Technology Reseller - v14 2018

01732 759725 NEWS : TRENDS 06 One third (34%) of European organisations expect IT budgets to increase in 2019, compared to 56% who expect them to remain flat and 6% who expect them to fall, reveals the Spiceworks State of IT Budgets report for 2019. Among those planning to increase budgets, 65% are driven by the need to upgrade outdated IT infrastructure and 60% by growing security concerns. European organisations plan to spend 36% of their budget allocation on hardware (5 percentage points more than in 2018), 24% on software (-2 percentage points), 20% on cloud services (up 1 percentage point) and 16% on managed IT services (the same as 2018). www.spiceworks.com IT budgets to remain flat across Europe Positive vision of AI gaining traction AI will diversify human thinking, not replace it. So says Tata Communications, following a survey of 120 global business leaders, in which 75% said they expected AI to create new roles for their employees, freeing them from tedious repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus more on communication and creative thinking. Almost all leaders (93%) believe AI will enhance decision-making and 80% think it could facilitate team composition, organisation and communications. Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley professor and co-author of the report, said: “The prevalent narrative around AI has focused on ‘Singularity’, a hypothetical time when artificial intelligence will surpass humans. But there is growing interest in ‘Multiplicity’, where AI helps groups of machines and humans to collaborate, innovate and solve problems. This survey reveals that Multiplicity, the positive and inclusive vision of AI, is gaining traction.” www.tatacommunications.com The cost of online crime Entry-level hacking tools are available on the dark web for less than the price of a cup of coffee and a complete toolkit for little more than £100, warns VPN comparison service Top10VPN.com in the latest Dark Web Market Price Index . There are even low-cost manuals and guides describing how to commit different types of online fraud. Its research shows that for just £101.19, a would-be hacker could buy a complete toolkit including: n Anonymity tools that enable hackers to cover their tracks, including crypters that disguise malware as benign files (£10.51); n Carding software for cloning credit and debit cards (£33.83); n Cryptocurrency fraud malware for stealing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from people’s computers (£5.01); n A keylogger for capturing every keystroke on a victim’s computer (£1.58); n Malware, including ransomware (£37.43); n Readymade Phishing pages set up to mimic the world’s most popular consumer brands (£2.07); n Remote access Trojans that allow a hacker to take full control of a computer to log keystrokes, access private files, or spy through a webcam (£8.47); and n WiFi Hacking Software, available for free on the normal web, but often bundled with additional services or customer support on the dark web (£2.29). www.top10vpn.com In the largest deployment of Qi wireless charging points in a single restaurant, McDonald’s has built more than 70 Aircharge wireless chargers into tables and benches in its flagship restaurant at the intersection of Clark and Ontario Streets in Chicago. The reimagined McDonald’s restaurant also features a modern steel and wood design, self-order kiosks, table service and ordering and payment by smartphone. IoT vital for success More than half of business leaders in the UK (58%) believe it is essential to embrace Internet of Things (IoT) technology to be successful, according to a survey of 2,000 business people by Vodafone. This figure rises to 67% of decision-makers in large organisations with more than 2,500 employees. The Digital, Ready? report reveals that 31% of organisations intend to adopt IoT in the next two years, but warns that a lack of understanding could still stifle its potential – 41% of business leaders are concerned that IoT is too complex for their business, with 36% admitting they don’t understand it. www.vodafone.co.uk Smartwatch market expected to grow Renewed consumer interest in smart wearables helped smartwatch volume sales increase by 47% in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Futuresource Consulting Worldwide Wearables report. More growth is likely through LTE upgrades in 2018 and 2019. Sales of LTE smartwatches, which can be used as standalone devices independent of a smartphone, are forecast to increase by 539% in volume this year. Research analyst James Manning Smith said: “The popularity of LTE smartwatches shows that they can break away from being considered a smartphone companion, to becoming a device with independent merit. There is an ecosystem developing that will allow consumers to leave their phones at home, but still benefit from much of the communication functionality we rely on. Music streaming, contactless payments, calls & messaging and voice controls are all key features being added to standalone smartwatches.” www.futuresource-consulting. com UK IT companies attracting US buyers US interest in the thriving UK tech sector is fuelling a big increase in acquisitions of mid-market (sub-£1 billion) UK businesses by foreign players. Buzzacott’s comparison of transaction levels in 2017 and 2009 shows an 86% rise in acquisitions of UK companies by US businesses and a 386% rise in acquisitions of UK tech companies specifically. Of the 247 UK companies to have been bought by US businesses in 2017, almost one third (32.3%) were technology companies. Cognitive Diversity: AI&The Future ofWork AI