Comms Dealer

Cobweb Solutions has joined the Cloud Industry Forum's (CIF) growing roster of members.

Julian Dyer, CTO and co-founder, Cobweb, said: "Joining CIF demonstrates our dedication to the cause of educating business about cloud technologies and capabilities, and raising standards in the industry.

"I believe the cloud is an engine for liberating businesses from constraints, and that it is only just beginning to show its power, and we are focused on delivering services that our customers aren't even dreaming of, yet, from new technologies and communications to UK-based platforms."

Alex Hilton, CEO of CIF, added: "Cobweb Solutions joins CIF with a stellar reputation and a great deal of experience in hosted and cloud services. With a focus on reliability, security and support, Cobweb is a prime candidate for CIF membership."

A global study of almost 2,100 contracts covering deals worth £7.8 billion suggests that cloud-based services are failing to capture the popular imagination of UK businesses. 

It also suggests that organisations are increasing the level of IT services they outsource to improve service delivery, with many investing budgets saved over the past few years on HR, sales and finance support.
 
Published by KPMG, the 8th annual 'service Provider and Performance Satisfaction' study includes detailed analysis of current corporate IT spend in Britain, by examining more than 330 UK-based contracts. 

It reveals that 71 percent of UK organisations are spending a mere 10 percent, or less, of their IT budget on Cloud services.   

Many organisations are also continuing to rely on 'tried and tested' outsourcing models and the survey shows that favoured destinations for IT support services remain India (51 percent), Poland (8 percent) and South Africa (8 percent).
 
Asked why they are reticent about employing Cloud services, the top 3 reasons cited by UK C-suite respondents centred around data location, security and privacy risks (26 percent), concerns over regulation and compliance (16 percent) and cynicism around the ease with which Cloud services can integrate with legacy IT systems (15 percent).
 
"Despite widespread acceptance that Cloud services offer access to the latest technologies, and make IT more accessible, adoption remains relatively sluggish. 

"While concern about the security risks surrounding new technology is understandable it may also be disproportionate, as

"Cloud options are just as safe as other outsourcing solutions.  Of course, investors and stakeholders will welcome caution on the part of the buyers, but they also want to see innovation, meaning that UK plc will need to find the right balance to remain competitive," says Jason Sahota, director in KPMG's Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory team.
 
The survey goes on to reveal that, despite the economy picking up, some companies across the UK are still nervous when it comes to committing to long-term investments.  Asked about their IT outsourcing plans for the next two to three years, just 43 percent said they plan to increase spending.  This figure contrasts with 77 percent, this time last year.
 
However, where budget has been set aside for outsourcing, it is clear that organisational thinking is maturing.  When the survey was first undertaken, respondents focused primarily on cost savings as their reason to outsource - but this year's survey shows that the search for quality improvement (20 percent), access to skills (16 percent) and a desire to reduce the time it takes to 'get things to market' (6 percent) are driving the rationale behind IT outsourcing decisions.
 
The findings also suggest that satisfaction levels remain high in the UK, with 77 percent of respondents reporting that they are comfortable with the support they receive.  Worryingly, however, the research shows inconsistencies in how businesses are approaching integration and governance of the services they outsource.  The majority (70 percent) said that their IT function currently performs the role of service integrator, whilst only half (50 percent) have partially met the expected benefits of service integration and management.
 
Sahota concludes: "As IT forms an inseparable part of the wider business strategy in many organisations, technology decisions are now rarely left to the CIO alone.  It means that, with the potential for conflict over the choices being made, organisations should dedicate a greater level of investment towards governance than they may have in the past.  If they fail to do so as they move towards more complex delivery models, poor governance can impact their ability to provide quality services, increasing risks around cost, service quality and delivery."

Technology Services Group (TSG) has confirmed its sponsorship of the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, an event designed for people who have had life-saving organ transplant surgery and the families of donors.

The 2015 NewcastleGateshead Transplant Games are organised by the charity Transplant Sport and will be held from July 30th to August 2nd.

Carole Beverley, marketing and communications director at TSG, said: "TSG staff are investing a lot of time and effort into helping the organisers make sure the 38th British Transplant Games will be one of the biggest and most celebrated events in the region this year.

"We are providing expertise in marketing and fundraising along with financial support. It's been an exceptionally satisfying experience so far. It's also a great opportunity for employee engagement and we will be putting a team into the Donor Run along the quayside and asking for volunteers to help with the games.

"The organising committee contains people with tremendous energy and passion and if we can help them raise awareness of the Games and encourage more regional businesses to participate in whatever way they can then we'll be delighted."

The four day event will see competitors take part in a range of sporting activities including swimming at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre, track and field at Gateshead International Stadium, golf, tennis, bowling and around 25 other adult's and children's activities at various venues across the region.

As well as providing the opportunity for athletes of all ages and abilities from around the country to compete, the organisers hope that the games will help raise awareness of the importance of registering onto the NHS Organ Donor register and Anthony Nolan register set up to help save the lives of people with blood cancer.

Carole added: "The British Transplant Games are hugely important for giving the competitors a chance to celebrate the new lease of life that their transplants have given them.

