TBtech November Edition

tbtech publication £9.99 tbtech.co STORIES INSPIRED

BY MODERN LIVING. NOVEMBER 2022

Racing ahead.

EXPLORING THE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY IN TECHNOLOGY

C A M PA I G N B U I L D E R

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COMING SOON

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November 2022

Editorial

Stepping towards sustainable technology.

Technology is used to launch new products and services that use less energy and reduce waste. This helps improve environmental sustainability and operational efficiency.

The goal is to drastically reduce environmental risks and to create a sustainable product.

Sustainability in technology has already made its way into our daily routines. Examples are public and electric transport and Solar power. Sustainable technology has the potential to transform how businesses operate.

Industries aim to minimize any negative social and environmental impacts, which is good for its reputation. By implementing sustainable innovations, companies can stay competitive.

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We must make technology itself more sustainable, and we must use technology to become more sustainable.

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Meet your tbtech team.

JOE ALLEN

LUKE CONRAD

PAUL WHITTALL

Joe has vast experience and knowledge accumulated and honed as a New Business Development Manager and Relationship Manager.

Responsible for generating new business opportunities, looking after the growth of the company and strategy, sourcing new ventures and managing the company.

Luke is Digital Editor at TBTech and has history working closely with the worlds biggest tech brands to deliver campaigns. Luke is an advocate of tech across business and commercial applications.

Paul stops at nothing to innovate and create value for our customers. His mission is help those we work with to win in their markets. Passionate about delivering customer success and have had the pleasure of supporting many of the world’s leading technology brands for over 15 years.

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We have been working behind-the-scenes to elevate the readers experience.

ERIN LANAHAN

JESSIE PETHRUS

WILLIAM MOORE

MATT ROBERTS

Erin’s love for advertising and design has led her to Tbtech as a Media Marketing Apprentice. As a new member of the team, she is looking forward to exploring new skills and learning more about the tech sector .

Driven by storytelling, Jessie’s writer-designer duo allows her to combine the power of synergy across different mediums.

She believes a strong marketing strategy begins with understanding the brands mission and audience, together with the market, in order to position yourself as a leading brand, speaking directly to your clients and customers desires.

William’s passion starts and ends with design, timeless aesthetic and creative solutions. Having worked on numerous creative campaigns ranging from car manufacturers, leading tech companies, property investors as well as local artisans, the goal is to create the ultimate brand experience between the client and the consumer.

Matt is Operations Manager at TBTech, he has spent the last 15 years working with multinational IT companies building campaigns, GTM strategies, leading both Sales and Marketing teams to achieve organisational goals.

With a love of computer science, history, and psychology he is an advocate for change, operational efficiency and automation.

Value across the business for all our customers.

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November 2022

On location

Exploring new solutions.

Since 2005 Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX) has been at the forefront of enterprise IT. Showcasing the latest innovative tech solutions. The event displays the latest ‘must have’ technology, insights and use cases from the world’s top brands and leading experts. Over the two days you’ll get right into the what, why and how of digital transformation, connecting your business with the essential tools and knowledge you need to meet today’s evolving demands and prepare for what’s ahead.

Spanning two days, the event showcases the latest ‘must have’ technology and insight from the world’s leading brands and experts, connecting businesses like yours with the information and technology that they need right now.

Planning for the day that your organisation gets hacked? Curious about the new technologies that are changing the way our businesses run? DTX Europe is designed to give heads of IT and Communication professionals all the insight and technology needed to build a world-class digital transformation strategy.

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November 2022

On location > interviews

Exploring new solutions.

WATCH FILM

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TBtech went exploring at the Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX).

WATCH FILM

WATCH FILM

WATCH FILM

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November 2022

Telecom operators prioritise energy management and battle climate change.

Research shows that energy use is responsible for more than 92% of telecommunications network operating costs, and that 5G will drive unprecedented increases in consumption across the network.

This is a huge concern, but 5G is just one item on a growing list of reasons why today’s telcos are increasingly focused on energy reduction and carbon responsibility.

Telecom operators that have been caught in a seemingly endless loop of network upgrades are now turning their attention to the costs and carbon footprint associated with those advancements - and experts agree that this will be their top priority in the months and years ahead.

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By David Wilson, global offering director for solar and telecom energy solutions at Vertiv.

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Prioritise energy management and battle climate change.

The good news is that telcos have already made strides in tackling their energy consumption. The industry has been deploying hybrid energy systems for decades and was an early adopter of solar energy, albeit in limited, specific applications. The industry should be commended for these efforts, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. So, what near and longer-term strategies can telcos deploy to help boost energy efficiency and make more strides in achieving sustainability?

energy efficiency by 5-6 per cent.

What’s more, modern equipment frequently includes energy-saving modes and features that are too often ignored. Today’s DC power systems, for example, are more intelligent and capable of more advanced energy management than legacy systems, but frequently operators don’t harness those capabilities, favouring static operation.

REPLACING LEGACY DC POWER SYSTEMS

It’s an overstatement to say every site is unique, but when you consider geographies, climate, grid reliability, water availability, governmental regulations and countless other factors around the globe, it becomes clear that no single strategy is appropriate for every access site.

Energy and carbon management strategies must be linked to planning and real estate, and operators must tailor their approach to the conditions across their networks. For example, hybrid energy systems leveraging solar power to supplement unreliable or overtaxed grids are

Let’s be clear: there is no silver bullet for reducing gross energy consumption in telecom networks.

There are, however, immediate steps which operators can take to support the transition to renewable energy sources, like solar power.

The most obvious and already widely adopted strategy is simply transitioning to high-efficiency rectifiers in the DC power systems present at every access site.

Replacing legacy DC power systems with newer, highefficiency models can improve

MATCH ENERGY STRATEGIES TO YOUR ACCESS SITE

more commonplace in much of Africa, South America, the Middle East and parts of Asia than in the US where grid service is usually reliable and affordable.

USE INTELLIGENT CONTROLS TO MANAGE THE LOAD Today, comprehensive real-time monitoring of DC power network infrastructure is possible.

Intelligent controllers are available with advanced load management functionalities that enable telcos to visualise load location, power performance, and distribution inefficiencies in order to optimise the DC power supply, maximise use of cooling and avoid overload. With effective load management tools, high availability can be achieved while optimising efficiencies and saving costs.

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By proactively managing the load, operators can identify the location and power profile of every rack at a given site, visualise potential hot spots and recognise load distribution inefficiencies. With the ability to map the site’s power distribution and thermal output, operators can ultimately move the load from one rack to another to improve airflow and optimise thermal management.

LOOK TO THE LONG TERM So, it’s positive news that there’s already good work being done by telcos around the world in the field of energy management. And, promisingly, many operators are already taking opportunities to implement strategies like intelligent load management to better control energy consumption and costs.

However, operators must also look to the long term to consider more creative, ambitious approaches to managing their energy consumption. For example, in the months and years ahead we’re likely to see an eventual move away from the traditional diesel generator, towards hydrogen fuel cell technology.

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Other innovations may include new and emerging battery technologies like sodium-ion that may present additional opportunities for off-grid operation and energy management. And, as on- and off-grid power management becomes more sophisticated, we could see networks evolving into microgrids that generate and share their own power across the network and with the utility.

Although many of these technologies aren’t viable alternatives in the access network today, we’re confident this innovative industry will continue to drive progress – powering a more efficient, and greener, future for the sector.

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November 2022

Designing sustainable IT infrastructure for transport.

Sustainability is now a non-negotiable across the globe.

Specifically, reducing emissions is an imminent priority in the transport sector. However, for operations to be truly sustainable, organisations must look beyond the obvious. Emissions are not the only element that must be tackled in transport. Transport operators need to assess every stage of their operations and consider what else can be made more sustainable. Only then can you progress towards sustainable, secure, efficient, and green processes

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By Roch Muraine, Worldwide Sales Director for Transportation at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.

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Designing sustainable IT infrastructure for transport.

DESIGNING WITH GREEN IN MIND

A digital transformation is hailed for its efficiency, cost-savings, and comprehensive business benefits. But perhaps sometimes overlooked, are the benefits to the environment. No matter if it’s a railway, air transport, intelligent transport system (ITS), or seaport, there is no doubt that technology underpins your organisation.

However, IT systems are not always efficient or, ultimately, green. By assessing your technologies with carbon impact in mind, you can design your green transport from the ground up.

Rather than considering direct emissions, which occur when we’re flying, travelling by train, or transporting goods, for example, review how else your operations are impacting our world. Put simply, emissions occurring before, during, and after transportation deployment will all have an impact on your carbon footprint – it’s essential not to forget that. If you deploy efficient IT and OT systems you can reduce your carbon footprint throughout your entire journey. Of course, it’s tempting to deploy the latest technology adhoc; however, you must carefully evaluate your objectives. If you add systems in silos, you won’t be able to achieve your end goal.

Approaching new technology with a holistic perspective will enable you to truly work towards a greener future.

HOW TO CREATE A HOLISTIC GREEN APPROACH

So, what does a digital transformation, designed from the ground-up, look like?

Reducing Hardware Assess the hardware you currently use and whether you can reorganise it. Review the protocol you are using, pick modern and simple ones, adapt your network, whether it be in the IT or in the OT world, make them converged, and simplify the overall architecture.

It will require fewer network elements and fewer layers of network to connect everything.

As well as this, modernising and moving to new hardware will result in a smaller form factor, and will be less energy-intensive.

Consider whether you can densify your operations. Perhaps in a port, you can reduce the materials you are using and, therefore, space requirements. The more efficient and streamlined your operations, the more sustainable you can be.

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FROM VIRTUALISATION TO DIGITAL TWINS Virtualisation will help you eliminate anything you no longer need. By using virtual assets, you can easily identify whether some hardware may no longer be physically required. As a result, you will reduce unnecessary emissions, become more agile, spend less, and stop inevitable waste when the physical object’s lifecycle ends. On top of this, creating virtual twins allows you to predict, test, and innovate, saving on maintenance costs all while saving the environment. For example, National Highways announced the use of digital twins to predict the time and location of potholes and other maintenance issues on its road networks. Imagine if this was rolled out across all transportation operations – an unthinkable amount of resource would be saved on routine maintenance checks.

Going Cloud For some non-critical applications, backup, and capacity expansions, you should consider migrating them to the cloud. Once you move your additional IT systems into the cloud, you will enjoy a scalable and flexible solution in which you can easily add and remove technologies, while reducing the amount of hardware requiring energy, and in turn, consuming less electricity. When considering your move, look for a sustainable cloud operator who uses renewable energy sources to power the data centre.

Packaging Every little thing counts, so when looking at eco-friendly packaging materials across your business, consider the story of the hummingbird and the forest fire. While it may seem like a small change to make for one part, once carried out across the organisation, the environmental impact will be significant.

Packaging for internal transactions can often be forgotten, but ensure all materials used are recyclable and use recycled supplies wherever possible.

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THE JOURNEY TO GREEN DESIGN When considering an overhaul of your transport operations, it can feel a little overwhelming.

However, it really needn’t be.

By partnering with a digital transformation provider, you will access a partner ecosystem, all on hand to help you achieve your sustainable objectives.

With the knowledge and support of a partner ecosystem, you can reduce digital pollution, improve waste management, and decrease your energy consumption, protecting not only your business for today and the future, but the world too.

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November 2022

Flexible marketing key enabler of fast fashion’s strategic new look.

Following news1 that fast fashion giant Asos has pledged a ‘cultural reset’ to tackle profit losses, enterprise tech Storyblok has asserted the critical role that flexible marketing must play as other retailers rethink company strategy amid a tough consumer climate.

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By Dominic Angerer, CEO at Storyblok.

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Flexible marketing key enabler of fast fashion’s strategic new look.

Dominik Angerer, CEO and cofounder of Storyblok comments: “Clearly, the fast fashion market is experiencing a difficult period as consumers appear to have become much more aware of the impact that their purchases make and shift away from frequent, inexpensive buys. Add to the equation a looming recession, and it is easy to see why many brands are adapting their company strategy in line with an evolving playing field.

“Of course, for many this will involve pivoting to a new business model or, as in Asos’ case even, a complete cultural reset. But alongside this too, it is critical that retailers ensure that they have their content operations in order and the technical capabilities to respond to evolving requirements with ease.

“Even to this day, it is amazing just how many retailers, big names too, still aren’t using the right technology stack. Brands often choose a big tech stack from a well-known company under the assumption that it will be the best and easiest way to enable a successful marketing output. Not only is this usually an expensive approach, but it may also mean being locked into using products that don’t fit changing needs.

On the other side of this, there are retailers that simply don’t invest in any significant marketing infrastructure.

“This is especially concerning given the rise of the digitalfirst consumer, as potentialbuyers, now of all ages and demographics, demand more from a brand’s online presence than ever before. Moreover, the reality is that there are now a huge range of new solutions available that, via APIs, can usually be easily integrated together. This means retailers have the freedom to build a suite of tools that work for their business. In addition, this approach also enables the flexibility to swap out different solutions as marketing strategy develops.”

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Asos’ latest announcement comes as reports continue to point to not only fast fashion’s ongoing decline but a marked shift towards bricks and mortar retail spend.

According to new research2, 85% of consumers will do more in-store shopping in 2022 than last year.

Dominik adds: “While it’s certainly a time of huge change for the online retail world, that’s not to say all is lost. Shoppers may be buying differently, but they are still buying.

How retailers, especially online traders, will fare will depend on how they adapt to the developing dynamic.

