Quantcast
Channel: TechMarketView RSS Feeds
Viewing all 22530 articles
Browse latest View live

Erratum: Unilink adds Beaumont Colson uniting prison & probation

0
0

Unilink logoWe would like to make readers aware that in our original UKHotViews post entitled Unilink adds Beaumont Colson uniting prison & probation, published on 4th December, there was a typo in the combined turnover of the two companies. The correct combined turnover figure is £12-13m. The article has subsequently been updated.


Is your organisation looking to raise its profile in UK tech next year?

0
0

The seventh annual ‘Evening with TechMarketView’ will take place on the 12 September 2019 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. We can’t wait to welcome more than 200 leaders from across the UK tech scene to the unmissable evening event, which includes a drinks reception, analyst and guest speaker presentations and a three-course dinner.  And what better focus for the evening than our research theme for 2019 - The Year of the Relationship: Extend. Evolve. Optimise.

Sponsorship BrochureOur flagship annual event, the Evening with TechMarketView presents a range of benefits for sponsors too including: 

·     Thought leadership at the highest levels – the event attracts senior execs from across the tech scene 

·     Brand value across the sector – the event is promoted widely on UKHotViews & Twitter reaching more than 20,000 UK tech leaders 

·     Lead & partnership generation opportunities – engage directly with key individuals. 

By early engagement, supporting organisations achieve maximum exposure through continuous promotion in UKHotViews and on social media. Our options also include generous ticket allocations and advertising packages. 

For 2019, there are a range of sponsorship packages available including:

·     DIAMOND (exclusive) - our lead sponsor, demonstrate thought leadership with the exclusive speaking slot at the beginning of the evening

·     RUBY (two available) - our drinks reception and dinner sponsors, two high profile branding opportunities 

·     SAPPHIRE (multiple available) - perfect for anyone looking to raise their visibility 

·     LANYARD (one available) – designed to increase brand recognition in the tech space.

For more details on the event and associated sponsorship opportunities download a copy of the Sponsorship Brochure today or email Sarah Robinson in our Client Services team with any queries.

Serco extends Peterborough and Lincolnshire contracts

0
0

SercoSerco this morning confirmed extensions with both Peterborough City Council and Lincolnshire County Council to continue providing a range of corporate services. The contract extensions have a combined value of approximately £135m.

This is very good news for Serco’s Citizen Services business and with Hertfordshire recently signing up to a long term extension it confirms the Company’s plan to be a serious long-term player in Local Government BPS.

Serco has been working with Peterborough since 2011 providing services including Customer Services, Rev & Bens, HR & Payroll and Procurement and has committed to a long-term extension worth £105m now running to 2031.

Lincolnshire is a shorter extension to 2022 worth some £30m but given where that contract was not that long ago this represents a real turnaround. Serco will continue to provide services including Customer Services, Financial Services, IT Services and HR & Payroll.

New Local Authority BPS deals are few and far between so renewing contracts like Lincolnshire and Peterborough has become ever more important for established players like Serco.

Lots of interesting things going on at Serco at the moment. Yesterday we attended the (re)launch of the Serco Institute at an event run in conjunction with thinktank Reform and focused on ‘Reimagining public services for citizens’. The Serco Institute was originally set up back in 2002 to position the company as a thought leader in public service delivery but was quietly ‘put on ice’ back in 2012. 

Its re-emergence can only be good news for Serco and is a statement of intent that the business intends to be proactive in helping set the public services agenda. For too long the big public service providers like Serco, Capita and many others have been too reactive, letting others (mostly their critics) define success and failure. Initiatives like this are desperately needed to secure the future of Public Sector BPS at what remains a challenging time for the sector.

'Dial-an-expert' startup techspert dials up £1m funding

0
0

logoWould you pay good money for ad hoc access to a worldwide network of experts? Cambridge-based startup techspert.io rather hopes you would and claims to be able to search through more than 150m experts "in minutes" to find just the right one for your business.

