Which Political Party Offers The Most Support For SMES?

Image Source: Mark Pack

When it comes to the political divide there’s one thing that all entrepreneurs and SMEs can agree on: extra government support is needed. 

The Entrepreneurs Network recently carried out an annual poll of 100 MPs, which shows that Labour and Conservative MPs have very different views on how best to support British entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Growth Business highlighted the key findings from the report:

• ‘It suggests almost two-thirds (63%) of Labour MPs believe increasing grants and loans for entrepreneurs would be the best way to support them’
• Among Conservative MPs, ‘a regime of tax cuts, including slashing business rates and corporate tax, is the most popular policy for driving entrepreneurial growth. Almost all (89%) from the ruling party are in favour of this approach’
• ‘The issue that splits the house more than any other is the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU – or Brexit. More than half (58%) of Conservative MPs believe that this would be a positive move for entrepreneurs – whereas only 1% of Labour MPs feel the same way’

MPs Are Vocal

• Growth Business quotes the Entrepreneurs Network Director Philip Salter as saying he was encouraged to see that 'MPs are increasingly vocal about supporting Britain’s entrepreneurs’
• ‘But he added he found MPs respective view on the EU the most enlightening – especially Labour MPs’ strong support for the EU.’

Ill-Informed About Current Programmes

Growth Business says both sides seem equally poorly informed about current support structures

• ‘More than one-third of Conservative MPs (38%) have not heard of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). And a further 18% don’t feel they know enough’ to comment
• Labour MPs, despite presenting as broadly supportive of introducing more grants and loans, are ‘also similarly ignorant of current government programmes. More than half (61%) were not aware of Innovate UK – a series of competitions in which £536m of government money is up for grabs’

See the full piece on Growth Business.

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

Will The Apprenticeship Levy Benefit SMEs?

Image source: www.tracweb.co.uk

The UK government is still 100% committed to the planned apprenticeship levy, despite concerns from business leaders, David Cameron said this week.

The Prime Minister has said the levy will help create 3 million apprenticeships across the country and will make larger employers contribute funding to apprenticeship training. 

A new series of industry standards will be introduced for apprenticeships in a varied range of professions from IT, engineering and transport to fashion. 

However, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has voiced concerns that it would not deliver the skilled youth businesses would want, and it would do very little to help SMEs. 

CBI said: "With an apprenticeship levy for larger employers set to be introduced following the Budget, the CBI is concerned that while it may fund more apprenticeships to meet the Government's target of three million, it will not deliver the high-quality, business-relevant training needed, and do little to help small or medium-sized businesses.”

David Cameron responded: "The greatest asset any employer has is their workforce. And by investing in them, they are investing in the success and future of their business. As a One Nation Government, we are committed to supporting three million quality apprenticeships over the next five years - to help strengthen our economy, deliver the skills that employers need and give millions more hard-working people financial security and a brighter future.”

The government has set an extremely high target to reach. Should they focus on creating quality apprenticeships over volume? Would the scheme be more likely to benefit small businesses if this were the case? 

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

Are SMEs Doing Enough To Market Their Business Online?

Image source: Jerrard Wayne

A new survey conducted by ReachLocal in the UK has revealed that 55% of small businesses, believe that not enough is being done to market their business online. 

The survey polls UK SMEs from a wide range of industries and it explores how they feel about online marketing and managing the enquiries they receive. 

54% stated that they are not sure which marketing tactics are delivering a return for their business and 23% spend their money on the marketing initiatives that they think are successful, even if there is little evidence to back up their success. 

The survey also reveals that 31-35% of email or website enquiries are not responded to in less than an hour, a staggering figure that could cost small businesses a lot of money.

Paul Liascos, UK managing director for ReachLocal, said: “Online marketing can be highly effective, but it’s wasted money if you can't respond quickly to the enquiries generated. The whole marketing and buying cycle has to work well to ensure that companies do not leak leads.”

A Harvard Business Review study found that 50% of customers choose to do business with the company that responds to them first, and according to a researcher from Portsmouth Business School, small businesses are also lacking in social media marketing, even though they are more likely to be striking the right personal tone in comparison to big corporations. 

How do you feel about your online marketing strategies? Do you think there’s more that you could be doing? Let us know your thoughts. 

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

The Collaboration of The Year: Windows 7 + 8 = Windows 10. Will You Update?

Windows 10, the new operating system from Microsoft, has started rolling out to customers worldwide. 

