We asked our board of directors about their predictions for the next 12 months. They share their key learnings from the last year, what businesses and people should expect in 2023 and their advice for dealing with uncertainty, recession, cyber security, and other technology and business challenges.


​I’m much more positive about the outlook for 2024 than I was for 2023. Clearly there’s a significant global risk with possible escalation of conflict in Gaza and the Ukraine. However, I feel world leaders at all levels don’t have the appetite for escalation. The significant uncertainty lies in the occupants of No 10 and the White House. Perhaps the UK and USA both stand to benefit from a fresh perspective.

In 2024, it's clear that cyber risk needs to be the top priority for every CEO out there. With cyber criminals utilising AI to make their attacks more sophisticated and human-sounding, businesses are at an increased risk of falling victim to these attacks. Businesses really need to enhance their cyber security strategy. With this in mind last April we merged all our cyber expertise in to one entity under the brand CyberLab to better reflect our commitment to protecting our customers and growing our cyber security business.

Whilst I believe 2024 will see an improvement in the UK economy business leaders must remain focused on driving efficiency, improving productivity and collaboration by adopting better software and utilising AI where possible. Businesses also need to improve their infrastructure, evaluate how they use and store data to ensure the tools and software they use are truly optimised. Finally, they should make the most of financing options and upgrade their devices to ensure they are future fit to best fuel growth.

Have great year!

​The hype around AI will continue, and whilst there will be some good use cases, I think people underestimate the expense required to get their data in good enough shape to allow it free rein in their organisation, so adoption will be slow. One of these good use cases is, unfortunately, for cyber criminals, so watch out for more frequent and more sophisticated attacks next year.  

The switch to providing everything as a service will continue, as large organisations that have previously provided their products on a Cap Ex model switch to OP ex. These providers will increasingly use digital ecosystems to differentiate their product from their competitors, copying the success of retail brands such as Apple and Uber.

 

Decreases in personal taxation, static interest rates and both Conservative and Labour party manifestos around a determination to increase UK’s productivity in the coming years are all positive. Business confidence will grow in tandem with personal confidence and the appetite for growth may well become self-fulfilling. There is plenty of money in the economy than needs investing, which coupled with positive sentiment, will lead to growth and higher employment.

The challenge I see for many businesses is around how to cater for what looks a long-term demand for hybrid working alongside a clear need to find a better way to motivate, educate, nurture, and develop younger talent in organisations. On this basis, communication will become more important than ever and a robust infrastructure of systems and security alongside that will be vital. To encourage people back to the office on at least a routine frequency we must make workspaces more exciting and more collaborative. So, more of the same really – effective, reliable, and secure solutions for UK business and people to grow will be key!​

From a business perspective 2023 for many of us, I think was a period of uncertainty and there was a degree of caution in decision making whilst things like interest rates, inflation and political unrest seemed to rattle the foundations of underlying business principles on which companies had previously traded. As I look forward to 2024 some of my predictions are below.

Finally, the penny will drop on the immediacy of the upcoming PSTN closure. Even if as some say a decision is made to delay the closure of this legacy network, I am pretty sure no such announcement will come in 2024 and I think there will be significant increase in companies deciding they can leave it no longer and they need to future proof their business.

AI will be continue to be a watchword for 2024. We will all both consciously and subconsciously use AI more in both our professional and personal lives, but the real work I think will be with organisations to ensure the data they collect is accurate and aligned to what is required for AI to help achieve business goals. AI only works if the information it gathers and analyses is the right information for the intended purpose. Many organisations I think underestimate the work to be done here.

The roll out of FTTP to business premises will continue to be slow and I believe we will see further growth in the use of alternative connectivity solutions such as mobile networks and satellite. Prices will drop and availability will increase as competitors try to grow their share of the connectivity market.

I think UK business will continue struggle to employ much of the technical skills that it will need to drive growth ambitions and therefore I see a continued focus on looking externally at suppliers who can be trusted to integrate their skills seamlessly into an organisation and plug the gaps that would otherwise delay growth and development. I see such areas being IT support, customer support, digital transformation and in-house development.

Finally, I predict a change of government in 2024. I think patience has run out with the current cabinet and people will vote for change at the next general election. The adage being if you keep doing the same thing with the same people then you will inevitably get the same results. I can also see Donald Trump packing his bags for the Whitehouse again, which will I am sure create a mix or excitement and concern for our friends across the pond – Lets wait to see!

 


As momentum increases to switch to IP Telephony due to the 2025 PSTN switch off we continue to see customers reviewing and upgrading their Connectivity infrastructure to deliver on ever increasing  bandwidth requirements and ensure resilience to run their critical Business Applications.

With the resurgence of 100% Capital Allowance against investment in equipment announced in the Autumn statement, I predict Companies will look to take full advantage and upgrade to the latest tech with faster operating systems and smart tech such as programable power down saving on electricity costs.

Artificial Intelligence can be an invaluable business tool, however in the wrong hands it can also be a significant threat to Business Security. Voice cloning programs are emerging on the Web that can create a full vocabulary within 30 seconds. However, we have technology to screen calls within milliseconds which identifies suspicious and known numbers used in fraudulent activity which can be automatically terminated and barred for future occurrence. The Platform uses Machine Learning and AI to provide live updates to the database. With 1 Billion nuisance calls made in 2020 which we predict will significantly increase we are in discussion with numerous customer to help them mitigate this risk.

To summarise, as a business leader, you should focus on retaining your people, improving your security, and driving success with technology. We can help you on your journey, whatever your strategy is for 2024 and advise on you the best technology for your organisation. Contact our expert team and book your FREE technology consultation today.