From what I can infer from its website, techspert does not create its own expert network like market leader GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group) which charges members a subscription fee for access. Instead, techspert scans online public datasets public datasets, such as academic journals, clinical trials registries, government documents, and commercial registries for relevant experts and then triages out the most likely suspects before passing their profiles on to their client. It appears that techspert takes a commission from the expert's fee. How big the fee is I don't know, but media reports suggest that 'experts' in the GLG network can charge up to $1,000 an hour for a phone call.

Founded in 2016 as Biotechspert, the startup has since spread its remit beyond the biotech sector to 'any question, any sector' (though belied by its logo!). techspert has just raised £1m from various angels and backed by the Angel CoFund. According to CrunchBase, techspert had raised two prior seed funding rounds.

If techspert does not charge a subscription fee, then, rather like eBay, it is relying on the honesty of both enquirer and expert to complete the transaction through its own platform so it can get its cut. Techspert has some basic level of protection in that the enquirer contacts the expert though a dial-in bridge, but I suspect many of these experts are on LinkedIn and could be reached by other means. And what about follow-on calls?

Techspert is a well-meaning idea but needs a watertight  business model.

*NEW RESEARCH* Application Services Predictions 2019

0
0

In our recent Legacy vs. New: An Alternative Analysis of the SITS Market for the Digital Era report, we concluded thatTheme the velocity of “New” (digital, platform and cybersecurity services) growth for individual suppliers - and within the market as a whole - will be determined by the 3 R’s; Readiness, Risk and Relationship. It is, however, the quality and completeness of the multi-faceted relationships that Application Services (AS) providers, be they internal or external, must now sustain which will determine the strength of the foundations upon which growth and impact can be built.

The Year of the Relationship is TechMarketView’s research theme for the next twelve months and goes to the core of what we will be focusing on in AS during the coming twelve months. In 2019, we expect to see the following major factors at play:

It gets harder in the middle

Both the market conditions and the competitive landscape are changing to something far less favourable for the more digital native players that have been enjoying rapid growth for the last decade. These larger AS SME’s are at risk of finding themselves too small to be considered for large contracts and too large and established to be viewed as being a part if the next wave of innovation.

Ambitious run pricing assumptions come home to roost

A rapidly contracting market for traditional applications support, maintenance and operations services has placed a premium on contract retention. Pricing has often become a commercially led “to win” exercise based on aggressive assumptions regarding the efficiency impacts of multiple automation deployments. It is highly probable that neither the scale of savings envisioned nor the estimated speed at which they would accrue will materialise.

The skills bottleneck tightens

Buy and sell-side demand for “New” talent will continue to further outstrip its supply. The ever-widening array of technology skills sets required to deliver in the new AS world, moreover, will only exacerbate the problem. The possibility of a large, Brexit driven applications change bubble, moreover, could make the next two years challenging in the extreme.

Hyper-agility becomes the AS mantra

“Good” in the AS world will increasingly centre around hyper-agility. This necessitates the bringing together of established agile and DevOps approaches with microservices architecture-based, distributed applications that use techniques including containerisation. Expect plenty of hype about hyper-agility in the coming months.

Acquisitions accelerate

As anticipated in last year’s Application Services Predictions, the level of acquisitive activity in the AS arena increased in 2018. Our research indicates that purchases of UK consulting, SI and vertical solution businesses is up nearly 15% so far this year. We expect this pace to accelerate as we head through 2019 and beyond as AS suppliers seek both alternative sources of improved top-line performance and to build out the capabilities now demanded for success.

 Application Services Predictions 2019 provides a deeper dive into these topics and the report is now available for download. Readers who don’t have a subscription cancontactDeb Sethfordetails about how to take one out.

BT's regional focus pays off with PSSN deal

0
0

BT logoBT been awarded the £50 million, nine-year Northern Ireland Public Sector Shared Services Network (PSSN) contract by the Department of Finance (DF). It will provide network and unified communications services including new hardware, software and network security across eleven Government departments and other public sector bodies.

By replacing a wide range of diverse networks, the intention is to provide a platform with security and operational stability on which to deliver new and improved public services. The first core network services will be available for use from the summer of 2019. BT could increase the value of the contract – up to £400m – through the addition of additional services and customers.

