Device decisions: Shipments of new technologies show change in direction

Think about business in the early PC era, when many companies were just learning how to take advantage of the capable new technologies. Computers were bulky, immovable devices, and cell phones similarly weighty – but also lacking in capability. What's more, IT security would often fall by the wayside.

Times have certainly changed, and the latest generations of computers enable companies to do a lot more with a lot less. To reinforce this fact, a PricewaterhouseCoopers study explained that technology could play a key role in driving innovation and business growth. Allow us to explain.

Constant refinement

Smaller batteries and faster processors have led to the devices we have today, and it's easy to see the impact these advances have had on businesses across the globe.

Powerful and more mobile technology benefits companies.

Salespeople won't be seen without an iPhone, as it holds all contact, sales and web information, and marketers use laptops and tablets to showcase work to potential clients.

These devices continue to get better. It's not uncommon for a modern smartphone to last two days on a full battery charge, or a laptop to be thin enough to slide into a manila envelope. Many of these advancements are consumer driven – but powerful and more mobile technology benefits companies just as much.

So what does this mean? More than ever before, companies can rely on technology for a number of different tasks, instead of using devices solely to support more traditional approaches.

Businesses (and consumers) are now taking advantage of new devices in greater numbers, as a new Gartner report explained.

Device shipments climbing

Released earlier this month, the report found that worldwide device shipments will grow 1.5 per cent this year to reach 2.5 billion units. This is an increase from 2014, and a slight decline from the previous Gartner forecast of 2.8 per cent.

Traditional PCs are set to see sales drop quite significantly through to 2017, down 18 million units per year. Ultramobile devices (tablets, two-in-ones), on the other hand, could climb 40 million units. Mobile phones will likely reach 122 million units.

The times are changing, and businesses would do well to prepare by better understanding what these new technologies can offer.

One of the best ways to fully take advantage of new technology, whether it's the aforementioned mobile devices or even a new cloud system, is through the ITIL framework, a best practice approach that businesses can use to equip staff. Following the use of ITIL, companies can also take advantage of an IT governance methodology to better control the devices.

Speak to ALC Training today to learn more about ITIL or our other frameworks!

Mobile is a powerful agent for change in business.Mobile is a powerful agent for change in business.

3 talent challenges for the latter half of 2015

Across many sectors, business leaders face a number of challenges with regards to recruitment. While they may not actually hire candidates directly, they need to ensure that the right staff are brought onboard. In turn, the business can continue to grow without running into any significant operational issues.

With this in mind, leaders should take the time to consider some of the biggest challenges for the latter half of this year, and the most effective ways to avoid any problems. In many cases, offering framework training can prove to be a great tool to attract top talent and retain valuable staff members.

Here are three talent challenges to keep an eye on as the year progresses.

Talent going mobile

Smartphones have consumed business culture, and in many cases the devices are now a problem for many organisations. Technological issues aside, however, companies need to consider them for another reason: mobility.

Offering framework training can prove to be a great tool to attract top talent.

Thanks to the mobile capabilities afforded by new smartphones and tablets, workers are wanting to take their jobs out of the office and either home or even while travelling on a business trip.

This was explored in a recent Robert Half release, which explained that businesses are concerned about essential staff departing (such as CEOs and CFOs), as they seek an improved work-life balance.

"Top talent is extremely mobile, which creates issues for employers. Salaries obviously remain an important factor in employee satisfaction, but by no means the only consideration for top performers who may be looking to further their career elsewhere," said Robert Half Director Andrew Brushfield.

Taking leadership online

In a similar leadership issue, Weber Shandwick has come forward with a consideration for businesses. New research has found that 80 per cent of CEOs from a number of leading companies across the globe are now using social media to engage with customers and the public.

"CEOs can enhance and strengthen the reputation of their companies by taking an active and visible role in creating and sharing branded content through their company sites and social media," Chris Perry, global president of digital at Weber Shandwick explained.

The organisation found that so-called "CEO sociability" has grown substantially since 2010, with 80 per cent of CEOs now using social as opposed to 36 per cent in 2010. Many organisations are likely to be following the example of companies such as Google, as CEO Larry Page has a 97 per cent approval rating according to Glassdoor.