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“By investing in a more flexible CMS solution retailers will be able to get new content out to multiple markets, platforms and channels, in line with evolving overall strategy, easily, at pace and at scale. The result is a truly flexible marketing approach and the ability to create meaningful, memorable experiences which genuinely compete with bricks and mortar.”

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November 2022

How we can take sustainability to the next level now that it is non-negotiable.

As a design agency helping companies to bring products to market, blond is acutely aware of the environmental impact that the consumption of goods and services is having on our finite planet.

We are therefore highly driven to create a more sustainable future.

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By James Melia, Founder and Creative Director at Blond.

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How we can take sustainability to the next level When it comes to sustainability in tech, those involved in developing products need to know that e-waste is now a high-priority issue. Worldwide smartphone sales alone peaked at an estimated 1.556 billion units annually in 2018 (Statisa). This means billions of electronic goods are being produced and need to be disposed of each year.

When we think of electronic goods it’s normally phones, computers and laptops that immediately spring to mind. All are powered by microchips and batteries fueling global demand for the carbon-intensive mining of rare earth metals. But there are also various accessories and other paraphernalia, such as charging plugs and cables, which tend to have a short lifespan and can be hard to repair or recycle.

If technology companies are serious about being part of Net Zero, there is a big responsibility to design products more sustainably and more circularly.

Every brief blond undertakes includes the development of a sustainable strategy to align businesses and stakeholders behind, at no extra cost. Not only do we look at ways of reducing environmental impact, but we strategize the commercial opportunities to make sustainable choices profitable for our clients. Profit often has negative connotations when paired with sustainability, but design and sustainability should not be seen as wholly separate from business performance. When businesses are profitable and have the right sustainable strategy, they can go on to do more good and have an even bigger positive impact.

It was this thinking that inspired our concept design for Fold, a multi-functional wireless charging point designed for repair, upgrade and reuse. As the name suggests, Fold is a folding wireless charging concept that would offer a more adaptable and durable alternative to traditional charging devices.

Designed to enable consumers to charge up to three products simultaneously in a range of configurations, including as a phone stand.

With product longevity in mind, Fold has been stripped back to its most fundamental necessities, creating an almost skeletal aesthetic - unlike most chargers which are typically constructed from many different materials that are sandwiched between layers of glue – making them virtually impossible to repair, reuse or recycle. Fold’s skeletal form would allow consumers access to the fastening methods so the product can be taken apart to be upgraded or maintained, especially as charging technology relentlessly moves on.

Education is a big part of encouraging consumers to make environmentally friendly choices.

The elements of the charger, specifically the mat and plastic casings are kept in simple forms and are either transparent or translucent, so they almost fade into the background, allowing the electronics to become the focus. By revealing the internal workings of the electronics, consumers are aware of the potential environmental impact of discarding the device and therefore more inclined to explore

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upgrade and repair options rather than throwing out the whole mat.

“The inspiration behind designing Fold came in response to seeing a lack of genuinely portable multi-chargers on the market that are not environmentally conscious. We wanted to explore how the consumer technology world could approach creating more sustainable products while also raising awareness of the environmental impact of electronics”, says blond founder and creative director James Melia.

Considering the full product lifecycle, we also applied our design thinking to Fold’s packaging. While most tech products have two layers of packaging; the shipping (‘mailer’) box and the primary packaging, Fold’s recycled and recyclable primary packaging has been designed for shipping, eliminating one level of unnecessary packaging. Moreover, the interior of the packaging has also been designed to accommodate broken or superseded components, allowing them to be sent back to the manufacturer and facilitating the potential for a circular

closed-loop product system. The importance of moving to more sustainable chargers follows a drive by the European Commission to harmonize USB-C as the standard port for all devices by the end of 2022. Its 2020 report identified that 11,000 tonnes of electronic waste in the EU is caused by disposed and unused chargers (European Commission).

The multi-functionality of Fold will mean that people can own fewer charging devices and therefore further play their part in helping to reduce the impact of electronic waste on the environment.

Creating sustainable solutions doesn’t just stop at products.

It’s also important to look at the tech and infrastructure behind creating products which have an impact on things like carbon emissions and climate impact.

We recently worked alongside a zero waste grocery service called Dizzie to create reusable and refillable fossil-fuel free bioplastic packaging that is long-lasting and 100% recyclable at end of life. We created pots that could be decanted or stored, to later be collected, washed and reused at the Dizzie warehouse.

Looking at the principles of the circular economy, we carried out holistic research into the packaging landscape and worked with Dizzie to design a packaging system that would ultimately save warehouse space and reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries.

Taking inspiration from the stacking format of a bento box, we designed Dizzie’s new packaging to stack together vertically. The three sizes of pots are sized in thirds, so that the height of three small pots equals one large pot, allowing the pots to stack together in many combinations and still reach the same overall height.

In terms of logistics, the pots were designed to enable simple and efficient cleaning when returned to the warehouse, while also being cost-effective to manufacture. The pots can efficiently nest together when empty, which saves space in the warehouse and reduces the carbon footprint of transporting them. The efficiencies in the design and choice of material combined with EU production ensures the Dizzie pots have the smallest possible carbon footprint

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and shifts the economies on reusable packaging. Good design endures and is cherished, so designing sustainably means avoiding single-use solutions and generating a strategy for the entire lifecycle of your product so that you’re considering its total environmental impact.

New technologies are always emerging, new materials are always being created, and fresh insights are always there to be uncovered. As designers, we own our responsibility to create and design new products responsibly and encourage our clients to do so also. Our hope is that sustainable approaches will become ingrained across the industry, in every part of the product development process.

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November 2022

How remote training can reduce your company’s carbon footprint and cost.

Remote learning has been around for decades, but until the recent pandemic, the corporate world hadn’t embraced the concept. Webinar Vet, Anthony Chadwick, explores how companies can boost their eco-consciousness, reducing investment in training – without compromising on results.

Staff development is the cornerstone of any decent employer. Giving your employees the opportunity to learn and grow is an excellent way to retain staff and help them to gain skills and knowledge that benefit both the individual and your business.

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By Anthony Chadwick BVSc CertVD MRCVS. Founder and CVO, Alpha Vet International.

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Reduce your company’s carbon footprint and costs.

Typically, staff training takes place in a training room – sometimes in-house, sometimes in an external venue along with the associated costs. It’s easy to overlook all the costs, but they include: · Trainer’s fee · Trainer’s food, accommodation and travel · Venue costs, including room hire, tea/coffee, food and, if it’s more than one day, accommodation · Travel for delegates · Cost of delegates being absent from work But what about the cost to the environment? That’s harder to calculate, but you’re looking at the impact of whatever mode of travel everyone involved in the training programme used to get to and from the venue, plus the energy that is expended to keep heating, lighting and technology up and running.

Both financial and eco-costs reduce if you have an in-house training facility, but they aren’t totally eliminated. So is there a better way?

REMOTE LEARNING TAKES CENTRE STAGE

Online training isn’t new but was seen as a less valuable alternative until the option to meet face-toface was removed. It’s a learning method we’ve been promoting to veterinarians and vet practice nurses for more than a decade.

It works extremely well and ticks both financial and eco boxes.

Now people are familiar with online conferencing it’s become more accepted as a means of training and has many benefits.

1: No travel required Neither the trainer nor the delegates need to leave their desks. That means a saving in time, cost and carbon footprint.

Delegates can attend from their desks or use a meeting room if they need a quieter place.

2: No food and drink costs When people are working from their desks they can get tea, coffee, snacks and lunch from their usual sources. Even if the company offers to cover the costs there are two advantages – the cost is lower than professionally catered food and the wastage is usually less. When people buy their own choice of food, they usually eat it.

No picky eaters who leave things they don’t like to be thrown out or leftover trays of buffet food that can’t be reused.

3: Lower training fees Online training typically costs less than face-to-face training – even when the same material is being delivered. This is the case even when it’s live training being delivered by a professional trainer to a dedicated group. However, the cost reduces even more when you access pre-recorded training where modules are recorded once and then accessed many times by thousands of learners.

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4: Flexibility When learners are studying for a qualification the content they need to cover is part of a set syllabus, so working through a series of online modules will deliver what they need. If these are supplemented by live Q&A sessions at regular intervals, it’s a much more efficient way for people to learn.

It also allows the learners to choose when they learn so they can study early morning or late evening (or any time in between) if that suits their needs.

4: Wider reach When employees are in a variety of locations, whether in different towns or different countries, they can all still access the training when it’s online. Gone are the days of multinationals sending their trainers flying around the world to deliver training in different countries. That’s got to be a big win on the environmental front, as well as a massive reduction in costs financially.

Also with smart technology, it’s possible to deliver training online in different languages.

5: Better timekeeping While some people are habitually late, there are fewer excuses when all you have to do is to click a link on your computer screen. It’s hard to blame the traffic for late arrival at training!

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT When your business embraces remote training it needs a change of mindset and a change of management thinking. Training programmes need to be valued by everyone, the delegate, their colleagues and particularly their manager. Whereas most people wouldn’t walk into a training room to ask a delegate a workrelated question, it can be easier to distract someone in a virtual session. It’s the manager’s job to educate everyone on the ground rules relating to online learning.

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It’s equally important that the manager attaches value to their team members’ learning and doesn’t suggest that time allocated to learning is displaced by ‘more important’ tasks.

Having said that, our experience is that remote learning works extremely well and delivers educational and financial benefits as well as a significant reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.

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November 2022

Five pillars of secure cloud transformation.

Companies’ cloud transformation ambitions have accelerated in the past few years thanks to an increased appetite for enhanced digital technologies, as well as more pressure to support remote working. According to the Office of National Statistics, 85% of employees now expect options for hybrid work, demonstrating that even as the pandemic passes, the demand for flexible cloud-based services shows no sign of abating.

However, the cloud services needed to facilitate new digital ways of working also raise new cybersecurity challenges, which can seem daunting. Organisations that allow these challenges to deter them from embracing cloud

transformation options, will only find themselves falling further and further behind their competitors.

Indeed Gartner predicts that, by 2025, cloud native platforms will provide a foundation for over 95% of new digital initiatives.

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By David Guest Solution Architect and Technology Evangelist at Kocho.

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Five pillars of secure cloud transformation.

The security challenges presented by the cloud are different to those associated with traditional on-premises security, where everything sat behind a firewall.

To mitigate these new risks, organisations should introduce and follow a secure cloud adoption framework (S-CAF) based on the following five key pillars:

Pillar 1: Adopt a zero-trust mindset Zero Trust works on the assumption that all users, devices and activities are malicious until proven otherwise. It may sound harsh, but the modern threat landscape has made this approach necessary in order to avoid the pitfalls of remote working, where so many endpoints go unguarded.

Pillar 2: Threat detection and response With cyberattacks evolving faster and faster, the best cybersecurity approach for many organisations is to ensure that the tools used to mitigate attacks are just as strong as tools used to detect them in the first place.

It is simple logic that the earlier a threat is spotted, the quicker it can be acted upon, but where this level of advanced detection is not possible, organisations must at least be positioned to reduce harm.

Pillar 3: Asset protection Organisations must have appropriate policies and processes in place in order to account for all their assets throughout their respective lifecycles. From a cybersecurity perspective, these policies should cover software, hardware and corporate data.

Pillar 4: Identity and governance Having visibility of every user’s access permission is crucial to securing all endpoints within an organisation. So too is the ability to adjust levels of access quickly and easily in response to employees joining, leaving or changing roles. This pillar is essential as it minimises the opportunity for employees to abuse their access rights.

Pillar 5: Innovation security Innovation may come in a variety of forms but when preparing and deploying successful security measures, development, security and operations (DevSecOps) is proven to keep organisations ahead of any would-be attackers.

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BAKING IN SECURITY WITH DEVSECOPS

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For a cloud transformation journey based on the S-CAF model to

can be dynamic and constantly tailored to the organisation’s specific applications and infrastructure requirements.

The key to developing these

Organisations that insulate themselves from the dangers of an open internet, will find it is no longer a case of putting up a border and stopping people

be successful, it’s critical that security controls and measures are baked into an organisation’s operations. DevSecOps provides this foundation. In an environment where cloud-based services can be provisioned quickly via selfservice portals, DevSecOps plays a central role in ensuring security risks are identified and remediated in the quickest possible timeframe.

areas is to focus on the security controls that need to be in place when moving from on-premises architecture to single or multi-cloud hybrid architecture. The initial focus should be on the technical assets rather than on the concept of Zero Trust, and with it threat detection, identity, and governance, which are important at other stages of the cloud transformation journey.

from crossing it. Transforming to the cloud demands a more agile, modern approach and the sooner one is selected and deployed, the sooner organisations can guarantee important data and information is secure.

This approach requires organisations to think critically about their infrastructure security from the beginning of the transformation journey. Yet as it is more than a set of new tools, it should incorporate cultural factors, such as policy and governance.

For example, policies should be set at the architecture level so they can evolve alongside the cloud transformation journey. This means that as organisations scale, the guidelines remain relevant and useful, rather than a hinderance requiring regular manual updates.

With DevSecOps, processes

CONCLUSION While the S-CAF is just one approach to a secure cloud transformation, its approach is inclusive and well positioned to tackle the challenges associated with moving to a cloud-based environment. The five pillars are applicable to an organisation of any size, operating in any sector, and they will provide security teams with a firm foundation to tweak and tailor cloud security to meet the needs and demands of customers and employees now and in the future.

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November 2022

How businesses can promote sustainability using technology.

Sustainability is a growing trend in many industries, with energy consumption and financial savings as top motivating factors, and technology is available to

assist with this. Businesses are becoming more aware of their carbon footprint, the impact technology and data storage have on this, and the need to have sustainable systems in place for the future.

