people a year. This shortage and the increasing cyber threat has left only a third (32%) of digital leaders in the UK feeling confident they have all reasonable risks covered.
The war for talent, and keeping pay demands reasonable, emerges as a big challenge – 68% of digital leaders in the UK state that a skills shortage prevents them from keeping up with the pace of change; the largest proportion ever recorded. 57% think that UK organisations will never have enough technology staff and almost two thirds (63%) feel that the rising cost of living has made salary demands unsustainable.

Government policies aren’t working on tech skills – A staggering 78% of digital leaders in the UK feel that government’s policies are completely ineffective at tackling the tech skills shortage. This compares unfavourably to Asia where the figure is almost half, at 41%.
Robots, a way to plug the gap in the tech talent market – On average, digital leaders in the UK plan to use digital labour to automate around 1 in 7 (14%) of their workforce over the next five years.
Hybrid/Remote working boosts women in tech and access to global talent – Hybrid working is now commonplace in tech, with 2 to 3 days a week in the office the average requirement. This is starting to help have a positive impact on the number of women in the UK’s tech sector: female leaders are up to 15% in the UK (from 12% in 2021), almost a quarter (23%) of the tech team is now female, and 27% of new hires in the last two years have been women. The pipeline is slowly but surely improving. The report also found that a quarter (25%) of digital leaders say that remote working has enabled them to start recruiting talent from overseas.

Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared said: “Economic headwinds are gathering and indicators are turning negative – but despite or even because of this, UK businesses know that investment in technology remains crucial. Both to maximise the efficiency of what they already have and to become more agile and responsive in highly unpredictable conditions, technology is the key enabler.

“But while technology investment intentions stand at their third highest level in over 15 years, nevertheless there are signs that some businesses are reining back on investment in areas like AI and Big Data. The reasons for this are understandable, but organisations should be careful not to cut back too deeply – they run the risk of falling too far off the pace to catch up again, leaving a long-lasting dent to their competitive positioning.

“Meanwhile, another area that truly demands ongoing investment is cyber security. The threat environment is highly charged, and the rise in concerns about foreign power activity is striking. The world has become a more dangerous place in 2022. UK businesses must take robust defensive steps accordingly.”

With investment intentions remaining high and 56% of organisations in the UK expecting to increase their technology headcount in 2023 against a backdrop of widespread skills shortages, White added: “Businesses run on people – but the UK’s technology sector simply can’t find enough of them. While the skills shortages afflicting the sector are nothing new, it’s a concern that they’re worsening rather than getting better. However, what we see in our research is that organisations are taking innovative steps to ease the challenges – redesigning their employee offers to attract talent and, increasingly, looking beyond our own borders to access bright minds internationally, working remotely. They’ve also been increasing their efforts to attract more women into tech. I am heartened to see progress here: the industry is inching towards the better gender balance it so badly needs.”

Sustainability needs a reboot

Sustainability in tech was expected to play a greater role this year, but little has changed. A fifth of digital leaders in the UK (20%) think sustainability has only a negligible or no part to play in 2022, and only a similar number (22%) are using technology to measure their carbon footprint to any great extent. The report asks whether digital leaders have their heads firmly in the sand – or is the board not focusing them on this? Does the move to the cloud mean that organisations are viewing energy usage in running tech as somebody else’s (the cloud provider’s) problem?

Realising the potential of data

One of the other challenges highlighted by the report is realising the potential from data. Although two-thirds (67%) of digital leaders in the UK think that big data and analytics will be in the top two technologies to deliver competitive advantage in the next year, only a fifth (22%) feel that they are ’very’ or ‘extremely’ effective at using data insights to generate more revenue. Both figures are down compared to last year’s report, suggesting that ‘Big Data’ is getting bigger in all senses of the word, including its complexity. Another challenge is getting the right skills, with 42% of digital leaders in the UK hampered by a skills shortage in this area.

Making remote and hybrid working work

Remote and hybrid working models rapidly deployed during the pandemic are here to stay, and although a much-improved work/life balance for the tech team is the biggest gain from hybrid working (68% of digital leaders in the UK reporting an improvement), it seems that the good news story around hybrid working has become more complicated:

Productivity down – While four in ten report an increase in productivity from hybrid working, this is in decline from last year’s results where half of digital leaders saw a boost.
Mental wellness rises – Already considered to have been made worse by hybrid working, mental wellness remains an issue, but digital leaders report that it has marginally improved in the UK compared to last year.

White concluded: “Amidst so much change, it will inevitably take time for UK organisations to find the optimal model for their people proposition and talent strategies. Remote and hybrid working are delivering some real benefits but there are signs that these may be moderating as time passes. The mental wellbeing challenge also remains very real. This all means that employers must continue to really think hard about their working models, to find the right balance between the flexibility of remote working and the in-person creativity and engagement of asking people to be in the office. Many organisations are redesigning their offers including enhanced benefits packages and even unlimited holiday policies – the businesses that are truly open-minded about what’s needed are most likely to find solutions that work both for them and the talent they rely on.”

