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As we highlighted in our Top Ten Tech Predictions for 2022, the carbon footprint spotlight is swinging towards AI/ML technology as sustainability considerations reach deeper into all areas of business, economy, society - and technology.
AI/ML is both angel and demon when it comes to carbon emissions – it has an expanding carbon footprint itself as a result of increased development, model training and usage, yet also plays a role in helping reduce carbon emissions. AI/ML’s carbon footprint is an important topic and one that we’ll no doubt address through 2022. In the meantime, a conversation with Yonatan Geifman, CEO and co-founder of deep learning Tel Aviv startup Deci.ai, provides initial food for thought around designing models for efficiency and how carbon impact is not restricted to model training. The positive news is that improved efficiency can also be better for the environment.
Check out Carbon spotlight swinging towards AI/ML technology for more on this topic.
This HotViewsExtra note, along with all other HotViewsExtra posts, is available to TechMarketView subscribers including those who take UKHotViews Premium. If you don’t have a subscription you can contact Deb Seth for details.
Posted by Angela Eager at '08:19' - Tagged: startup AI sustainability
At TechMarketView we are always delighted to report on the continued growth of Venture Capital (VC) investment into UK and Irish tech companies. Subscribers to our Foundation Service and HotViews Premium streams can read our full analysis of Q3 2021 Venture Capital in UK and Irish tech here, with data supplied by Corporate Finance firm Ascendant. At a headline level, Q3 2021 saw a slight dip QoQ on the record-breaking Q2 - but Q3 deal volume was still up 35% and aggregate value up a massive 230% on the equivalent figures in Q3 2020.
However, what is also clear is that the boom in VC funding is not evenly spread. The recent State of European Tech report by VC firm Atomico, covering venture activity in Europe (including the UK), celebrates the growth in VC investment right across the continent, which is now starting to rival the more established US venture ecosystem. However the report also points out numerous inequalities in access to that investment, highlighting concerns of many entrepreneurs who do not believe that the system has made progress when it comes to providing opportunities to individuals so far under-represented.
The data-set supplied to us quarterly by Ascendant covers investment into UK and Irish tech only. It does not track data by founders or management but does showcase the continued heavy focus of UK VC investment into London start-ups, with the capital accessing on occasion as much as three quarters of all UK and Irish tech VC value.
This lack of diversity in geography, gender and other measures matters because VC investment will never achieve its full impact as long as all founder and management groups are not appropriately represented. Innovations will never make it to market and entrepreneurs will leave the innovation economy and never become the role models that the next generation needs to inspire them in turn to pursue careers in tech. Given the enormous transformative potential of VC, that would indeed be a disappointing outcome.
We explore this in more detail in HotViews Extra, which is available to all subscribers including HotViews Premium readers.
Posted by Tania Wilson at '19:43' - Tagged: funding startup
During our research, we’ve seen the frequency of terms such as human-centric technology, human experience, a human centred approach to AI/ML and ambient intelligence increase. And in our Top 10 Tech Predictions for 2022 we highlighted how Augmented Intelligence is moving the ‘humanisation’ of technology forward.
This is an emerging approach to AI/ML technologies. Augmented Intelligence is not so much a market segment as an indication of the way AI/ML is evolving and how use cases are changing. TechMarketView believes suppliers should be mindful of this development when forward planning (strategies, resources, training, product and service development) so as to avoid capability gaps that could undermine the ability to meet customers’ ever evolving requirements. It is also positioned to play an influential role in the ’office/home-office of the now’ as organisations and individuals adjust to different ways of working.
In our report Augmented Intelligence: Developments and Directions, we examine how the Augmented Intelligence approach is influencing the way systems are designed, how it is impacting skills development and the workplace; and considerations for suppliers as they prepare for this next phase of AI /ML development.
If you are a TechSectorViews subscriber you can download the report here, if not you can contact Deb Seth who can provide information about how to access this report and our full range of services.
Posted by Angela Eager at '13:51' - Tagged: analytics AI machinelearning
Banking is the largest segment within UK financial services and accounted for more than 40% of the total SITS spend in 2020. Amid a growing number of transformational initiatives and a shift towards external vendors, there are increasing signs that the market may be performing significantly ahead of previous growth expectations.
