technology – London Office Buzz

Digital Business Guide

Posted on May 24, 2018

London has an enviable position in both finance and business services globally, but it is also one of the most important places in Europe as a creative city and one which drives the worldwide media agenda. This has traditionally been in the field of publishing and conventional broadcasting, along with a relatively minor film industry. However, these days the capital’s creative industries are increasingly run by digital businesses. Given that so much of the business world, including the financial services sector, are now also reliant on digital transactions and products, digital businesses are now only likely to grow in importance as contributors to the city’s wealth.

According to the Greater London Authority’s Intelligence Unit, the city is well placed in the information revolution which has seen the growth of entirely new industries, as well as the transformation of well-established ones. In a report into London’s digital economy, they said that the opportunities for the cross-pollination of innovative ideas in the digital business world will be bolstered by London’s world-class universities. In addition, the report continues, the capital’s highly-skilled will add to the attractiveness of London as a base for digital industries, even web-based corporations from overseas.

If the capital is to continue to lead the world in the innovative digital industries of the future, it is of huge importance that businesses based in London have access to a digital communications infrastructure which is fast-moving and able to compete on a global stage. The authorities in London recognise that the city must improve its digital connectivity. Indeed, the Greater London Authority has said that it must cooperate with London’s boroughs in order to push this agenda forwards. According to Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s Director of Digital London, his organisation is working with the other local government in London to bring about greater WiFi connectivity in the capital and to reduce pressure on the struggling 3G network. This, he said, includes the introduction of WiFi on the London Underground network which should enable Londoners to digital services online, even when they are travelling around beneath the city’s streets. Continue reading “Digital Business Guide” →

Social Media and the Workplace

Posted on May 17, 2016

Social media platforms are being used by an increasing number of the population. A recent study has shown that nearly 60 per cent of the UK’s population has at least one active social account, and the average Internet user in the UK spends 2 hours a day on social media platforms. These figures show that social networks are increasingly becoming an integral part of our personal and professional lives, and this has caused concern among many employers. The use of social media in the workplace is usually frowned upon because of the generalised belief that it can damage a company’s reputation and decrease productivity. But exactly how much truth is there to that belief?

Social Media in the Workplace: Myths and Facts

A Microsoft study published in 2013 revealed that contrary to what most managers believe, the use of social media at work can actually increase productivity. The 2-year study pointed out that in the not-so-distant past, many managers believed that the use of e-mail at work was also a distraction and a drag on productivity, but as time went by companies have come to rely on this form of digital communication as an integral part of their business routine. Could the same happen with social media? According to the study, it is already happening. One of the key findings had to do with how employees use social media. While management assumed that they were using it for personal reasons, the study found that nearly half of all employees surveyed were in fact using social media as a teamwork and collaboration tool.

Another Microsoft survey studied the behaviour of nearly 10,000 employees in 32 countries and found that 50 per cent were using social media to share and review work-related documents, 47 per cent to communicate with clients, and 31 per cent were doing so to promote work-related initiatives and programmes. Overall, more than 50 per cent of employees aged between 18 and 44 claimed that using social media had helped them become more productive. It’s interesting to note that productivity increases were highly dependent on industry sector, with media, publishing, hospitality, and IT being the most likely to benefit, and government, financial services, and retail the least likely. Continue reading “Social Media and the Workplace” →

Top London Tech Conferences for 2015

Posted on January 5, 2015

As the UK’s technology hub, London is the home of leading businesses and innovators in the sector. It is no wonder that the capital hosts some of the top technology conferences in the world. The following are just some of the best technology conferences that will be held in London during 2015.

Big Data Week
Celebrating its fourth year in 2015, Big Data Week is the world’s largest global big data festival. Big Data Week runs from 20 to 26 April in more than 40 cities around the world, including London. Events focus on the social, political and technological impacts of data. It connects cities with events, networking opportunities, demonstrations, discussions and debates, meet-ups and more. The annual festival brings together technology experts from various industries, including media and entertainment, health and science, finance, retail, public and government, and other sectors.