Back in 2012 Windows 8 didn’t receive a very warm welcome from users, so this release is extremely important for Microsoft. There has been much speculation and hype about Windows 10 over the last few months, but was it worth the wait? 

Microsoft decided to bypass Windows 9 and jump straight to Windows 10 (a good marketing ploy to keep up with Apple’s OS X?!) in an attempt to combine the “best elements” of Windows 7 and Windows 8. One of the more controversial features of Windows 8, the “live tiles”, still features in Windows 10, but now they are used as shortcuts to the user’s favourite applications. The start menu is also back from Windows 7, which allows users to browse through a list of their most-used programs. 

Microsoft hopes that Windows 10 will steer the company in a new direction. Chief Executive, Satya Nadella, describes the OS as “Windows as a Service,” meaning that users can expect improvements to the OS at anytime through the internet, rather than having to wait for another big update in a few years.  

Aside from the live tiles and start menu, here’s what else is new in Windows 10: 

• The interface looks similar to Windows 7
• The “familiar and easy to use” OS has moved away from the touch-screen
• The virtual assistant, Cortana, is now available
• Windows Hello - a biometric authentication facility that lets people unlock their computer and specific applications by fingerprint of facial recognition scan
• Edge - A successor to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer
• There’s a new notification sidebar that lets users review recent notifications

Consumers and small businesses are being offered free upgrades on existing computers running Windows 7 or 8 at any point over the next year. Microsoft has made the OS system more appealing to developers through it’s new “universal app platform” too.

Big businesses are unlikely to adopt the OS right away, but will SMEs? Tech consultancy Gartner has advised its clients to wait until the second half of 2016 before they do the update.

For home uses, if you decide you don’t like Windows 10, it is worth knowing there is a "rollback" option that works for the first 30 days.

Have you started using Windows 10? Tell us what you think of it! 

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

How to Free Your Business from Long-Term Telecom Contracts

In business, you have to react fast to stay competitive. Keeping up with technology is no exception.
 

The productivity benefits of up-to-date telephony tech are clear. When you can make and receive calls anywhere with an internet connection, via your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, it’s a lot easier to get more done in less time — no matter whether you’re in the office or travelling the world.
 

If you’re thinking about a technology upgrade or considering a relocation, though, there’s one common concern: how long will it take to make the change? 

Don’t get stuck waiting

Switching to a more cost effective service or supplier can take time, but if you’re looking to save money on the company phone bill or improve on an inadequate telephony system, you’ll want the changeover to be as swift and seamless as possible.


So, we think you’ll be pleased to discover 90 day online telephony terms with 360ict. Instead of holding you to a long-term contract, we’re happy to give you control over your telephony so you can upgrade or downgrade services, change provider, or even relocate your office without worrying about 12 or 24 month contract lock-in terms.

Have us replace your old-fashioned telephone systems with online telephony technology to take advantage of all its productivity features, from voicemail and call handling to conference calling and simultaneous ringing for teams. You’ll never be trapped in a long-term telephony contract again!

The ultimate benefit? This level of technology typically costs less than traditional PBX telephony, so your business saves money as well as time and effort. 


360ict installs and manages telephony solutions for SMEs in central London and the south-east. Call us on 0208 663 4000 to find out more about online telephony and get a proposal including our 90 day terms.

Small Businesses In The UK Grow At Fastest Pace In Five Years

Britain’s small businesses grew solidly over the last three months, according to the latest small business index from the Federation of Small Business (FSB). The strong improvement in small business confidence suggests the sector will continue to grow this year. 

In the study, published on 22 June 2015, the FSB found that 65.3% of small businesses surveyed are striving to increase their business remotely or rapidly between June and September 2015. This is excellent news for London IT support companies. 

The lobby group’s small business index suggested that there has been a “robust” improvement in confidence, which pushed up productivity, job creation and investment at a faster rate than in the economy as a whole. 

It said growth and investment intentions had reached new highs since it began compiling its index in 2010.

It also said it had found a “few negatives” in the overall picture. The gains were to spread evenly over the UK, however — by far the highest concentration of growing small business were found in the South East of England, followed by the Midlands. In Wales confidence and employment fell, and Scotland also reported lower business confidence. 

John Allan, the FSB national chairman, said: "The results... are very positive and show the major role that small businesses play in the growth of the UK's economy. It is critical the new government continues to develop the right environment to support businesses planning to grow, invest and take on new staff in the next 12 months. In the Budget and its upcoming Enterprise Bill, ministers should prioritise supporting small business growth, simplify business taxes, raise skills and tackle poor payment practices.”