Banking Sector SITS Suppliers, Trends and Forecasts explores the major business and technology trends impacting the UK banking sector and provides analysis and commentary in respect of the key themes.
The report examines of the performance of the market for SITS within UK banking and provides forecasts for expenditure through to 2024. Also incorporating rankings (by revenue) for the leading vendors, the report highlights the shifting balance of power as the business and technology needs of the sector evolves.
Subscribers to TechMarketView's FinancialServicesViews research stream can download this report now. If you are a SITS vendor or active in the banking sector, this report provides essential insights into the key market trends and the supplier landscape.
If you do not currently have access to this report but would like to learn more about this, or any other of our financial services content, please contact Deb Seth for more information.
Posted by Jon C Davies at '08:26' - Tagged: payments banking buildingsocieties
About four years ago, Agilisys developed the Agilisys Cloud Development Programme. In response to a clear shortage in cloud development skills, the company decided to stop relying on external talent and start growing its own. The programme will soon take on its third cohort of 15 trainees. And it has been rebadged as: Agilisys Cloud Academy. This first Academy has been such a resounding success that it is set to spawn a family of Agilisys Academies.
In January, the Agilisys Data Academy will launch. And this will be followed a few weeks later by the Agilisys CXM Academy. Ahead of the launch of the Agilisys Data Academy, TechMarketView’s Chief Analyst Georgina O’Toole spoke with Mara Raposo, Agilisys Data & Insight Consultant, and Gareth Watson, Agilisys’ Director of Talent Acquisition, about the Agilisys Academies, their mission and objectives, their approach, and the lessons learnt over the last few years.
If you are a TechMarketView subscriber – including to TechMarketView’s UKHotViews Premium Service – you can read our insights in UKHotViewsExtra: Agilisys Academies for Workforce Resilience: Cloud, Data, and CXM. If you are not yet a subscriber – or are unsure if your organisation has a corporate subscription – please contact Deb Seth to find our how to access this research and more.
Posted by Georgina O'Toole at '12:20' - Tagged: cloud skills recruitment training digital data CXM
Each year, at this time, I give a report on the Holway Portfolio.
Performance in last 12 years
The Holway Portfolio has risen 690% in the 12 years since 1st Jan 2010. BTW - That excludes Dividends which have been rising the period.
Best performers held throughout were Amazon, Apple and Microsoft. Best shares held for part of that 12 years were ARM, Tesla and Kainos.
Worst were Capita and Micro Focus.
You could have done better if had bought #ATT (where I was a director from 2007-2019) on 1st Jan 2010. You would have enjoyed a 1250% gain to date. All Hail Walter Price and his team in SF
Performance in 2021
2021 turned out to be relatively disappointing year for the Holway Portfolio. Up just 10% in the year. So I did worse than all the major indices. Walter Price at #ATT beat me again – but only marginally with a 14% increase in their share price.
Best performers in the Holway Portfolio in 2021 were Kainos, Microsoft and Apple: My second largest shareholding is in Amazon which rose a meagre 2.6% in 2021 YTD and significantly affected the Holway Portfolio performance overall.
Worst performers in 2021 were Blue Prism, Micro Focus and BT.
Privates
My investments in private start-ups and scale-ups have taken the lion’s share of my new investments in recent years – in part as a result of being a partner at ScaleUp Group. This year SUG had its first exit at Cloudtrade where the return was c8x.
Separately, I exited from Kimble registering a c9x gain.
As both of these were EIS investments, the equivalent gains after tax relief were even higher.
Outlook?
Another year on and another Covid crisis. When will it ever end?
C-19 has cemented tech’s position at the centre of our lives. Although the stellar gains of the last few years are unlikely to be repeated, I still see tech performing relatively well compared to the market as a whole. But we could be in for a fairly major ‘correction’ in markets and that will affect tech too.
My directly managed equity investments are only about 15% of my total investments. I intend to 'hang on' as I have always invested for the long term.
