Small and medium sized businesses don’t tend to be tech trendsetters, but there is one trend they are not missing out on. They hate Windows 8.
A recent survey conducted by software vendor Sage North America has revealed that Windows 8 is getting a lukewarm reception from most SMBs. Just 20 percent are using Windows 8 machines at the moment, or plan to upgrade over the next six months.
Despite the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture being praised by organisations, three quarters also believe that this new model poses an increased security threat.
That’s according to research by Claranet, which surveyed 250 senior IT decision-makers in a range of businesses and public sector organisations.
It found that 72 percent of organisations currently have a mobile working service that enables employees to access corporate networks remotely, either on corporate-owned or personal devices.
However, significant security concerns persist, with 70 percent of organisations identifying worries over increased data loss, while 51 percent fear that mobile working leads to less control over how data is used. A further 50 percent believe it poses a greater risk of unauthorised access to IT systems.
The research also revealed a general failure to implement a formal BYOD strategy, with only 26 percent reporting that they had a specific policy in place.
Just over a third of those queried also said they didn’t allow employees to use their personal devices to access corporate networks, and 10 percent said they actively seeked to discourage BYOD.
Claranet’s UK Managing Director, Michel Robert, said organisations urgently needed to formulate a mobile working strategy, whether they approved of BYOD or not.
He said this was because it was impossible to ignore the reality of technically savvy employees who rely on mobile devices for personal and business use.
Although the economic landscape out there is not exactly encouraging, a Cisco report has found that, while CIOs are coming to terms with reducing IT complexity and managing investments while making cuts, overall they are optimistic about tackling typical challenges.
Because of the economic difficulties, companies are trying to find a way to bolster infrastructure and networks using IT. Cisco UK&Ireland’s CTO, Ian FOddering, said in a statement that for 2013, we can expect to see “IT get back to basics”.
In its TechWatch 2013 report, Cisco believes that cost cutting is a clear aim across the board, but so is creating a useful environment where IT can support or drive innovations within business.
“Three key pillars emerge,” Foddering said. These are “Simplify,” “Protect,” and “Change & Grow,” although on our count that’s four. Getting the first two right, Foddering said, is necessary for the rest.
Cisco found that network performance and increased security threats are the major challenges businesses believe they face over the next year. Major priorities are cutting costs, improving security, and keeping the lights on or improving the IT infrastructure. Of the companies Cisco reached out to, over two thirds believe that operations will be based on the most efficient use of skillsets and resources, no matter where they’re located, and for one in seven this trend is already happening.
This too signals a trend in buying, with most companies already having deployed collaborative software and network performance management. Enterprises and SMEs are still putting cash into remote access technology first and foremost.
“Simplifying and protecting an organisation’s infrastructure can only take you so far,” Foddering said. “In order for businesses to prepare themselves for the future, they must be willing to embrace change and use it to drive, rather than inhibit, growth”.
Although Apple is losing tablet market share to cheaper Android tablets, the iPad is still the clear leader in corporations.
According to a report from mobile device management outfit Good Technology, the iPad accounted for 93.2 percent of tablet activations across its business oriented consumer base. Android ended up with just 6.8 percent.
Mind you, Good Technology serves one in two Fortune 100 companies, which means its clients are not Facebook addicted teens.
However, Google is making up ground. A year ago, Google’s share of tablet activations was a mere 2.7 percent and it more than doubled in under a year. At this rate it will barely creep into double digit territory by the end of 2013.
Good Technology attributes Apple’s massive lead in business to a combination of factors, such as BYOD, the sheer popularity and user base of the iPad and the consumerization of IT. Then there is the ecosystem. Apple still enjoys a clear lead in iOS productivity apps and tablet centric apps in general.
Oddly enough, Apple’s lead extends to smartphones as well. The business crowd is usually associated with boring BlackBerry devices, but Good’s figures reveal that the iPhone accounted for 77 percent of activations across its user base and its share is still growing. It was 71 percent in Q4 2011. The ecosystem gap between iOS and Android is not as significant in phones as it is in the tablet space, so it is more than likely that business users are choosing it for the sake of compatibility, or superior build quality.
Now it’s Microsoft’s turn to take on the iPad in enterprise, with Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets. And fail.
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