Simon Howitt, Chairman, inTec Business Solutions
There’s no doubt about it – access to modern technology (hardware AND software) helps businesses become more efficient. This is evident today in the number of businesses that offer remote working solutions to their employees. A decade ago, home working seemed reserved for only the most senior executives or ‘on the road’ sales teams. HR departments would bestow them with a company car and a Blackberry, hope they had a half decent printer and broadband connection at home… and away they went. For everyone else, working from home was quite literally a ‘pipe’ dream – with a wasted day of annual leave if you ever had to wait in for a plumber.
From a business perspective, this was hideously inefficient. Employees attending external meetings had to travel back to the office before they could get online again to pick up any actions. Conferences and training days meant hours on end without emails being checked or calls being answered. Unforeseen bad weather, transport disruptions or childcare issues could throw a day off track, impacting whole teams and workstreams, not just individuals.
Thankfully, most businesses have dragged themselves out of the technological dark age and into the bright light of laptops, smart phones and the holy grail of cloud services.
But there is still a disconnect between the basic remote working tools most employers offer their employees – and the more technologically advanced solutions that are available in the market. Solutions like unified communications with enterprise telephony, cloud-based Office 365 from Microsoft or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).One barrier to implementing the latest, most efficient remote working solutions is a perception that the professional services costs associated with a roll-out – and the capital expenditure for new equipment – would be prohibitive. This is not the case.
inTec Business Solutions – can help you develop your IT solutions, including remote working and cloud services, in a way that qualifies for Research and Development (R&D) tax credits. In fact, InTec specialises in writing proposals for exactly this reason.
Simon Howitt, MD of inTec, says: “Advances in technology and connectivity have changed the way people work and communicate. We are now reliant on our smart devices to socialise, shop and even manage things around the home. The way devices now ‘speak’ to each other opens up a host of possibilities in business too. Being able to conduct business and connect with your team, no matter where you are, increases productivity and efficiency and provides the flexible working needed to attract top talent.”
When a business implements improved technology, business tools or apps, with a view to maximising efficiencies and enabling business growth, it qualifies as research and development. The notion that R&D can only be done by people in white lab coats, is simply not accurate.
Combine this with the fact that most tech devices are now available to lease, removing the need for capital expenditure for hardware, it is no longer prohibitive to implement the latest technology solutions. Even cloud services are now available on a subscription basis. And the most innovative and agile businesses know that to get the most out of technology, they need to move from a capex to an opex model.
In doing so, they can empower their workforce with real solutions that enable all employees – not just the chosen few – to work anytime, from anywhere, on any device with an internet connection.
At inTec, we help businesses to get the most out of the technology they provide to their business users. With access to industry experts, offering end-to-end tech consultancy and support services, we can promise that you will get business-grade, market-leading solutions that improve the way you work. Get in touch today for a free consultation.
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