But if equities are a significant part of your assets...Hold onto your hats.
Extended version
A significantly extended version of this article is available on HotViews Extra. See Holway Portfolio Performance in 2021.
This is available to all subscribers including HotViews Premium which costs just £395 pa + VAT. To subscribe CLICK HERE.
Posted by Richard Holway at '10:50'
Recently TechMarketView spoke to Darren Curry, Chief Digital Officer at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), and Rachel Murphy, CEO at Difrent, about their work to deliver the next phase of the NHS Jobs recruitment platform.
The NHSBSA provides central services to NHS bodies, patients, and the public, including the NHS Jobs service. It is an Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care, and manages over £35bn of NHS spend annually.
Difrent, part of the TPXimpact (formerly The Panoply), is a Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based digital service delivery specialist. It has been working with NHSBSA since 2017 when it secured a small discovery project to identify a proposed target architecture for a new service to replace the existing NHS Jobs platform.
In this HotViewsExtra article we take a look at how the partnership between the two organisations is transforming the way that applicants apply for NHS roles. Available to TechMarketView subscribers, including those signed up to UKHotViewsPremium. If you are not yet a subscriber, please contact Deb Seth to find out how to access this and much more.
Posted by Dale Peters at '09:38' - Tagged: nhs digital healthcare partnership
Q3 2021 marked another strong quarter for VC investment into tech companies in the UK and Ireland, according to data from Corporate Finance firm Ascendant. Despite volume and aggregate value of investment dipping slightly below the record highs set in Q2, the 326 deals in Q3 2021 nonetheless represented a significant 35% uptick on the Q3 2020 figure of 241, whilst the aggregate value of £6.1bn in Q3 2021 is a phenomenal 230% increase on the £1.85bn invested a year previously.
The latest edition of IndustryViews Venture Capital has more detail, along with commentary on selected UK tech venture funding deals.
Posted by Tania Wilson at '08:00' - Tagged: funding startup
Our latest analysis of the UK government's updated National Cyber Strategy details the measures being taken to encourage the expansion and improvement of the country's cyber security provision in the face of escalating attacks.
The new three year framework aims to help the UK build and maintain world class cyber security defences and establish a pool of professional talent and ambitious start-ups that will contribute to the country’s economic expansion and digital expertise.
It replaces the previous five year National Cyber Security Strategy which was supported by £1.9bn of funding but was criticised by the National Audit Office (NAO) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for lacking a business case and failing to demonstrate value for money. The latest framework shares much of the same ambition with a few notable differences, but will its success be any easier to measure?
TechMarketView subscribers, including those signed up to UKHotViewsPremium, can read our initial analysis of the newly launched framework in our HotViewsExtra “Government updates National Cyber Security strategy” here. If you are not yet a subscriber, please contact Deb Seth to find out how to access this and much more.
Posted by Martin Courtney at '06:32' - Tagged: skills policy government cybersecurity
Unit4 has long talked about the ‘people experience’ and invested heavily in its ERPx platform to deliver it. The reality of what that means was shared at the recent X4U event where it was clear there is a very human perspective, a viewpoint that is coming to the forefront of individual and corporate consciences. And as you can see from our TechMarketView Top Ten Tech Predictions, the humanisation of tech is one of the trends we expect to see more of during 2022.
With deepening interest in the ‘human experience’ Unit4 is exploring the concept of how we can be better versions of ourselves, as organisations and as individuals. Tech-supported productivity and efficiency have not been abandoned but its perspective is that there is more to how we function than that. COVID-driven experiences are playing a marked role, with Unit4 CEO Mike Ettling highlighting the “great acceleration” – towards hybrid events and work modes, that are influencing house buying trends as individuals realise they have more choice about where and how they live and work, and the related accelerated level of resignations as individuals look for a better work/life balance. For their part, organisations are also adapting in order to position themselves to thrive and improving the employee experience (EX) is an important part of that.
For more on Unit4 and the human-side of tech, TechMarketView subscribers can read “A very human perspective from Unit4” in HotViewsExtra. You can contact Deb Seth to find out more about our research and related services if you don’t have a subscription.