Following a troubled period, BT has restructured the business and strengthened its regional focus, giving more responsibility to its local sales teams (see UK Public Sector Supplier Prospects 2018). It has also refocused its portfolio of offerings on managed services, connectivity and mobile. With this in mind, the PSSN contract is precisely the type of contract that BT is keen to ensure it wins.

Dell gains approval for stock transaction

0
0

Dell Tech logoFollowing a special meeting of stockholders, Dell Technologies has announced it has received approval for its Class V tracking stock transaction based on a preliminary tally of votes, and it will return to the public market.

After concerns from investors that the original offer undervalued the stock, Dell returned with an improved offer of $120 cash per share in November. This offer has now been approved, which equates to a total market capitalisation of $23.9bn for the tracking stock (see Dell improves tracking stock offer for further details).

The transaction is expected to close on 28 December 2018 and, as indicated in Dell’s recent Q3 results notice (see Dell revenue up 15% ahead of crucial vote), Dell Technologies Class C shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DELL) on the same day.

Largely through the acquisition of EMC in 2016, Dell is a more diverse business compared to the one that was taken private in 2013. However, the increased complexity of the business is one of the challenges it needs to address. This deal will simplify the capital structure of the business, but more needs to be done to make its proposition easier for customers to understand. It also remains to be seen how potential investors will respond to the total debt burden of the business, which stood at over $52bn at Q3 FY18.

Enterprising Endava expands

0
0

LogoLondon-based “nearshore” IT services company Endava completed its first quarter as a publicly quoted company in some style. Revenue for Q119 (the three months ended 30th September) was up just shy of 40% yoy to £66.4m on a constant currency basis. Profit before tax in the first quarter was £2.6 million compared to £6.4 million in the same period in FY18 as the result of a one-off  fair value adjustment in relation to the Velocity Partners' acquisition made earlier this year (see here). Underlying margin on an adjusted profit before tax basis increased yoy from 16.4% to 17.6%.

We met up with a not surprisingly upbeat CEO John Cotterell the other day. He was able to report growth across every facet of the business - new and existing customers, all geographies and all industry verticals. From a sector perspective, Financial Services remained the single largest segment for Endava. Sales in this vertical grew by 13% yoy and accounted for 53% of turnover in Q119, down from 60% at the same point last year. Revenue in the company’s newer industry sector focuses increased by over 150% to £13.3m in line with Endava’s ambitions to establish a more balanced vertical portfolio.

In terms of the firm's geographies, North America led the charge with its first quarter top line up by some £10m yoy to £17.9m. Generating 44% of total turnover and with yoy revenue growth of 28% in Q119, the UK was still the company’s dominant region. Europe accounted for the remaining 29% of sales.  On the current trajectory, it should not be too much longer before Endava achieves its goal of having businesses of equal size in each of its three major territories.

Looking forward, the company expects both to see sales increase by over 30% yoy next quarter and that full year 2019 revenue will be in the £275m to £278m range representing constant currency growth of between 25% and 26%. Based on Endava’s current momentum, however, this guidance seems somewhat conservative.


Jisc and Eduserv to merge

0
0

Jisc logoPublic sector not-for-profit companies Jisc (formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee) and Eduserv are to merge. The two charities will begin operating as one from 01 January 2019.

Bristol headquartered Jisc provides shared digital infrastructure and services, sector-wide deals, advice and assistance to further education (FE) colleges, universities and the skills sector, including provision of the Janet network for the UK research and education community.

The majority of Jisc’s funding comes from the UK higher education and FE funding bodies, with additional funding coming from higher education institutions. Earlier this year the Department for Education confirmed Jisc will be required to introduce a membership charge for FE colleges from August 2019.

Eduserv logoEduserv, also based in Bristol, provides digital transformation and cloud migration services across the public sector, including central government, local councils, all UK universities and some third sector organisations.

Jisc currently employs 620 people across its Bristol, London, Manchester and Harwell sites, and Eduserv has 100 Bristol-based employees. The 220 Jisc staff currently located in Bristol are expected to move to Eduserv’s offices in the city in autumn 2019.

The expectation is for Eduserv to be absorbed into the Jisc brand in time, but initially both companies will retain their individual identities and websites. Eduserv’s CEO Jude Sheeran, will take up a position as trustee on the Jisc board in January.