The UK government is working on an Enterprise Bill, which it hopes will make the UK a leading place to set up and expand small businesses, including IT support companies in London, and should create two million jobs between 2015 and 2020. This is just one of many initiatives that the government are planning to implement for businesses in the next five years. 

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

What Does A Tory Majority Government Mean For Small Businesses?

The UK has been up in arms over the Conservative win, however it might not be all bad: their small business manifesto has been welcomed by many entrepreneurs as well as the promise of a stable government. Here’s what SMEs across the UK can expect to happen over the next five years:

The Conservatives have won the 2015 General Election and are forming a single party government. Not only is this result a surprise, it has been received with mixed reviews and a minority have taken to the streets to protest. Business owners, however, have high hopes for the next five years. Conservatives have repeatedly described SMEs as “the lifeblood of the economy."

The Conservative’s small business manifesto pledges to increase the number of startups to 600,000 a year by 2020. Business owners will also be hoping that unnecessary, time consuming and costly regulations and paper work will be slashed under the full Tory government. So far the Conservatives have pledged to reduce such regulations and save businesses £10bn over the next five years.

Many employers want greater flexibility in hiring and firing decisions, with a reduced risk of being taken to an employment tribunal. The previously overruled Beecroft report looks likely to be implemented now that the Liberal Democrats can’t stand in the way. It suggests a shakeup of employment legislation and the proposal to allow employers to make no-fault dismissals.

Europe. The in/out referendum. It’s an issue that divides SMEs: Many business owners who have offices or clients in Europe are worried that changes to the UK’s EU membership will make it harder to access the European market. Change and uncertainty on this level is unnerving for everyone involved.

Late payment remains a big issue for businesses. The Conservatives have promised to strengthen the prompt payment code and improve transparency. The Tories have also pledged to invest £100bn in infrastructure during this parliament with high profile projects such as HS2 and proposed airport expansion in the South East.

Business owners can expect George Osborne to implement a bunch of new changes in regard to tax, including increases in personal allowances, national insurance holidays, a cut in corporation tax and a freeze on VAT. There’s also a plan to review business rates.

UK business owners impact jobs, exports, investment and tax revenues and are crucial to our nation’s success. For our country’s economy to grow, SMEs will play a big part in making that happen therefore further financial assistance should become available.

On the whole it seems that a Conservative win will massively benefit business owners, but as always with politics, we shall wait and see whether they can deliver on any of their promises.

360ict provides managed IT services and support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including London Victoria, Euston, Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or contact us via our website.

End Of The Road for Windows Server 2003

Time has nearly run out for Windows Server 2003, in a few short months Microsoft is going to stop support. This means that the stream of security updates and bug fixes customers have received over the last 12 years will cease. 

People may wonder what all the fuss is about: Windows Server 2003 has been around for 12 years, surely it’s time for an update, right? However, businesses typically don’t replace critical servers and infrastructure often, definitely not in the same way consumers upgrade to the latest Apple products. 

Microsoft will pull support on July 14, and over the last week businesses have been discussing the effect impending support suspension will have on SMEs who haven’t upgraded their servers. Over the next few weeks these businesses will have some major decisions to make about the future of their server environments, and we're here to help with this awkward transition.  

A recent survey from Spiceworks revealed that companies across the US are allocating $60,000 for migration-related expenses on average, and that many of these migrations have already begun. For SMEs in the UK, if you haven’t started migrating to new servers, now is definitely the time to do so, because after July 14 2015 holdouts face a risky future. 

When it comes to security, Windows Server 2003 is certainly no Fort Knox, but continuing to use it post July 14 could have some serious security repercussions. 

Ade Foxall, CEO of application portfolio management firm Camwood, believes that “after the recent migration away from Windows XP, IT departments should be more aware than ever of the dangers of using an out-of-date platform. And yet, the lack of awareness surrounding Server 2003 is about to pose an unprecedented security threat to businesses all over the world.”

There is an upside to moving away from Windows Server 2003: businesses have the opportunity to modernise their environments, like moving to the cloud. In another survey conducted by Spiceworks, they found that 64% of business planned to migrate to Windows Server 2012 while the remainder would take their applications into the virtual space.

This is a critical time for SMEs and it’s important that the right decisions are made. Here at 360ict we can help businesses move away from Windows Server 2003 in a simple and affordable manner. If you have any questions, please get in touch!  

360ict provides managed IT services and support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including London Victoria, Euston, Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.