Posted by Angela Eager at '15:14' - Tagged: cloud software AI integration ML
We are looking for technology industry analysts to join the growing TechMarketView team. Could this be you or someone you know?
The successful candidates will be part of our analyst team and will work closely with our research directors to deliver research and analysis for our clients on the UK tech market. Applicants should have an interest in the UK tech market, enjoy writing, and have an analytical approach. Some experience of either the financial services or public sector tech markets would be an added bonus.
As an analyst, you will be writing content for our daily newsletter and contributing to research reports, so in addition to excellent writing skills you’ll need to be good at working to deadlines and paying attention to detail. As part of the role, you’ll also be involved in analysing company finances and helping to prepare our market sizing data, so you’ll need to be comfortable with spreadsheets too.
The position may suit someone wishing to move into the analyst world from a journalism or market intelligence background.
We’re a small, friendly team and the right candidates will have the opportunity to grow into the roles and develop expertise in specific areas of the market.
We envisage the role/s being full-time, but we’re flexible and could tailor the position for the right candidates. We all work remotely from home – and always have – but you may be required to travel to meetings in London or in the M25 area from time to time.
If you think this could be you, please email our Chief Research Officer, Kate Hanaghan - khanaghan@techmarketview.com - to tell us about yourself, enclosing either a link to your LinkedIn profile or a CV (or both!) before 4 January.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '10:16'
Last week, The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published its report, “Challenges in implementing digital change”. You can read the report here. Across UK Government it paints a picture of Government departments lacking ambition in their digital transformation agendas. But, at the same time, often failing when attempts are made to tackle large scale programmes...
TechMarketView subscribers (including UKHotViews Premium subscribers) can read the views of our Chief Analyst, Georgina O'Toole, on the report in this latest UKHotViewsExtra from the PublicSectorViews team: PAC on Government digital change challenges. If you are not yet a subscriber - or are unsure if your company has a corporate subscription to our services - please contact Deb Seth to find out more.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '17:07' - Tagged: centralgovernment skills legacy public+sector digital+transformation
TechMarketView’s UK Health Software & IT Services: Suppliers, Trends & Forecasts 2021-2024 report is the fourth of six deep-dive reports providing TechMarketView’s UK public sector SITS subsector analysis from a market and supplier perspective.
The report accompanies the UK Public Sector Software & IT Services: Suppliers, Trends & Forecasts 2021-2024 report, which provides a sector overview, and follows the recently published reports on the Central Government, Defence, and Local & Regional Government SITS markets. Over the next few weeks, it will be followed by reports covering the Police and Education markets.
Within the Health report you will find TechMarketView’s Top 10 SITS suppliers rankings for this part of the public sector in 2020. You will also find our analysis of suppliers that are 'On the Rise' and challenging for a Top 10 position. We also look at 'Ones to Watch'; suppliers that are worthy of mention due to some interesting moves and/or an increasingly significant footprint.
As a result of the pandemic, growth in the Health SITS market has been dramatic. Investment in solutions to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic, such as contact tracing, the testing programme, vaccination management and the rush to remote ways of working, resulted in the market growing strongly in 2020. Growth remains strong over our forecast period to 2024 as the health service seeks to manage the immense pressure from COVID-19, the waiting list for elective care, and the ongoing challenges of an ageing population with increasingly complex needs, and skills shortages.
In this report we look at some of the trends in the Health SITS market, including the rush to invest in innovative startups; the impact of the Wade-Gery Review; the integration of health and care, including the growing importance of Integrated Care Systems; the progress in digital mental health solutions; and the role of data, analytics and AI in addressing challenges in the sector.
PublicSectorViews’ subscribers can download the research today. If you are not yet a subscriber, or are unsure if your company has a subscription, please contact Deb Seth to find out how you can access the research.
Posted by Dale Peters at '08:57' - Tagged: nhs health research report healthcare
Saturday's edition of The Times reported on an initiative by lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman to establish a coding college without lecturers, where students pay no fees and learn by playing computer games.
