Technology Reseller - v12 2018

technolog y reseller.co.uk BULLETIN : TRENDS 07 Legal firms missing out on benefits of AI UK legal firms could improve their efficiency by 50% by using the artificial intelligence (AI) technology currently available to them, claims Drooms, a provider of virtual data rooms. Drooms co-founder Jan Hoffmeister said: “The legal sector is a traditionally conservative market that, with some notable exceptions, has remained largely unchanged for decades. One of the biggest roadblocks to greater adoption of AI technology is the industry’s widespread scepticism, which, ironically, is strongest among those who could benefit the most from it, like in-house counsel that are having to perform under ever tighter time constraints.” In recent research, 72% of Drooms customers said the firm’s technology sped up the due diligence process. Of these, one in 10 estimates it reduced time taken by at least 75%. Hoffmeister added: “Some legal firms that charge on an hourly basis might think that using technology threatens their revenue streams. However, using intelligent software to automate due diligence can allow them to focus their efforts on billing for more qualified and detailed advice.” www.drooms.com Tech entrepreneurs face reality check One in two founders of tech start-ups (52%) says it took them much longer than they expected to launch their business. In a survey of 100 London tech entrepreneurs by Studio Graphene, 15% also said that launching their business was ‘far more expensive’ than they predicted. Almost one quarter (22%) found the experience more emotionally draining than they thought it would be. The main challenges faced by tech start-ups in their first year of business include acquiring customers (33%); obtaining funding to develop an initial proof of concept (22%); finding support to build the technology itself (15%;) and hiring the right employees (12%). www.studiographene.com Tier 1 visas under-used by tech sector Tech businesses struggling to find people with the skills they need could make more use of Tier 1 exceptional visas granted by the Home Office, claims private client law firm Collyer Bristow. Introduced in 2011, five-year Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visas are available to overseas individuals working in digital technology, science, medicine, engineering and the arts and humanities. Although the number granted to people in the tech sector has increased from 19 to 214 in the last two years, Collyer Bristow says that total number of exceptional talent visas granted by the Home Office across all sectors remains well below the Government’s 2,000 visa limit. In 2017, only 492 were approved overall. This is not the case with more restrictive Tier 2 visas, for people sponsored by a company and earning over £30,000 a year, which have hit their 2,200 monthly limit every month this year. James Badcock, Partner at Collyer Bristow, said: “With Tier 2 limits being hit and Exceptional Talent visas being under-used, there will be an increasing skills shortage in sectors which are key to improving the stalling economy. It is too much to hope for major changes in the run up to Brexit, but the new business-savvy Home Secretary should be urgently looking at how the existing system can be tweaked so that highly skilled employees can be recruited from abroad.” www.collyerbristow.com Personal data for sale on surface web The dark web is not the only place where people’s personal data is bought and sold. According to a new report by fraud prevention service Cifas and Forensic Pathways, a digital forensics company, it is also for sale on the surface web, in forums and online shops accessible via normal search engines. Cifas is warning individuals to take more care of the information they publish online and on social media, as almost one third of the 30,000 identity fraud victims it surveyed had a visible online footprint revealing their name, date of birth, email and/or telephone number. Deborah Leary, CEO of Forensic Pathways, said: “The findings are eye-opening. This report not only demonstrates the vulnerabilities of personal data held on surface web platforms, but highlights the pressing need to monitor these with more vigour. It reminds us that although illegal activity occurs on the dark web, it is also prevalent on the surface web, where the selling of personal data through forums and online shops is clearly evident.” www.cifas.org.uk • www.forensic-pathways.com Advanced use of automation to double by 2020 European businesses are expected to double the advanced use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) by 2020, as companies seek to improve the customer experience and streamline their finance operations. In a survey of 500 European business leaders by technology research firm Information Services Group (ISG) and RPA software provider Automation Anywhere, 92% said they anticipate using RPA by 2020. By then, 54% expect to have reached an advanced stage of adoption, up from 27% today. RPA is expected to have the greatest impact in customer service and order-processing functions (43%), followed by finance, treasury and audit (42%), procurement, logistics and supply chain (40%) and sales and marketing (38%). http://www.isg-one.com/ The best and the worst for connectivity London and Manchester are the UK’s best connected cities, according to analysis of 57 business hubs by GoCompare, with Ripon and Gloucester heading the list of business locations with the worst WiFi availability, broadband speeds and 4G coverage. www.gocompare.com Best connected: 1. London 2. Manchester 3. Nottingham 4. Salford 5. Birmingham 6. Glasgow 7. Southampton 8. Leicester 9. Coventry 10. Brighton & Hove Worst-connected: 1. Ripon 2. Gloucester 3. Swansea 4. Salisbury 5. Lincoln 6. Wells 7. Norwich 8. Hereford 9. Carlisle 10. Exeter 1 WOLVESOFTHE INTERNET Wheredo fraudstershunt fordataonline? CifasandForensicPathways 19 June2018 Exclusive launchat theCifasAnnualConference2018 Exceptional Talent Visa approvals remain stubbornly below the 2,000 limit – only 492 approved in 2017