The Future Is in the Cloud

Competition is a wonderful thing. And the increased competition in cloud services – especially the intense battle among Amazon, Google, and Microsoft – is resulting in services and pricing that would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago.

The personal cloud business includes virtual storage services and data sharing. In the past couple of years, adoption has ballooned: the global number of personal storage accounts reached almost 1.25 billion at the end of 2013, racking up 60% annual growth since 2011.

For the past several years, it's become common to consider cloud services as an alternative to on-premises applications and internal data centers. But with the new levels of pricing, controls, and options, it's now getting to the point where most organizations can assume cloud first, and only use internal applications and datacenters when they have a compelling reason to do so, at least for new applications. We're moving from a world where cloud services are no longer just an option, but are instead becoming the default.

The Industry Report Store has a brand new report which examines the consumer cloud market from the telecom operator perspective, with an in-depth analysis of the personal cloud storage opportunity. The Personal Cloud: A Strategic Imperative for Operators presents an overview of the role of operators with a look at Orange's cloud services as well as the Personal cloud market trends, players, opportunities and positioning strategies for network operators.Contact us if you would like sample pages or if you want to enquire about any other reports in our library. 

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The Internet of Things Phenomenon

The UK government is to spend an extra £45m on research for the development of “internet of things” technology as it hopes to lead the new industrial revolution alongside Germany.

Speaking at the CeBIT technology trade show in Germany on 9^th March,  UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that the UK government would pledge more than double the current funds available to UK technology firms, working on devices that can communicate over the internet. This additional £45m of funding brings the total pot to a whopping £73m!

Providing it with the simplest of definitions, “Internet of Things” refers to devices that can sense aspects of the real world – such as temperature, lighting, the presence or absence of people, etc. – and report or act upon that real-world data. At present, most data on the internet is being produced and consumed by people. It is about making information increasingly produced and consumed by machines. For example - an internet connected water pipe can automatically warn of a drop in pressure. It is hoped that this technology will provide a means of boosting productivity, keeping us healthier, making transport more efficient, reducing energy needs and even tackling climate change.

The Prime Minister hopes for the UK and Germany to lead this new “industrial revolution”:

"I see the internet of things as a huge transformative development - a way of boosting productivity, of keeping us healthier, making transport more efficient, reducing energy needs, tackling climate change," he said.

"Take British ingenuity in software, services and design, add German excellence in engineering and industrial manufacturing and together we can lead in this new revolution."

US research firm Gartner forecasts the market to be worth $300bn by 2020, with nearly 26 billion devices connected to the internet of things.

Sources: Marketing Week, BBC

The Industry Report Store has a newly written report comprehensively covering the Internet of Things market to 2016. The report provides essential insight into the market trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities, as well as SWOT overviews of the major companies operating within the market.

If you would like to request free sample pages or to find out more about any other reports we might have please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Industry Report Store is one of the world’s most comprehensive libraries of market intelligence, with the perfect report for every business need at every budget. Business information is paramount for companies seeking to stay ahead amid challenging economic conditions and intense competition. Contact us today to take advantage of our premium intelligence insights and keep up with your industry competitors.

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Apple is using location data in a whole new way, and it’s about to transform your life

Apple changed the way we live with the iPod. Then it did it again with the iPhone.

Steve Jobs repeated the feat once again with the iPad, and just as we get used to that, his company's about to transform our lives for the fourth time.

Apple announced its iBeacon technology with iOS7 and it's been built into all the firm's operating systems and devices since 2013. If businesses simply set up some transmitters, they can send messages to nearby smartphones advertising their presence and doing everything from sending special offers to recognising a customer.

Here are outlines two things you need to know about iBeacon:

1. It's based on Bluetooth Low Energy

Bluetooth LE is fuelling the Internet of Things, and the latest version of the 10-year-old innovation was designed specifically so it's not as energy sapping as its predecessors. This is the backbone of iBeacon - despite Bluetooth's location-based technology, it wouldn't work if everyone disabled the feature to conserve battery life.

It also means it's open standard. While Apple's trademarked iBeacon, Android and other operating systems can utilise Bluetooth to do the same thing too. The only thing they'd need to do is develop a similar app - Apple decided to build it into iOS7, meaning each smartphone automatically locates itself by using its own triangulating software.

2. Bluetooth and NFC will go head to head

Near Field Communication (NFC) has co-existed fairly peacefully with Bluetooth since 2004, but many predict that relations will grow hostile as the IoT takes hold. Nine years ago, NFC was very different to Bluetooth, but while the two are based on very distinct technologies, they are growing increasingly similar.

NFC is limited to distances of just a few centimetres, while Bluetooth extends to more than 30ft. But as Bluetooth's location accuracy improves with every update, and as the IoT means close-field communication becomes more important, the question arises: don't we just need one?

