Print.IT Reseller - issue76

01732 759725 4 BULLETIN COVID-19 fast-tracking digital transformation The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the rate of digital transformation taking place within UK businesses, new research from Studio Graphene has found. The survey involving over 500 senior decision- makers within UK businesses has revealed the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on business innovation. Since the start of the lockdown in March 2020, 50% of businesses have adopted new tech solutions that they were previously hesitant or reluctant to use. Almost two-thirds (64%) said the pandemic has encouraged their business to explore and deploy digital solutions much faster than they would have otherwise. The survey found that 47% have successfully migrated their offering from in-person to online; 39% have invested in a new area of technology that they had never used before; and 22% have launched a new app. Almost half (48%) of decision-makers said the pandemic has exposed how outdated their business was in the use of technology, with 45% admitting that their risk-averse company culture has typically made it difficult to innovate and embrace new ideas. www.studiographene.com Longer working hours have become the new norm New data from NordVPN Teams shows that people in the US and UK have settled into a habit of working three and two hours more a day, respectively. The US increased their average work week by almost 40%, adding an extra 15 hours (more than one extra work week per month) – the largest jump worldwide in April. This directly correlated to mandated remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to NordVPN Teams, almost four months later, US employees are still spending three hours longer on business VPNs per day, while employees in the UK are still working two hours longer. www.nordvpnteams.com Employees at risk of burnout 47% of managers believe their employees may be at risk of burnout, following a change in work pattern or behaviour bought on by COVID-19, according to a report – Burning the Candle: Strategies to Combat Workplace Burnout – published by global recruiter Robert Walters. Over a third (36%) of British employees stated that their mental health and wellbeing has suffered as result of working longer hours during COVID-19. Those working remotely recorded a 35% increase in productivity, and an overwhelming 87% of these respondents have felt the pressure to keep productivity levels consistently high to prove the case for working from home post-COVID. Since remote working began, 21% of professionals claim that the pressure to deliver results has caused a negative impact on their mental health or wellbeing. Over a quarter of professionals (26%) stated that more autonomy whilst remote working was a key factor in their increased productivity. When asked about expectations for the future of work, 29% stated that they would like more autonomy and trust given by the management team. www.robertwalters.co.uk Old tech poses data breach risk Research from DSA Connect found that a lack of technology upgrades from employers could be increasing the chances of data breaches. 30% of respondents said it has started to take longer for their employers to upgrade their hardware technology at work over the past five years, with one in five saying they are having to wait a ‘lot longer’ for upgrades. Just 13% of people in work say upgrades to their hardware technology have been happening more frequently. DSA Connect warns that older computers, servers and software are easy targets for hackers because they are less well protected and data is at greater risk of being stolen or breached. It is concerned many employers will reduce their IT budgets and planned technology upgrades because of the financial difficulties they are facing from the coronavirus crisis. In terms of when people saw different elements of their work hardware technology last upgraded, 6% say this happened to their desktop computer between five and 10 years ago. A further 13% say their last upgrade was between three and five years ago. One in ten say their work laptop has not been upgraded for at least three years, and the corresponding figures for work mobile phones and tablets is 8% and 10% respectively. www.dsa-connect.co.uk Cybersecurity becomes the fastest growing start-up sector Funding has increased by a staggering 940% for UK cybersecurity start-ups since the beginning of lockdown – with £496 million being raised in the first half of 2020, almost outstripping the 2019 total of £521 million. Investors have been quick to put their money towards start-ups specialising in cyber risk management, as the pandemic forced CEOs to look beyond just financial or regulatory risk. The findings come from a new report by global recruiter Robert Walters and data provider VacancySoft – Cybersecurity: Building Business Resilience – which claims that business spending on cybersecurity will double to £136 billion this year. www.robertwalters.co.uk 11 February 2021 The Tower Hotel, London Who’s been shortlisted? See pages 23–25