The hope is that the new organisation will have greater scope to co-create products and services for students and citizens, without duplication of effort, time and money.

Turn OnTo Electronics (Sponsored Post)

0
0

UKESF LogoEveryone knows technology is at the heart of our world; it is the future.  However, too few young people make the connection between technology and Electronics.

The UK has a long heritage of innovation and has a world-class Electronics sector. However, there is a shortage of Electronics graduates, which means that there are too few engineers and designers to develop the next generation of products and help produce creative technological solutions needed by society.

Aiming to address the declining numbers of students studying Electronic Engineering and a growing skills shortage in the country, the UK Electronic Skills Foundation (UKESF) has launched a campaign to convince youngsters to consider Electronics as a career.

UKESF Turn OnTo Electronics LogoThe #TurnOnToElectronics initiative, supported by companies like Arm, Dialog Semiconductor and Qualcomm and 21 leading universities, will create a buzz around the Electronics industry to change perceptions and to encourage more young people into pursuing careers in the sector.  Find out more, share the video and download the Manifesto from the Website www.turnontoelectronics.org.

As well as raising awareness about Electronics, the campaign also aims to provide ‘Electronics Everywhere’ resources to schools across the UK. 

These are ‘hands on’ Electronics projects for schools aligned with A-Level Physics curriculum and supported by CPD training for teachers.  Details of how companies can support this project and put ‘Electronics Everywhere into every school can be found here.

www.ukesf.org

*NEW RESEARCH* Infrastructure Services Predictions 2019

0
0

As we leave 2018 behind and TechMarketView’s Breaking the Boundaries theme, our analysis in 2019 will be framed by our new theme, The Year of the Relationship: Extend, Evolve, Optimise. In Infrastructure Services this emphasises the importance of internal organisational relations and mindset, customer empathy and focus, and deeper, more differentiating partnerships.

In 2019, we believe both suppliers and consumers of Infrastructure Services will need to think more deeply about how they interact with each component in their ecosystems. Every touch point must be optimised – from employees (and future employees), to customers, and partners. The emphasis should be on building more collaborative relationships with trust and joint responsibilities at the centre.year

Our Year of the Relationship theme also plays into our Predictions for 2019:

Hyperscalers deepen their relationship with chips to drive AI adoption
Following extensive investment activity by tech firms in AI chip technology, we expect to see the emergence of even more powerful and cost effective AI offerings. We do, however, believe this trend will not gather pace until later in 2019 – and beyond.  

More organisations get to grips with cloud economics
In 2019, more users of public cloud will attempt to develop a comprehensive understanding of the cost of these services through the application of cloud economics.

The successful players bring their people with them
In 2019, the gap between the best staffed IT service providers and those that are struggling to amass technologists in key growth areas will expand. In 2019, The Year of the Relationship will mean fostering a culture where individuals recognise the benefits of personal development and self-learning.

AI & automation will drive material Infrastructure Services savings
Through next year we expect to see material momentum in both AI and automation for Infrastructure Services, not least in the quality of service experienced by users. Automation and auto-resolution, for example, will dramatically reduce incident management time (by +50%), bringing vast improvements to the way End Users interact with the systems they work with.

Mindset remains a prime obstacle to digital advances
As more technologists accumulate real world experience in key digital areas, it is exposing how mindset more so than technology adoption is holding organisations back. There is, however, a stark dichotomy between those leaders/organisations that are open to substantial change and know how to prepare for it and those that continue to invest in false economies.

TechMarketView reserach clients can read Kate Hanaghan's full Predictions piece here: Infrastructure Services Predictions 2019

*NEW RESEARCH* NTT's Mid-Term Plan: NTT DATA UK implications

0
0

NTT DATA logoLast month, NTT announced its ‘Mid-Term Plan’. The plan builds on a previous announcement made in the summer (see NTT announces simplified structure) regarding the restructuring of the NTT Group operating companies. It unveils the next steps in the process in relation to the vision for One NTT’s global growth strategy and the corporate structure of NTT Inc.

The vision is based on “delivering high value solutions for business modernisation, driving innovation to challenge the status quo, and building on a global talent, brand trust and core values”.