"It also helps show the local community just how vital it is for relevant organ donors to be available especially when you hear the staggering facts that more than 10,000 in the UK currently need an organ transplant, three people die each day waiting for a transplant and only 32% of the British population are on the NHS Donor Register. The very least we can do is help raise awareness.

"So many people will be connected in one way or another to a transplant story within their family or through close friends. So this is also about showing the appreciation for all the fantastic medical teams involved around the country and especially in the North East whose hard work brings hope to all those undergoing transplant surgery."

The Donor Run is on Saturday August 1st and will be staged along the NewcastleGateshead Quayside.

Pictured: TSG founder Graham Wylie with supporters of the 2015 NewcastleGateshead Transplant Games

Despite UK businesses having a legal obligation to protect their employees, 48 per cent of businesses in the channel have insufficient measures in place to protect their staff when working alone, according to recent research.

A study undertaken on behalf of communications business Daisy Group found that over three quarters (78%) of people were required to work alone as part of their job, either regularly or occasionally, and a quarter of all of those surveyed (25%) said their employer never checked the welfare of staff when working alone.

Of those required to work either alone or off-site (for example attending meetings), 63 per cent said that the monitoring arrangements in the organisation they worked for were haphazard. Just one in eight (12%) said they were aware that they had responsibilities to let others know of their whereabouts and to 'check in' with colleagues when working alone.

If incapacitated due to an accident whilst working alone, one in seven lone workers said that they would expect it to take up to seven hours for their colleagues to notice they were missing.

The Office of National Statistics estimates that there are approximately six million lone workers in the UK, however the research suggests that the number could be much higher when taking into consideration occasional lone working, such as attending client meetings, doing site visits or making deliveries.

Marie Wheatley, Group Head of HR at Daisy Group, said: "Most businesses are very proactive about looking after their staff whilst they are on site, but it seems that there's a real case of 'out of sight, out of mind' when it comes to their lone workers.

"Whether staff are spending the majority of their time unsupervised or just occasionally going to client meetings, businesses need to acknowledge their responsibilities to educate their lone workers about procedures and to take adequate steps to make sure that, in the event of a problem, staff have an adequate support network.

"Lone worker protection used to be very expensive, but there are now a variety of options available to suit businesses' needs and budget, whether it's lone worker devices or apps, GPS tracking for staff smartphones, or simply getting a special phone tariff for inter-company calls to operate a buddy system.?
"Whilst it is good to see that some businesses make suitable provisions to protect lone workers, it is disappointing that there are so few of them. In this day and age, and with all the technology at their disposal, there really is no excuse for businesses to leave lone worker safety to chance."

Daisy Group's low-cost tips for improving lone worker safety
• Establish good practice. Most employees are unaware that they have a responsibility for their own safety. Remind staff to inform colleagues of their intended whereabouts and to check in on a regular basis when working alone or off site.
• Assess the risk. Some work situations are more dangerous than others. Identify what likely scenarios the lone worker could come up against, and what level of protection is required to mitigate the situation.
• Multi-task. Assess whether you could make use of your company's existing telecoms or IT provision, or if it could be adapted to better protect lone workers, such as through using lone worker apps on mobile phones, GPS tracking on mobile devices, or getting a better rate on intercompany calls so that colleagues can stay in touch without phone bills shooting up.
• Test the system. Check whether, in the event of a problem, staff would know when and how to report it. Are there any situations when processes wouldn't work? Could you get in touch the employee's next of kin, should you need to?
• Ask for feedback. Many lone workers will be aware of potential problems before they happen, such as areas with a poor phone signal or high instances of violent crime, so work towards solving problems before they occur. Ask staff whether they have any safety concerns and work together to alleviate them, such as switching mobile phone networks to improve signal.

Jim Sewell, who helped establish one of the most successful telecoms resellers in the UK - London-based Alternative Networks - has issued a rallying call to industry giants to put their weight behind a new charity initiative.

Sewell has left his full time sales director role at Alternative to help set up a new 'Entrepreneur Panel' though the international Restless Development charity, which he has worked with since his youth.

"After leaving college at 18 I taught English, history and maths for nine months in a rural school in Zimbabwe with a very special organisation called Student Partnerships Worldwide, which is now Restless Development. This was a fantastic formative experience and one that gave me a love of Africa, and a great respect for the people there," explained Sewell.

"Over the last few years I have had an ambition to have more time to work on the Restless side and help set up and run some new fundraising projects, as well as having more time with the family and to do more cycling events," said Jim.

Sewell cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End with a team from Alternative in 2012 and completed sections of the Tour De Force, which cycles the route of the main Tour de France the week before the professionals.

"I really believe that companies want to work closely with charities but often find it hard to know how, unless someone internally has a specific passion. One of the reasons I left Alternative was to help put a charity/business engagement plan in place which is mutually beneficial."

The idea is that telecoms and IT entrepreneurs in the UK - either individually or through their businesses - fund livelihood projects in Africa.

"I am hugely motivated by the Entrepreneur Panel, as it makes complete sense to help people set up businesses and therefore support those around them and be self-sufficient," added Sewell.

