Medium-sized businesses leading digital workplace: Report
Times News Service
MUSCAT: As they continue to contribute more than one trillion euros to the economy across EMEA, today’s medium-sized businesses are investing fast in technology, according to a report.
However, with digital now a priority for businesses of all sizes, they must ensure they have the necessary skills and security management in place to handle the change, or risk falling behind competitors according to Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company.
Developed to explore how medium-sized businesses across the globe are currently adopting workplace technology, and featuring responses from over 2,700 employees in management and non-management roles across medium-sized businesses, ‘The Hidden Middle’ report uncovered a number of key trends.
Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of medium-sized business employees rated the ‘choice of technology, applications and IT support’ at their company as either good or very good. That compared to 53 per cent of those also surveyed from the largest companies. Medium-sized businesses are also ahead of the competition in their use of advanced audiovisual technologies (such as voice-activated speakers), which are offered by an average of 27 per cent of medium-sized business, compared to 16 per cent of smaller and 22 per cent of larger employers. Around a quarter (24 per cent) of medium-sized business employees said their company had invested in cloud storage software over the last 12 months, compared to 17 per cent of large firms. Medium-sized businesses also appear to be prioritising cyber security software: 39 per cent reported investments in this area in the last year, compared to 31 per cent of large businesses.
In light of their impressive commitment to new technology medium-sized business employees are significantly more likely (66 per cent) to rate their ‘environment at work’ as either good or very good in comparison to those at the largest companies (57 per cent). Businesses of this size are also more agile when it comes to offering flexibility for employees to use personal devices at work – with 72 per cent of medium-sized business employees allowed to do this, compared to only 53 per cent of those who work for larger employers.
Over three quarters (77 per cent) of medium-sized business employees either agreed or strongly agreed that ‘if not managed correctly, the introduction of new technology could damage employee morale’; while 78 per cent agreed that ‘my organisation’s management and control of the connected devices that are in use could be improved.’
With two thirds of employees at medium-sized businesses (66 per cent) saying their organisation was “at risk of falling behind competitors” by not implementing new technology, the pressure to keep pace is clear – but so too are the associated dangers.
Despite being conscious of their organisation’s cybersecurity, nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of medium-sized business employees said they had taken risks with company data in the past year. In addition, less than half (48 per cent) said that security was the responsibility of ‘every employee’ – compared to two thirds of those who work for the largest employers (66 per cent).
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