INDUSTRY WATCH
Pete Hanlon , CTO at Moneypenny connectivity is absolutely integral when organisations are pursuing Digital Transformation and this report bears that out : businesses ’ digital initiatives are more successful when there ’ s a real focus on connectivity .
“ When COVID-19 came along and enforced remote working , many ‘ digital dinosaur ’ organisations had no choice but to invest in connectivity . It ’ s important to keep the momentum going though , because the UK needs advanced connectivity if it ’ s to achieve economic growth in the current economic climate . sectors have work to do , with none demonstrating more than half of the 14 ‘ keys to success ’ identified .
“ With the economic landscape we ’ re seeing right now , UK business desperately needs investment , particularly in the digital sphere ,” said Andy Bell , Sales Director for Public Sector at Neos Networks . “ We know that
FOR COMPANIES ALLOCATING 10 % OR LESS OF THEIR BUDGET TO CONNECTIVITY OR NETWORKING , THE SUCCESS RATE DROPPED TO ONE IN FIVE , ILLUSTRATING THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLE THAT CONNECTIVITY PLAYS IN DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT .
“ And looking further ahead , the education sector cannot be allowed to lag behind when it comes to digital : the next generation must have access to up-todate digital systems . After all , they ’ re the ones who ’ ll be powering tomorrow ’ s economy .”
Lyall Cresswell , Founder and CEO of Transport Exchange Group , also commented : “ There ’ s no doubt that COVID-19 has accelerated Digital Transformation initiatives . In our industry , this has been driven primarily by changes to consumer behaviour and the huge increase in online purchases and more deliveries . Consumers have warmed to the idea of using e-commerce for everything from grocery shopping to financial transactions , and this has had a massive impact on the logistics industry .
“ One of the biggest issues in our sector is a skills shortage – most courier and haulage businesses don ’ t have dedicated IT resource to map out a proper Digital Transformation strategy and implement the right tech . Sometimes , there ’ s also a reluctance to fully support digitalisation . But there ’ s been a sharp contrast around the acceptance of digital workflow pre and during the pandemic .”
“ It ’ s easy to be consumed by day-to-day work and put off large projects like Digital Transformation until next year ,” said Pete Hanlon , CTO at Moneypenny . “ It ’ s also easy to think that it ’ s just a technology project , rather than business change . Without the right level of focus and buy-in from across all areas of the business , Digital Transformation will never happen .
“ Companies that are more agile and take a digitalfirst approach have been best placed to ride out the challenges over the past two years . I believe we will see an unprecedented level of investment in Digital Transformation over the next few years as more and more companies adopt a similar digital-first approach . This investment can only be a good thing for the postpandemic recovery .” p
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