November 2022

By Andy Brown, Managing director at Propel Tech.

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How businesses can promote sustainability using technology.

HOW DOES SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY BENEFIT BUSINESSES?

Sustainable technology focuses on mapping, planning and implementing software that assists businesses in moving towards becoming carbon-neutral and reducing their reliance on nonsustainable resources, processes or procedures. Sustainable technology can, therefore, not only support global sustainability goals but can also deliver real business benefits, such as remaining durable in tough financial climates.

Implementing technology designed to reduce energy, improve infrastructures, and cut out unrequired processes helps to support financial sustainability in the long term, streamlining business spending on infrastructure.

WHAT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY CAN PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY? Cloud migration is a great way to improve energy efficiency and processes as a cloud host can scale infrastructure up or down depending on business needs and offer real-time systems updates and management that improves the running of a business and the use of resources.

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In essence, the benefits cover online systems functionality - a business can reduce its software in quiet periods and quickly increase its technology needs as activity increases through the year. Offline with real-time systems intelligence, a business can better manage and direct human resources and business activity to maximise resource deployment, allowing businesses to manage their energy consumption and direct resources efficiently.

In turn, cloud scalability helps companies to control costs and allow for financial savings across technology which is beneficial for overall business sustainability.

Furthermore, tool consolidation is a valuable sustainable use of technology. By combining various aspects of business software, businesses can create better organisations using a centralised data point and remove unnecessary software that uses energy and costs money.

Minimising and simplifying technology stacks is another essential way to create sustainable technology. Businesses often have various tools built years ago, which could significantly reduce focus on preferred tools.

Simplifying your tech stacks will force the business to ask which aspects of their digital infrastructure are redundant and causing friction while helping to create energy-efficient systems which only consume power in areas most advantageous to the business.

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WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES WITH SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY? Making a business more sustainable isn’t an overnight process; it comes with challenges.

It can be a complicated process to work out which areas of the business need to be adapted to become more sustainable and streamline business processes.

Without an in-house software specialist, companies may become overwhelmed with research into improvements or waste time and money on digital transformation. Also, like with all digital transformation projects, there is an upfront cost to set up the business in line with sustainable technology. However, consulting a software development expert will help minimise these costs and ensure the maximum return on investment. For support with digital transformation and sustainable technology, get in touch with our expert team at Propel.

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November 2022

How organizations can benefit from a sustainable cloud environment.

If data continues to grow at the current rate, by 2030 we are likely to exceed a yottabyte (a million trillion megabytes) of data created in a single year. Arguably the most concerning facet of this is that research shows at least 68% of this data is never used once it has been created, and the CO² emissions created by powering the technology to store this data is greater than that of the entire airline industry.

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By Matt Watts, Chief Technology Evangelist at NetApp UK&I, a leading Cloud-led, data management company.

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How organizations can benefit from sustainable cloud environment.

The cloud is now seen as indispensable to many enterprises, so much so that IDC has reported that spending on compute and storage cloud infrastructure rose by 6.6% during the last quarter of 2021. However, datacenters are coming under increased scrutiny with estimates showing that they are currently consuming upwards of 2% of the world’s energy, and with predictions showing that number could rise to 8% by 2030, the question is how can we build a greener, and more sustainable cloud environment for the future?

EDUCATION IS KEY

Unfortunately, there’s no one answer to a problem this big, but there are simple steps we can be taking now to minimize its impact.

One of these is storing stuff we don’t need or won’t use on a regular basis on the cloud.

Our own research found that 87% of employees say that storing data in the cloud is easier than other storage methods. The tech industry has been papering over the cracks with this for years. But now there are bigger storage drives and other more efficient technology are available, companies must start putting value on data. There is also an education angle that must be addressed – storing data on the cloud is convenient however many employees (and organizations) are unaware of their cloud infrastructure’s environmental impact and if we are to look to a greener future, this must be addressed.

Data centers are huge consumers of energy. With energy prices in the UK and Europe rising steeply, bills are set to increase, so much so that for the data center in a mid-sized company in the UK, costs could increase by up to £1 million over the next five years. Furthermore, recent predictions from Greenpeace have found that a fifth (20%) of the world’s total electricity will be consumed by the tech sector by 2025 with an increase of 7% down to the expansion of cloud computing. Therefore, it’s not an understatement to say that building a greener cloud environment will also create a greener planet.

By monitoring their data center carbon emissions and using renewable energy 24/7, just as Google intends to by 2030, organizations can drastically minimize energy usage.

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MINIMIZING DIGITAL WASTE Energy use and consumption is just one part of the picture.

Hyperscalers also play a key role in providing a sustainable environment for organizations to consume cloud resources.

However, customers are responsible for how efficiently they are used. This efficiency can be quickly diminished if digital waste is not reduced. For example, every email that’s sent creates around 0.5g of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Add some attachments, and that number can go up to 10–20g CO2e. It’s the same for any social media activity and any interaction people may have on their device of choice. If we all become slightly more aware in how we consume resources from cloud providers, we can limit the amount emissions produced by data centers. The cloud can be the problem but also the panacea.

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As we explored earlier, by storing data they don’t use, not only are businesses ultimately producing more carbon than they need to, but they’re also paying

Cloud optimization tools can also help companies optimize cloud data storage, therefore minimizing digital waste. These can assess and predict resource requirements,

With cloud adoption continuing to rise, we must continue to investigate sustainability across the board. The cloud should be viewed as an extension of a

for services they don’t need to.

Therefore, building a greener cloud environment and minimizing digital waste is beneficial to an organization’s wallet. Digital waste arising from the cloud can be minimized through technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics that provide insights around how data is being used.

so infrastructure is utilized in the most efficient way. The key is that we are intelligent with data and implementing cloud technologies that are both green and provide value for money.

commitment to this. The tools that exist today make it possible for a greener cloud environment, using optimization tools and analytics.

Businesses should also look to invest in newer technology. It seems obvious to say but older technology is less efficient so buying behaviors should change.

Not only is it more cost effective but these benefits could directly, positively impact users and therefore your business

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE There’s often no need to lease storage space and store data if that space is only required due to inefficient data management and waste. Some organizations need to stick to defined data management policies, but can the same be said for retention policies? In the future, organizations can create and define policies for data retention to ensure waste is minimized, as part of an ongoing process to ensure their cloud environment is as green as possible.

Businesses must consider the green credentials of their cloud providers and on premises infrastructure, their use of energy and level of data wastage in order to build the greenest cloud infrastructure possible. The power of technology shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to building a greener cloud environment.

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November 2022

Making the drinks industry more sustainable.

The drinks industry is one of the oldest industries in the world.

So, it may be no surprise that the industry is a little antiquated.

Despite the thriving global industry, the relationships, legacy systems, and data ownership between stockholders and brand owners mean a technological solution for digitising the sector has been too challenging and costly to produce.

Brand owners have tried.

However, the problem is they are far from independent.

Their platforms are not open marketplaces since competitor products are omitted. Impartiality is vital for digital disruption.

While all other industries have found their route to digitisation, the drinks industry has been left behind, stuck in their old 20th Century ways.

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By Jimmy Metta, CEO, Spiritrade.

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Making the drinks industry more sustainable.

Aside from the cost of a pint increasing due to the increased overheads it results in, there’s a much more damaging impact we should all be concerned about – the impact on the environment.

For any means of production, there will be carbon emissions.

Typically, we accept this since the product being created has a use. It is a price we’re willing to pay, and if the emissions can be reduced or offset, even better.

In the case of the drinks industry, the two critical contributors to emissions are the large volume of water required to make drinks and the electricity that is used too.

Whilst this does create significant carbon emissions, the products being created support a market worth over $1 trillion to the global economy.

So, as long as a product is put to use, the emissions are palatable.

However, we should be seriously concerned when a product is not used and instead destroyed.

While the headlines have focused on the likes of Amazon destroying returned products because it costs them less than having to resell and ship again, the drinks industry has essentially gotten away with a similar approach to excess stock.

Therefore, it might surprise many that millions of drinks are being destroyed every day because they have either passed their expiration date or are simply taking up valuable storage space that could be given to faster-selling lines. This is profoundly inefficient and very bad for the environment.

Not only is this a waste of the energy used in creating the drinks, but the act of destroying them causes even more emissions since the products are destroyed through fire. Drinks are quite literally being burned rather than sold for consumption. Shockingly, this is wholly accepted by many within the drinks industry; it is a standard item for their profit and loss sheet.

I believe the lack of digitisation within the industry should bear some of the blame here. The old methods of storing, tracking, and selling stock mean poorly recorded inventory, or outright mistakes, are commonplace. More often than not, this is because the drinks pass their sell-by date – something which could have been so easily avoided had a more efficient and ‘smart’ marketplace existed. For stock, which is simply taking up space, again, the ability to list stock on a marketplace with ready and eager buyers will ensure the selling of the stock. Whilst the stock is being sold, the seller will also have more free space, save products from being destroyed and add more revenue. The challenge,

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as mentioned above, is brand owners have no incentive to create such an open marketplace.

That’s where we have stepped in.

We have developed a platform called Spiritrade, which is entirely proprietary and wholly independent. The software connects buyers and sellers and makes negotiating and trading easier whilst looking out for the environment. It works by allowing stockholders to upload inventory and manage the pricing, with buyers able to submit offers. In a sense, it works in a similar way to Amazon or eBay, but on this global, B2B scale, we’re talking transactions in the hundreds of thousands for tens of thousands of drinks at a time.

But it isn’t just about the platform.

The way drinks are transported matters too. The old method of B2B sales of drinks would see stock shipped around the world multiple times before reaching a buyer.

We knew that the digital platform must be partnered with a global warehouse network to logistically help transport stock in the fastest, most efficient, and, therefore, lowest emissions route possible.

No more shipping stock around the world many times over. By providing a technological platform for stockholders to easily list, manage, and sell stock, and for buyers all over the world to find lower-cost products, be it due to a nearing sell-by date or desire from the stockholder to free up their shelves, the drinks industry becomes much more sustainable.

We should be rightly shock that products which take much water and energy to produce are simply being burned. Thankfully, technology, as is so often the case, provides the best solution. Less waste, less emissions, and more innovation. I’ll drink to that.

So what if drinks are not being traded inefficiently.

This may not seem like much of a problem to those outside of the drinks industry

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A playbook for purposeful data centre sustainability efforts.

Today, there are more than 18 million servers running in more than 2,500 data centres all across the globe to support our increasingly digital lives — and those numbers will only continue to climb. Over the last years, we’ve seen unprecedented growth in the demand for digital services, including e-commerce, artificial intelligence, streaming video, VR/AR applications, smart systems and Big Data analytics. The blurred lines between the physical and digital worlds have made the case that data centres have become as essential as public utilities such as electricity, gas and water.

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By Simon Brady, Services Channel Business Development Manager EMEA for Vertiv.

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A playbook for purposeful data centre sustainability efforts.

Data centres hold a critical place in our society, whether it’s supporting our economy or enabling our workforce, but we cannot ignore their impact on resource consumption and energy use. For data centre operators, owners and designers looking to reduce their carbon footprint or set higher efficiency and sustainability goals, Vertiv launched its Data Centre Guide to Sustainability, which offers a number of best practices, business cases for reducing environmental impact and emerging technologies to help the industry advance toward “netzero” operations. Below are some of the highlights from the guide.

CREATING STRONGER SUSTAINABILITY GOALS Data centres consumed between 200 and 250 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2020, or nearly 1% of global electricity demand, and contributed 0.3% of all global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These numbers surrounding data centre consumption have drawn concerns from both industry stakeholders and the general public.

Many data centre owners and operators have already put the wheels in motion to improve efficiency and sustainability, but the work is far from over.

Leading the charge for this industry-wide movement are the large hyperscalers who have set ambitious goals to become carbon neutral or carbon negative. Apple and Google Cloud have achieved net zero carbon, Amazon intends to do so by 2040, and Microsoft intends to become carbon negative by 2030. In China, technology companies Chindata, Alibaba, Tencent, GDS, and Baidu are all making progress on reducing carbon from data centre operations.

The skyrocketing demand for data centre capacity and increased technology dependence pose a difficult challenge for organisations trying to reduce emissions, but the benefits of doing so are well worth the effort. By implementing technologies and strategies for reducing environmental impact, organisations can lower operating costs, increase financial flexibility and reduce the risk of having stranded or obsolete assets.

INNOVATIONS FOR DATA CENTRE EFFICIENCY

Over the past decade, a number of innovations have entered the fold to help data centre operators increase asset utilisation, maximize efficiency and reduce emissions and waste. Here is an overview of some of those technologies: · Intelligent Power Management Intelligent equipment and new controls enable data centre operators to improve the utilisation and efficiency of the critical power systems required to achieve high levels of data centre availability.

One strategy we’re seeing is utilising the overload capacity designed into some UPS systems to handle short and infrequent demand peaks rather than oversizing equipment based on these peaks. · Renewable Energy Renewable energy can be a great tool for reducing carbon emissions. There are numerous ways to leverage renewable sources, including purchase plan agreements, renewable energy certificates and migrating loads

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to cloud or colocation facilities that have made the commitment to carbon-free operation.

Some operators are looking at opportunities to power data centres through locally generated renewable power, which can be accomplished by matching renewable energy sources with fuel cells, systems that can produce clean hydrogen from renewable energy and UPS systems with dynamic grid support capabilities. · Water and Energy-Efficient Thermal Management Thermal management systems are typically the largest contributor to data centre power usage effectiveness (PUE), so there has been a concerted effort to drive down their impact on PUE by using more energy-efficient technologies. We’ve seen an increase in the use of water-based cooling systems that improve efficiency by expanding the number of hours the system can operate in freecooling mode.

