How Close is the World to Embracing BYOD?

Following on from our BYOD series launch blog, ‘Behind every device is a great network’, we continue our run of blogs on BYOD by looking at the research behind it, and how we can help organisations take advantage of the consumerisation of IT.

BT and Cisco’s Beyond your Device research involved more than 2,000 interviews across 13 regions and 9 sectors, comparing attitudes to BYOD among IT professionals and office workers in large organisations across the public and private sectors. [Read more...]

Security, Compliance and Cloud

Security is a very big concern when it comes to cloud. And as a leading provider* of cloud to the enterprise market we’re proud that it’s one of our main USPs.

There are other cloud providers, sure. But there’s a difference between the scale of mass market providers with a stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap approach, and the carrier-grade pedigree service and global footprint that we offer our customers. [Read more...]

Venture Capital, Risk Management and the Dealing Room

I remember an old spy book from the 1960s that said “if you notice someone once, it’s chance; if you notice them twice, it’s a coincidence; but if you notice them three times, they’re following you”.  So, remembering that type of “pattern recognition”, when I was in New York last week I was interested to come across two situations where major financial institutions are making plans to move away from specific technology providers in order to de-risk their own use of IT for trading.  The reason that they gave was that those two technology providers have been bought up by private equity/venture capital firms.  And then a little lightbulb went on – because I quickly recognised not just three but at least four trading technology providers that are currently in a similar situation.

Having worked with the venture capital industry in the USA and Europe in the 1990s, one thing that I Iearned from that sector was that before a private equity firm invests in anything, it first plans its exit.  The intention is generally not to be a long-term investor but to increase the value of the investment and then to sell it on to someone else (preferably via an IPO to get the best price for it). [Read more...]

Never Say Never Again

A recent BBC investigation uncovered worrying statistics about preventable mistakes that have taken place in England’s hospitals over the past four years. The incidents, such as leaving surgical instruments or other items inside patients after operating, are one of a number of incidents categorised by the Department of Health as “never events”.

Imagine a world where never events are prevented from ever happening. It’s a world where healthcare professionals have quick and easy access to information, anywhere, any time. And where patients get the best possible care whenever and wherever they need it. [Read more...]

Beyond Your Device Research – BYOD Infographic Part One

BYOD [Read more...]

SATURN Runs Rings Around Cyber Attacks

By Ben Azvine, Head of Security Futures Practice, BT Technology, Service & Operations

As someone who works largely behind the scenes in Research & Innovation, it’s great to have an opportunity to talk about some of the ground-breaking, innovative projects my team are working on.

My colleague Nicola Millard, BT’s Customer Experience Futurologist, has done a great job of explaining BT’s innovation heritage in her recent blog and I’d like to carry on that theme by focusing on how our latest innovation efforts are making a practical difference to our customers, using protection against cybercrime as an example. [Read more...]

When Times Get Tough, The Tough Get Innovating

Innovation is a defining feature of progress. Without people devoted to doing things better, faster, cheaper and greener we’d still be stuck in the smog of industrial revolution. Steam trains and snail mail — not spaceships and smartphones — would be at the forefront of travel and communication.

To innovate is even more essential today, in a tough economy, than it has ever been. When times get tough, the tough get innovating. For our part we’re always pushing boundaries in the world of IT and communication technology. And we are proud to have been at the forefront of innovation for at least 150 years. [Read more...]

A Cisco perspective on collaboration

Cisco is a leading vendor of collaboration technology and an important global partner of BT Global Services.  We asked Fred Gerritse, Director Partner Organization & Commercial Business at Cisco, about his view of the market and what collaboration means for Cisco.

What are some of the key trends in the market for collaboration services in your opinion? How are CIOs looking at collaboration? [Read more...]

Is Your Network Able to Cope With the Demands of BYOD?

I was at Ovum’s BYOX event last week talking about the effect the consumerisation of IT — and in particular BYOD — is having on organisational networks.  At the event Ovum announced the findings of their new BYOX (bring your own anything) employee study. The media headlines post the event have been interesting, everything from “BYOD resistance is futile” to the more scary “Ignore BYOD and lose control of your corporate data”.

There are 1bn smartphones in the world today with that number set to double in the next 3 years, plus the sale of tablets is rising rapidly, Forrester predict tablets will overtake PCs as the computer of choice by 2016. Smart devices allow people to do great things by becoming more innovative in the tools and applications they use. This can transform the way they work and give organisations a real business edge.   [Read more...]

It’s a Small World After All

Recently I went on a pretty lengthy business trip where I visited customers in different countries around Asia and the Middle East. I even managed to get back to my home country, the UK.

What struck me as I visited the three regions is just how small the world is becoming when it comes to financial services.  [Read more...]