It’s no secret that digital transformation is a priority for British business. The government is slowly infusing digital transformation into their policies and strategies, and businesses of the UK are following suit.
The government has produced a comprehensive agenda, helping us see how they define digital transformation and the impact that it will have upon UK businesses and the economy in the coming years. This includes:
- Building a world-class digital infrastructure for the UK
- Giving everyone access to the digital skills they need
- Making the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business
- Helping every British business become a digital business
- Making the UK the safest place to work online
- Maintaining the UK government’s position as a world leader in serving its citizens online
- Unlocking the power of data in the UK economy and improving public confidence in its use
These goals are leading to digital transformations across the UK, through direct government encouragement, which many see as highly beneficial for the UK’s economy. But what does digital transformation mean when it comes to our businesses in light of the government’s plans? In this blog, we’re taking a look at how the UK’s goals of becoming digitally advanced are playing out in the digital transformation technology used.
Digital transformation is becoming increasingly important for businesses that wish to remain competitive and grow. If you are unclear about what digital transformation is, and how it could benefit your business, you can read more in our free guide “MKnowledge guide: Digital Transformation” here.
Gigabit-capable connections
If you haven’t heard of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, you could be missing out. It’s part of the government’s plan to make the United Kingdom full-fibre by 2033. The scheme allows small businesses to receive a grant of up to £2,500 to facilitate the instalment of a gigabit-capable internet connection.
This is 100 times faster than your average broadband speed today. It carries as much as 1 Gigabit per second. This means no more sitting around for downloads to finish before you can get to work and no more hefty upload times. Access to faster speeds means less downtime for your staff. It means you can become a more Cloud-based enterprise with fewer drawbacks. If you want to be a truly digitally transformed business, you need the speed to accomplish that.
While other businesses across the world are waiting for their software to download, you’ll already be contacting clients. You’ll always have an edge over anyone without a gigabit-capable connection. As of 2018, almost 1.8 million homes and businesses have access to a full-fibre connection (6%). This is more than double the number held in 2017. It’s truly life-changing technology. And it leads us to our next piece of transformational technology.
The Cloud
As gigabit-capable connections become the norm, so too will seamless use of the Cloud. Using cloud services is a top priority for British businesses helping with their IT digital transformation. The Cloud brings huge benefits like:
- Allowing people to work from home/abroad
- Lessening the need for in-person meetings, reducing associated travel costs
- Decreasing the need for office premises and helping businesses reduce overheads
- Improving cybersecurity and business recovery
- Increasing storage
- Reducing IT costs
- Introducing scalability
- Improving automation, syncing, efficiency, and productivity
The benefits of the Cloud are numerous and the UK government is encouraging its uptake leading by example. HMRC spent £11 million to use Amazon’s web-hosting services in 2018. This love for the Cloud is mirrored through the sectors of the government, likely a result of their ‘Cloud first’ policy introduced in 2013. The policy dictates public sector organisations should always consider Cloud solutions before other options.
Conclusion
It’s undeniable that the government is fuelling the drive for digital transformation in British business with top-down government decisions around digital transformation technology, as well as decision makers in our businesses. While some may oppose government intervention in personal businesses, it seems the transformation information provided by Westminster is helping businesses grow.
If you want to know more about how to take advantage of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for an affordable way to transform your business, get in touch with us at M247. As registered suppliers of the scheme, and leading providers of Cloud migration services, we know how to future-proof your business.