The first campus of the college opened six months ago in London with 65 students selected out of 6,000 applicants. The two-year course is entirely free for students, with around half on means-tested support. Graduates are guaranteed a job with one of the corporate partners of the initiative. Encouragingly, The Times reports that about a third of the current student intake is female, which is about three times the average on computer science degree courses.
TechMarketView has long advocated the need for new initiatives to tackle the skills gap in the tech sector. The Learning & Work Institute has described the current lack of technical skills in the workforce as "catastrophic", as we reported earlier in the year. Indeed, we would argue that improving the tech skills base of the UK workforce is essential to increasing economic productivity, which was described as "dire" in a recent report by the Resolution Foundation and the LSE.
In this context, Hoberman's initiative is to be thoroughly applauded. The learning model - whereby students teach themselves and each other through computer challenges, without the support of lecturers - won't appeal to every prospective computing student. But judging by the number of applicants, it will still appeal to a very great number - and indeed may encourage some who may have been put off by a more traditional learning path. And the fact that it is industry-led should ensure the curriculum remains relevant to what is really needed by business.
Hoberman's ambition is to train 100,000 software programmers by 2030 in campuses around the country. Let's hope he is successful.
Posted by Tania Wilson at '08:55' - Tagged: skills training resilience
Our latest research report - Opportunities in 5G for UK Telcos and SITS Suppliers - analyses the scope for both existing providers and new market entrants to build or expand new or additional revenue streams through the implementation and/or operation of private fifth generation (5G) cellular networks and edge compute infrastructure and services for enterprise customers in the UK.
Telcos and mobile network operators (MNOs) have spent large sums of money buying spectrum licenses to operate fifth generation (5G) mobile networks in the UK, and must now find ways to recoup that investment by coaxing customers into using them. Subsequent revenue and profit margins will rely to a certain extent on consumer 4G upgrades. But the longer term bet is firmly on 5G enabled enterprise services that deliver the capacity, performance, latency and reliability to support a much broader range of business focused applications.
Those 5G networks will rely less on the dedicated telecommunications hardware of the past, and more on virtualised components enabled by software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization technology (NFV). Telcos will need help to configure, deploy and manage that infrastructure, and software and IT service (SITS) suppliers are in a strong position to help while simultaneously navigating the new threat to their own applications and services that a new generation of network operators will now present.
TechMarketView subscribers can access the report Opportunities in 5G for UK Telcos and SITS Suppliers here. If you are not yet a subscriber, please contact Deb Seth to find out how to access this and much more.
Posted by Martin Courtney at '08:24' - Tagged: sits research 5G EdgeComputing telecommunications
We are very pleased to advise that our recent TechMarketView Innovation Partner Programme (TIPP) partner search campaign for Edinburgh-headquartered blockchain-based data sharing platform supplier, SICCAR, was an outstanding success (see Success story: SICCAR).
This was the ninth TIPP since its launch in 2018, and we are proud of our unbroken record of achievement in introducing our clients to credible potential partnership candidates.
We promised to offer a ‘mention in despatches’ to any company responding to the opportunity to talk to SICCAR. Many thanks to those who gave us permission to publish their names.
They are:
We are currently running our tenth TIPP, helping InterSystems find potential partners offering Supply Chain Management solutions and services (see here). Established in 1978 and headquartered in the US, InterSystems is the leading provider of data technology for extremely critical data in the healthcare, finance, and manufacturing and supply chain sectors. This is the second partner search campaign we have run for InterSystems (see Success story: InterSystems UK).
We will be launching more TechMarketView Innovation Partner Programme partner search campaigns on behalf of clients in the New Year. Contact TechMarketView Managing Partner Anthony Miller if you’d like us to find partners for your business.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '06:00'
There are two very striking aspects to Cardiff-headquartered Elite ServiceNow partner, FlyForm. Firstly, the company is growing incredibly strongly. Secondly, at its heart is the belief that a company can operate in a highly socially responsible way and still achieve financial success.
Next year, revenue is set to almost double from this year’s £11m. The company (which became a full-time pursuit for co-founders Phil Davies and Arron Davies in 2017) has been the recipient of a variety of awards, including being named the fastest growing technology and digital business in Wales by Fast Growth 50.
