Technology has brought about the ability for more agile working patterns, and the report from Olive Communications claims 2015 will be the tipping point for widespread adoption of smartphones among British businesses, with 56 per cent of firms investing between 2013 and the end of this year.
The study questioned company IT leaders about the operations, and 55 per cent said they would recommend a mass smartphone launch to peers, with 42 per cent claiming it is delivering a net ROI.
Martin Flick, CEO of Olive, said: The tools and processes that ICT leaders are looking to embrace this year show UK firms are entering a new wave of tech-enabled business. With flexible working becoming the norm, not the exception, tech investments are reflecting this.
“We expect to see a lot more businesses embracing mobile technologies this year and thinking about how they can best support their workforce to work anywhere, anytime, rather than being chained to a desk.
Meanwhile, a study in November found that UK businesses are trailing US counterparts when it comes to the introduction of enterprise apps. But the Olive data discovered 51 per cent of British companies are set to have invested in the mobile software between 2013 and the end of the year, as 50 per cent plan desktop video conferencing tech, suggesting a more flexible approach to work in the country.
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Other trends include cloud-based email support in businesses rising to 20 per cent in 2015 from 19 per cent in the last two years, while telephone services in the cloud is set to rise even further to 16 per cent from eight per cent over the same period.
Flick added: ICT leaders are understandably cautious about new investments, but those that have taken a leap of faith have seen such positive results and ROI that they are advocating those technologies to their peers.
£2015 is set to be a real turning point for the use of communications technology in British businesses. While cloud and business apps have been hot topics for the past few years, were now starting to see this take a more strategic spot in IT strategies.
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