Tags: budget, diversity, research, spending

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TECHNOLOGY

BT brings 5G and the cloud to businesses on the move with AWS Wavelength

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2023

EntirewebNewsBot

BT has confirmed it is making a multi-million-pound investment to bring 5G and 4G mobile edge computing services to its UK business customers in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The work combines AWS’s cloud expertise with BT’s market-leading 5G and 4G infrastructure. EE’s national mobile network with AWS Wavelength will bring the power of AWS to the network edge for more business and public sector customers across the UK – opening up faster, secure and high-bandwidth connectivity on the move for use cases like policing, crowd management, healthcare and security.

The effort is part of BT’s investment in its existing mobile networks, to enable 5G-connected infrastructure as a service via AWS Wavelength. This includes switching on a new AWS Wavelength Zone in Manchester, which will service trials for eligible businesses and public sector organisations within a 100-kilometre radius (including cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Blackpool). BT’s ambition is to roll out AWS Wavelength to business customers across the UK more broadly in the coming years.

AWS Wavelength embeds AWS compute and storage services within 5G and 4G networks, providing mobile edge computing infrastructure for ultra-low-latency applications. Hosting services directly at the edge of EE’s UK network reduces lag, as application traffic can reach application servers running in the AWS Wavelength Zone without leaving BT’s network. This opens up mobile edge computing infrastructure for businesses to develop, deploy, and scale mobile Internet of Things (IoT) applications over BT’s existing 5G network securely.

The collaboration aims to enable high-speed, latency-sensitive and intensive 5G connectivity for BT customers looking to benefit from high-bandwidth IoT use cases in the field. This includes autonomous vehicles, cameras for policing and other public services to help protect communities, live media production for outside broadcast, smart industrial robots, and use in community healthcare (such as in care homes to monitor for falls and accidents).

BT’s Wholesale unit has worked with AWS on the initial trials in Manchester. After the planned national rollout, the service will be available to all BT business customers in the UK – from small businesses to large enterprise and public sector organisations.

Alex Tempest, MD for BT Wholesale, said: “As we continue to build best-in-class 5G infrastructure for the UK, launching the AWS Wavelength service for our business and wholesale customers is a hugely important step on our journey – bringing the power of the cloud to the UK’s best network*. It’s set to unlock use cases like IoT cameras to help first responders keep communities safe: a real-life example of using tech to connect for good.

“By building cloud edge services into our 5G and 4G EE network, we can accelerate innovation across industries, and bring fast, secure data processing closer to where our customers need it most. Ultimately, we want to give businesses and public sector organisations all the power of edge computing, wherever they are.”

Want to learn more about cybersecurity and the cloud from industry leaders? Check out Cyber Security & Cloud Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: 5G, AWS, BT

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TECHNOLOGY

How Artificial Intelligence Can Bring People Together

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2023

EntirewebNewsBot

How Artificial Intelligence Can Bring People Together

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables people to spend more time with those that matter the most.

AI is bringing people together, whether it’s assisting in the planning of a family vacation, getting to a place securely, allowing everyone to see each other on a video call, or making gift shopping a little easier.

The continuous evolution of AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, work, and interact with each other.

While AI is often portrayed as a divisive force that could lead to job losses and social inequality, it also has the power to bring people together and create new opportunities for collaboration and cooperation. In this article, we will explore some of the ways in which AI can be used to bridge social, cultural, and linguistic barriers and foster greater understanding and empathy among diverse communities.

1. Breaking Down Language Barriers

Source: Nature Magazine

One of the most significant benefits of AI is its ability to facilitate communication across different languages. Machine learning algorithms can now accurately translate spoken or written language in real-time, allowing people who speak different languages to communicate with each other more easily. This technology has been particularly valuable for businesses operating in global markets, enabling them to connect with customers and partners from different regions and cultures.

The benefits of AI-powered translation extend beyond the business world. For example, the United Nations has been using AI-powered translation to help bring together representatives from different countries and facilitate discussions on important global issues. By breaking down language barriers, AI is helping to promote greater collaboration and understanding among people from diverse backgrounds.

2. Enhancing Cross-Cultural Empathy

Another way in which AI can bring people together is by enhancing cross-cultural empathy. Artificial intelligence can be combined with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to enable people to experience different cultures and perspectives in a more immersive and engaging way. By simulating real-world scenarios and environments, AI can help people to better understand and appreciate different cultures, religions, and ways of life.

Source: Science Direct

AI-powered chatbots are also being used to promote cross-cultural empathy. These chatbots are programmed to engage in conversations with users from different cultures and backgrounds, using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to understand and respond to different communication styles and cultural norms. By promoting greater empathy and understanding, AI-powered chatbots can help to break down social and cultural barriers and foster greater social cohesion.