Chilled water freecooling systems help strike a balance between water utilisation and energy efficiency, but for areas where access to water is limited, a water-

free direct expansion (DX) system can be employed.

A FRAMEWORK FOR DATA CENTRE SUSTAINABILITY For organisations in the initial stages of planning long-term efficiency and sustainability goals, beginning such a journey can be daunting. Vertiv’s guide offers valuable first steps for reducing environmental impact, including: · Establishing Goals Similar to the previously mentioned hyperscalers, more data centre operators are embracing goals based on the vision of the net-zero data centre or adopting several of the pillars that make up that vision. According to Vertiv’s guide, a net-zero data centre typically encompasses: • Zero losses: Eliminating inefficiencies and maximising utilisation in data centre systems.

• Zero carbon: Eliminating carbon emissions from the power consumed by data centres.

•Zero waste: Eliminating the e-waste created by data centre operations.

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· Defining Frameworks and Metrics When establishing measurable goals for reducing environmental impact, emissions will often be the

There is no uniform approach or single solution to reduce a data centre’s environmental impact.

Organisations should look to take advantage of the available

primary target. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides standardised global frameworks that industry organisations and their value chain partners can use to understand, aggregate, quantify and reduce emissions.

Other metrics to track sustainability goals include airflow efficiency, air economiser utilisation factor, carbon dioxide savings and carbon usage effectiveness.

opportunities and resources, and their reduced impact will depend on their goals, budgets, existing technologies and many other factors. Making these changes will be a huge challenge, but the reduced costs, progress toward corporate goals and limited dependence on utilities from these initiatives creates significant longterm value.

· Prioritising Opportunities Organisations looking to build out their sustainability approach can begin by evaluating existing data centre systems and prioritising opportunities based on goals and available technologies. As plans move forward, operators should continue to focus on solutions that can achieve desired levels of continuity. Some priorities to consider include increasing asset utilisation, reusing data centre heat and reducing e-waste.

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November 2022

What you need to know about structured vs unstructured data.

Data sourcing for business insights is crucial in today’s market. However, it’s important to know where to start to be most effective. For example, structured data and unstructured data are terms we hear a lot in the tech industry, but what are they and how can they help your business?

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By Erez Naveh, VP of Products at Bright Data.

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What you need to know about structured vs unstructured data.

WHAT IS STRUCTURED DATA

ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED DATA

DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED DATA

Structured data is web data in its ‘cleanest’ form. In structured datasets there are no extra copies or corrupt files because they have already been collected, indexed and structured in an identical format such as JSON, CSV, HTML, or Microsoft Excel. From here the data can be analyzed easily by systems and algorithms for high-level insights. Examples of structured data include publicly available information such as stock data, social media information or any website listing their product information and pricing.

The main advantage of structured data is that it is a comprehensive set of data that also includes historical data. Fewer resources are required to collect and use it.

When businesses collect and make use of data, structured data is often the preferred option because it is less time consuming to collect and overall, more efficient in the sense that structured data can be quickly analysed, considering it doesn’t require any further processing.

The main disadvantage in making use of structured data is that it does not include real-time data.

This is not suitable for enterprises that are looking to prioritise speed of information in their decisionmaking processes. Secondly, structured data has limited storage. Structured data has ‘fixed schema’ and shifts in needs can cause companies to waste time and efforts on matching up data warehouse compatibility.

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WHAT IS UNSTRUCTURED DATA? Unstructured data is collected through web scraping techniques.

It contains information in a range of different formats, entries appear repeatedly throughout a given dataset and can contain corrupt files. This data needs to go through a complex ‘cleaning’/’formatting’ procedure before it can be saved, analysed and shared with teams or fed to algorithms. Examples of unstructured data include text files, reports, and audio/video files.

Typical applications include word processing and tools for editing media.

The main advantage of unstructured data is that it can be collected in real-time. This means it is available for collection as soon as it is created, which allows businesses to react fast to opportunities or any potential issues in operations. Another advantage is that unstructured datasets are flexible because they come in a variety of formats which can cater to the different needs of a business when switching between applications.

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STRUCTURED VS. UNSTRUCTURED DATA – THE MAIN DIFFERENCES Here are some of the main differences between the two types of data sets: 1. Structured datasets have a single format, whereas unstructured datasets come in various formats.

2. Structured data typically resides in data warehouses, whereas unstructured data is commonly saved in data lakes. ●3. Structured data can be used by anyone, regardless of technical backgrounds unlike unstructured data which requires data specialists As there are a range of options available, it’s important for businesses to do their research beforehand - whether it be structured or unstructured - to ensure that they choose the best option for them and achieve their business goals.

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November 2022

In this together: how the crowd can help.

Cleantech – products or services that help diminish the negative impact on the environment – has become a fast-growing and attractive investment choice for many.

As the effects of the climate emergency only get more apparent and the public grows more conscious of their choices, this trend is set to grow even more rapidly. This is especially the case in the UK, where our low carbon economy is now worth more than £200bn and we were labeled a ‘leading nation’ for cleantech investment in 2021, securing over £134 billion of investment.

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By Matt Cooper, the Chief Commercial Officer at Crowdcube.

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In this together: how the crowd can help cleantech keep growing.

For businesses in this thriving space to keep growing, it’s more important than ever to tap into the power and potential of ‘the crowd’. By communicating their purpose and vision clearly, founders can mobilise a passionate community of investors to help them on their journey.

FROM CUSTOMERS TO INVESTORS When referring to ‘the crowd’, I mean the community of millions of retail investors who want to support businesses they believe will, and often do, succeed.

Today’s consumers are ever more aware of their financial choices, and those who can afford to align their values with their spending are increasingly doing so.

What Crowdcube’s successes – specifically in the cleantech sector – show, is that people are no longer satisfied with being passive consumers anymore. They want to take that support to the next level and become active enablers of the company.

Entrepreneurs in cleantech can leverage that latent consumer demand and turn it into a community of passionate investors.

There are a number of benefits that having such a large number of financial backers brings, chief among them being the fact you have a ready-made army of advocates spreading the word about your cleantech solution.

It also grants you access to a larger – and often particularly well-informed – network of people sharing ideas about a company’s cleantech solution and business model.

One such investor is Alayne, a 72-year-old ex-climatologist at Swansea University. She invests in dozens of innovative cleantech solutions on our platform, including The Small Robot Company and Orbital Marine Power. She also keeps in touch with the founders or investor teams of the companies she invests in and is able to provide a career’s worth of academic experience as insight into the climate, creating mutual benefit to both parties.

But Alayne is not alone. She is one of the hundreds of thousands of investors backing green. Our recent data suggests climateconscious ventures are attracting seven times more investment from retail investors on our platform compared to years ago. From March 2021 to April 2022, the annual investment into green and sustainable companies has risen from £5.5m in 2017 to £41.1m.

LEAN ON THE CROWD Entrepreneurs and founders know all too well that funding can be the make or break of their venture, there is no doubt that equity crowdfunding, alongside traditional avenues like venture capital, should form part of that process. Crowdcube’s own data shows private equity crowdfunding is becoming a particularly worthwhile path for green and sustainable businesses: the average green pitch on our platform attracts 29% more investors than those which do not prioritise sustainability.

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SHOUTING ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE When comparing other asset classes, nearly a third of investors’ values are not reflected in their portfolios, according to recent research from Oxford Risk. When it comes to ESG, many are being let down by asset managers, leading them to underinvest in what matters to them. Luckily, it is a lot easier today for people to align their portfolios to their vision for the world, thanks to the rise of crowdfunding platforms and investment apps. And this is why communicating on purpose matters; budding start-ups and scale-ups must be sure they are speaking to the hearts and minds of their investors, not just their wallets.

But there’s another reason to this too: sustainable companies today are clamouring for attention alongside greenwashers, leaving well-intentioned consumers and investors alike struggling to separate the two. For example, last year, global research by the Competition and Markets Authority found that 40% of firms’ green claims could be deemed misleading.

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NEXT STEPS For founders and entrepreneurs in this thriving space to keep growing, it’s more important than ever to tap into the potential of ‘the crowd’. Equity crowdfunding enables customers to become shareholders of the brands and businesses they personally want to support, meaning both sides are united by a shared purpose.

By communicating their purpose and vision clearly, founders can mobilise a passionate community of investors to help them through their journey.

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November 2022

How to tackle the digital skills gap.

Significant technological advancements and societal shifts occur within a blink of an eye. What felt like overnight saw the world shift from in-person to virtual to adapt to the global pandemic and our new way of life. But was it so easy for all of us? Do some of us take for granted our technological abilities as the norm when maybe there is a large percentage of us who are at risk of falling behind if action isn’t taken?

According to a recent study, this is the stark reality for many, with 11.8 million people of working age still without the Essential Digital Skills for life and work. To put this into perspective, this number is higher than the population of Scotland and Ireland combined.

Shockingly, this represents over one third of the UK workforce,

and despite technology rooted into our lives, the way we work and communicate, not everyone is picking up the digital basics to succeed. Below we look at how digital skills have contributed to the economy, why we are facing a shortage, and how it can be addressed.

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By Simon Walker, Managing Partner at Kubrick.

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How to tackle the digital skills gap.

THE UK ECONOMY AND DIGITAL SKILLS

IDENTIFYING THE ROOT OF THE SHORTAGE

Digital skills were initially recognised in the technology sector – a sector that in 2020 represented 7.7% of the UK economy and was responsible for contributing £149bn, growing at a rate of six times faster than the rest. It is becoming increasingly evident that the digital economy and the UK economy go hand in with digital skills being the driver for success. So much so that they make up two-thirds of UK occupations, accounting for 82% of online job vacancies. However, many businesses are still struggling to recruit people with the digital skills they need. So where are we going wrong?

Firstly, traditional modes of education are failing to keep up with labour market demands and not aligning with the skills required by employers. At present, schools are teaching IT courses but there is a need for moving beyond basic digital skills to more advanced ones. Introducing pupils to concepts of data analysis and computer science is one way to align industries and the education system. Schools can also look at embedding new emerging technologies such as AI across all subjects so that they are able to keep up with the rapidly growing tech sector. This mismatch in the education system has created an imbalance of demand for digitally savvy workers and a lack of supply of available talent.

Another threat to the growing digital skills gap is the emergence of those in the workforce who are trapped in the ‘frozen middle’ – the part of the workforce with 3 or more years of experience but whose skills are not up to speed with rapidly evolving technologies.

They sit between digital exclusion and advanced digital skills and if action isn’t taken, millions are at risk of becoming redundant, with valuable skill and experience being wasted instead of embraced. According to a recent study, the benefits of upskilling our workforce could be huge, with a potential £3.2 billion uplift to the UK economy, proving that this could not only transform careers but the nation as a whole. So, who is responsible for unlocking the potential of these professionals?

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THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN CLOSING THE DIGITAL SKILLS GAP Employers play a key role in closing the digital skills gap – they need to understand the importance of recruiting and cultivating good talent from nontraditional backgrounds. Typically, employers rely on graduates to help fill talent gaps, however, colleges and universities cannot produce enough graduates with the skills required to meet industry needs. Even requiring a college degree limits the available pool of candidates, as according to a McKinsey report, people who enter tech roles expand their skillset by more than 50%.

Going forward, employers will need to embrace a diversity of backgrounds. Candidates should be assessed not just on their knowledge and skills but also their potential to learn new skills. We can’t solve today’s problems with yesterday’s mindset.

We need fresh ideas, which can only come from tapping into a diverse pool of people who bring with them innovative ways of looking at solving the problem.

Next employers will have to focus on upskilling their workforce.

This will come in the form of on-the-job training and online learning platforms which will allow employees to expand their skillset and keep up to date with technological trends.

Amongst adults, this requirement is understood – with nearly six in ten (57%) of adults claiming that the easiest way to learn digital skills is through work. However, in 2020 only 20% of adults reported receiving any digital skills training in the workplace. At a time when AI, analytics, and automation are disrupting industries and transforming businesses – it is imperative for employers to equip employees with the relevant skills to build a future-ready workforce and to also remain competitive.

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THE NEXT STEPS With reports claiming that in less than 8 years, basic digital capability is set to become the UK’s biggest skills gap – the time to act is now. Employers need to expand their talent pools to attract a diversity of workers regardless of background, as well as upskill their existing workers. At Kubrick, we’ve launched Kubrick Advanced, our unique inhouse project team who provide critical leadership, technical expertise, and project management for our consultants. Kubrick Advanced also provides opportunities for individuals with 5-10 years’ work experience to retrain and enter the industry. We are committed to encouraging continual development and upskilling opportunities to establish our consultants and other candidates as tomorrow’s digital leaders and urge the wider industry to do the same.

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November 2022

How software can help support working mothers.

Organisations across the UK are seeking to plug a growing digital skills gap estimated to cost the economy £63 billion a year. To help streamline the process of finding and hiring talent, companies have enlisted automated solutions, such as CV scanners, to weed out applications that do not meet role requirements. But, because these systems are designed with efficiency in mind, they often exclude candidates based on certain factors, such as gaps in employment. A recent report from Harvard Business School and Accenture suggests there is a crop of around 27 million “hidden workers” in the U.S. alone.

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By Simon Walker, Managing Partner at Kubrick.

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How software can help support working mothers.

UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Falling into this category are mothers who have left employment to have children but are then seeking to return.