Having a social CEO is now critical.Having a social CEO is now critical.

Matching talent to growth

To grow, a business needs to bring in top talent at all levels to drive the organisation forward. Without the right team, it's likely that the company will remain largely static. This is a real challenge when companies are in high-growth mode and looking to launch new projects, according to new research from Hudson.

"The consequences of these pressures can be significant. If scurrying to fill employment ranks, poor hiring decisions may be made. By slowing down to carefully consider job candidates, the launch deadline may be missed," the Hudson report noted.

Hudson explained that outsourcing recruitment can often be a suitable approach, as it allows a capable third party to handle the issue of bringing the right workers on board. As we noted at the beginning of this article, training is also a great way to both attract and retain top talent, not to mention actually upskilling staff.

With PRINCE2 training, for example, staff will be able to effectively conduct projects, whether these are large trade shows or even just departmental projects. IT security training, on the other hand, can attune staff to one of the major issues that businesses are currently dealing with; the risk of sensitive information leaking.

Get in touch with ALC Training today to get your business on the right track with a number of effective, proven frameworks.

Digital technology is growing – what does this mean for your business?

The digital age is now upon us in full force; smartwatches are available for businesses and consumers, huge amounts of data are easily accessible and IT security is something companies can outsource.

Deloitte recently reinforced the growth of this trend with the release of a new report, Australia's Digital Pulse. This detailed account, created with Australian Computer Society Australia, explains that digital technologies are now one of the fastest growing parts of the country's economy. What's more, their economic contribution has grown from $50 billion in 2011 through to $79 billion in 2013-14.

Let's take a look at some of the major changes expected in Australia as we start to go digital.

The changing employment space

Digital technologies are now one of the fastest growing parts of the country's economy.

More so than ever before, employment in the IT sector is expected to ramp up. This means growth of 2.5 per cent per year through to 2020. The report compared this to employment for the economy as a whole, which is set to grow just 1.6 per cent per year.

Interestingly, the gender pay gap is also changing, as it's now at 20 per cent in IT, whereas the national workforce average stands at 34 per cent.

Growth of the cloud

Coupled with advances in the employment space are big inroads in the cloud. Gartner explained that Australian organisations are expected to spend around $2.5 billion on data centre systems in 2015 – something that means a big push into the cloud.

Data centres themselves are also set to change.

"The future data centre is moving toward a more fluid architecture, focusing on workflow relative to how it interoperates and collaborates with other systems and cloud components to support digital business, rather than workload," said Gartner Managing Vice President Michele Caminos.

"It is also focused on what the work is doing and supporting, rather than where it is located. Organisations have to look at their data centre environment at a much higher level today."

It's easy to see just how big this change is, and what it represents. It's going to mean easier mobile working and greater data security.

The digital push Down Under will mean new IT jobs.The digital push Down Under will mean new IT jobs.

And what does all this mean for businesses?

A move to a digital economy is a significant change for any country, impacting government, consumers and especially businesses.

In effect, this shift means there will more capable and qualified IT personnel available for organisations to recruit, which in turn will enable the businesses to scale up IT endeavours and take advantage of new technologies (mobile, big data, the cloud) and processes (remote working).

Of course, organisations will also want to ensure that all staff understand IT to an extent, and this is where an ITIL IT framework can prove useful.

How can big data help HR?

Big data: the term is no stranger to anyone working in the IT industry, or really any sector that has a dependance on access to information.

This doesn't mean it's useful only to these fields – the term can prove practical for a variety of industries, including human resources (HR). So beyond IT security and the other applications, how does this seemingly unstoppable trend help such an important department?

A big data refresher

Before looking at the applications of big data, it's a good idea to see where it's going – and just how big the trend could grow.

There are numerous [big data] applications for HR.

Insight from International Data Corporation found that it's a fast-growing multi-billion-dollar industry – and in fact could grow to US$41.5 billion by 2018. That's a compound annual growth rate of 26.4 per cent. What's more, it's around six times the total growth rate of the global IT market. Certainly, no small trend.

Given this rapid and unbound proliferation, there a numerous applications for HR.