The market for ServiceNow licences/services is extremely fast-growing. ServiceNow itself continues to grow apace (see Q3 results herald stellar year for ServiceNow) and many of those within its partner ecosystem are enjoying the benefits of very buoyant market conditions. That said, FlyForm is growing faster than (or has caught up with) many of those players. As an Elite partner, it ‘bumps up against’ many of the UK’s large services players, including fellow Elite partners Fujitsu and Atos, and Global Elite providers such as Deloitte. It is fair to say FlyForm is making a name for itself while delighting customers (with high customer satisfaction scores as measured by ServiceNow).
With a strong focus in UK Public Sector, FlyForm is absolutely motoring at the moment. So what is the secret to its success and what might its future look like?
Subscribers can read more here…..FlyForm delivers on profits and purpose.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '09:45' - Tagged: publicsector workflow growth government socialvalue
As highlighted with the launch of our 2022 Research Theme – Building Resilience – the UK’s national resilience has been tested throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: the economy was disrupted, supply chains were impacted, and systems, procedures and processes were put under strain.
As we head into 2022, TechMarketView’s PublicSectorViews team believes that many of the trends we will witness will relate to the UK Government’s determination to strengthen our national resilience. That will mean a focus on an array of types of resilience and technology will play its part across the board.
In our UK Public Sector Predictions, we have considered how the tech market will be impacted by: the pursuit of financial and economic resilience and the desire to ‘Build Back Better’; of strategic and operational resilience and the desire to be able to plan more effectively and develop policy dynamically and at pace; of ICT & cyber resilience and the need to respond to increased vulnerability; of workforce and supplier resilience and the need to continue delivering public services despite a dearth of resource; of societal & community resilience and the increasing acceptance of the benefits of an integrated ‘whole-of-society’ approach, e.g. in crisis planning; of environmental resilience and the need to adapt to climate change; and of supply chain resilience and the increasing frequency of supply chain disruption.
Our analysis shows that, as public sector organisations seek to strengthen their ability to respond to these wide-ranging challenges, there are some common threads. There will need to be improved collaboration and integration, not just across Government, but with the wider public sector, industry, and the voluntary sector. There will need to be a coordinated response across national and local government organisations. And there will need to be far better use of data so that public sector organisations, communities, and individuals can effectively anticipate, react, and recover from shocks. Our PublicSectorViews team has identified the tech opportunities that will arise as a result, giving you a better chance to plan ahead and be a beneficiary of related public sector spend.
TechMarketView subscribers can read UK Public Sector Predictions for 2022: Building National Resilience now. If you are not yet a subscriber or are not sure if your organisation has a corporate subscription, please contact Deb Seth now to find out more.
Posted by Georgina O'Toole at '08:00' - Tagged: predictions public+sector
As the global economy continues to come to terms with the long-term effects of the pandemic and so many "new normals", TechMarketView’s research theme for 2022 of Building Resilience appears to be writ large across many emerging developments.
Looking forward to the year ahead, and further beyond, business model innovation and technology-driven change will remain familiar themes across UK financial services. Coupled with these ubiquitous elements, a variety of other forces are expected to start impacting the sector and influencing technology decisions as transformative change becomes even more pervasive.
Against this backdrop, you can explore our latest annual predictions for the sector by downloading Financial Services Predictions 2022.
Our analysis explores the increasingly challenging environment for employers, as a focus on customers and the quality of service provision moves up the agenda within financial services. Meanwhile, with concerns over sustainability coming to the fore, and a burgeoning ecosystem of third party service providers exerting an ever greater influence, we examine how M&A will be key to the strategic objectives of many organisations.
If you are not currently a subscriber but would like access to this report or any other of our services, please contact Deb Seth for more information.
Posted by Jon C Davies at '07:46' - Tagged: insurance banking financialmarkets wealthmanagement
Today TechMarketView launches its Top Ten Tech Predictions for 2022, compiled by our TechSectorViews analyst team.