This is a highly competent but often misunderstood pool of talent. In fact, a survey of 520 working mothers commissioned by SkillsNow found that 42 percent had been a victim of discrimination by their employers, simply for being a working mother, while more than 25 percent said they left employment after having a baby due to a lack of support from their employer. In the UK, 15.52 million women aged 16+ were in employment in October-December 2021, according to the ONS UK Labour Market bulletin – up 153,000 from the previous year.

Many of these women are already working mothers or will become working mothers. But, rather than seeing the potential value working mothers can bring to an organisation, many companies disregard them, which forces them to take jobs that allow them to parent effectively, rather than roles that fully utilise their skillset.

What these companies often forget is the skills that come with being a parent. 55 percent of those surveyed said they are more resilient; 60 percent more patient; 43 percent more confident; 47 percent more productive; and 39 percent more agile since becoming a mother. These are all important skills for the modern workplace.

This is a pool of talent – which has only grown in character and experience since becoming a parent – ready, willing, and able to be utilised but currently sidelined by prospective employers.

So, what is stopping them from hiring them?

PAST PREJUDICE A series of research papers, published separately in Demography and reported by Sara Savat-Wustl for Futurity, argued that inflexible schedules and biased hiring practices, combined with gendered cultural norms around breadwinning and caregiving, led to discrimination against mothers and perpetuated existing gender inequalities in

the workplace. In short, working mothers are faced with an impossible standard of being expected to work as if they are not a parent, while raising children as if they do not work.

To address these gender inequalities in the workplace, employers can actively promote a more inclusive company culture that considers the needs of working mothers. Critical is offering flexible or hybrid working hours, allowing mothers to meet the demands of their full-time job and parenting duties. When asked what is needed to be employed as a working mothers, 61 percent said flexible working hours; 33 said the ability to work from home; and 37 percent said a hybrid model that allowed them to work from home and the office. In the post-pandemic era this should not be beyond any business.

Another old-fashioned view is that women fall behind in their career when they take time off to have a baby. But results from the survey show that two out of three women have expressed a desire for more training and development

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programmes following parental leave. In the digital age, where training resources are available at our fingertips, companies can provide working mothers with an

communication to ensure working mothers feel their voices are heard and issues addressed. Failure to foster such an environment may lead to them either suffering in

risk and cost to employers, while improving employee satisfaction and retention – a win-win for employers worried about the talent shortage and working mothers

online curriculum that allows them to maintain their existing skillset and expand it – even when they are parenting. Despite this, 39 percent were not being offered the skills development that they needed, while 14 percent were being offered training that does not fit around their life as a mum.

By providing flexible working in terms of hours, location, training, and development, many feel they would be empowered to take the next step in their career.

silence or simply leaving the organisation.

concerned about the future of their careers.

A HELPING HAND FROM TECHNOLOGY

When a woman comes back to work after having a baby, new ways of working are needed. If more companies acknowledge and adapt their ways of working to accommodate this, then they will reap the rewards brought by a loyal, hardworking, and empowered employee.

OPEN-DOOR POLICY Although companies are becoming more progressive, a small portion (16 percent) of working mothers feel they cannot discuss their needs as a mom with their boss, even though the majority feel trusted in the workplace. Given that 37 percent of women reported a mental health condition after becoming a parent, leadership needs to maintain an open line of

So, how can companies hire, train, and develop working mothers effectively? At SkillsNow, we have built a HR Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to address these challenges and more. Applying 20 years’ expertise, insight and unique methodologies, our platform allows businesses to recruit and retain the best talent quickly and easily.

With hybrid and remote-working and learning at its core, the platform is fully configurable with modules to optimise the creation and management of digital talent, enabling organisations to onboard new employees, and provide training and Continuous Professional Development (CDP) in relevant skills to existing employees. This results in reduced

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November 2022

Addressing ‘plastic straw syndrome’.

Each year, the Conference of the Parties (COP) acts as a bellwether for businesses looking to assess and substantiate their sustainability progress and put plans in place to continue meaningful action.

Following a brief pause due to the pandemic, COP26 had many quietly optimistic about global leaders coming together to agree on policy and enact change. Many of the promises were ambitious and necessary, but ahead of this year’s conference, it will become evident which businesses got caught up in the occasion and which are serious about protecting the planet.

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By Michiel Verhoeven, Managing Director at SAP UK&I.

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Addressing ‘plastic straw syndrome’.

Why? Amongst the debate following COP26, many fell into the trap of focusing efforts on just one area of sustainability. This is what is typically referred to as ‘plastic straw syndrome’, whereby leaders become distracted by one cause and overlook others of equal importance. In order to drive long-term and meaningful change, and embed environmental action into strategy and processes, businesses need to adopt a more holistic approach. This means taking into consideration the entirety of the business value chain from source to market, and taking measures to address its environmental impacts.

of their actions and responsibilities.

This can causes businesses to act on a few limited areas – aka plastic straw syndrome. But, through the right solutions and data insights, organisations can begin on the path to a more responsible future.

But in order to substantiate progress and deliver the necessary end-to-end visibility for comprehensive change, leaders cannot find themselves hindered by a lack of the right tools. Worryingly, 23% of business leaders have reported that they are doubtful of their ability to accurately measure their impact on the environment. Consequently, leaders cannot be sure they are taking the right steps to benefit the planet with only a partial picture

The worry is that any sort of obsession with, say, reducing the carbon footprint of mobility or energy production, will invariably overlook other key crucial factors that businesses need to be accountable for too; from biodiversity to deforestation.

A BARRIER TO COMPREHENSIVE ACTION With many companies committing to net-zero and elaborate strategies to reduce emissions, such as carbon capture and green energy, carbon has become a key focus for businesses looking to take environmental action.

This ‘plastic straw syndrome’ – as succinctly put by Professor Peter Hopkinson, Professor of Circular Economy at University of Exeter, in an SAP sustainability roundtable –

often happens when governments, consumers or businesses fixate on one sustainability challenge to the detriment of the wider picture. In the business world, carbon has become the lightning rod for this sort of attention, in the same way that five years ago, the idea of replacing plastic straws with paper equivalents felt like it would solve the climate crisis.

Companies need a broader overview to have a real understanding of the impact their practices are having on both the environment and surrounding communities. This means taking into account factors such as the values and initiatives of suppliers they work with to the source of raw materials. Without these kinds of insights, businesses can’t expect to make the necessary progress to help avert global climate disaster.

INCREASING VISIBILITY END-TO-END Instead of tunnelling one specific area, businesses need to employ a ‘sustainability by design’ mindset, and this starts with data. Through solutions that provide visibility of

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material flows, businesses can track their lifecycle from source to market. In turn, this promotes improved decision making and allows for a more targeted

and Brewdog, who analysed data across their businesses and identified areas to recapture waste materials using innovative technology that promotes

approach across the business value chain as leaders can embed practices from the outset to reduce waste and pollution, minimise emissions and promote a circular economy.

transparency. Through the insights gathered, this helped to empower governments, investors, waste managers and consumer industries to define strategic priorities and implement recycling infrastructure where it’s needed most.

At SAP, we set out to not only be advocates of sustainable action, but also exemplify environmental best practice. Simply put, we are an enabler and exemplar of sustainable business. From working with partners that mirror our values and commitments, to helping customers realise more comprehensive paths to responsible business processes – we put sustainability at the heart of everything we do, which permeates throughout the business and into new policy, initiatives, and overall direction.

One example of where we put this into practice in the UK is through our Waste Insights Project where we partnered with like-minded sustainability partners including, Topolytics, Coca-Cola, DS Smith

We also recognise that sustainability spans beyond just positive environmental change.

That’s why we work with purposedriven partners that recognise the human element of sustainable action, and set out to bring prosperity to local communities.

Working with Anglian Water, we’ve delivered workshops on ‘procurement with purpose’ and ensuring that the supply chain is delivering certified social impact. Through this, we set out to establish best practice on meeting net-zero and biodiversity targets, whilst also supporting greater social mobility to build the next generation of talent.

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A ROAD TO RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS As we approach this year’s conference, there is no better time for businesses to reflect on where they are and where they need to be with their sustainability action.

While building a sustainable future is no easy feat, organisations can make sure they are setting themselves up for success by overcoming plastic straw syndrome. By embracing the data at their fingertips, businesses can have complete visibility into their end-to-end processes, measure and track progress across the value chain, and better substantiate their environmental credentials. This data can then be used to level-up sustainability targets, which act as a barometer for future success. In my view, that’s how businesses take comprehensive action, consign plastic straw syndrome to the past and establish themselves as credible voice in each COP debate.

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November 2022

How small businesses can (easily) stay on top.

While much attention is paid to large cyber-attacks against corporations – think Wonga, Talk Talk and Tesco – small businesses are equally susceptible to cybercrime. According to a study by the UK government, almost half (48%) of small businesses reported having been impacted by a cyber breach or attack in the last twelve months. At the same time, research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals that 65% of SMEs are unprepared for such attacks.

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By Gary Orenstein, Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden.

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How small businesses can (easily) stay on top of cybersecurity.

What makes small businesses vulnerable is their lack of infrastructure and resources, especially compared to those that large companies can devote to IT security. With that said, there are some simple but impactful steps small businesses can take in order to protect themselves in the face of an ever-expanding attack surface.

But first, a quick look at the challenges that small businesses are confronting.

THE UNIQUE THREAT FACING SMALL BUSINESSES As mentioned above, small businesses are especially vulnerable to cybercrime because of IT security spending constraints and staffing limitations. This common sense takeaway bears out in the data. According to a recent report by US IT security firm Barracuda Networks, an average employee of a small business with less than 100 employees will receive 350% more social engineering attacks than the average employee of a large enterprise. In seeking to trick people into divulging data that may prove materially or socially

beneficial (credit card information, banking information, passport numbers) social engineeringoriented cyber criminals likely know that the hardware and software protecting enterprises isn’t always financially accessible to small businesses. Case in point: although cybercrime is up, in its 2022 Cyber Readiness Report Hiscox UK reported that overall small business IT spending is down – perhaps a casualty of pandemic-induced financial pressures, including global market fluctuations and supply chain woes.

STRATEGIES FOR MINIMISING DATA SECURITY RISKS

In the same Hiscox report, one in five respondents said they ‘risked insolvency because of a cyber incident’. While it’s easy to feel disheartened by this statistic – and the growing financial and securityrelated pressures small businesses must contend with – there are some simple and straightforward security best practices small businesses can immediately implement in order to minimise risk to their bottom lines.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS: 2FA AND STRONG PASSWORDS

To start, small businesses can protect their devices by always updating to the latest version of device software, updating browsers and operating systems, and installing reputable antivirus (AV) software. They can further shore up device security with two-factor authentication (2FA), a technological approach that requires users to utilize two separate methods of verifying their identity in order to access an account. A useful definition for 2FA is that logging into a service involves something that you know, such as a password, and something that you have, such as your phone, hardware token, or other authentication code. According to a survey by the Cyber Readiness Institute, 54% of small businesses haven’t set up multi-factor authentication (another way of referring to 2FA and the most common way to describe the process beyond using one step to log in to an account). This is a fairly dismal showing when considering 2FA is the best strategy for combating

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risks associated with compromised passwords. While we’re on the topic of passwords, creating strong and unique passwords is non-negotiable. Passwords are

there are a number of good, affordable business password managers available on the market.

Ultimately, password managers save organizations time, money,

log in to the account in question to confirm veracity. They should also avoid opening attachments from people they don’t know – or unexpected attachments from

the first line of defence for data.

They should not be easy to guess and should not be reused across sites. While reusing passwords is tempting – most people rely on memory to ‘manage’ their passwords, which makes reuse common – it leaves data even more vulnerable.

and peace of mind in the long run.

people they do know without checking first. Password managers themselves also help mitigate phishing attacks.

The best, and most straightforward, strategy for managing passwords is to use a password manager.

Password managers allow users to generate new, unique passwords that are then stored in a virtual vault. When a user visits a site or opens an app that is linked to the password manager, the password manager automatically fills in the user’s login name and password.

Most password managers are intuitive and engineered to be integrated into existing workflows with little disruption. They also require very little training. In short, they offer a lot of bang for their buck, especially when considering

KNOWING WHEN TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK Being aware of how to deflect phishing threats is also very useful.

Phishing refers to the psychological strategies scammers use to manipulate humans into clicking on compromised links or divulging sensitive information. It can be done through emails, phone calls, and texting, and falls underneath the ‘social engineering’ umbrella mentioned earlier.

There are a few simple steps for staying safe from phishing attacks.

To start, small business employees should check to make sure emails they receive look legitimate and are from a proper institution.

They should hover over links to confirm they’re going to the right website and avoid clicking on links they’re unsure about - at least until confirmed by further research.

Alternatively, they can directly

None of these recommendations involve purchasing technologies that break the bank or setting aside a slush fund for cyber insurance. They don’t necessitate AI, machine learning, threat teams, or the hiring of a Chief Security Officer. Just a little bit of upfront effort (taking the time for system updates, implementing 2FA/MFA and a business-wide password manager, and an awareness of risks) will pay off in dividends.

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November 2022

How technology can provide a sustainable future for the supply chain.

The global supply chain, and the issues that plague it, have been thrust under the spotlight in recent years.

Headlines were dominated by pandemic-era supply chain chaos, with product and staff shortages, closed borders, and eye-watering transportation prices. The market has calmed, and it is tempting to suggest this is in the past; however, the flaws and structural issues exposed by recent surges in demand and limits in capacity still remain.

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By Chris Evans, Executive Vice President at Two Eight One.