Improved insight

Understanding a particular area of the business is never easy, and access to information is usually the biggest barrier. With big data, this wall can be torn down, as the large data sets mean HR staff can gain insight into their particular area of the business.

As founder and CEO of Namely Matt Straz explained, big data can serve as a window into the professional lives of employees. This means performance, payment, and other sets of information. In turn, by analysing this information it's then easier to boost motivation and engagement.

For example, big data enables HR staff to drill down into the business and identify top performers – a task that's usually quite difficult without access to the right information.

Predictive analytics

In a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review for Workday, researchers discovered that beyond analysis of current practices within a particular company, HR could use big data to look ahead.

The department is able to take existing data and then in turn use predictive modelling to understanding future patterns. A clear example would be analysing turnover in past years and when staff have asked for salary increases to see when such trends could occur again in the future.

This is a clear example of the thinking required with big data, businesses can use this information creatively to gain insight and look further ahead than ever before.

What does HR think?

However, what do real HR departments across the globe actually think about the applications of big data? According to a study from Tata Consultancy Services, improving employee retention ranks quite highly. This wasn't all, however.

HR believes data can be used to create more effective recruitment campaigns, determine the employees that are best suited for a promotion, gauge morale and engagement and determine optimal job candidates. Based on this data, it would appear as if big data can be utilised across the entire HR spectrum – and to great effect.

Big data has powerful applications in HR.Big data has powerful applications in HR.

More organisations are likely to start using big data in the near future, given the substantial advantages of access to large sets of information.

For those organisations planning to start taking advantage of this new trend, it's not as easy as simply opening staff files and trawling for information – preparation is key. This means having staff equipped with the right knowledge and skill sets.

Many companies may like to consider ITIL training in Sydney, or another major city, as a way of bringing their staff up to speed.

Big data is steaming ahead, and organisations will want to be sure they're not left behind.

PwC: Skills gap a growing problem for leaders

Skilled workers are the backbone of nearly every industry, and any shortage is usually going to mean problems for businesses. According to new research from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), this is a growing issue for CEOs.

The leaders are now extremely concerned about the impact of skills shortages, and it ranks higher than any point in the past six years. Organisations may want to start considering training in a framework to create a more effective, and oftentimes more engaged, workforce.

A closer look: how big of an issue is this?

PwC interviewed a substantial 1,300 CEOs, and three-quarters said that it's now such an issue that it ranks as the biggest threat to business. What's more, it's a 10 percentage point jump from 2014.

"Despite rising business confidence and ambitious hiring plans, organisations are struggling more than ever to find the right people with the right skills to achieve their growth plans. The digital age has transformed the skills shortage from a nagging worry for CEOs into something more challenging," Leader of PwC's global people and organisation practice Jon Andrews explained.

"They desperately need people with strong technology skills that are adaptable and can work across different industries, but these people are hard to find and they can afford to charge a premium for their skills."

There is a solution, however – one that could prove useful for a number of organisations. By undertaking training in an IT or IT security framework, leaders can ensure their staff have access to much-needed technology skills.

Of course, it's also going to be essential to ramp up hiring initiatives in order to source candidates with the right skill sets – especially as the digital revolution continues in full force.

Speak to ALC Training if you'd like to find out more about how to get your team up to speed with the frameworks needed to properly engage with IT.

Have you considered smartwatches for your business?

Right now, it's likely most businesses are focused on mobile strategies to ensure workers are able to stay in touch on the go – but a new technology may need to become a consideration.

Smartwatches, like the recently unveiled Apple Watch, are starting to gain traction among consumers, according to a new release from Roy Morgan Research. The firm discovered that intentions to buy the devices parallel with what was seen with the original iPhone several years ago.

What's more, while smartwatches haven't yet caught on in either the consumer or business space, it might not be long.

"Prior to the first iPhone release, only around one in 100 Australians owned a BlackBerry. Ahead of the Apple Watch release in April this year, a similar proportion of us had already got ourselves a smartwatch," said General Manager of Media at Roy Morgan Tim Martin.

"With such similarities between the two items' early intention rates and demographics of intenders, it looks like Apple could again be opening up a whole new market with its smartwatch – despite not being the first brand to hit shelves."