Windows XP Still Going Strong

Despite being 13 years old, Windows XP is still one of the most popular operating systems according to Net Application’s Web stats, which gave XP a 16.9 share for the month of March. Even though it’s still the second most-used operating system, the number of people using XP has significantly dropped. Though XP’s grip on the market is loosening, it still beats Windows 8 and 8.1 collective share of 14 percent. Windows 7 holds the top spot, with a share of 58 percent. 

Microsoft ended support for XP over a year ago, which put an end to bug fixes, however users are still reluctant to upgrade, even though they are more vulnerable to security threats. 

This has had a ripple effect for other companies, for example, chipmaker Intel slashed nearly $1 billion of it’s quavery revenue outlook. This is mainly because small and midsize businesses have been reluctant to upgrade from XP. 

For those determined not to upgrade to Windows 8 or 8.1 the next release comes this summer when Windows 10 will become available. If SMBs want to upgrade from XP to Windows 10, it won’t be an easy process. You won’t be able to upgrade your PCs directly to Windows 10, you’ll have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 first, or buy new PCs already equipped with Windows 10 this summer: not the cheapest of options!

Are you a Windows XP user? Will you be sticking with XP or biting the bullet and upgrading to 8.1 to access 10? Let us know your thoughts! If you need help deciding, we're supporting companies in London Euston, Victoria, Croydon and Bromley throughout the year with their transition to Windows 10 - get in touch for more information. 

360ict provides managed IT services and support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including London Victoria, Euston, Croydon and Bromley. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website. 

Will 5G Revolutionize Your Business In 2020?

One of the main highlights at this year’s Mobile Congress World in Barcelona was 5G. 5G is the next development in mobile technology, but will 5G improve the way businesses are run or is it all just hype?

Commercial 5G is expected to arrive around 2020, with full deployment towards the middle of that decade. But what can businesses actually expect from 5G, will it really be worth making the switch from 4G?

• It’s going to be ridiculously fast: we’re talking downloading an entire film in a second or video calling a client without any of the time delays or glitches.
• Smarter technology: devices will have to become smarter in order to successfully run 5G. But we’re talking more than just smartphones and laptops, this includes everything from printers to washing machines. 
• Increase in capacity: businesses will be able to connect all electronics to 5G, making the management of offices that much simpler. 
• It won’t break: a network that “won’t break”? Improving reliability issues is one of the main pros of 5G. 

There are many significant issues that telco providers are currently addressing: one of the main issues according to Business Spectator is that “the success of 5G will have more to do with connected systems than the 5G technology as such. 5G will involve a range of industry sectors and can only be successful if the applications are built in partnership and in collaboration with those sectors.” This means that new business models will have to be introduced. 

One thing is certain. The capabilities of 5G will add a whole new dimension to what the mobile industry is all about, and how businesses will have to adapt to be able to run and use this new technology.

360ict provides managed IT services and support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including London Victoria, Euston, Croydon and Bromley. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website. 

Why Your SMB Needs Windows 10

Microsoft finally pulled down the curtain on Windows 10 just last week and with the double-digits came promises of holograms and a revamp that will see the OS push the company into an era of subscriptions and constant updates.

Where small businesses are concerned the new OS could be in situation where it is still trying to persuade certain firms to move over from Windows XP, even though the end of life was supposed to take place almost a year ago. What features will help it to do this though?

The Start Menu

Much to the chagrin of its user base Microsoft got rid of the start menu in Windows 8 and it makes a triumphant return on Windows 10 complete with a brand new interface. The Windows 8 tiled interface owed a lot to touchscreen devices and that explains why the live tiles still remain in some capacity in order for it to be an OS that spreads across all platforms - an advantage for BYOD policies.

Free upgrade

Everyone loves a freebie and the best news of all is that Windows 10 comes as a completely free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 customers. So if you really hate what Windows 8 has done for your business rest assure that when 10 comes out you can get it free of charge - for a year at least.

Windows-as-a-Service

You’ve downloaded Windows 10 as a free upgrade but what about when it’s outdated? Microsoft will support your version of Windows for the entire lifetime of the device or devices in question through regular updates. It’s likely to have teething problems at first but after a while this new OS attitude will add value to your small business.

Keep your files even safer

Nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft and we might be jumping the gun but there have been hints of a new security feature that can keep your enterprise’s files extremely safe. It’s rumoured this would work by employing data separation at file level and removing the requirement for enterprise apps to be run inside a “container” that cannot be used by other apps on the machine. Under the new method files would stay completely secure when used across all devices or even uploaded to the cloud.

360ict provides managed IT services and support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including London Victoria, Euston, Croydon and Bromley. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.