Cyber-crime: The Greatest Threat to Business Survival

Increasingly in the news we’ve been hearing about cyber-security, but how seriously are we taking it, and what are the impacts for businesses? Most of us will scan past the issue, deeming it irrelevant to our company. This is the exact problem that officials trying to promote awareness about internet safety are facing. Many organisations believe that they are adequately guarded, but even the best-protected government, military and business systems have already been breached, and in 2014 they will be put under further pressure. With the development of cloud technology and increase of BYOD to work, businesses who would not have considered themselves a target in the past are becoming easy-pickings for experts in cyber-espionage.

EY global information security leader Ken Allan has been reported saying that cyber-crime is the greatest threat for organisations' survival today. This is supported by a statement from Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, the Government's special representative to business on cyber security:

"Better awareness and understanding of the risks and effective cyber security will be seen as a positive differentiator for UK businesses and will enable them to survive and thrive in today's competitive global environment."

To put all this information into perspective:

• Only 20% of large organisations detected cyber threat last year.
• 90% of UK workers admitted to clicking unverified web links on a regular basis.
• Respondents who took a global security survey indicated that 14% of overall allocated funds for the next twelve months will be invested in internet security.

“Organisations must undertake more proactive thinking, with tone-from-the-top support. Greater emphasis on improving employee awareness, increasing budgets and devoting more resources to innovating security solutions is needed," says EY global risk leader Paul Kessel.

There is no doubt that cyber-security will be a booming market in the months and years to come, making it an attractive investment opportunity. The way that the industry is coping with the challenges it faces, and the forecasts for how this will affect the market as a whole are key insights that any business interested in cyber-security need to be aware of. The Industry Report Store has an impressive report containing this kind of invaluable information, for instance the fact that the cumulative global expenditure on cyber warfare systems in the next ten years is expected to reach US$166 billion.

Market intelligence is the best weapon a business can have in order to stay ahead of the competition and align their business and marketing strategies to current and forecasted trends. This report details which markets are planning to spend the most money on cyber-defence, and who the emerging key players of the industry are. This is a forward-thinking industry with huge potential, so ensure that your business is well equipped to deal with the potential pitfalls, such as Western austerity measures, by investing in business intelligence. 

See more about this report here: The Global Cybersecurity Market 2013-2023

About Industry Report Store:

Industry Report Store is the most comprehensive online resource for market research reports, analysis, news and expert commentary on 40 industries in over 100 countries. Find over 150,000 global and country sector reports, consumer trend reports, company profiles and market guides, all available for online purchase.

The reports in our store draw on robust primary and secondary research, proprietary databases, industry surveys and insightful analysis from our own in-house expert teams and from carefully selected third-party publishers. We provide access to the latest data on global and local markets, key industries, top companies, M&A activity, new product launches and trends so you can make faster and better informed business decisions.

With access to over 400 in-house analysts and journalists, and a global media presence in over 30 industries, Industry Report Store delivers in-depth knowledge of local markets worldwide.

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UK capital set to get .london web domain name next year

The sites with the new domain will go live in summer 2014.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved the UK capital to use .london web domain name, making it one of the first cities globally to have its own domain name.

As per the approval, businesses, individuals and organisations in the British capital would be allowed to apply for web addresses with .london suffix from spring 2014.

Claimed to boost online presences and promote the British capital, the new domain name is set to be adopted by tens of thousands of businesses, including some of London's most esteemed brands including Selfridges and Carnaby Street.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said adopting the .london suffix will enable organisations to more closely associate themselves with the city's powerful global brand.

"This is also an excellent opportunity to expand London's digital presence, which in turn is set to generate funds to invest back into the city," Johnson said.

London & Partners' new subsidiary Dot London Domainsm will be responsible for managing the new domain, while London-based Minds + Machines will offer registry services.

London & Partners chief executive Gordon Innes said that London businesses and organisations are extremely excited about the opportunities .london presents.

"We are already seeing huge interest - not just from London's most prestigious stores and visitor attractions, but also from local businesses and tradespeople," Innes said.

"Applicants will get a domain name that links them with London and is easier to remember and more powerful, potentially resulting in more customers."

Would your business benefit from a .london domain? 

Take a look at our technology reports to see how our business intelligence could benefit you here. 

About Industry Report Store:

Industry Report Store is the most comprehensive online resource for market research reports, analysis, news and expert commentary on 40 industries in over 100 countries. Find over 150,000 global and country sector reports, consumer trend reports, company profiles and market guides, all available for online purchase.

The reports in our store draw on robust primary and secondary research, proprietary databases, industry surveys and insightful analysis from our own in-house expert teams and from carefully selected third-party publishers. We provide access to the latest data on global and local markets, key industries, top companies, M&A activity, new product launches and trends so you can make faster and better informed business decisions.

With access to over 400 in-house analysts and journalists, and a global media presence in over 30 industries, Industry Report Store delivers in-depth knowledge of local markets worldwide.

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