So with the devices potentially growing in the near future, is there anything they offer businesses? The answer could be a resounding 'yes'. In fact, there are several great use-cases for wearable technologies, including:

As we've noted before, the introduction of any new technology trend requires an appropriate focus on IT security, especially when it's a new device like a smartwatch. Companies taking on the new technologies will need to ensure staff keep sensitive data secure to avoid a potential leak.

Smartwatches are on the way, and will likely be seen in many businesses in the near future. Is your company prepared to start utilising the tech?

3 ways to attract (and retain) top candidates

In many industries, valuable candidates are in high demand. That is, companies want workers with both the right skill​ sets and personalities.

Many employers, whether in small businesses or larger organisations, are likely going to find it difficult to hire and retain staff. So what can be done? There are several approaches, which include offering training in frameworks like PRINCE2, putting remote working in place and focusing on the health of staff.

Doing so can make the workplace more attractive, and subsequently easier for employers to hire and retain candidates with the right skills and mind sets.

Put incentives in place

People love rewards, and this is something that translates well to the work environment, regardless of position. Offering bonuses for completing extra milestones can be a great way to incentivise staff success, whether monetary or something else entirely.

Companies want workers with both the right skill​ sets and personalities.

Inc explained that covering an additional percentage of health insurance premiums for staff that pass a set of biometric markers is also useful, for example having lower blood pressure or blood sugar. This leads on to our next point.

Focus on health

In this day and age, little else is as important as health for most people – and it's something that translates well in the workplace. While helping out with insurance premiums is a good step, companies can take this further by subsidising gym memberships and even running health programs.

A recent Roy Morgan Research study found that the nation's health is continuously improving, with the Australian Wellness Index reaching a new high in March of this year. However, while the organisation noted that work was still required to address mental health issues, businesses can play a crucial role in this trend.

"These latest results highlight the continuing need for national, targeted responses to address mental health issues. Australian women aged 18 to 24 have suffered the greatest decline in their psychological health since 2007," said Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine.

Understanding the health of workers prior to embarking on such endeavours could lead to better long-term health.

Consider working-from-home initiatives

Finally, in a move that many businesses are starting to invest in, consider working from home. As the name implies, this means allowing staff to carry out their normal tasks from either home or another location entirely. It's an idea that can mean great things for the business, as staff will be able to avoid lengthy commutes on days they're not required in the office, and also work from where they're actually needed.

For example, if a member of the team has a meeting in a distant city, they're able to work from a nearby cafe without losing time.

Caution is needed, however, as staff will need to be kept in the loop while outside of the main office. This means managers will need to start thinking about the usefulness of video communications and virtual meetings to keep the team on the same page.

Keeping remote staff in the loop is critical.Keeping remote staff in the loop is critical.

Skilled and engaged employees are key to the success of a company, and employers cannot afford to let this aspect of business slip. With competition running high for skilled talent, now is the time to work on attracting and retaining staff members.

As explained above, it's important to start thinking about the best ways to attract and retain staff – and training can be an excellent option.

Allowing your team the opportunity to get up to speed with IT security training, for example, will help to ensure they're engaged at work.

Australia’s big cloud push: What do you need to know?

In nearly every sector in Australia, from agriculture through to hygiene distribution, the cloud offers easier data management, greater IT security and storage scalability on a nearly unlimited scale.

Given these distinct advantages, it should really come as no surprise to hear that a substantial cloud push is coming in Australia. Businesses in the aforementioned sectors cannot afford to stand idly by while this technology grows and should seize the opportunity to utilise the new systems.

But how can companies do so without causing disruption to operations? Powerful certifications such as ITIL can make cloud implementation an easier undertaking.

Australia's cloud push

Through to 2018, the Australian cloud services market is primed to soar from $1.23 billion in 2013 through to $4.55 billion by 2018. This forecast comes from a report released by Frost & Sullivan, which claims the demand for cloud services Down Under is "being thrust by the increasing use of data intensive applications". In turn, this requires cloud applications in the back end to store and then analyse the information.

A substantial cloud push is coming in Australia.