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How technology can provide a sustainable future.

As a result, scrutiny of the supply chain sector is at an all-time high.

This now often includes pressure to consider the sustainability of their practices. Businesses must consider the environmental impact of their supply chains, which can often be one of the least sustainable parts of their operations. Across the logistics industry, we are seeing a range of solutions being trialled to combat this, such as the movement of production closer to home, stricter regulations and the use of sustainable materials.

While there are many options, most are costly, time-consuming, and sometimes largely ineffective.

A digital approach to the supply chain can help reduce a business’s environmental impact.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

It’s something few will want to admit, but when it comes to the manufacturing process, businesses are often ignorant of the exact details of the processes themselves.

So, while a business might look ESG compliant on paper, the reality can be drastically different.

For example, the factory processes for creating denim require a large amount of water. This results in large quantities of contaminated water that, on paper, is disposed of in a way that doesn’t harm the environment. However, some manufacturers fail to follow guidelines or outsource necessary wet treatments to unqualified local firms, leading to harmful contaminants being introduced into the local environment.

The obvious response to a situation such as this is an increased ‘boots on the ground presence to ensure proper process and compliance.

However, the majority of manufacturing is outsourced to distant locations like China.

This means regular in-person monitoring is costly and has a notable environmental impact due to frequent travel. One-off site visits give a ‘point-in-time’ perspective, but there’s nothing to stop suppliers from showcasing an approved process during the visit and then returning to their normal, non-compliant process after the visit. When done well, digital visibility is one solution to this environmental issue. Brands need complete visibility of where their products are being made, and ‘live’ final inspection information before products leave factories. Software and hardware that can give live access to reports and dashboards that can be sliced and diced according to requirements are essential. They need to see the product, factory, vendor, location, date, category, and more if they are to meet the sustainability challenge.

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Increasingly, this is becoming the most effective way of managing suppliers at a distance in a way that will meet the ESG requirements of all stakeholders.

For example, clear real-time emissions data can help inform a business’s approach to their supply chain - what are the more sustainable transportation

In combination with high-level guidance on responsible sourcing strategy, specific compliance audits of partners and a broad supply chain risk review, technology is the key to providing a sustainable supply chain for the future.

options? Where should I source my materials? How can I reduce my emissions? Clear data leads to informed decisions that look ahead to the future. Our industry often focuses on the short term, concerned with getting the fastest results and best deals. However, the perspective that digital visibility provides allows for a bigger-picture approach to the supply chain and reductions in environmental impact.

EMISSIONS DATA Real-time data and digital visibility present the opportunity for transparency across the supply chain - the carbon footprint, from sourcing all the way to final sale. Digital visibility greatly aids our understanding of the environmental impact of the supply chain. Information is a powerful tool to enable sound business decisions, help educate consumers and effect real change.

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DIGITAL AND MORE Concerns about supply chain sustainability are not going to go away; investors, brands and consumers will continue to ask questions and apply pressure on businesses that appear unconcerned. Increasingly, digital is becoming the most reliable way to manage suppliers at a distance in a way that will meet sustainability requirements.

Everyone is more aware of the impact of what they are doing.

But the sustainability risk will remain until brands invest in the technology and guidance to meet these challenges. Businesses must understand that for business margins and the environment, the price of inaction is too high to pay.

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November 2022

Battery recycling is a problem we can no longer afford to ignore.

There is no modern life without batteries. Local storage is the enabler of modern multinational business and ‘digital nomad’ culture. It allows nations to stockpile reserves of energy and manage the price of everything from home heating to construction projects. Batteries power the device in your pocket that finds you a route home when you’re lost, manages your finances on the move, and lets you fact-check almost anything, anytime, anywhere in the world.

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By Jerry Williams, CEO at EV battery recycling startup Gigamine.

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Battery recycling is a problem we can no longer afford to ignore.

This is unlikely to change. As we prioritize a green economy built on stored renewable energy and electric transport, investment in battery technology is only going to increase. The benefits of green energy storage and travel are now accepted, but the associated challenges are not yet fully understood. Current practices are a bubble waiting to burst. There is only so long we can go on using a dwindling supply of rare metals to power our batteries. There is only so long we can go on ignoring the societal impact of an overreliance on extraction. And there is only so long we can pile up spent batteries in landfills, causing irreparable damage to the environment.

For an economy built on sustainable power to work, we need sustainable practices at each step of the supply chain.

PLANNING AHEAD

Rising demand for sustainable power and travel has ramped up demand for a few scarce resources. Demand for cobalt increased 22% in 2021, pushing up prices and increasing reliance on a small group of suppliers.

We cannot revert to burning coal and oil. But we also cannot continue as we are, creating ‘sustainable’ vehicles from unsustainable practices. There is a shortfall of the materials needed to go on mining indefinitely, and better use of existing resources will be a key part of the longerterm solution. There is a parallel here with the broader climate crisis. Today, we face an urgent rush to avert disaster at great cost to both industry and the individual.

If businesses had invested steadily in the infrastructure to support the transition to green energy decades ago, it would have been a lot less painful today.

Small changes can be made now to help us further down the line.

Recycling spent EV batteries to recover some of these precious materials would be a huge step towards more responsible practices and lessening the reliance on extraction. Underinvestment in the technology to properly dispose of and reuse batteries now will only make it harder to break the habit when, inevitably, we are forced to confront reality.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY This month, the Environmental Services Association is promoting its Take Charge campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of throwing away old batteries.

Half of landfill fires in the UK are caused by improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries, damaging the environment and costing the country £150mn a year. This is a growing issue as demand for batteries rises without the means to recycle them.

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Currently, it is simply cheaper to send a spent battery to landfill than it is to recycle it, but only just.

The same is true of solar panels, usually still cheaper to replace

We are making steady progress.

Partnerships in e-vehicle motorsport to explore EV battery recycling will stress-test technology under a full range of conditions.

than repair. This cannot last.

When scarcity raises the cost of importing these materials, there will be an inevitable rush to learn how to recycle what we already have. Better to do that now, surely, than to roll the dice only when it becomes an existential threat.

Spent batteries will be taken from vehicles, stripped down to their components with increasing efficiency and the recovered materials then used to create new batteries. Those batteries will then be used and recycled into new batteries, and so on.

Input becomes output and output becomes input. With the breaking of one vicious cycle, we create a new, healthy circular economy.

In time, the lessons of these experiments will be shared with commercial manufacturers and competitors will be forced to catch up or go extinct. Early investors in recycling technology will be best positioned to adapt. The question is no longer whether the transition will happen, but when?

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WHEN So long as there has not been a viable alternative, it has been easy to ignore the consequences of unsustainable supply chains. We are now reaching the point where that is no longer the case, and the circular economy seems inevitable.

Costs - material and abstract - are rising. It only takes one supplier to find a better way for consumers to radically change their expectations of the people who make their phones and cars. That bubble could burst at any time. If we see a sustainable future in electric vehicles and battery power, now is the time to invest in the technology to make it happen. Recycling is one piece of the puzzle, and a significant step towards building a future to last.

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November 2022

Transforming data centre approaches to tackle the climate crisis.

There are currently over 5 billion internet users worldwide – which equates to more than 63% of the global population.

Facilitating these volumes of connections, while transformative in many ways, inevitably takes its toll on the planet. Current internet usage accounts for 4% of global greenhouse emissions – and this number is predicted to double by 2025 (source).

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Yona Brawerman, Chief Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at OVHcloud.

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Transforming data centre approaches to tackle the climate crisis.

Undoubtedly, the increasing transition to cloud – by enterprises and individuals alike – puts even more pressure on the internet through its storage and processing needs. Cloud technology is here to stay – and has the capacity to help rather than hinder our global efforts to reduce the impacts of global heating. To do this, data centres must focus on ensuring sustainability sits at the heart of their operations and uncover innovative routes to reduce energy usage and emissions.

It is important to review data centres’ infrastructure at every level including supply chains of the hardware plus the hardware and software they use. In doing so, cloud providers must also ensure they are setting tangible, ambitious, and achievable targets to affect real change.

At OVHcloud, our goals are to achieve carbon neutrality on operations by 2025, use 100% renewable energy sources by 2025 and produce 0% landfill waste from production centres by 2030.

MAKING DATA CENTRES GREENER

From a hardware perspective, there has been great progress made in creating more energy efficient and sustainable data centres. For example, the most significant environmental impact of data centres is the vast processing power required to run the servers and keep them cool.

Efficient cooling systems, such as liquid cooling, reduces electricity consumption, PUE (power usage effectiveness) and WUE (water use efficiency) metrics provide accurate monitoring of these systems. Closed-loop water cooling enables us to keep our data centres cool without the need for air conditioning. Natural air cooling also acts as a more environmentally friendly alternative to air conditioning systems.

The lifecycle of hardware is another essential consideration.

Data centre components should not be single-use – and should instead be given a second and third life through repair and refurbishment. OVHcloud uses fully removable servers, and each

component is chosen specifically for easy reuse, recycle and repair. Re-using racks and using refurbished components to create new servers enables providers to act smarter, using fewer components for longer periods of time. Location and building type are critical when establishing data centres. Reusing industrial buildings will reduce the costs and energy required to build new facilities. It must also be located to facilitate the use of renewable energy mix. For example, our data centre in Quebec is located in a former aluminium plant that has been retrofitted to host our servers and is solely powered with sustainable energy – composed of hydroelectricity and wind farms.

Over 50 million metric tons of e-waste is generated globally every year (source) – more than the weight of the Great Wall of China. Data centre electronic waste becomes another crucial area that needs to be addressed.

Effective measures include choosing sustainable packaging, optimising freight transportation, managing employee waste and IT components, and finding the right partners to facilitate the re-use of

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waste. Continual progress will help to reach our goal of eliminating landfill waste.

THERE IS POWER IN THE DATA Sustainable measures, of course, do not stop at optimising hardware – it is also what is within our servers that counts. Sustainability monitoring is vital – both for cloud providers and their customers.

We partnered with European technology research institute Inria to enable users to view their real-time energy consumption and carbon footprint data via an API, giving them the power to see where they need to improve.

Operational transparency is now expected by customers; they want to understand the environmental impact of the solutions delivered by the data centres they use. Not only does this provide vital data to take tangible action, it also boosts their competitive edge by offering customers the necessary insights into their own carbon footprint.

TRACKING EVERY STEP OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN Climate responsibility does not start and finish with the data centre. Cloud providers also have the power to optimise their supply chains and positively impact the entire ecosystem. This starts with the suppliers you choose and includes the use of sustainable packaging. At OVHcloud we build our own servers and data centres. This gives us the ability to control the production chain from beginning to end, including the choice of equipment, and makes us agile in helping our customers find the most effective and energy saving solutions for their software.

This holistic approach enables providers to further extend the life of their servers and infrastructure, redistribute components from one data centre to the other.

It also embraces the testing of components to allow for best possible reuse and recycle, by sending them to partners to create new sources of raw materials.

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A COMMITMENT TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS A BUSINESS IMPERATIVE Making an effort to commit to green technology is no longer a ‘nice to have’. There is now a moral obligation to proactively commit to reaching net-zero. It goes without saying that these commitments are attractive to customers and, in a time of rising energy costs, also make economic sense. Climate neutrality in the cloud industry will only be achieved through collaboration.

OVHcloud has committed to the Climate Neutral Datacentre Pact.

This step can collectively create change and support the industry’s contribution to a ‘European Green Deal’ – making Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Data centres can, and should, lead the way by empowering their ecosystems, their clients, their partners, and their employees to take sustainability seriously and make a tangible positive contribution to the future of our planet.

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November 2022

Rise of the machines.

The fear of machines is not new. It can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution when people began to fear that machines were taking over their jobs. This paranoia was unfounded, as machines simply allowed people to work more efficiently.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution increased wages and a better standard of living for many people. Today, we face another technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The old fears have thus come back again. “AI will take over our jobs and lives” seems to be the new rallying cry. Movies such as the Terminator series, which show machines becoming sentient and turning against their human creators, have only added fuel to the fire. However, this time it’s real! Even Elon Musk has warned of a “Terminator-like apocalypse” while the genius Stephen Hawking predicted it to be the “worst thing” in the civilisation’s history. According to research carried out by PwC, automation can contribute up to $15 trillion to global GPD by 2030 – one of the many reports that point to the perceived impending doom. A recent study found that 33% of women and 43% of men felt their job was at risk of automation in the future.

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Ahsan Zafeer covers topics related to tech and digital marketing and tweets @ AhsanZafeer.

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Rise of the machines.

Codeclan – one of the only SQA-accredited digital skills academies in the UK; sheds light on what automation means in the truest sense of the word, how it will affect everyone’s employment prospects and skills that are essential to help navigate a postautomation world.

WHAT IS AUTOMATION? Automation, simply put, is the use of machines to do tasks that human beings would otherwise do. This can range from something as simple as a washing machine turning on and off automatically to more complex systems like self-driving cars. The main thing to remember is that automation removes the need for human intervention in a process.

HOW DOES AUTOMATION WORK? Automation relies on a variety of sensors and actuators to function.

Sensors detect things like changes in temperature or the presence of an object. Actuators then respond to these changes, for example, by turning a knob or opening a door. The most important part of automation is the control system since it tells the sensors and actuators what to do. The control system can be as simple as a few wiring diagrams or as complex as a computer program.

Automated machines can now perform many tasks that human workers once performed in hospital settings, such as blood tests and X-rays. This has led to a decrease in the time that patients must wait for their results.

