magazine
10
agenda
Over a quarter (28%) of software deployed
in enterprises is unused or rarely used, yet
companies do not have the appropriate
processes in place to fully understand and
manage these assets, warns software lifecycle
automation company 1E.
1E’s analysis of software deployed and used
on 1.8 million desktops in 74 large enterprises,
supported by a survey of 300 IT decision-makers
in organisations with over 500 employees, shows
that the average number of software vendor
audits is now four per year, up from three in
2012. One in 10 US companies faces between 11
and 15 audits per year.
Most are prepared for such audits, with two-
thirds (66%) of IT decision-makers saying they
have clear visibility of software installed across
their organisation and 54% claiming they can
identify all unused software.
However, 1E warns that with 28% of all
software being unused for at least 90 days, it is
clear that organisations are not making best use
of their software spend.
Only 44% of IT decision-makers can put an
accurate figure on their annual software licensing
spend and less than half (47%) can identify
the cost of their unused software. Two-thirds
of organisations do not have a software asset
optimisation policy in place.
In November 2014, 1E revealed that
organisations in the US and UK with more than
500 employees have collectively paid over $7bn
for software that isn’t used.
A quarter of software paid for but not used
Businesses are wasting £250 million a year
in lost productivity caused by heavy email
traffic, loud talkers and office gossips.
The
Ahead of the Curve Report
, produced by
Samsung in partnership with StephenWestland,
Professor of Colour Science at the University of
Leeds, found that UK workers are unproductive
for 70 days a year because of office distractions.
Almost four out of 10 (38%) employees can
only work for 15 minutes before losing focus
and checking their email. A further 22% claim
they interrupt their workflow every 22 minutes
to check email.
Overall, the top seven distractions are:
1. Loud talkers – 57%
2. Ringing phones – 39%
3. Unnecessary meetings – 26%
4. Email – 22%
5. Making tea for colleagues – 18%
6. Office gossip – 16%
7. Loud typing – 12%
The average worker has two or three
different devices at work, with 10% using as
many as five or six. More than a third (38%)
have three or more screens attached to their PC;
an additional 28% have two computer screens.
Email and gossip take their toll
Kick out the jams
Traffic jams are the Number One drain on
productivity, according to a report by Regus
– cited by 39% of 3,000 UK professionals
surveyed. Transport delays (27%) and road
works (20%) also got a mention. Other
prominent distractions include lengthy
meetings (35%) and dealing with incoming cold
calls (27%).
Top technologies
reshaping the world
1)
Biometrics,
2)
Drones,
3)
Real-Time
Translation,
4)
Augmented Reality
Wearables,
5)
Desktop 3D Printing,
6)
InvisibleWearables,
7)
Advanced Driver
Assistance,
8)
5G/Internet of Everything,
9)
RNA Sequencing,
10)
Wireless Area
Charging,
11)
Self-Driving Cars
Source: Juniper Research,
‘TheWorld in 2020
– A Technology Vision’
. The free report can be
downloaded from
Data loss due to faulty
IT on the rise
Is equipment becoming less reliable or
are we putting it under more strain?
A new Kroll Ontrack report shows that
over a 12-month period from 2013-2014,
a quarter of UK employees lost work due
to malfunctioning technology. Two years
ago, the figure was 19%.
Of the data lost, 68% was recoverable,
meaning that almost a third was lost for
good. Recovery rates were lowest from
personal devices including home desktops
(19%), laptops and tablets (17%) and
personal mobile devices (17%).
This has obvious implications given the
rise in BYOD and greater use of personal
devices for work purposes. Kroll Ontrack’s
survey shows that in the last 12 months,
33% of UK employees used personal devices
or cloud services to store work-related data.
Samsung says its curved monitors deliver a more
immersive viewing experience that can help
minimise distractions.
The Garmin nüviCam
is the first sat nav to
feature a built-in dash cam
and advanced alerts to warn
if you are driving too close
to the car in front or start
to drift off the road. The
dash cam records footage
continuously and automatically saves files in
the event of a crash, with a record of exactly
when and where the incident took place.
The camera can also be used to capture still
images within and outside the car and can
display a camera view of the street. It costs
£299.99.
Disruptive: the Samsung Galaxy Gear
Did you know?
Workers in London take 25% longer for
lunch than their colleagues elsewhere in
the country. Almost one in four males in
the capital (24%) uses his lunch-hour for
a power nap
(source: Avanta LondonWorker
Index)
.
