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.

UK Inflation Turns Negative For The First Time Since 1960

Figures released recently have revealed that the main measure of UK inflation turned negative for the first time since the measure has been in existence. 

The measure, known as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), reached a figure of -0.1% in April and based on historical estimates, is the first negative figure that has been recorded in the UK since 1960. It is believed that the biggest contribution to the downturn of inflation came from a fall in travel fares, with costs thought to be 2.8% lower than last year. Food is also 3% cheaper compared to April 2014s figures. 

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, discussed his thoughts on whether this statistic represented an ongoing trend in the UK economy. Although he did think that the situation would remain largely similar for the next few months he did think that ‘towards the end [of the year], inflation should start to pick up towards our 2% target.’ 

In the interview below, Chancellor George Osborne stated that these figures should not be mistaken for ‘damaging deflation.’ Forecasters believe that the negative inflation will not last long and are avoiding describing these figures as a sign of deflation. George Osborne did add that ‘of course, we have to remain vigilant to deflationary risks and our system is well equipped to deal with them, should they arise.’

As a result of these comments, business owners and others are left wondering whether their own companies are equipped to cope with wider economical changes. In light of the figures released it is crucial companies arrange their businesses in a way that will safeguard their operations. 

To find out more about safeguarding your business and emergency IT support or if you have any questions please get in touch with us. 

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 SMEs Are Choosing 360ict For Their IT Managed Services

Why Choose Us?

360ict has been a full managed services provider in London for over 10 years. We help small and midsize enterprises achieve the results that matter most with our technology expertise and flexible ICT solutions. 

We believe in:

No contracts. 
We believe in earning your business so there’s nothing keeping you as a client from staying with us other than you knowing we’re the best Business IT Support Company out there. To date, all of our clients have given 100% positive feedback. 

Keeping it simple. 
We provide essential office support, from basics such as business internet to cloud and data centres, relocation services and printer fleets. We want to be the one phone number you call when problems come up.

Transparency. 
No hidden fees, no hidden advice, we give you what we promise the first time.

Reasons to work with us:

- We offer a simple to use, commitment free (no email address / portal login) calculator to help you review the value of your ICT service provision.

- We guarantee 100% absolute satisfaction. No contracts make sure we have to be on top of our game.

- We’ve been around for a while! We’ve found the right formula for servicing ICT.

- Get all your ICT services under one roof, no more dropped lines of communication between two third parties. We do it all and you get one number to call for anything ICT related.

- We’ll have a technician working on your issue in 60 minutes or less. Our location (Central London, Victoria, Euston, Bromley and Croydon) lets us respond, fast.

- We’re one of the first IT service providers in London to offer “green hosting” which uses low-cost power and natural weather resources so your business can be proud of its environmental ethics.

- We make sure your office is secure. Remote backups, firewalls and network monitoring means that you can have piece of mind that nothing will get lost or stolen.

- None of our services are pre-determined. We tweak and cater our services towards your offices’ specific needs. Get exactly what you need and want.

- You’ll have a fully supported infrastructure leaving you free to concentrate on your customers.

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. 

Skype for Business Heralds New Era For Communication

This week Microsoft launched a preview of Skype for Business with a clear message: this is just the beginning. Microsoft is preparing for the future of “smart living” with the idea that Skype will be available on any device, anywhere, and users will be able to share date, translate calls and have two-way annotated meetings.

Skype for Business will unify Lync and Skype: according to Microsoft “over 100 million people now use Microsoft Lync to communicate for work, with 79 percent of U.S. enterprises currently using or planning to deploy Lync for telephony.” Combine that with Skype’s 50 billion minutes of traffic every month, and Skype for Business will surely become the preferred choice for business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications. 

Through this collaboration users will be able to place calls and start conferences over old school landline connections with a traditional phone number. This is great news; previously this functionality would require businesses to have a Lync Server set-up and pay a separate PTSN service from a third-party. Microsoft is now working with Vodafone (and other companies) to make the transitions between VoIP and landline calls easier in Office 365. 

Lync Room Systems is also getting an update to become Skype Room Systems, an initiative to supplement physical meeting spaces with Skype technology. Skype for Business will integrate all of Lync’s features into a Skype-style interface, which will allow Lync users to connect to anyone using a Skype user name. All of the productivity-boosting communication tools will still be available and enhanced. 

If your business isn’t using Office 365 currently, now is the time to start thinking about incorporating it into your company. Earlier this week Microsoft unveiled the technical preview of the Skype for Business client, which gives customers an opportunity to trial Skype for Business and begin preparing for deployment. If you have any questions about Office 365, or are interested in Skype for Business (the new service will begin rolling out next month), get in touch today for more information about how we can help you improve your business communication services with Office 365.  

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. 

360ict’s No-Strings-Attached Managed Service Calculator Goes Mobile For The First Time

360ict has celebrated launching its new mobile-optimised site by implementing a managed service calculator that helps prospective clients to estimate just how much they can save by using a managed service plan.

To coincide with a brand spanking new look for their website, 360ict has implemented a brand new managed service calculator that can benefit all IT managers plus any Financial Directors, Managing Directors and Office Managers that don't have a dedicated IT manager.

“The people we work with are the lifeblood of our business and that was part of the thinking behind providing such a simple to use calculator for any clients, existing or new,” said Roy Charles, owner of 360ict. “Any visitor to the site can take advantage of the new calculator with no pressure to give away any information about themselves.”

360ict is aiming to make it easy for prospective customers to estimate exactly how much it costs to implement a managed service plan and clients can stay as anonymous as possible as you don’t have to sign up or enter an email address to use the service.

Depending on the results of the managed service calculator, customers can get in touch with 360ict to arrange for a follow up consultation based on those results.

Clients that decide to take the next step after using the calculator can benefit from the entire suite that come under 360ict’s managed service remit. Expert staff are on hand to fully manage your business IT, provide remote and on-site service, a rapid response within 15 minutes, resolution of existing problems, security monitoring and updates, and just about anything else a company might need.

360ict works with firms in London and the South East to provide cover-all-bases IT support for small and medium sized enterprises in need of some assistance on the IT side of things.

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.