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News & Opinion

Gain the edge on the world of business technology and cyber security

Andrew Allen

My personal and business life. I am lucky to have supportive friends and family, and although I am competitive, I try to put others first. I am an active Rotarian, helping support local and international charities. As a former member of Mountain Rescue, I enjoy spending time with my family in the mountains. We regularly travel to experience new cultures and cuisine; I’m a bit of a foodie! In my day job as Chief Executive, I am responsible for ensuring we stay true to our purpose and values. In a strategic capacity, I am also responsible for developing relationships with key partners and major accounts. I love working with ambitious, growing companies who want to challenge themselves and the status quo. Technology, when properly leveraged, can help an organisation differentiate and beat their competition. It's a real joy to make a difference.

Recent Posts

Is Technology the Key to Solving the Talent Crisis?

on 06-Jul-2022 13:44:51 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Managed Service Management Strategy Technology
Introduction Millennials have had their heyday; now it’s time for Gen Z to shine. To engage the first fully immersed digital native generation, businesses need to start capitalising on technology to win the war on talent. Talent shortages are among the biggest barriers to business growth Right now, practically every business is struggling to find and keep skilled people. There are many reasons for this, from the pandemic which sent shockwaves through the workforce to the ‘Great Resignation’ which saw a global quitting spree in record numbers. But the thing that’s shaping recruitment the most? It’s the new demands that Generation Z is placing on the workplace.
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Five ways to create breakthrough customer experiences using technology

on 08-Jun-2022 16:07:21 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Managed Service Management Strategy Technology
Introduction Companies are increasingly recognising the power of customer experiences for building loyalty and securing sustainable growth. But how do you make your customer experience better, and how exactly does technology help?. Improving your customer experience (CX) isn’t just the right thing to do; it could be a major driver of future revenue. PWC research shows that 86% of buyers are ready to pay more for great customer experiences, and they are 3.5 x more likely to repeat business and advocate for your brand. An investment in CX can also improve internal profitability markers such as the cost to acquire a customer, says Harvard Business Review. Unhappy customers are lost customers, after all. While something as simple as saying ‘thank you’ to customers after a purchase can make them feel special and cared for, there is no shortage of ways to connect with customers. Rather than a singular action, it’s better to think of CX as an ongoing, iterative journey of many moving parts. Powering the journey — and simultaneously driving brand loyalty and sales growth — is technology; this likely will include tools you’re already using like your CRM. In this post, we’re looking at five ways to create breakthrough CX experiences using technology.
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Unlocking Growth for SMEs with the 3 S's: Secure, Stable and Scalable Technology

on 01-Apr-2022 10:31:04 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Managed Service Management Strategy Technology
Introduction Digitalisation can be a gamechanger for SMEs but it needs to be part of a wider strategic plan to develop your business. Choosing the right digital products is key to delivering fast and sustainable results. For today’s SMEs, competition is rife wherever you look. In the start‑up phase, you need to win market share to survive; in the rapid‑growth phase, you need to refine your processes for scalability to beat out established, mass‑market‑ready brands. If you overcome these challenges, then you will typically reach the maturity phase where cost control, optimisation for profitability and innovation become the focus. At every stage, if you don’t make every effort to differentiate yourself from your competitors, you may well fall behind and lose the race to the top. This lifecycle is not new. But what is atypical is the pace at which market conditions are changing, forcing SMEs to respond—and quickly.
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10 Powerful Questions Boards Should Be Asking About Technology

on 18-Feb-2022 15:27:09 By | Andrew Allen | 1 Comment | Managed Service Management Strategy Technology
Embarking on a business transformation through technology requires a good understanding of these 10 questions. Question 1 Could IT make new competitors more agile and gain more market share? There’s no doubt about it—technology is a competitive weapon. Companies can use it to solve critical problems, slash time-to-market, build barriers to competitor entry and even, sometimes, to completely reinvent the way business is done in an industry. From grooming (Dollar Shave Club) to bookselling (Amazon), the restaurant industry (Deliveroo) to banking (Starling, Revolut), traditional players have had to catch up or die. Where are your competitors in the race to innovation?
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Introducing the SME Digital Growth Peer Network

on 16-Feb-2022 13:13:25 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Management Strategy
Aabyss are launching a new program bringing together SMEs in the Liverpool city region to help drive growth through technology innovation. The SME Digital Growth Peer Network will be exploring technology strategy with 10 powerful questions that boards should be asking. We will be exploring these questions over the coming weeks both on-line and via a series of peer networking events.
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3 Things to consider before you sign-up with a cloud services provider

on 03-Nov-2021 13:56:08 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Cloud Managed Service
More and more SMBs are migrating to the cloud and that is not a surprise considering the numerous benefits the cloud can offer them. For a SMB, the cloud is a cost efficient and secure answer to their growing data needs and IT security requirements. The cloud grows with them and lets them scale their business without worrying about a corresponding rise in IT costs. Plus, with the cloud, the important aspects of security and backups are mostly taken care of by the cloud service provider. And then, there’s the convenience of any-time-anywhere data access.
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3 Reasons to prepare a business continuity plan

on 14-Jul-2021 10:37:49 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments | Managed Service Strategy Productivity
A business continuity plan is the blueprint you need during an emergency to keep your business running smoothly. If you don’t already have one, here are 3 key reasons why you should focus on creating one ASAP.
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Four reasons to opt for the co-managed IT services model

on 29-Jun-2021 15:00:00 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments |
The Co-managed IT services model is one in which the business has its own IT team, but still contracts with an external managed services provider for certain services. In this blog we discuss four benefits of a co-managed IT services model.
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Best practices for data safety in a remote work environment

on 22-Jun-2021 10:15:00 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments |
Do you have staff working from home? Of late, due to the Coronavirus crisis a lot of businesses shifted to the remote working environment. While it raises some data security concerns, they can be overcome by following a few best practices.
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Social media at work what could go wrong?

on 15-Jun-2021 18:45:00 By | Andrew Allen | 0 Comments |
As a business, there is no doubt today that you need to make your presence felt on major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. But social media also exposes you to cybercriminals. In this post we talk about the steps you can take to ensure your social media account doesn’t become a gateway for cybercriminals to access your data.
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