Continued advances in technology will play a deeper role in our daily lives this year, but without robust and resilient infrastructure the full benefits and impact won’t be realised.
That’s the view of David Silous-Holt, MD of Blue Orange, who specialise in IT support and hardware supply services, to businesses, schools and colleges across the country.
“Last year saw an explosion of working from home and even learning from home as the world adapted to the Covid crisis. New ways of communication literally transformed people’s lives. But without the correct infrastructure and increased knowledge to utilise additional features and functionality, not all the benefits were achieved.
“If you look at Office 365 in the education sector, it’s not always used to its full capacity. I think education and training has been lacking in some areas. This year we are putting a big focus on this to enable more people to utilise the skills and tools that are already in place for them.”
He added: “A lot of tools are available; it’s just that people don’t always know how to use them. Big investment in technology can sometimes be seen as a way to revolutionise
and change the world overnight for an organisation. But then the reality is quite different because they have not had the proper training to maximise the full features. That happens too often. People need to see the bigger picture.”
Interactive touch screens in education will continue to flourish this year along with remote learning, as David added: “Technology ultimately relies on good infrastructure which needs to be considered. It’s not just about the front end equipment and the bells and whistles; it’s what sits behind it.”
He concluded: “The whole UK infrastructure needs to be looked at. As a country there’s a massive amount of work to be done. In a simple way, it’s a bit like our transport network. Throwing more cars on the road only adds to problems if the infrastructure is not up to scratch. Quick fixes are not the answer. Get the basics right first.”