For more details see next month's Comms Dealer, call Jim Sewell on 07973 738 935 or email Ella@restlessdevelopment.org

Spencer Bradshaw has joined ShoreTel as Head of Solution Architects and Advanced Applications in EMEA.

Previous roles include stints at Central Telecom and Vodafone.

Adrian Hipkiss, MD EMEA at ShoreTel, said: "Spencer brings to our expanding EMEA business his 22-year experience in unified communications, business transformation, contact centre and mobility technologies.

"With cloud a key focus for our organisation moving forwards, he has arrived from a value added reseller which specialises in cloud solutions."

MXC Capital has acquired Calyx Managed Services from Better Capital for £9m. Headquartered in Manchester Calyx has a national footprint and delivers managed IT services to the UK mid-market through a portfolio of managed cloud, networking and mobility solutions.

The investment will sit alongside MXC's existing investment portfolio of technology businesses which includes Castleton Technology, 365Agile and Eagle Eye Solutions Group.

In the year ended 31st December 2013 Calyx generated a gross margin of £10.1m and a loss before tax of £7.4m, partially as a result of the capital structure of the group.

In the year ended 31st December 2014 management accounts for the business show a gross margin of £10.4m and a normalised EBITDA of £400,000.

MXC believes that the business is capable of generating cash from the point of acquisition. The gross assets of Calyx at 31st December 2013 were £10.4 million. 

MXC Chief Executive Marc Young said: "Calyx is a well-established business delivering a broad portfolio of ICT solutions.

"We know the Calyx business well and it operates in markets we are already active in. We believe there is an opportunity to create value for our shareholders from this investment."

Call management technology is undersold and opportunities in sectors such as education and finance squandered, according to John McKindland, Head of Systems Sales at Nimans.

"The data can be invaluable to end users but there's a lack of awareness," he said. "Many customers are not aware of the features and benefits. There's also a perception of high cost which is not the case. Resellers are missing out on additional revenue."

During demonstrations Nimans leads with applications - CTI or call management for example - and this approach has proved successful.

"We see traction from schools that request call recording, and this dovetails with call management to drill down and identify key information," added McKindland. "This is particularly valuable in sixth form and academy-style schools with older children.

"Financial services is another area resellers should be targeting as there's a big focus on the volume of calls per hour, so any productivity information is invaluable."

Virgin Media Business and Arqiva have joined forces to enable seamless 4G connectivity to city centres across the country.

The partners can provide Mobile Network Operators with access to over 400,000 street assets including lampposts and CCTV cameras.

Combined with Virgin Media Business's high capacity fibre network and Arqiva's expertise in wireless transmission, this will provide an end-to-end solution for small cell deployment - from design, through installation and into in-life operation.

As a result Mobile Network Operators will be able to use this service to extend the reach and depth of their networks, ensuring more people benefit from a high speed 4G experience.

Duncan Higgins, Marketing Director at Virgin Media Business, said: "Small cell technology is a key way of tackling network capacity in built-up areas for mobile operators.

"Increasingly people are using their mobile devices to download and stream videos. That's why services like this are so important."

Nicolas Ott, Managing Director of Telecoms, Arqiva, said: "Regardless of network or consumer device, seamless and hassle-free connectivity is an absolute must. The challenge in dense urban areas is that buildings can block the signal and the higher volume of users can result in network congestion. Small cell technology is key to addressing these challenges, as already demonstrated in the USA and Asia."

In what has been described as one of the most significant deals for Vodafone Ireland's business division the company has partnered with Ryanair to provide 95 per cent of the carrier's telecoms, M2M and communications needs.

The agreement will facilitate Ryanair's teams including pilots and cabin crew with up to the minute information, improving the overall customer experience within the airline. 
 
Vodafone will support ticketing, check-in, ground crews, in-flight crews and pilots with telephony, fixed line and mobile 3G and 4G functionality across Ryanair's 189 locations in Europe and North Africa.
 
Vodafone Ireland Enterprise Director, Anne Sheehan, said: "This business partnership is one of the most significant for Vodafone Ireland to date, demonstrating our total communications capabilities by providing complete end-to-end solutions tailored to Ryanair's requirements across 189 locations in Europe."
 
Ryanair's Chief Technology Officer, John Hurley, said: "As part of our Always Getting Better improvement programme we're continuing to enhance the Ryanair experience for our 90 million customers annually.

"This partnership with Vodafone will provide us with the technical support to allow us to make these improvements quickly and seamlessly, including the introduction of paperless cockpits and a swifter inflight sales system."
 
Part of the initiative is the introduction of the electronic flight bag that will remove paper from the cockpit which is fundamental to Ryanair's strategy. 

In addition, Vodafone will support the on-board electronic point of sale (EPOS) devices used for in-flight credit card sales.

From April 2015 Ryanair crew will be issued with 8,000 new handheld devices with machine to machine connectivity which will create a secure managed connection to sync data with credit card companies when the plane lands.
 
Vodafone Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connects previously isolated machines or devices to the Internet, delivering new functionality and enhanced services without the need for human intervention.