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SKILLS THAT CAN HELP BEAT AUTOMATION If you’re concerned about being replaced by a machine in your job, try an online tool like Robots, Jobs and Resilience or this ONS chatbot to find out how resilient your job is likely to be in the face of automation.

In either case; here are four skills that could be key to surviving a post-automation world ruled by machines: 1- Problem-solving Problem-solving skills can help us in several ways in a postautomation world. For one, they can help us figure out how to use the machines that are doing more and more of the work. As automation increases, there will be less need for people to do specific tasks, but there will still be a need for people who can operate and maintain the machines. Those with strong problem-solving skills will be able to adapt to this change and find ways to use devices to their advantage.

In addition, problem-solving skills will help deal with the inevitable problems that arise when machines do more work. As we rely more on devices, there will be more opportunities for things to go wrong. Those who are good at problem-solving will be able to quickly identify and fix problems, keeping the world running smoothly.

2- Coding People who code can create programs that automate repetitive tasks or tasks that would be difficult or impossible to do by hand. This can make work more accessible and efficient as we increasingly move toward automation.

3- Data As technology advances, more and more jobs are being automated. Data skills allow individuals to understand and work with data generated by machines. This understanding is essential to optimise workflows and processes. Additionally, data skills enable individuals to develop models and algorithms that can be used to automate tasks.

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DON’T HANG THE GLOVES JUST YET! While it is true that automation can lead to job losses in the short term, it is also true that automation can lead to job creation in the long run. For instance, when ATMs were first introduced, there were concerns that tellers would lose their jobs. However, what ended up happening was that ATMs allowed banks to offer more services and extend their hours, which led to the creation of new jobs. Ultimately, automation can lead to job losses and creation, and it is impossible to say which will happen in any given case. But upskilling, in either case, seems like the intelligent thing to do!

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Netcall strengthens its health and public sector divisions.

Netcall, a customer experience software specialist, providing lowcode, RPA, contact centre and omnichannel solutions, has strengthened its public sector offering with its two latest senior appointments.

The move is designed to better support organisations through their digital transformation journeys, ensuring they derive the best value from their advanced technology solutions, making complex decisions simple and using artificial intelligence and machine learning to gain richer and informative insights from data.

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By Nigel Hall, Director of Client Solutions, Netcall’s healthcare.

By Mark Gannon, Director of Client Solutions, Netcall’s public sector services.

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Netcall strengthens its health and public sector divisions.

Nigel Hall joins as Director of Client Solutions to support Netcall’s healthcare offering, while Mark Gannon joins as Director of Client Solutions to bolster Netcall’s public sector services.

Nigel previously worked with various NHS Trusts including Rotherham, Doncaster, and Bassetlaw, and more recently the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) where he utilised his strategic and operational experience in putting patient care at the heart of everything the NHS do.

Previously, Nigel was accountable for IT Operations and Support in a complex environment at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust. He led teams to deliver strategic objectives whilst under significant pressure as well as engagement with regional health and social partners to support wider healthcare transformation.

Prior to joining Netcall, Mark held the role of Director of Business Change and Information Solutions at Sheffield City Council. Before that he worked as Director of Customer Access for Nottingham City Council and earlier roles have seen him employed by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Middlesbrough Borough Council, Hartlepool, and London Councils.

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Mark takes a fresh approach to digital transformation in local councils and has held several transformative roles within City and Borough Councils across the

Nigel said: “I intend to use my NHS knowledge and experience to really make a difference for citizens that interact with Netcall products, and this can only

Mark Said “We need to empower citizens as they navigate through these turbulent economic times post pandemic and during the rising in living costs. The answers

UK. Having delivered significant IT, digital and change programmes in a number of councils, it means that Mark is well equipped to share what has worked well and what could or should be done better from a technological innovation perspective.

come through the appropriate interaction with existing customers.

It is important to put the patient at the heart of everything we do.

I want to take a strategic view of the healthcare sector and directly support our messaging and value proposition through my previous insights into how the NHS operates, and how new ICB constructs will influence the direction of travel in terms of the provisioning on services across the wider NHS landscape.”

lie in greater collaboration, integration of public services and the use of automation and lowcode platforms to drive improved citizen outcomes. At Netcall I’ll use my experience to help councils deliver efficiency savings through transformational change that they can deliver for themselves.”

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November 2022

Ensure the first device to get infected is your last.

Back in the distant days of 2019, organisations treated working from home as an exception. While a few firms were taking advantage of affordable cloud solutions for a more flexible approach to work, they were ahead of the curve. Most of the day to day was still being done in the office.

The COVID pandemic catalysed a shift towards more flexible working, and the workplace has changed forever as a result.

Research indicates that 76 per cent of employees feel they can perform their role just as successfully remotely as in the office. Further, 63 per cent of high-growth companies use a “productivity anywhere” model in 2022.

November 2022

By Raghu Nandakumara, Head of Industry Solutions at Illumio.

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Ensure the first device to get infected is your last.

But alongside benefits like increased flexibility and greater work-life balance, the distributed hybrid work model has also increased organisations’ cyber risk exposure. As hybrid work remains the norm, it is essential that organisations prioritise a security strategy that remains robust wherever employees work – at home, in a coffee shop, or at the office. As cyber attacks increase in frequency and severity, today resilience is about securing the entire hybrid work estate to ensure that when breaches happen, the first device or network infected is also the last.

HOW ARE THREAT ACTORS EXPLOITING REMOTE WORK TO INFILTRATE AN ORGANISATION’S IT?

Between cloud migration and widespread remote working, most organisations have a more dispersed infrastructure than a few years ago. There are more moving parts to manage and secure, and complexity continues to threaten security. Threat actors were quick to take advantage of unprepared organisations making the cumbersome move to support a fully remote workforce in the early days of the pandemic.

And they’re continuing to target inherent vulnerabilities that come with a distributed employee base.

The average home network is unlikely to match the security capabilities of a corporate network, for example. Employees are also likely to be using personal devices during their workday, with research finding that over a third of remote workers prefer to mix business and personal machines.

Personnel are also more isolated against social engineering tactics.

It’s easier to fall for a phishing

email impersonating a colleague when they are not sitting across from you in the office, for example.

Compromising a remote worker’s device provides an adversary with a powerful tool to further their attack. While they can begin by exploiting a single endpoint to gain access to the enterprise’s larger IT environment, they can then move laterally across networks, datacentres and the cloud to find privileged accounts and compromise sensitive business assets.

It’s also easier for an attacker to hide in a remote environment.

Employees are now logging on at different hours and from a variety of IP addresses, making it more difficult to keep track of normal workload communications and user behaviour. As a result, attacks on hybrid work environments are costing organisations around $600,000 more than the global average cost of cyber attacks.

November 2022

HOW WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO LIMIT ACCESS TO THE ESSENTIALS? Without the right precautions in place, a single compromised endpoint can open up pathways for bad actors to access more sensitive data and mission critical business applications. If the organisation has not implemented effective identity-based security controls or applied frameworks such as Zero Trust, there will be few barriers standing in the way of lateral movement – essentially granting attackers carte blanche to the entire organisation following an initial compromise.

Over-provisioned user accounts are a gift to a network intruder, so organisations need to deploy a strict least-privilege approach that limits system access proactively by only providing the access absolutely necessary – shrinking the attack surface from the start.

Further, ransomware attacks can now move quickly enough – from a single compromised endpoint to broader organisational IT to cause serious damage and disruption before the security team has a chance to detect and

respond to the threat. So firms must have the ability to detect and contain attacks quickly.

The best way to limit access to essentials and reduce breach risks is to operate under an ‘assume breach’ mentality. Assume that bad actors or threats are already lurking across your cloud environments, datacentres and laptop estates – because they likely already are.

HOW CAN ORGANIZATIONS REDUCE RISK? As IT sprawl continues to expand, visibility and containment are critical above all else. Security teams must be able to see and stop attacks from spreading across any device linked to their network, no matter the location. This means a single point of control for all connections, and end-to-end visibility across the entire hybrid IT estate.

Firms must be able to uniformly enforce Zero Trust access controls and segmentation policies so users can only access necessary applications from the endpoint, rather than the entire IT

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environment by default. This will mitigate the harm a compromised endpoint can cause – making moving throughout the network far more time and resource intensive for attackers. In the end, adversaries pass the enterprise up in favour of softer targets.

Finally, containment strategies such as Zero Trust Segmentation prevents fast-acting ransomware from easily spreading through the network or from compromising additional devices. To maintain the flexibility and agility afforded by remote working, security must work in a way that restricts threats, but not legitimate users. With the right approach, organisations can reap the benefits of hybrid working While also reducing risk and strengthening cyber resilience.

And in the current economic climate, resilience is everything.

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November 2022

The impact of the eSIM-only iPhone on the telecoms industry.

While they aren’t the first to do so, Apple’s eSIM announcement is certainly the most significant to date. And as a historical trendsetter among telecoms OEMs, this decision will undoubtedly spark a seismic shift in how service providers (SPs) onboard customers.

So how will the eSIM shift impact the market? Here, Hamish White, CEO of eSIM as a Service provider Mobilise investigates.

November 2022

By Harmish White, CEO at Mobilise.

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The impact of the eSIM-only iPhone on the telecoms industry.

Apple’s iPhone 14 launch saw a huge change from the handset manufacturer for its US customers — the latest upgrade will only support eSIMs. The latest data from GSMA suggests that 88 per cent of operators globally plan to offer eSIM services by 2023.

And 98 per cent will do so by 2025. As awareness of eSIMs’ benefits becomes commonplace among manufacturers, SPs and consumers alike, what impact will the technology have on each of these groups?

HORIGOINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS As one of the most popular handset manufacturers, Apple’s decision to go eSIM-only in the US will initiate a ripple effect among its competitors. At the moment, while the number of eSIMcapable devices on the market is increasing, the technology has only become commonplace among manufacturers over the last few years. Coupled with longer customer device cycles, which mean that consumers aren’t replacing their handset as often, there’s a lag in eSIM adoption

despite the capability’s inclusion in a wide range of newer handsets.

In general, access and affordability of smartphones is improving thanks to developments like Google and Jio Platforms’ JioPhone Next, released in India in September 2021, which is the world’s cheapest smartphone. But for eSIM to truly take off, more affordable handset manufacturers need to adopt the technology.

It’s not a matter of if, but when other OEMs launch eSIM as standard in all their devices.

The addition of eSIM does not make devices more expensive.

Instead, it has a positive impact on manufacturing costs in comparison to a physical SIM. Nevertheless, to widen price ranges and drive wider customer reach, other, smaller OEMs need to launch more models with eSIM capability, especially for the developing markets.

COMSUMERS The move to digitalise yet another element of the customer journey will benefit end users, especially as 70 per cent of telco customers consider the quality of their digital

experience as an important marker when selecting their SP. eSIMs improve the digital customer experience (CX) in a few different ways. A key change from the traditional physical SIMs is that multiple eSIM profiles can be stored on a single device simultaneously, allowing the user to switch profiles depending on how they’re using their devices.

So, for travellers, it eliminates the hassle of sourcing and physically swapping physical SIMs depending on your location.

And for workers, it’s possible to have your work phone and personal phone on one device with two different numbers, to maintain a work-life balance without carrying two devices.

On top of this, some SPs are offering multiple eSIM devices on a single contract for companion devices, such as smartwatches, laptops and tablets. While it can sometimes be complicated to activate them with a traditional cellular plan, with eSIM, activation is much simpler, offering a more seamless onboarding experience.

Despite the undeniable benefits, consumer awareness

November 2022

of eSIM is still low. The GSMA reported that while 28 per cent of consumers have read about eSIM in an article, only 15 and eight per cent were made aware of it either from a device manufacturer or from promotional materials respectively. So, SPs will need to produce and promote educational content on how eSIMs work and the benefits for customers to boost awareness, and therefore adoption.

SERVICE PROVIDERS There were 232 operators offering commercial eSIM services for smartphones across at least 82 countries at the end of 2021, more than double since 2019, with North America taking the top spot for adoption among SPs. With greater access to the resources, knowledge and technology to launch eSIM capabilities, it comes as no surprise that mobile network operators (MNOs) currently dominate the market. But if devices are to become eSIM-only, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and enablers (MVNEs) will have to adopt too.

Removing the physical

infrastructure, logistical complexities and reducing the cost of subscription provisioning, eSIM lowers the barriers to entry and opens the market for smaller SPs. Physical SIMs are the last physical component to be digitalised to enable SPs to take the leap and become fully digital, with no physicality required aside from the consumer’s handset.

But despite greater accessibility to products and services, the magnitude of the task of digitalising the entire subscription provisioning process is still large. It’s understandable that MVNOs may feel dwarfed by the challenges of eSIM adoption.

From budgets to technology sourcing, to regulatory red tape, there’s a lot to consider.

Mobilise has developed a solution to support smaller operators to launch their own eSIM capabilities quickly and effectively — eSIM as a Service. It’s a comprehensive end-to-end management solution that empowers any provider looking to launch eSIM services to consumers. Fully compliant with the GSMA’s SAS-SM

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certification, eSIM as a Service allows consumers to provision their subscription remotely by downloading over-the-air credentials through their provider’s app. As a result, SPs can offer the premium level of CX through in-app provisioning, without the resource and investment-heavy tasks of in-house development.

It’s clear that Apple’s move will impact every link in the telecoms value chain, with every player needing to prepare their eSIM capabilities to remain relevant.

While eSIM is transforming telecoms’ existing applications, it’s also creating a world of opportunity elsewhere, with potential for embedded connectivity through eSIM emerging in adjacent markets too.

