Industry news

IT giant IBM have moved to purchase analytics firm The Now Factory, in order to gain access to data analytics software designed to monitor customer behaviours and network performance.

The Now factory software allows the collection and analysis of real time data, with the technology being employed by leading telecommunications firms around the world.

The move to increase analytic capabilities comes as the development of mobile networks such as 4G, increases the amount complexity of raw data.

In a statement, IBM said: “The demand for this type of software is being driven by the explosion of growth in the volume of real-time data that is being produced by mobile devices and the strain it is putting on mobile networks to collect and process events instantly, monitor their performance, and understand the impact of customer interaction”.

Big Data still yet to mature

CSC moves to extend data analytics capabilities with start-up acquisition

Four major banks have moved to outsource data through a of a shared IT platform in an effort to reduce costs.

The four banks, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase, have joined to create a shared data repository which will house client and compliance data.

The plan to join together to create a shared platform, comes as financial institutions come under increasing pressure to meet a wide range of regulation demands, with a shared storage service allowing the banks to refocus on growing revenue.

The banks have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), in preparation for the creation of the data storage platform.

Michael C. Bodson, DTCC president and CEO, said of the programme: “Our ultimate aim is to support the industry’s call for a comprehensive, centralised platform to effectively manage virtually all client reference data”.

IBM acquires analytics firm for network monitoring

Big Data still yet to mature

The Internet of Things (IoT), which includes smart meters and machine-to-machine services, is expected to reach a value of $8.9 trillion as a market by 2020, according to analysts.

U.S. based analyst firm IDC have predicted a 7.9 per cent growth rate up to 2020 as customer demand promotes rapid growth.

The demand is being driven by an increasing use of smart technology, with smart cars, houses and city projects driving investments in the market.

London Mayor develops plan for ‘Smart London’

British Gas award £600 million contract to smart meter manufacturer

Sainsbury’s have broken the £1 billion milestone for online sales in its second quarter.

The supermarket recorded a 16 per cent increase in online sales year on year, with more than 190,000 customers accessing the site every week.

The online sales success comes as supermarkets move to capitalise on the increasing trend of online shopping as customers move away from the high street.

Jon Rudoe, Sainsbury’s online director, said: “We’re confident there is still a huge amount of potential for growth as our online grocery operation continues to complement our core supermarket business.”

Sainsbury’s have reported record-breaking sales

Sainsbury’s modernises supply chain technology

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has moved to encourage SMEs in tendering for services, with plans to create a SME friendly framework.

The hospital is planning to let out framework contracts in order to create a shop window for the NHS as a whole to view and purchase SME services.

By allowing other NHS trusts to view tendering processes and services, SMEs will have the opportunity to receive further contracts from within the NHS, without having to undergo further tendering exercises

NHS selects three suppliers for recruitment system

An IT error has resulted in the cancelation of more than 700 appointments with NHS Glasgow and Clyde, which represents the largest health board in Scotland.

The cause of the IT error has been attributed finally to a software glitch with the Microsoft Active Directory which supports the trust’s network, after blame was originally placed on server and back-up system failures.

The IT system was rebooted on Thursday with the support of Microsoft engineers and is now fully operational.

IT technicians have now moved to identify how the Directory became corrupted and increase the resilience of the IT framework and back-up systems.

The network framework is set to come under increased strain, as more users are added, as part of the NHS’s digital strategy.

NHS selects three suppliers for recruitment system

NHS Scotland looks to replace legacy child health surveillance systems

Gas giant Centrica has ended plans for a major UK gas storage expansion after the government stated that subsidies would not be available.

Plans by the energy to construct two gas storage facilities, will no longer go ahead Centrica has announced, after energy minister Michael Fallon, confirmed that there will be no government subsidies offered for gas storage expansion.

The cancellation of the gas storage project means that hundreds of construction and maintenance jobs will no longer be created, as well as limiting the UK’s gas supplies to 21 days, far behind European contemporaries such as Germany and France, according to the gas giant.

The pull-out from UK infrastructure investment by Centrica, comes after the company turned down the opportunity to invest in the UK’s nuclear energy program.

Centrica reports increased profits from protracted winter

Centrica expected to write off £200 million after nuclear pull-out

The NHS has selected three firms to deliver a dentistry recruitment system across the UK.

The five-year contract was placed out for tender by Health Education England (HEE), with Hicom, Deloitte and Konetic selected to provide the recruitment system for training services to over 20,000 postgraduate students.

The new system is designed to reduce application and administration times, with Deloitte managing the delivery of the overall project.

The five-year contract will have the option to extend for a further two years, with the program being rolled out in stages across 2014.

NHS Shared Business Services secures supplier framework contract

Coinciding with strong performance indicators from the UK IT industry, the Welsh government have announced £1.4 million in investment for IT skills programs.

The Department for Education and Skills alongside the Department for the Economy, Science and Transport, have joined together to provide funding for two pilot training programmes, designed to develop IT skills for local industry.

The IT sector in Wales is currently experiencing a skills deficient, with limited numbers of employees failing to meet the high demand. 550 people are expected to be taken on between the two programmes, which seek to address the skill shortages.

UK economy being driven by IT despite existing skill gaps remaining

Growth spurt for technology start-ups

Sitel have issued its ‘‘Five Step guide to converting Christmas shoppers with Customer Service’ in preparation for a strong Christmas in retail.

The latest 2013 figures show online retail sales grew 20% year on year, with UK consumers spending an estimated 375m hours shopping online last December, 17m of those on Boxing Day.

With December 2013 set to be even busier, retailers prepare to focus on developing online platforms, in order to take advantage of the customer move away from the high street.

Joe Doyle, Marketing Director at Sitel UK, comments: “The challenge for high street retailers is to differentiate in the online space. The new role of the contact centre is connecting the dots to deliver an exceptional customer experience that stands out from all the others, by being there when consumers need you and available in the channel of their choosing. Web, social media and mobile are all now vital components in a successful omni-channel strategy.”

Sitel provides online customer support for a number of high street retailers including John Lewis. Sitel and John Lewis were recently awarded the prestigious European Outsourcing Association award for “Outsourcing Works” – Delivering Business Value in a Single European Outsourcing Project.

These kinds of success have led to Sitel issuing its “Five Step guide to converting Christmas shoppers with Customer Service”, which covers advice on adopting an omni-channel strategy, forecasting, recruitment, training and capacity planning.

Sitel named as global leader in social media services market

European Outsourcing Association Awards Winners