In this Information Age, businesses have been inundated with all types of data from various sources—social, machine, and transactional data. Despite the rapidly growing flood of big data however, access to information primarily remains with those who have the technical capability to analyse the data.

Now, as more organisations realise the power of data to transform a business, many have recognised the need to make data more accessible to others. Hence, the conversation on data democratisation. In this post, we discuss what it is and why it could be beneficial to your business, why access to data was previously limited to a select few, and what you can do to implement a data democratisation strategy that equally addresses both risks and benefits.

IT managers never want technology solutions that are more complex than they need to be. At the same time, we also want technology solutions that are easy to scale. Of course, complexity gets in the way of scalability.

The trend towards hyperconvergence solves both issues: complexity and scalability. For many workloads, a hyperconverged approach can make life much easier and save costs at the same time. Read on to find out what exactly hyperconvergence is and how can it benefit your technology environment.

Globally, more and more SMEs are now integrating mobile payments into their payment options because of the ease of acceptance, and are improving sales and offering convenience to customers. This does not mean, however, that there are no downsides to adopting this technology into your business.

In this post, we go over the various factors that should help you evaluate the suitability of using the mobile payment system. But first, let’s have a clear understanding of what it is.

In a tech-first world, even small businesses are highly reliant upon technology to get through the typical business day. Make the wrong decisions around technology, or skimp on IT support services, and it could cost your growing business dearly.

However, with so many things to focus on, growing businesses often leave IT on the backburner – and that leads to mistakes. Here, we list the ten most common IT mistakes growing businesses make – and what they can do about it.

Nothing brings together the defining elements of this technological era-connectivity, devices, and data-like the Internet of Things. Put simply, the IoT is a system which connects a vast number of well, things; from simple sensors and consumer wearables, to IoT applications and industrial machines. All of these can be connected through the web to share data and ‘communicate’ with each other.

One of the simplest and best-known applications of IoT is a smart home, in which internet-enabled appliances such as security, lighting, and heating systems can be controlled remotely. While not everybody needs home automation, and some IoT devices should not have seen the light of day (think connected mirrors and smart salt shakers), it cannot be denied that in the more sensible use cases, the Internet of Things does improve how people work and live.

We’re in the midst of a digital transformation wave unlike any we’ve seen in the past – with digital technology transforming companies from the ground up, leaving no aspect of business untouched.

The incredible potential for IT transformation has prompted many companies to take the programme approach, implementing large and wide-reaching IT transformation programmes to harness the power of the current wave of technology. A 2019 study found that 34% of businesses already have a transformation programme in action – with the majority soon to follow.

Cloud services have gone a long way since their inception, with more organisations making the monumental decision to shift to a cloud environment. Over the last few years, however, the hybrid version of cloud computing has emerged as the default choice of companies for their ever-changing business requirements.

According to the Flexera 2020 State of the Cloud Report, 87 percent of the enterprises surveyed are adopting a hybrid cloud strategy. In this blog post, we explore what the hybrid cloud is, and more importantly, what is driving its growing widespread adoption among business organisations.

Unless you’re on G Suite, chances are that your company’s staff uses Office 365 apps such as Word, Excel, and Outlook on a daily basis. Office 365 remains the go-to cloud service simply because most office workers are accustomed to Microsoft’s long-standing productivity suite.

Though Office 365 packs in plenty of functions, there is also a wide range of productivity plug-ins that can help you get even more out of your everyday Office apps. We list seven top examples below, and chances are that at least one of these apps will make your working day just that bit more productive.

Few can dispute the importance of data in the success of any enterprise. As we enter a data-driven environment in the modern workplace, data has become a key factor in practically every aspect of business operations, including manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, human resources, and the decision making of business leaders.

IT outsourcing often wins the debate between in-house IT or outsourcing technology requirements to an IT support company, businesses commonly opt for the latter because outsourcing reduces costs, draws in more expertise, and allows businesses to focus on core competencies.

Sometimes, however, companies decide to take IT back in-house or do not consider outsourcing. A few horror stories or a bad outsourcing experience can often sour the mood around outsourced IT. Like a lot of things in business and technology, getting the most out of IT outsourcing – and avoiding the horror stories – just involves a degree of awareness and the right steps.