David Willetts MP receives a copy of the "Bootstrap Recovery" report at the tech showcase
The word technology is rarely far from the lips of many Government ministers these days, so Intellect was pleased to be able to showcase a handful of tech companies in the heart of business policy, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. (more…)
Everyone likes receiving awards. It can be anything from the Oscars to a prize for cheese scones at a village fete. It’s the recognition of others for a job well done that counts. When that recognition comes from your peers then it is particularly pleasing, and that was what the latest recipients of our Business Professional Certificate have enjoyed.
Intellect launched BPC to help SMEs develop their professionalism through improved business processes. We ensured that the programme was designed by industry professionals who are already developing and sharing best practice – people who don’t just “talk the talk” but definately “walk the walk.”
It was interesting to hear from the companies who received the awards how undertaking the BPC process had been a useful exercise, and in one case had helped them with a potential customers.
In an increasingly competitive world BPC enables businesses to demonstrate their commitment to best practice and continual improvement, vital weapons in the business armory.
The three companies who recently received their certificates from Intellect President David Callaghan join a growing number of businesses who have recognised that BPC helps them stand out from their competitors and show customers that they are a professional and reputable supplier.
The three companies are: Hao2.eu, Chameleon Information Management Services and Sefas Innovation
The new trade minister, Lord Stephen Green, the former chairman of HSBC, is turning his attention to the technology sector – how to grow exports and attract inward investment. To kick off the process he held a meeting with a number of business leaders, including Intellect’s deputy director general Tom Wills-Sandford.
The importance of technology to growth is an issue close to Intellect’s heart and one we raised with business secretary Vince Cable when we met with him to discuss the growth strategy and the absence of technology in that strategy. This theme was also picked up in the Lord Green meeting. (more…)
Tesco has become the latest big player to stake a claim in the Video on Demand gold-rush by buying an 80 per cent stake in movie streaming service Blinkbox.
The deal pitches the high street retailer against Amazon’s Lovefilm and Sky in the UK and mirrors a deal by WalMart, the US supermarket group who own ASDA in the UK, who bought Vudu, a similar service, in the US last year.
This could be the start of a major upheaval in the VoD market given Tesco’s position as a major retailer of TVs and it’s huge customer base, many of whom it has strong links with through its clubcard offering.
Richard Brasher, Tesco’s UK chief executive said the deal will mean the company can link the purchase of a product to the building of a digital collection.
So, next stop Tesco working with CE manufacturers to offer VoD services bundled with connected TVs, tablets or other devices. products.
So how does that shake up this emerging market? Well the existing players will certainly be taking note of Tesco’s move given their marketing and spending power, plus links with customers. For CE equipment makers it could offer opportunities to drive interest in connected TVs and other devices. Businesses that operate in this area, such as broadcasters, who haven’t made their move yet may be running out of time.
By the time we get to our CE Conference, the future of digital entertainment in July it will be interesting to see how this market will have developed and I’m sure Tesco’s purchase will attract interest in the retail and understanding the connected consumer sessions.
As George Osborne puts the finishing touches to his Budget speech and dusts of his red box what are the top issues that the technology sector would like to see covered in the Budget? A short, snap-shot survey of Intellect members came up with good news and bad news.
The good news is that this is a sector ready for growth. The bad new is that 75per cent of people who took part in the survey said they don’t think the Government understands the importance of technology based innovation for delivering growth and that they are not giving it enough prominence. So if it’s correct that the Government don’t “get tech” then what does the sector want them to do? Better support for the sector as a whole and particularly for SMEs were popular requests. However, more than 50per cent said they felt there was a lack of a strategic vision for growth coming from the Government and they expect to see this addressed when the Chancellor stands up on Wednesday.
This is a subject that Intellect raised with both Vince Cable MP and Ed Vaizey MP at a recent meeting. We believe that there is untapped potential to drive productivity growth through better use of technology across the economy. We will be developing this argument over the coming months working with Government and others, but we hope to see the issue mentioned in the Budget and an indication that the Government is begining to “get tech.”.
The good news for the Chancellor, and I’m sure he could use some, is that almost 95 per cent of companies that took part in the survey said their top priority for the year ahead is increasing sales. The other top two priorities where accessing new markets and developing new products. This is a positive picture of a sector that is looking to grow.
The C word dominated the Annual Regent Intellect Conference today (Feb 3). Nothing to do with slips of the tongue by BBC presenters, yes Mr. Naughtie, Mr. Paxman, but the hot C word from the world of IT, cloud. You could hear it come up in almost every conversation in the coffee breaks and lunchtime. Speakers had a lot of to say about where the cloud market currently is and, more importantly where it is going to. Ian McVicar, of Lombard said they were not seeing big demand from their clients for funding for cloud but he added that he expected to see cloud take up would move at different speeds in different industries.