At TechMarketView we were keen to understand the implications for the NTT DATA business, so put some questions to NTT DATA’s UK CEO, Simon Williams. Here we publish the interview and provide TechMarketView’s view on why it may be time to sit up and take notice of this thus-far relatively unknown player.

TechMarketView subscribers can download the latest research – NTT’s Mid-Term Plan: NTT DATA UK implications– now. If you are not yet a subscriber, please contact our Client Services team to understand how to get access to this valuable research.

Cognizant loses BFSI exec to LTI

0
0

logoVeteran Cognizant exec Nachiket Deshpande has jumped ship after nearly 20 years with the Teaneck, New Jersey-headquartered top tier Indian pure-play. He joins Mumbai-headquartered mid-tier IPP, LTI (aka Larsen & Toubro Infotech) as COO, succeeding Aftab Ullah, who left the business at the end of November after nearly three years in post.

Like his predecessor, who previously served as Global Delivery Head, Financial Services at Capgemini, Deshpande served in a similar role at Cognizant, most recently as Senior Vice President & Global Delivery Head – Banking & Financial Services. LTI derives almost half its revenues from the BFSI sector. Deshpande started his IT career at what is now Tech Mahindra.

Since joining LTI in 2015 as CEO after a long career at Infosys (see Infosys exec jumps ship to lead L&T Infotech), Sanjay Jalona has slowly but steadily revamped the top team, picking experienced execs from top-tier and other mid-tier players (see LTI on the march in the UK with new management). He clearly has good taste in management as LTI is enjoying double-digit growth and operating margins more in line with much larger players – including Cognizant (see Onwards and upwards for LTI). It seems Deshpande will be in very good company.

Draper Esprit growing faster

0
0

logoAfter reporting frenetic activity in H1 (see Draper Esprit keeping up the pace), London-headquartered pan-European tech investor Draper Esprit has kept its foot firmly on the accelerator with four more notable investments, three of which in UK businesses.

Besides leading a $13m Series B funding round for London payment processing platform developer, Form3 Financial Cloud (see Draper Esprit backs Form3), the VC, whose shares trade on AIM under the ticker GROW, participated in a £14.5m raise for UK crowdfunding site, Crowdcube. Draper Esprit also led even larger funding rounds for Cambridge-based, protein characterisation firm Fluid Analytics ($31m), and a just announced $40m raise for Paris-based construction industry software house, FINALCAD.

This is significant support for UK tech (OK, and French tech too!).

Interesting times in online real estate

0
0

logoBarely a week since 'digital' estate agency Emoov entered administration, self-styled "world’s leading hybrid real estate agency" Purplebricks reported a more than doubling of losses in H1 2019 (to 31st October 2018). As headline revenues soared 75% to £70.1m, net losses reached £25.6m, almost as much as they lost in the whole of the prior year. But unlike privately-held Emoov, which basically ran out of cash after acquiring two competitors, AIM-listed Purplebricks, which is chaired by Capita ex-CEO Paul Pindar, is still sitting rather pretty with over £100m cash in the bank after a £22m operating cash outflow in H1.

Also recently reporting half-time results was 'new kid on the block', OnTheMarket, which launched on AIM last February. With revenues of just £7m in the 6 months to 31st July, and net losses of similar magnitude (£5.7m) it would be fair to say the challenge is still ahead of the fledgling business. OnTheMarket had £24m of cash in the kitty after burning £5.4m cash in the period.

Earlier this year, market leader Zoopla Group, which also owns PrimeLocation as well as price comparison site uSwitch among other businesses, was taken private by Silver Lake, in a deal which valued the group at some £2.2bn. Zoopla had revenues of £280m in the year ended September 2017, with an 'adjusted' EBITDA of £109m.

Purplebricks' shares are down almost 8% to 138.5p as I write, valuing the stock at some £420m. Its shares have been in pretty much graceful decline sine their £5+ peak in July 2017, though still sit higher than the 100p IPO price back in 2015 (see Purplebricks looks for purple patch). OnTheMarket has come out in sympathy, it seems, with a share drop of over 5% to £106.5p, valuing the stock at some £65m. OnTheMarket's shares listed at 165p.


