It’s no secret that the global tech sector is advancing at an astonishingly rapid pace – not least in relation to the now integral role of digital transformation in spearheading growth and success. But no matter the size or scope or your organisation – or how sophisticated your innovation strategy is – the only way to drive significant change is to leverage the power of people.
So, to champion some of the industry’ finest talent, and gain some insight into the minds of individuals from across the tech space, we’re inviting friends and partners of the business to take part in our quickfire Q&A.
Up next, it’s Craig Webster – contracts manager at award-winning IT service provider, Mint Support. Take it away, Craig…
Tell us about your role at Mint Support and the part you play in the tech sector.
As contracts manager, I’m responsible for maintaining and developing relationships with our new and existing customers – I’m always on the lookout for improvements in both service and delivery. Mint provides managed support services, primarily for the education sector, but also for businesses too.
What innovation was the turning point for your organisation, to get it to where you are now?
IT is continually developing, so keeping abreast of developments and being able to support customers through these changes is key. You could say that the PC and internet were the innovations that allowed us to ‘exist’, and their continuous developments mean we are always working alongside new technology.
And where’s next for your business?
We’re migrating into communication technology and making the most of remote tools to deliver services to customers further afield.
The biggest misconception faced by the tech sector is…
That technology will solve everything.
What do you think will be the biggest tech trend over the next 12 months?
Further development in AI and automation – that is definitely a trend I expect to see grow. I also think that we will see much more focus on sustainability and greener solutions within the tech space over the coming months.
What top tip would you give to an individual trying to excel their tech career?
Remember that technology is there to make life better for the end user. At the end of the day, you’re dealing with people.
The next purchase on my personal tech wishlist is…?
I’d love a drone – using that technology to capture creative video and photography appeals to me.
What is one longstanding piece of tech that you are shocked is still used today?
The vinyl record – but I’m glad it still exists.
If you are without the internet for an hour, what would be the first activity you resort to, to pass the time?
I’m a simple guy who remembers a time before the internet, so I can think of plenty of things. For me, I enjoy getting out of the house for a long walk and spending time with my family and friends. I think that sometimes, even if the internet is working fine, we should switch off, as it is easy to get distracted.
In this quickfire Q&A, we talk to Vapour’s friends in the tech sector to get their insight into upcoming trends, misconceptions from their industry, and why their business might be one to watch.
Next up, it’s Scott Riley, director at TechBuildr…
Tell us about your role at TechBuildr and the role you play in the tech sector
I’m the director at TechBuildr – an independent tech sales recruitment business. We recruit sales and marketing staff for growing tech firms, which means that I have to be on top of trends and insight across the industry to ensure we are able to support our clients as best we can, to maximise their recruitment opportunities.
What innovation was the turning point for your organisation to get it to where you are now?
LinkedIn is the single biggest innovation for the recruitment industry. A live and organic database full of talented potential employees, it is an essential tool for us day to day.
And where’s next for your business?
We’re looking to add more of our clients into our Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) model – outsourcing their entire recruitment process.
The biggest misconception faced by the tech sector is…
From a recruitment perspective, one misconception is that most candidates’ priorities have changed when looking into a new role. People want freedom, autonomy and company values they can relate to – but often these get overlooked by organisations keen to expand.
What do you think will be the biggest tech trend over the next 12 months?
We’re seeing a big growth in AI, data integration and SD-WAN. Gaining greater insight into consumer behaviour is also becoming much more accessible.
What top tip would you give to an individual trying to excel their tech career
Keeping a broad view of the wider tech market will give you insight into which solutions are about to grow quickly – companies in this space will offer the greatest growth opportunities, development, and training too.
The next purchase on my personal tech wishlist is…?
I keep ‘borrowing’ my daughters AirPod Pros, so I’ll have to invest in my own soon!
And what is your earliest memory of tech in your life?
My dad’s Sony Stack HiFi system – he was really protective over it when I was younger. I wasn’t allowed to touch it.
What is one longstanding piece of tech that you are shocked is still used today?
A home telephone with a fixed line. Now that everyone has access to a mobile, and with people spending much more time away from their homes, I would have thought we would have seen the last of them.
If you are without the internet for an hour, what would be the first activity you resort to, to pass the time?
I would get some vinyl on the record player, trying to convince my daughter that the 90s music scene was the best.
Tech leaders from throughout the UK gathered at The Chambers in Leeds last month, for an invite-only forum exploring the innovations that will disrupt the market in 2022.
Vapour hosted the intimate event at the prestigious city venue, to bring together some of the most pioneering thought leaders from the communication and cloud tech spaces. And a hand-selected number of customers were also asked to attend for an exclusive insight into where the market is going, and the impact the innovations could have on their businesses.
Leading the line-up was Fortinet’s Steve Mulhearn exploring the advances in the SD-WAN environment, and the emergence of SD-WAN 3.1 for organisations who really want to future-proof the resilience of their security and networking infrastructure.
Next up was Content Guru’s Edward Winfield and John Funning. They explored the paradigm shift in customer service – particularly since the onset of the pandemic – and the changes that savvy organisations must make if they’re to retain their reputation and market share. Ed shared industry data which evidences individuals’ falling tolerance for poor service levels, and some surprising statistics regarding the ever-evolving need for businesses to offer omnichannel options when communicating internally and externally.
Logic Monitor’s Samkit Shah and Antony Hawkins delved a little deeper into the technology behind Vapour’s much-talked-about new Application Monitoring as a Service solution. But rather than relying on a PowerPoint presentation, the duo shared a live demo of the platform in action – showing how organisations can use AMaaS to see more, know more, and do more.
Vapour’s very own head of transformation and operations Carol McGrotty also took to the ‘stage’, to encourage the audience to understand how the implementation of technology, processes and people, can liberate business growth. She spoke honestly about the journey we have been through and the lengths we are going to, to push for continuous improvement – however major or marginal the gains.
To conclude the afternoon, there was an impromptu showcase of some extremely hot technology – the world’s only bonded and truly mobile router, built here, in England. While the event was not designed to have a sales focus, the audience lapped up this product introduction, and showered the trio of surprise guests from Albeego with questions about the device – which relies on multiple encrypted connections to a network, so the user’s data is never exposed to the ‘raw’ wireless environment.
Commenting on the day, Vapour’s CEO Tim Mercer said: “We’re here to join the dots for our customers – and we believe in being straight-talking. We’ve also missed the opportunity to spend time, face to face, exploring how we can solve today’s – and tomorrow’s – business challenges, together.
“The timing therefore felt right for our latest innovation forum – it’s been a while. But we wanted it to be exclusive, rather than a mass gathering. The day ran like clockwork, and the level of conversation in the room was inspiring. So much so, we started planning the next event before we even got home.”
To discuss any of these topics in further detail please contact Vapour on 0333 200 1142 or complete our contact form to request more information.
To express an interest in attending Vapour’s next innovation forum in the summer, please email Greeta Sagris – gs@vapourcloud.com