Drawing on our research theme for next year, Building Resilience, the Predictions consider the role of new and emerging technology in supporting the drive for greater resilience. Resiliency relates to many factors, and ensuring an organisation is ‘fit for the future’ is not an overnight task; and it is not just about technology, but purpose and people too.
The Predictions consider some of the most pressing challenges facing the market, including governance, skills, and supply chain restraints, and explain how some of these issues might be resolved. There are broader challenges too, such as the sustainability imperative and how approaches such as Augmented Intelligence are contributing to the humanisation of tech.
From the second half of 2020, we saw a bounce back in Software and IT Services spend as organisations responded accordingly having emerged from the response phase of the pandemic. What the pandemic has not done is halt the focus many firms have on growth. Indeed, TechMarketView’s analysis of 2021 data - combined with our work with tech buyers - indicates that it has been a bumper year for the SITS market.
However, behind the scenes, some organisartions are ‘unpicking’ certain approaches rapidly put in place as an immediate response to the lockdowns and pandemic. More generally, consideration is being given to resiliency in its broadest sense (tech and non-tech) - including important issues such as social value, long-term skills development, excellence in customer experience, data literacy, and cyber safety. These remain ongoing challenges that many will endeavour to tackle in 2022.
TechSectorViews clients can read the Predictions in full here: Top Ten Tech Predictions 2022.
On Thursday and Friday we publish our Predictions for the Financial Services and Public Sector verticals respectively.
To become a client, please contact Deb Seth.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '09:30'
I caught up recently with Mark James, the UK General Manager of CAST Software, following the publication of the vendor’s latest quarterly results. CAST is a specialist provider of “software intelligence” supporting decision making around the modernisation of key software assets.
CAST provides clients with actionable insights relating to their custom-built applications and works with a range of major systems integrators, including Capgemini, CGI, IBM, Infosys and Wipro as well as leading advisory firms such as Accenture, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, EY and PwC. Increasingly, the intelligence that CAST provides relates to the cloud-readiness of systems and the work-effort metrics associated with any subsequent migration process.
TechMarketView clients, including HotViewsPremium subscribers, can read more now by downloading my latest UKHotViewsExtra 'CAST proves the "devil's in the detail" when it comes to cloud migration'. The article explores the software intelligence trend in more detail and discusses CAST's capabilities, including the vendor's increasingly important niche amongst private equity firms.
If you do not currently have access but are interested in this UKHotViewsExtra or other of our services, please contact Deb Seth for more information.
Posted by Jon C Davies at '07:00' - Tagged: CAST
Attrition among every single one of the top-tier Indian Heritage Providers (IHPs) rocketed last quarter as a combination of a ramp in client demand coupled with a work-from-home induced slump in employee loyalty saw staff walking out the virtual door at record levels.
In the latest edition of OffshoreViews, we look at attrition and hiring trends among the offshore services ‘majors’.
OffshoreViews also includes our regular summary of the top-tier and mid-tier IHP reporting season, along with insightful charts showing multiyear trends for the Top Tier players and an clickable index to relevant UKHotViews posts.
Subscribers to the TechMarketView Foundation Service can download OffshoreViews Q3 2021 Review right here, right now!.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '06:00' - Tagged: offshore
For almost two years, we have all had to sustain a level of personal and business resilience beyond anything we ever expected. So many of us have ‘dug deep’ and, indeed, continue to press on through the uncertainties as we approach the end of one year and the start of another.
In business, corporate resilience took on a new meaning in 2021. In sectors such as travel and hospitality, we saw incredible innovation and collaboration as businesses sought to bring revenue streams back to life - unaware of when ‘normality’ might return. Meanwhile in Government, the nation’s resilience was tested as the economy was disrupted, supply chains were impacted, and systems, procedures and processes were placed under incredible strain.
After such an experience, we cannot expect a return to the way things were. Furthermore, we expect - and indeed urge - organisations to re-assess their modus operandi and examine the ways in which they can infuse greater resilience across the board.