It's not just Australian organisations that will push spending – the government ICT sector will also see spending increase by 2018. In fact, International Data Corporation (IDC) claims spending will reach $6.2 billion this year, with a 1.7 per cent five-year compound annual growth rate.

"Although overall ICT budgets are tight, Australian government organisations need to take advantage of the long-term benefits and cost-saving opportunities offered by cloud and mobility for their organisations," said Bonnie Li, an IDC market analyst.

"Understanding how these technologies can support cost savings through process change, transformation road maps and education across the organisation is critical."

This rings true for every business – not solely government organisations. Cloud technologies can offer uniform benefits for all types of company. For example, a distribution business can run telematics applications from the cloud, so all branches and drivers can store and access information from anywhere it's required.

In another example, retail chains can store near-limitless amounts of data, accessing it later to derive useful and relevant information.

With such a large cloud push comes expansion of the underlying infrastructure, too. IDC noted in another report that the worldwide cloud IT infrastructure market grew by 14.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2014 as data centres continued to expand.

"The transition to cloud-oriented infrastructure and data platform architectures within enterprises' datacentres continues to accelerate […]," said Vice President of Datacentre and Cloud research at IDC Richard Villars.

Opportunity for businesses

It's easy to see how uniform cloud technologies can benefit businesses of all sizes and sectors, from small retail stores through to corporate giants. With the infrastructure continuing to proliferate, there's certainly no better time to seize the opportunity and start taking advantage of these capable new technologies.

Firstly, a word of caution. Businesses can find significant difficulties when rushing head first into the adoption of new technologies, even with something as simple as the cloud. So what's the best way to prepare? By training staff to both utilise the new technologies effectively and managing the transition.

A cloud push is coming to Australia.A cloud push is coming to Australia.

Starting with the former, training staff in an IT framework is one of the best ways to prepare them for the changeover. ITIL teaches best practice when it comes to IT – for example enabling business change, managing risk in line with the needs of the company and helping with continual improvement.

Other frameworks can provide additional benefits for the business in other ways. PRINCE2, for example, is a project management framework that could prove invaluable when attempting to utilise the cloud, as staff will understand how to effectively run the transition project.

It's clear that with cloud technologies primed for such significant growth in the not-too​-distant future, preparation is necessary now. 

To get your staff on the same page and at the right skill level through capable frameworks, speak to ALC Training today!

3 tech trends to be aware of this year

Few other industries experience the rapid fluctuations of technology, and one look at the major headlines on a tech website is enough to tell you this.

The Internet of Things (IoT), hardware progress in wearables and ongoing security issues are all prominent, and will certainly continue to develop this year. Given the impact these trends can have, it's important for businesses to understand them.

Below, we'll take a look at three major technology developments this year – and what they will mean for businesses in terms of factors such as IT security.

The changing device market

Desktop PCs have slowly started to decrease in workplace usage in recent years, as companies opt for more portable computing solutions like tablets and laptops. This isn't altogether surprising, as portable computers have started to become just as powerful as their static counterparts.

Gartner says that this year, large businesses will likely move IT budgets around, shifting funding away from new PC procurement. Instead of buying new PC hardware, they'll extend the lifetimes of existing devices and focus on other IT developments. This isn't the case with small companies, however.

"While we expect large organisations to cut their PC unit purchases by 20 per cent during 2015, due to price rises, small businesses will behave like value-driven consumers and look to purchase consumer PCs instead," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.

Continued IoT development

Among all the IT buzzwords, the IoT is one of the most famous. Business leaders may whisper in hushed tones about the benefits of having hundreds of 'things' in the company connected together and generating useful data – and there is certainly truth to this.

There's essentially limitless storage from anywhere with the cloud.There's essentially limitless storage from anywhere with the cloud.

The IoT does mean a network of connected 'things', devices or objects that aren't usually connected. An easy example is an elevator in a building. If the elevator is able to independently report back to a central computer when the motor is about to die, then maintenance staff can carry out preventative repairs. This can be applied to nearly any object in a business.

New data from ABI Research states that the revenues from these connected and automated systems will proliferate at a combined annual growth rate of 21 per cent through to 2020. North America will lead the charge here, followed by Europe and then Asia Pacific. 