London Technology Week
London Technology Week features major international conferences, investor meetings, pitching competitions, workshops, hackathons, and much more. The week-long festival is London’s premier technology gathering. In 2014, 203 events brought together more than 40,000 people from over 40 countries. Events cover a range of themes, including gaming, IT, wearable technology, music, education, big data, science, finance and other topics. Organised by UBM, London Technology Week 2015 will run from 15 to 21 June and focuses on six themes: talent and education, innovation and growth, investment and funding, coming to London and going global, diversity, and social impact.

Interop London
The flagship event of London Technology Week, Interop London connects the IT community and helps drive innovation. The conference provides a forum to share global trends and vendor solutions in a range of areas, including IT infrastructure, cloud computing, security, mobility, software and business intelligence. Interop London’s programme includes a variety of demonstrations, case studies, world-class education sessions including workshops and training sessions, and vendor clinics. The conference also hosts hundreds of vendors. It will run from 16 to 18 June at the ExCeL London. Continue reading “Top London Tech Conferences for 2015” →

London is Ahead of California for Tech Growth

Posted on August 15, 2014

For several years, London has been considered one of the world’s most prosperous technology hubs. Silicon Roundabout, Tech City, and Old Street are now firmly established in the global digital scene and can compete with other successful technology centres, mainly with California’s Silicon Valley. However, and despite the fact that London’s Tech City is a relatively new project, it seems that the London tech scene is growing at a faster pace than California. A report published in June 2014 confirmed this trend, and in this post we take a closer look at the facts and implications of the unmatched growth experienced by the British capital’s technology sector.

London’s tech sector has quickly caught up with California: learn all the details

The regeneration of the Old Street and the surrounding areas and its subsequent transformation into a leading business district has been hailed as a successful economic growth strategy right from the start. According to a 2013 report published by the Cabinet’s Office, between 2009 and 2012 the number of tech firms based in this area increased by an astonishing 76 per cent, bringing the total number of tech companies in London to over 88,000. Success is also measured by the industry’s contribution to the capital’s economy. In this respect, London’s Tech City is also a winner, as it has been estimated that nearly 27 per cent of the city’s total job growth is generated by the capital’s tech sector. All in all, this industry employs more than 582,000 people across London. Continue reading “London is Ahead of California for Tech Growth” →

London’s Technology Sector is Boosted by 2000 New Apprentices

Posted on August 7, 2014

It is no secret that the London tech industry is one of the most important economic drivers of growth in the British capital. While other industry sectors are still struggling to overcome the negative effects caused by the recession, the technology sector is alive and kicking. This industry is certainly swimming against the flow, and instead of downsizing or cutting down on personnel, many tech firms are actually creating new and much-needed job opportunities. A few weeks ago, some of the most important players in the tech sector announced that they were ready to take on nearly 2,000 apprentices. But before we delve into the details of this announcement, let us take a look at the most recent performance of the capital’s tech industry.

A quick overview of the tech sector in London

Over the past decade, London has managed to establish itself as one of the world’s top tech hubs. What initially began as a small cluster of tech companies around Old Street has now become the European equivalent of Silicon Valley. Today, more than 5,000 tech companies are located in London’s Tech City, and many more are constantly being set up in other areas of the British capital. A recent Oxford Economics report has shown that the tech industry is expected to experience annual growth levels of more than 5 per cent during the next decade, bringing its total value to over £12 billion.

Growth in this sector is being driven by partnerships between top-class educational and research institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors. As a result, training and education are becoming crucial growth factors in this sector, so the recently announced large apprentice intake should not come as a surprise.

Continue reading “London’s Technology Sector is Boosted by 2000 New Apprentices” →

The Launch of MedCity

Posted on May 9, 2014

The vision for MedCity is to position London and the South East of England as a leading centre for life science research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation. Launched in April 2014, it will also help develop the region as an interconnected cluster for life sciences over the next twenty years focused on the so-called ‘golden triangle’ of London, Oxford and Cambridge.

