Managed.IT - issue 53

BULLETIN 8 MANAGED.IT 01732 759725 Data visualisation helps drive growth for most successful firms Organisations that use business intelligence and data visualisation technologies to make sense of data and to display it in a digestible form enjoy 24% higher revenue on average than those that don’t, claims IQBlade in a new report, Tech Impact ‘19 . Its analysis of the UK’s fastest growing companies (based on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 ) and the technologies behind their growth shows that in 2018 average sales of those using business intelligence and data visualisation platforms from the likes of Tableau, Progress Software and QlikView was £39 million, compared to £24 million for non-users. Ben Abraham, CTO at IQBlade, said: “Business intelligence platforms have become particularly valuable in the age of big data, where patterns and trends can be difficult, if not impossible, to identify by other means. Businesses that are better able to identify patterns and trends within data are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and mitigate threats, so it’s not surprising to see 8% higher sales growth over a three-year period for those that use it.” High-growth companies using business intelligence technology are growing three- and-a-half times faster than UK companies outside the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 . Other technologies identified as key growth drivers in the report include app development technology (22% more revenue for the 17% of companies that make use of it) and productivity solutions (20% more sales than non-users). IQBlade is used by tech vendors and distributors to manage and improve their indirect sales processes and partner programmes. The all-in-one SaaS platform allows companies to identify prospects or other partners of interest based on specific criteria to encourage smarter decisions and drive growth. https://offers.iqblade.com/ techimpact19 Smartphone first for online sales The smartphone has, for the first time, overtaken the desktop PC as the main source of online sales revenue in the UK. The latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index shows that in Q4 2018/19 (November-January), 40.4% of the UK’s online sales revenue came through a smartphone, compared to 39.7% from a PC and 19.9% from a tablet. Lucy Gibbs, Senior Consultant in Retail Analytics at Capgemini Invent, said: “The advancements over the last few years in mobile banking, in-app purchases and a greater focus on optimising m-commerce sites have all increased confidence in purchasing on smartphones.” She added: “Although smartphones now have the largest share in revenue, they are still seeing the lowest conversion rates, behind tablets and desktop. However, the significance of our use of mobile in influencing our buying decisions should not be underestimated even when we are completing purchases elsewhere.” In Q4, just under three quarters (74.3%) of site visits were made through mobile devices and 25.7% through desktops. As recently as 2015, the split was 50:50. www.imrg.org Data Protection Officer of the Year Mikko Niva, Group Policy Officer at Vodafone Group Services Ltd, has been named Data Protection Officer of the Year in the second ICO Practitioner Awards for Excellence in Data Protection . Mr Niva was recognised for his success in delivering a global privacy compliance programme across 21 countries and for being a constant advocate of information and privacy rights. He received the award from Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham and Margot James MP, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, at the ICO’s 12th annual Data Protection Practitioners’ Conference (DPPC) in Manchester on April 8. Zebra Technologies’ new flagship mobile computer for warehouses, manufacturing, logistics and back-of-store retail environments features advanced scanning technology that can read direct part marks (DPM), dot pen and laser-etched barcodes and capture 1D or 2D barcodes in virtually any condition within a range of 3 inches to as much as 70 feet. Zebra claims that, with improved accuracy, reduced training time and the longest battery life in its class, the ultra-rugged, Android-based MC9300 is up to 10% more productive than competing devices. It is promoting it as the ideal device for businesses that want to make the transition from Windows OS to Android before Microsoft ends support for Windows Embedded Handheld and CE 7 devices in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Ben Abraham Investment in mobile technologies a growing priority Greater investment in robust, enterprise-class mobile technologies is expected to boost the productivity of field workers in fleet management, field services, proof of delivery and direct store delivery workflows, as businesses seek to improve customer s atisfaction at a time of fast changing and growing demand. According to The Future of Field Operations , a worldwide study from Zebra Technologies, mobile technology investment is a top priority for 36% of organisations and a growing priority for an additional 58%. It forecasts that from 2018 to 2023, the use of handheld mobile computers with built-in barcode scanners will grow by 45%, mobile printers by 53% and rugged tablets by 54%. Over the same period, the proportion of organisations in which a majority of field-based operations use enterprise mobile devices is expected to increase from one in five to 50%. www.zebra.com