TechMarketView’s Research Theme for 2022 is Building Resilience. Resiliency has many aspects, and our theme reflects the need to prepare not only for low-probability, high-impact events (such as a pandemic) but for the day-to-day as well. Over the course of 2022, we expect this increased focus on resilience to result in an increased reliance on technology in decision making, in the design of new offerings, in the delivery of goods and services, and in internal and external communications. As such, tech suppliers will find themselves at the heart of ensuring organisations are fit for the future.
Against this backdrop - and starting from tomorrow - TechMarketView will be releasing its Predictions for 2022. Clients will be able to read both our broad market Top Ten Predictions, and our specific Predictions for both the Public Sector and the Financial Services sector. Stay tuned this week…..
Not a TechMarketView client? Please contact Deb Seth to find out more.
Posted by HotViews Editor at '09:30' - Tagged: predictions
Summary
The problem with doing a monthly share performance roundup is that it can disguise turbulence within the month. On the surface, a mere 0.6% rise in NASDAQ and a 1.9% rise in the FTSE Software and Computing Services Index (which most closely tracks the UKHQed stocks we follow on HotViews) looks pretty benign. But the existence of the omicron C-19 variant was only publicly acknowledged a week ago. Since then it has sent shock waves through both the markets – and the lives of every citizen.
As I write, I think it is fair to say that nobody really knows how serious this variant will be. If the worst fears are born out then we are certainly in for a pretty rough time (again) The effects on the shares of those involved in travel, hospitality etc are easy to predict. Indeed we have already seen major falls in the likes of IAG, Carnival etc. But tech is more difficult. Indeed, tech was a major gainer during previous C-19 lockdowns. It could well see the same bounce again. However, I am reminded of a speech given by Philip Hughes of Logica many decades ago when we were facing (yet another) recession in the UK. He said ‘Don’t forget, we all drink out of the same soup bowl’. If our clients are affected, then we will suffer too. Indeed many tech companies serving specific vertical industries suffered badly from the knock on effects of C-19 on their core customers in 2020.
The Future?
All I can say is that the future outlook for stock markets seems more uncertain than it was only a month ago. Before there was optimism that we might, at last, see an end to the C-19 tunnel. Now we seem to be plunged into darkness once again.
Inflation and interest rate rises were on the cards. Will Omicron put paid to that in the short term? Will Tech gain from another lockdown as it did last time? Or will the travails of its major customers in the most affected sectors curtail growth?
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Posted by Richard Holway at '09:58'
Merger and acquisition activity in the UK software and IT services (SITS) sector rose again in Q3 2021, according to data from technology investment bank Silverpeak. There were 123 acquisitions by and 140 sales of UK companies, up from 100 and 122 respectively in Q2 and on a par with the previous peak of 114 and 141 respectively in Q1.
As discussed in our Q2 2021 report, the dip seen in Q2 was likely due to deals having been accelerated in Q1 in anticipation of changes to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime in the March budget, which in the end did not come to pass. That led to speculation of changes in the October budget, which may in turn have driven deals higher again in Q3.
Subscribers to the TechMarketView Foundation Service and UKHotViews Premium can read more by downloading the Q3 2021 edition of IndustryViews Corporate Activity
Posted by Tania Wilson at '09:34' - Tagged: acquisition M&A
TechMarketView is helping InterSystems find partners with Supply Chain Management solutions and services. Could this be you?
InterSystems, one of the world’s most trusted data management platform providers, wants to expand its partnership ecosystem with suppliers of Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions to create and support new customer relationships and to position itself as an innovator and disruptor within the supply chain and logistics sector.
Apply for an outstanding opportunity to partner with InterSystems to build and bring a joint SCM technology offering to market.
We will be running ‘live’ pitch sessions in London during February 2022 to prequalify companies that are the best fit for a strategic partnership with InterSystems.
To fit the brief, you should provide solutions and/or services to the supply chain and logistics sector, serving SMEs and enterprises predominantly in the UK&I market. Ideally you should be generating revenues of at least £20m p.a. or have a credible plan to get there.
Application form: www.techmarketview.com/scmpartners
Applications close on 14th January 2022
Further information is available on the TechMarketView website at www.techmarketview.com/scmtipp or contact TechMarketView Managing Partner Anthony Miller
Posted by Anthony Miller at '06:00'