Growth in cloud security

There can be no discussion of buzzwords without mentioning the cloud – the IT trend with seemingly infinite possibilities. The truth is a little more realistic, involving effortless storage expansion, without the need for businesses to purchase expensive hardware or software. Essentially, a company can make a phone call to increase how much storage they have access to.

Security is a lingering concern with cloud technology development – even though it's likely to be unfounded in most cases. As businesses have started to shift to the cloud, there's an air of uncertainty around just how secure these online systems are.

New data from Infonetics Research claims that the cloud security market grew in 2014 to be worth US$7.2 billion worldwide, a significant step up from the $6.3 billion last year.

Security is a lingering concern with cloud technology

"Our long-term outlook for the already very large cloud and customer premises equipment managed security services market, especially for cloud services, is quite strong," said Jeff Wilson, research director for cybersecurity technology at Infonetics Research.

With numerous tech trends at play this year, businesses may want to consider where they stand with regards to these new developments. Training staff in an IT framework such as ITIL is a good starting point, as it means they'll better understand these new technologies and how to deal with them in a business context. It essentially arms staff with the tools they need to better handle the changing IT space.

If you're interested in finding out more about ITIL and what it can do for your business, get in touch with ALC Training today!

What could a data breach cost your business?

Anyone involved in the running of a business or working in IT will be aware of the term 'data breach' – this is when your sensitive company information, usually stored digitally, is exposed to an unwelcome third party.

Following this event, there are often significant consequences including financial reimbursement of customers who had data exposed, costly security system fixes and potentially lasting reputation damage.

Breaches certainly aren't slowing down

Businesses really need to be aware of the costs – financial or otherwise – that can stem from a breach, in order to better understand why security is so important.

The costs and causes of a breach

We looked briefly at the consequences of a data breach above, but how do they most commonly occur? According to the Cost of Data Breach Study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM, malicious and criminal attacks are the leading root cause.

In most cases, this means malicious third parties seeking to steal information from the company or simply cause damage. This is the clear cause of the Sony Pictures breach at the end of 2014 – the motivation appeared to be centred around the release of a controversial film.

In other instances, attackers may be after data they can sell, like what happened with the health insurance provider Anthem earlier this year. ZDNet explained that around 80 million customers were impacted in a breach that exposed personal information of clients and employees. ZDNet also noted that the reparation costs could be in excess of US$100 million.

It's important to note that not all data breaches will be so expensive, but the costs will often scale up with the amount of data exposed. For example, if the data of 100 customers was exposed, the company might have to reimburse them for damages. It's easy to see how this could add up, and breaches certainly aren't slowing down.

"Throughout the world, companies are finding that data breaches have become as common as a cold but far more expensive to treat," Ponemon explained.

What can companies do to combat breaches, aside from security systems and ongoing audits?

Prevention through training

Not every company has access to the vast financial resources necessary for security systems, but there's another solution that's both easy to get started with and simple to maintain – comprehensive IT security training.

With a course provided from ALC Training in a leading security framework, staff will be able to better understand what causes a breach and put more effective measures in place to prevent one from occurring.

Get in touch with ALC Training today if you'd like to learn more about leading security and IT frameworks.

Is your business ready for a data breach?Is your business ready for a data breach?

Onboarding: A breakdown for employers

With staff the lifeblood of a business, onboarding is the critical injection to get them set up in a company, working productively, meeting targets and getting along with coworkers.

For many employers, however, onboarding is likely just a buzzword. To ensure that staff remain with a business for the long haul, contributing value and not causing costly rehires, it's time to start understanding and utilising correct onboarding processes, and thinking about the benefits of training.

Why onboarding is so important

According to Impact Instruction Group, in their 'Onboarding Trends' report, almost 33 per cent of new hires within a company start looking for a new job within their first six months of tenure. A report by Allied found that a massive 23 per cent of new hires leave before their first anniversary with a company.

It's time to start understanding and utilising correct onboarding processes

Why? Well, it's likely going to boil down to one or two key motivators, all of which lead back to the onboarding process.

