Q&
MEDIUM-SIZED
BUSINESSES LEADING
DIGITAL WORKPLACE
EDITOR’S
WHAT ARE
THE SECURITY
CHALLENGES WHEN
EMBRACING NEW
TECHNOLOGIES?
A
s they continue to contribute more
than €1 trillion to the economy
across EMEA, today’s medium-sized
businesses are investing fast in technology.
However, with digital now a priority for
businesses of all sizes, Aruba, a Hewlett
Packard Enterprise Company, says they
must ensure they have the necessary
skills and security management in place to
handle the change, or risk falling behind
competitors. Its report has uncovered a
number of key trends.
Medium-sized businesses are the most
active users of workplace technology:
Almost two-thirds (63%) of medium-
sized business employees rated the
‘choice of technology, applications and IT
support’ at their company as either good
or very good. That is compared to 53%
of those also surveyed from the largest
companies. Medium-sized businesses
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS
Issue 22
are also ahead of the competition in
their use of advanced audio-visual
technologies, which are offered by
an average of 27% of medium-sized
business, compared to 16% of smaller
and 22% of larger employers.
They are placing a heavy emphasis
on the cloud: Around a quarter (24%)
of medium-sized business employees
said their company had invested in
cloud storage software over the last 12
months, compared to 17% of large firms.
Medium-sized businesses also appear
to be prioritising cybersecurity software
– 39% reported investments in this area
in the last year, compared to 31% of
large businesses.
And are offering a better working
environment as a result: In light of
their impressive commitment to new
technology medium-sized business,
employees are significantly more likely
(66%) to rate their ‘environment at
work’ as either good or very good in
comparison to those at the largest
companies (57%). Businesses of this
size are also more agile when it comes to
offering flexibility for employees to use
personal devices at work – with
72% of medium-sized business
employees allowed to do this, compared
to only 53% of those who work for
larger employers.
But there is demand for stronger
management to handle technological
investments: Over three quarters (77%)
of medium-sized business employees
either agreed or strongly agreed that ‘if
not managed correctly, the introduction
of new technology could damage
employee morale’; while 78% agreed
that ‘my organisation’s management and
control of the connected devices that are
in use could be improved.’
A risky road ahead
With two thirds of employees at
medium-sized businesses (66%) saying their
organisation was ‘at risk of falling behind
competitors’ by not implementing new
technology, the pressure to keep
pace is clear – but so too are the
associated dangers.
Despite being conscious of their
organisation’s cybersecurity, nearly three
quarters (74%) of medium-sized business
employees said they had taken risks with
company data in the past year. In addition,
less than half (48%) said that security was
the responsibility of ‘every employee’ –
compared to two thirds of those who work
for the largest employers (66%).
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