New year, new job! Great opportunities available at a multiple award-winning UK software house (Sponsored Post)

0
0

DCSL Software LogoDCSL Software is a leading UK software house, developing bespoke operational software, as well as SaaS solutions.

DCSL Software consistently delivers across all industries and into both established businesses and start-ups. The Company works with many well-known household names and has over two decades of successes and experiences to call upon.

We are currently recruiting for C#, .Net Core Senior Software Developers and Architects to join our rapidly expanding team working on a number of projects for Web, Mobile and Desktop applications with opportunities in Farnborough (Hampshire) and Central London (within walking distance of Waterloo station).

We are offering a competitive annual salary with additional benefits including 25 days paid holiday, Employer matched pension scheme, healthcare scheme, Tastecard+ membership and Cycle to Work scheme.

The vacancies can all be found on our careers page

If you would like to know more about our current vacancies, please contact our internal recruitment team, Moni or Amber, on recruitment@DCSLsoftware.com or give them a call on +44 (0) 1252 235 422.

www.dcslsoftware.com

RhythmOne H119 in line; structural changes ongoing

0
0

logoHaving appointed Mark Bonney as CEO in May with a remit to increase integration and value generation, adtech specialist RhythmOne ended H119 with progress on its objectives as revenue saw a 53% rise to $175m while net loss reduced substantially to $2.2m vs. $8.2m. The YuMe acquisition added $58.2m revenue and the period to 30 September 2018 included a full 6 months contribution from RhythmOne’s other key acquisition RadiumOne.

Results were in line with expectations which is reasonable given the changes the company is undergoing (the on-going shift to programmatic advertising and the development of a supply and demand side full stack), and the challenges the fragmented and consolidating online advertising market is facing which favours large and/or suppliers who can address both the demand and the supply side of the digital advertising sector. The company says the “majority” of its revenue is now connected to the programmatic platform that supports the programmatic trading that has become the norm for buying digital advertising.

The latest set of results are another sign that the RhythmOne transition programme is delivering but it still needs to get back into profitability so there is a way to go. Tough decisions are still being made – during H1 the London and California-based company pulled out of several geographies it deemed would not become profitable without sustained investment. The UK was one, along with Italy, Spain and Australia, so the centre of its focus is shifting. In terms of growth prospects, it has Mobile and Advanced TV (connected TV) and is also tackling the influencer marketing segment. It is increasingly a data driven business, which could lead to some interesting future directions.

WANdisco contract demo's need for practical digital enablers

0
0

logoIn our Enterprise Software Predictions 2019 we talked about organisations seeking ‘connector’ software as they look for practical ways to convert digital transformation plans into action. The latest contract win at WANdisco is an example of this trend in action.

The company has secured a three year, $3m subscription with a “major US health insurer” for WANdisco’s Fusion Big Data and cloud product. What is interesting from a digital action perspective is that Fusion is being used to ensure the customers’ live data streams are consistently and continuously available during migration to the cloud, Microsoft Azure in this instance. This is a prime example of a ‘connector’ application that tackles one of the practicalities within a digital change programme – in this case moving live data without interrupting business operations during the complex task of cloud migration. End user organisations need many ‘connector’ applications of different types to bring about digital change at scale.

For WANdisco this is a notable win because it is the largest cloud deal it has secured – and a much needed one given that its H1 results showed how bumpy the transition away from on-premise, up-front deals to cloud-based contracts is. It also came about through its co-selling relationship with Microsoft - as our 2019 "The Year of the Relationship" reearch theme illustrates, relationships matter.

*NEW RESEARCH* Financial Services Predictions 2019

0
0

TechMarketView’s research theme for 2019 is The Year of the Relationship: Extend, Evolve, Optimise, and it could hardly be more appropriate for the Financial Services sector.

As the FS space continues its technology-driven, transformative journey, the importance of relationships is writ large across so many elements of the industry and the marketplace. For banks and insurers,year and for providers of technology alike, the key challenge is the relationship with the customer. And it is a situation that has intensified as the barriers to entry for new market players (i.e. the Challenger Banks) have been significantly eroded, if not destroyed.