For example, a new staff member might find they're not actually doing the job they signed up for, whether it's extra tasks they need to complete or perhaps a monthly trip they weren't aware of. In another instance, they could find they've been assigned to a different department, working under a different boss than they interviewed with.

In every instance, these are issues that can be cleared up during onboarding, and employers will likely find they're not altogether difficult to address.

Certainly, by taking the time to create effective onboarding processes, the company will find recruitment an easier undertaking, with staff remaining on board.

Could bad hiring processes lead to staff quitting?Could bad hiring processes lead to staff quitting?

What employers need to know

So what's the key to effective onboarding? Well, as with most business issues, there are a range of possible solutions. Recently, Huffington Post sought to shed light on a few, which have been outlined below. For companies without strong onboarding processes in place, these make a good starting point.

The role of training

While often not suitable immediately after starting a new position, employers may like to consider the value of providing training in a framework for staff members. By offering them the chance to take part in an IT security course, for example, they'll both feel valued (as you're investing in them) and the business also benefits from the skilled employee.

Feel free to get in touch with ALC Training if you'd like to learn more about the training courses we offer.

What will wearables mean for the workplace?

We've talked about how mobile is now on the up-and-up, and what this will mean for businesses, but there's another technology that companies across the globe need to pay attention to – wearables.

This is taking technology and downsizing it into a wristwatch or a pair of glasses – allowing people to access information without even needing to pull out a smartphone. There's a good chance this technology will grow over the next few years in the consumer space, but what about businesses?

It's time to step into a world that's only been seen in sci-fi movies: the world of wearable technology.

What is a wearable?

Wearable technology is any piece of electronic technology worn on the body – whether in the form of a watch with a screen, glasses that project images in front of a user or even built into clothing.

These devices commonly communicate with the internet or a smartphone, delivering useful information to the wearer. A smartwatch, for example, will show the wearer emails as they come through, alerts if a message or phone call has been received and even route directions when driving or catching a train.

Smartwatches will make everyday tasks far easier.Smartwatches will make everyday tasks far easier.

The core functionality is that there's no need to pull out a smartphone – all information is available at a glance in an easily accessible location. Consumers are certainly showing an interest in the devices, as evidenced by the substantial Apple Watch supply shortage, but what use is there for companies?

How will these impact businesses?

Remember when smartphones were first starting to become a thing? How much utility did they put in the hands of your staff members? We're about to see this yet again – although not exactly in the hands of staff.

Wearables mean construction site managers will be able to see plans and the locations of other workers through augmented reality glasses, and gain real-time overviews of construction sites by accessing cameras. What's more, they'll be able to do so without dropping what they're doing.

Salesmen can use smartwatches to have information subtlety delivered to them during meetings, whether reminders or cues to discuss certain topics. No longer will they need to pull out a phone.

Even more advanced wearables like the HoloLens from Microsoft will enable architects and engineers to visualise models of buildings and machinery directly in front of them, and walk around the designs, changing aspects as they see fit through simple gestures.

Unlike the traditional mobile technologies we're used to, there's really no limit to what is possible with wearables – and CIOs agree.

A new report from Robert Half has found that 81 per cent of chief information officers believe wearable computing devices will become common workplace tools, with the majority predicting this will happen in the next five years.

"Emerging technologies such as wearables may help drive enterprise mobility and create a need for IT expertise to support their adoption at work," explained John Reed, the senior executive director of Robert Half Technology.

With the predicted increase in technology usage, businesses will need to think about IT security. After all, with nearly every new technology comes a bevvy of security risks, such as information loss when a device is stolen, or potential cyber threats.

Security concerns have been apparent with the introduction of nearly every new technology, whether PCs or smartphones. Now, the same risks apply for wearables, but businesses have the advantage of foresight. With preparation, there's no need for security to become an issue.

With nearly every new technology comes a bevvy of security risks

If you want to get your staff on the right footing when wearables start to roll around, you may want to consider training with an IT framework.

This type of specialist education helps employees to grasp difficult concepts, and then utilise them for the benefit of the business. As a bonus, companies also get to invest in their employees, helping to create a more engaged workforce.

The world we've seen in sci-fi movies is fast approaching – and there's no denying that prepared businesses will be in the best position to succeed.