3. Improving Access to Healthcare

AI is also being used to improve access to healthcare, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities. For example, AI-powered diagnostic tools can help to identify diseases and conditions more accurately and quickly than traditional diagnostic methods. This technology is particularly valuable in developing countries, where access to healthcare is often limited, and where the burden of disease is highest.

Source: Deloitte

In addition, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are being used to provide healthcare information and support to patients in remote or underserved areas. These chatbots can answer common medical questions, provide basic health advice, and even monitor patients’ symptoms and suggest appropriate treatments. By improving access to healthcare, AI is helping to promote better health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities, bringing people together by improving the quality of life for everyone.

4. Promoting Social Inclusion

Artificial intelligence can help to promote social inclusion by creating new opportunities for people with disabilities and other marginalized groups. For example, AI-powered assistive technologies can help people with visual or hearing impairments to navigate their environment more easily, communicate with others, and access information more effectively. These technologies can also help to break down barriers to education and employment, providing new opportunities for people who might otherwise be excluded from these areas.

Source: McKinsey

AI-powered social networks and online communities can also help to bring people with similar interests and experiences together, regardless of their physical location or social background. These communities can provide a sense of belonging and support, and can help to break down social barriers by connecting people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to interact with each other.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence has the potential to bring people together in a variety of ways, from breaking down language barriers to promoting social inclusion and empathy. By harnessing the power of AI, we can create a more connected and inclusive society, where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to collaborate, learn from each other, and share their experiences.

It is important to state that AI is not a panacea for social problems. Like any technology, AI can be used for both good and bad purposes, and its impact depends largely on how it is developed and deployed. It is therefore essential to ensure that AI is developed in a responsible and ethical manner, taking into account the potential risks and unintended consequences of its use.

Moreover, it is important to recognize that AI is not a substitute for human interaction and connection. While AI can help to facilitate communication and understanding across different cultures and languages, it cannot replace the depth and richness of face-to-face interaction and human connection.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to bring people together and create a more connected and inclusive society. By breaking down barriers to communication, promoting cross-cultural empathy, improving access to healthcare, and promoting social inclusion, AI can help to foster greater understanding, collaboration, and social cohesion. However, it is important to ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a responsible and ethical manner, and to recognize that it is not a substitute for human interaction and connection.

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TECHNOLOGY

How to Reverse Video with 5 Free Video Editing Software

Published

3 days ago

March 22, 2023

EntirewebNewsBot

How to Reverse Video with 5 Free Video Editing Software

With so many professional video makers available on the market, it becomes a daunting task to select suitable software for creating a reversed video.

We have rounded up the most popular video editors suitable for professionals with different levels of experience. You can leverage them to produce top-level content without wasting much time.

You_can_leverage_them_to_produce_top-level_content_without_wasting_much_time.png

#1 Movavi

Regardless of the operating system you prefer, this free video reverser is exactly what you need if you prioritize quality and a streamlined interface. After downloading and installing it on your device, you just need to add a video clip that you want to edit by dragging and dropping it onto the timeline. Then, click on the Properties icon and tick the Reverse box. Once you have previewed the result, save it in any supported format that you need to use. The program supports MP4, WMV, MKV, and 3GP formats, among many more.

#2 iMovie

This widely-used video editor stands out for its high-fidelity filters. Using it, you can produce professional-looking reverse clips for improving the online presence of your brand and developing your business. It supports quick file sharing to social media networks and comes with handy file management tools. To reverse your clip, you just need to go to the Project browser, select a video, and double-click on it to open the Clip inspector. Then, you need to select the Reverse checkbox and confirm your choice.

#3 Kinovea

You can use this reverse video editor without paying a dime to perform basic video enhancement tasks. As 97.8% of internet users in the U.S. aged between 18 and 24 years enjoy watching videos online, it becomes crucial to use video editing tools to reach out to a younger audience. Kinovea has a special feature in the Motion menu for creating a reverse effect. You can preview the changes on the main screen. Once you are satisfied with the result, go to the File menu and click Save.

#4 Adobe Premiere Pro

Being one of the most advanced programs for editing videos, Adobe Premiere Pro is included in the Creative Cloud package, which makes it quite affordable. It integrates with other Adobe products, which makes it perfect for professionals and beginners alike. Besides enhancing your videos by adding to them transitions, you can use this software to achieve a reverse video effect.

#5 Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio 18

While you can access this powerful video editor for free, it also has a paid version. It allows you to perform color-grading like a pro, reverse your clips, and edit 8K footage. You just need to right-click on your video, select the option Change Clip Speed, and tick the Reverse Speed checkbox to achieve the desired effect.

Summing Up

Using these free tools, you can quickly reverse your videos to create attention-grabbing content for your followers and subscribers. This effect is easy to emulate even if you don’t have extensive experience in video editing. Using this technique, you can bring your point across more efficiently and create viral videos for your target audience.

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