There’s no denying it — the era of the eSIM is here.

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November 2022

Dealing with the scepticism surrounding chat bots.

In customer service, chat bots can significantly enhance the customer experience. Not only from the customer’s perspective, but they are also a great way to streamline business operations.

There are two essential parts to delivering effective customer service: a great team and great technology. The best technology can push the boundaries of what an operational team can achieve by streamlining processes and allowing advisors to focus on enquiries that need a human touch, all while reducing costs.

November 2022

By Martin Brown, CCO at FM Outsource.

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Dealing with the scepticism surrounding chat bots.

However, according to our latest research, when customers were asked for the channel they believe is the most likely to deliver a poor outcome, chat bots emerged as the most common response (36%), highlighting the current scepticism surrounding the technology. This is likely due to businesses using them for jobs that are beyond their current capabilities, and not having human operators immediately accessible. This is often done to cut costs quickly, which is not a sustainable approach to introducing them to business operations.

More encouragingly, when asked whether they would - in theory be happy to deal primarily with AI-powered customer service bots provided the technology progresses sufficiently, nearly half (44%) said yes.

As customers do seem open to chat bots, should the technology improve, businesses should use this opportunity to show that when implemented correctly, they can offer a seamless customer service experience, that doesn’t damage customer relationships.

WHY CHAT BOTS?

24/7 CUSTOMER CARE

There are some indisputable benefits to introducing chat bots and the technology is improving constantly. Their ability to recognise and learn language, make their own decisions, and know when to hand over to a human, makes them an important tool for most businesses.

AI technology can also allow businesses to introduce 24/7 customer care, meaning businesses can always keep customer satisfaction high.

Considering that the number of smartphone subscriptions worldwide predicted to rise to 6.5 billion this year, the way customers interact with customer service teams has changed forever.

People are accessing customer support whenever it suits them, meaning businesses need to be readily available at all times.

ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBLE WORKING With a fully or partially automated customer service system, AI bots can do all data gathering, and manual processes, significantly reducing the workload and strain placed on operators. This is particularly important considering that now more than three-quarters of organisations offer hybrid working. Chat bots and flexible working go hand in hand as the technology allows customer service teams to deliver high quality customer service regardless of location.

Chat bots can support teams making the move to 24-hour customer care, as they can be available when human operators can’t. However, one of the most common mistakes that businesses make with chat bots is not having a direct route to a human operator, should customers need to speak to one. Provided an operator is available, bots can be a great first point of contact for simple issues, cutting down the waiting time of customers with more complex issues.

November 2022

SPEED AND EFFICIENCY

HOW TO IMPLEMENT TECHNOLOGY EFFECTIVELY

A key advantage of implementing chat bots is the speed and efficiency of complaint handling they provide. According to our recent research, when asked what they believe are the three main components of a good customer service conversation, the vast majority of people said short waiting times (61%), and having their query dealt with quickly and effectively by an operator (60%).

It is important to consider both the implementation strategy and the technology itself before adding it to a business’s customer service operations. Working with an outsourced team can assist customer service teams by providing chat bots or helping businesses to make their own, specialist to the company and sector. Having technology that is specifically tailored to the business itself will allow for greater response efficiency and overall greater customer satisfaction.

Ultimately, consumers are simply looking for a swift and effective resolution of their problem or query. Whilst it may be increasingly necessary to offer customers a wide range of choice of channels and availability, if the customer is having their problem solved quickly, they probably won’t mind using a chat bot.

Additionally, is it undoubtable that a human element to customer service does need to remain. In our research, 34% of people stated that one of the main components of bad customer service is not having the option to talk to a human. There are some aspects to care that technology simply cannot yet provide including having sensitive conversations about affordability and conveying emotions of respect and empathy. Therefore, whilst the technology remains at its current

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level, companies need to maintain a balance between bots and human operators.

FINAL THOUGHTS Considering the scepticism surrounding chat bots, integrating them into customer service operations may seem daunting for businesses not wanting to see their customer satisfaction suffer. However, implementing AI technology can have some significant benefits to both the quality of service offered and the workload of representatives.

Therefore, by ensuring that the right technology is introduced, with the aid of human operators, both businesses and customers can enjoy a more streamlined and effective customer service experience.

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November 2022

Kickstarting the tech talent shortage.

Covid-19 set in motion what has been referred to as ‘The Great Resignation’ with people leaving jobs in record numbers, or “Quiet Quitting” where people stop going the extra mile, to focus on other aspects of life.

In addition to this, we are now experiencing a talent shortage that has reached a 16-year high.

In the tech industry, the impact of this talent shortage is widespread.

Quite simply, there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill the roles available, with BBC News reporting that 2021 saw more than 2 million UK vacancies in tech alone. This is not only detrimental for current businesses that are struggling to fill roles, but also presents a real issue for the growth of the UK tech economy and the economy as a whole.

November 2022

By Marion Stewart, Chief Operations Officer at Red Helix.

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Kickstarting the tech talent shortage.

Something must be done, and while government schemes such as ‘Kickstart’ have attempted to bridge the gap following Covid lockdowns, these initiatives alone won’t fully solve the problem.

It requires a unified response.

Businesses should consider changing their position on hiring, so they can attract and retain the young talent the sector is missing.

Government schemes require work to ensure they offer flexibility to both companies and applicants, and digital skills training needs to take centre stage – particularly as there will be further demand for these skills in the wake of growing tech demand across AI, automation and cyber.

WLESS EXPERIENCE, MORE OPPORTUNITIES For the required skill reserves within the tech industry to begin to be replenished, businesses need to take a different approach to filling the roles available. Job specifications often ask for a high level of experience from the applicant, limiting the number of people that will think they are suitable. Data from the Adzuna

labour market shows demand for no experience or junior level roles is shrinking, while the number of senior roles continues to grow – accounting for 77% of tech jobs available in 2021.

This will continue to reduce the talent pool within the sector, as the lack of no-experience, junior and intermediate positions will deter skilled but inexperienced individuals from entering the industry and building their career knowledge.

Organisations need to acknowledge the situation and begin to reassess the way in which they hire new staff. Consider hiring internally and promoting existing team members, then filling the roles they were previously in with apprenticeships and young people at the beginning of their tech journeys. By implementing this strategy in our own company, we’ve not only opened more roles to young talent entering the sector, but we’ve also seen an improvement in the job satisfaction of existing staff members, as more opportunities will be made available for them to progress.

ATTRACTING YOUNG TALENT TO THE SECTOR As well as opening more positions for those without experience, we also need to think about how we make the industry more appealing to young people. Research from Finsbury Glover Hering has shown that the interest is there, with 66% of those among younger millennials and Gen Z show interest in the sector, however nearly half of those (48%) believe that without having studied the right subjects, it is already too late for them to enter a tech career.

We need to break down these perceptions, as they inhibit the young people needed in the industry from looking into the potential careers available to them. One way of doing this, in which Red Helix has found success, is to broaden the opportunities available. Instead of hiring for niche roles, a range of opportunities and careers can be presented from the beginning, giving new talent an understanding of the breadth of tech routes available so they can define their own interests and

November 2022

route, instead of staying on a predetermined development path.

These sentiments have been echoed by Guy Holman, a new starter at Red Helix, who joined during the government backed ‘Kickstart’ scheme: “When joining Red Helix, I had an inclination that I wanted to work in tech but didn’t have a great deal of industry knowledge. Through my apprenticeship, I’ve been given the opportunity to work with several different departments which led me towards technical architecture and, in seeing my passion for working in this this area, Red Helix have introduced training to help me develop the skills required in this subsector,” comments Guy. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO HELP THE TECH INDUSTRY Additional external support is also needed to prevent further damage to the UK tech economy.

Government schemes such as the Kickstart scheme, which was brought about as a result of the pandemic, are a great way of supporting the industry and should

be encouraged – but they also need to be refined. In our own experience, the Kickstart scheme brought us some incredible young staff members, who have already begun making an impact within our organisation. But the process of hiring them wasn’t plain sailing. It was, in certain parts, regimented, prolonging the time it took to bring on new starters. This could easily be adapted by simply allowing the applicants to be onboarded in the same manner as other members of staff. This would not only make these schemes more appealing to companies, but it would also give those joining a company a more realistic experience of workplace culture.

When the Kickstart scheme ended this year, the government did not replace it. This seems somewhat short sighted if there is a drive to get more young people into the tech industry. The government needs to think about how to help companies support skills shortages in a way that’s easy to access and helps provide young people with options to trial different roles in the tech sector, whilst allowing companies to support these initiatives without the heavy burden

of bureaucracy. Alongside these schemes, the sector would also greatly benefit from a change in education, with digital skills being taught at a younger age.

Not all tech roles mean coding.

This is something that needs to be factored into education programmes to help young people understand the wide range of career opportunities that this sector offers. Furthermore, making the industry more appealing to young people with diverse backgrounds is crucial if the UK is tap into the full potential of its future workforce.

Growing digitalisation has made these skills invaluable across numerous industries, not only tech, fuelling an ever-growing demand.

The Department of Education’s plans to introduce new Digital Function Skills qualifications are welcomed, but to ensure that future generations have the skills required to join the workforce of an increasingly digitalised world, the UK curriculum should also be adapted to provide young people with higher levels of training in these areas.

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A REVITALISED UK TECH SECTOR By providing industry opportunities that require less experience, we can attract more new talent to the industry, which will allow us to replenish the skills that the tech sector is hungry for. Providing new starters and apprentices with a variety of career options from the beginning will encourage them to continue working in tech, allowing them to follow their own paths in the industry, based on their individual talents and interests.

There is, however, only so much we can do without support. We need government schemes that allow flexibility, and a refocussed curriculum that teaches young minds the digital skills they’ll need in order to fully buoy the industry – for now, and for the future.

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November 2022

How traceability solutions can help industries become more sustainable.

Trust is a non-negotiable for businesses, governments and societies in today’s political and economic climate.

There’s no shortcut for earning that trust either.

It comes from tangible actions and transparency.

This authenticity is increasingly respected in today’s market where endusers continue to carry their political and social motivations into their purchases and lifestyle choices.

November 2022

By Dominic von Trotha Taylor, CEO and Chairman at iov42.

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Helping industries become more sustainable.

A study from GWI earlier in the year confirmed this, finding that British people are increasingly making a conscious effort to live more sustainably. However, 62% of consumers said they are only “a little” trusting of brands that say they will adhere to environmental pledges, with 22% of those surveyed saying that they don’t trust brands at all.

This fear that businesses aren’t ready to make the necessary changes for a greener industry was also highlighted in a recent report by iov42, which found that 74% of Timber Importers across Europe are unprepared for the upcoming changes in regulations - with the new European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) soon to replace the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR).

This new regulation aims to curb deforestation and forest degradation in supply chains, by requiring more due diligence and risk assessments of timber products coming in and out of the EU. Its effects on commodities like soya, cocoa, palm oil, coffee and beef mean that the regulation will have

far-reaching effects on businesses’ sustainability strategies. With this, huge changes are needed as 15-30% of all wood traded worldwide is logged illegally, and 15% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.

Technology, like Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), provides an opportunity for businesses to enable better transparency across complex supply networks and help meet new due diligence requirements.

It will also ensure businesses, consumers and governments can build bonds of trust caused by a fragmented industry.

SLOW SYSTEMS MENS SLOW CHANGES As the implementation of EUDR approaches, there is increased pressure on businesses in the timber industry to better implement processes that can trace the journey of their timber products.

Without technology like DLT, this has proven to be an incredibly tedious task. According to iov42’s research, 83% of Timber Importers spend half or more of their working hours tracking down information requested by customers. This valuable time currently devoted to administrative tasks can be freed up, supported by cryptographically secure platforms that enhance the digital data recording processes for companies and help to optimise the auditing process. These platforms also ensure that data integrity is upheld.

November 2022

A lack of seamless and efficient systems in supply chains, like timber, can make it harder to address issues like corruption, exploitation of regulation gaps, missing audit chains, manipulation of data and misleading environmental claims.

IMPLEMENTING DUE DILLIGENCE AND ACCESSIBLITY Recording supply chain information in a united information system can facilitate instant accessibility that allows interested (and vetted) parties to take part in their own due diligence on a product’s history. This means that businesses and their partners can gain insights from verified information that can be traced back right from the forest to the final product.

This opportunity to implement authentic participation through digital traceability can aid in simplifying what continues to be a complex global market. The technology’s ability to provide irrefutable trust, accountability, and compliance for businesses to investigate the journey of their products means that they can better comply with regulations, like EUDR, and those to come.

CREATING THE FOUNTATION FOR THE CHANGE However, with 72% of Timber Importers claiming they are in fact keen to get ahead of regulations businesses need to embrace a well-needed shift to more digitalized and transparent processes. The accessibility and immutability of DLT platforms are what make them such a key solution for achieving the collaboration and partnership that international businesses need to get there.

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As the complete requirements of the EUDR are yet to be released, industry players, like those in the timber market, will need to remain united in their vigilance against unexpected regulatory changes.

Businesses need to be ready to adapt now rather than react later particularly as so many continue to struggle to meet urrent regulations.

Creating a society that consumers and businesses can trust to shift to greater sustainability means that companies need to adopt the right technology. Deploying pioneering tech like DLT is an essential step in aiding the global transition to a fully sustainable future, whilst staying profitable.

DELIVERING EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET 2030 NEEDS.

Those responsible for the deployment of EV infrastructure need to understand their user’s needs, which should inform long-term roll-outs, and design procurement processes that incentivise charging point providers to deliver quality long-term deployments.

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