Vision for MedCity

MedCity will promote London and the greater South East as a world leader and interconnected region for the life sciences sector. The initiative will involve the collaboration of academic institutions, businesses from various industry sectors, academics and researchers, and government leaders and politicians, and investors. With already over 700,000 people in the South East employed in the life sciences and healthcare sectors, MedCity will be tasked with creating additional jobs in the region. It will also foster additional collaboration and joint ventures to help lead the way towards new discoveries that are commercially viable. The ultimate goal is to promote the life sciences sector in the South East to the same position as the financial services sector in the region and the broader national economy.

About MedCity Limited

Founded by the Mayor of London, MedCity Limited is a partnership between London-based King’s Health Partners, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre and UCL Partners. The partnership also includes the support of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. The initiative is modelled after the successful Tech City, a technology cluster centred in Central and East London. Continue reading “The Launch of MedCity” →

Video Conferencing Tips

Posted on July 23, 2012

Video conferencing is becoming an ever more popular solution to connecting people in multiple locations by allowing the combination of both audio and visual interaction without the need to be in the same room. With rising fuel costs impacting travel expenses, video conferencing can not only be convenient and time efficient but can also reduce expenditure on conference rooms, car costs, airfares and entertainment. With more and more people, in both business and education, taking advantage of video conferencing, it looks likely this trend will continue to grow in popularity. Below are a few suggestions on how to make the most of video conferencing and ensure a good impression is made.

Be confident in using the system – perhaps the most important factor in video conferencing is being able to set up and manage the equipment you are using. Before going ‘live’ make sure you have researched and tested the system and are confident in its operation. Losing connection, changing a setting without realising or, worse still, not being able to rectify such a mistake could be disastrous. Continue reading →

How to Save Money on Your Office Energy Bills

Posted on July 13, 2012

Maintaining a successful company and running an effective office within the current economic climate is challenging enough. Add to that the inevitable consistent rise in energy costs you may agree that now is a good time to think about implementing an energy saving strategy within your organisation. Successful focus on, and management of, making your office space more energy efficient does not only provide the benefits of becoming a greener organisation but the change can almost certainly make some positive adjustments to your balance sheets.

The quickest way to notice a difference in your electricity use is by adjusting your lighting set up. It is estimated that approximately 35% of electricity bills are made up of light associated costs and so replacing normal usage bulbs with energy efficient alternatives can make a significant impact on your energy consumption. Installing lighting and bulbs that operate at a lower current can increase efficiency by up to four times due to the more effective conversion of electricity to light as opposed to heat. Furthermore, encouraging your staff to turn lights off when not in use, or at least at the end of the day, can also save many kilowatts on a monthly basis. The installation of occupancy sensors may well be a worthy investment for areas such as toilets or rooms with limited use. Over time, this initial investment will be made back from the savings generated through keeping lights off when not required. Continue reading →

Plans for Channel Tunnel Mobile Phone Coverage

Posted on March 7, 2012

It has been reported that passengers using the Channel Tunnel will soon have access to mobile phone coverage in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games. According to reports from The Daily Telegraph newspaper, a technology group established in France has found a way to connect the tunnel to mobile networks. Although a spokesman for Eurotunnel could not confirm this, he did say that a mobile network connection on the Channel Tunnel was being looked into. He told AFP “Customers demand mobile telephones wherever you go these days”.

The Channel Tunnel, which was opened in 1994, links Folkestone to Calais and is the longest undersea tunnel on the globe. Eurostar offers passenger services from London to Paris and Brussels and Eurotunnel provides a vehicle service. The three tunnels are over thirty miles long, most of which runs under the English Channel.

Logistics Link South 2012 Event

Posted on February 21, 2012

Logistics Link South 2012 is a logistics industry event taking place on the twenty first and twenty second of February at Sandown Park, Esher. Logistic Link South 2012 will provide individuals and businesses with the opportunity to learn how to improve customer service, become more cost effective and boost productivity.

At the Logistics Link South event attendees will be able to share ideas and network in the Byers Networking Lounge, attend free technology seminars and meet with over one hundred companies providing the latest software, equipment, services and systems.

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