SMEs 'not providing staff with tools they need for cloud'
SMEs 'not providing staff with tools they need for cloud'
Small businesses across Europe are failing to supply staff with the tools they need to use cloud computing properly in their jobs, according to a survey.
Sharp Europe’s report, looking at the situation in the UK as well as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Sweden, said there was an ‘opportunity gap’ between the demands of tech-savvy workers and the provision of equipment.
The report focused on the needs of what it called ‘Generation Cloud’, a new group of workers who are switched on to collaborative and out of office working. Almost six out of 10 worked outside the office frequently and nearly half said that being able to work remotely was a vital facet of their job. Similar numbers said the ability to work remotely is becoming more important in their job and that they need to be able to access work information from different devices and locations.
However, the study also revealed that SMEs, like their larger counterparts across the EU, have been slow to adopt the cloud.
Peter Plested from Sharp Europe said: “Whether business (large or small) likes it or not, employees are clearly driving for change in how we work, share, collaborate on and produce information. This is a cultural as well as a business process driven shift; and it is happening now.”
He said that rather than waiting for employers to catch up with their needs, Generation Cloud is finding its own tools to work remotely and reach information from different devices. And he warned that unless businesses acted to equip themselves with necessary cloud capabilities, they risked losing control of their own networks and data.
Although employers have not acted to make changes yet, they did recognise the potential benefits of adopting the cloud. Half believed that it would boost their businesses’ profitability, through better quality work and greater efficiency, Sharp said.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud, should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