Customer acquisition, retention and engagement will ultimately decide the fate of many Financial Services providers. Whilst for the technology providers, the relevance and sustainability of their business models will depend on how quickly they can embrace services and solutions that facilitate business transformation. Supplier partner ecosystems have become the key to innovation, fast-tracking emerging technologies into the mainstream. Indeed, suppliers risk losing substantial deals if innovation and future proofing are not at the heart of the deal.

Our Year of the Relationship theme also plays into our Predictions for 2019:

Open Banking makes its presence felt
The impact of the UK’s Open Banking reforms will start to be felt as awareness grows and competition increases, initially within the lucrative payments space.

Cloud continues to accelerate
Cloud adoption will continue to accelerate throughout the UK FS sector during 2019.  Established providers within banking and insurance will increasingly temper their reservations in the face of significant business benefits and the imperative to transform their operations.

AI and cognitive will create more bespoke relationships with consumers
AI and cognitive technologies have become key areas of focus for FS over the last 24 months and robo-advisers will abound in 2019 as initiatives proliferate within the market (and the public may not even notice).

Regulators will wave the ‘big stick’ under the banner of GDPR
As yet, the regulators have not wielded their punitive weapon creating something of a period of grace following May 25th 2018 when the new GDPR rules came into force.  However, 2019 is likely to be the year the gloves come off in order to motivate the laggards and ensure FS providers follow through on their compliance obligations.

TechMarketView research clients can read the full Predictions piece here: Financial Services Predictions 2019.

*NEW RESEARCH* Public Sector Predictions 2019

0
0

Year of the Relationship logoOur research theme for 2019, The Year of the Relationship, is highly relevant to the public sector. Success in progressing transformation of public services will increasingly rely on the construction of mutually beneficial partnerships. Progress will require citizens, politicians, civil servants, commercial suppliers, and the third sector to work together more effectively.

Public sector organisations will have raised expectations of the value they derive from supplier relationships. Suppliers that acknowledge this and invest in stepping up to the bar, will be the ones that thrive.

The ability to form strong relationships built on trust, shared interests and shared values is applicable across all of the following predictions for 2019.

Brexit uncertainty

In 2019, much of what happens in the public sector will depend on how Brexit evolves. It will shape the year in such a way that making predictions about public sector software and services at this time is extremely challenging. However, we still believe, whatever the outcome, Brexit will create opportunities and it will be those suppliers that invested in building strong strategic relationships in the right departments that will benefit.

Financial challenges intensifying

Despite the Chancellor of the Exchequer proclaiming that austerity is coming to an end, for many public sector organisations that will feel a long way from the truth. Across all parts of the public sector significant challenges remain, and for many they will intensify in 2019. Suppliers will benefit from the necessity to improve efficiency and effectiveness through the appropriate application of technology, but only if they are willing to develop a relationship of trust with the customer and work in partnership to implement these changes.

Changes to public procurement

We will see further changes in public sector procurement in 2019. The transfer of risk will be more closely evaluated and there will be a growing demand to demonstrate both innovation and social value in bids. We will see an increasing proportion of public sector contracts routed via frameworks and further encouragement for SMEs to enter the market. Public sector organisations will need to manage relationships with an increasing number of suppliers.

Insourcing, interoperability and innovation

Across the public sector the trend for organisations moving away from large outsourcing contracts towards shorter-term, digital solution-led deals will continue. We will see more insourcing, particularly in local government, as well as a growing demand for more open, modular and interoperable solutions. As buyers become better informed of the potential for innovative technology, so suppliers will need to be better informed of public sector challenges, priorities and processes if they want to build successful relationships.

Artificial intelligence to the fore

It will be a crucial year for the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector, with the Government determined the UK should be leading the way in its adoption. Proof of concept trials and pilots will still dominate, but we will start to see the public sector move beyond chatbots and adopt AI more widely. It’s not necessarily the biggest companies that will make the greatest inroads; forming effective strategic relationships with academic partners and start-ups will become increasingly important.

PublicSectorViews subscribers can download the full version of our Public Sector Predictions 2019 now.

If you would like to find out if your organisation has a subscription or talk about getting access, please contact Deb Seth to find out more.

Viewing all 22530 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images