Member Article

Technological advances 'create contractor opportunities'

The race to create new markets for business through innovative IT solutions provides a perfect opportunity for the contractor sector, according to leading contractor accountancy firm Nixon Williams.

Over half of the Blackpool-based company’s clients are drawn from the IT sector, with many providing services at the cutting edge of advancements in areas including cyber security, web architecture and retail support.

Nixon Williams has identified five areas in which IT contractors can push the boundaries of knowledge and increase their presence in the sector.

Cloud computing

The rise of cloud storage has liberated storage space from the confines of the desktop to a virtually limitless entity. Cloud computing enables businesses of any size access the kind of computing clout only larger businesses could previously afford.

Cloud computing has failed to impress some business owners with concerns over the security of such systems. A recent study of IT professionals found almost half of respondents were “very or extremely anxious” about the security implications surrounding the cloud and its services. And 41 per cent believed that all cloud-based services are “inherently insecure”.

IT contractors with an in depth knowledge of security protocols, who have the skills to build and develop applications which can run at speed in the cloud, and increasingly those who can tie business needs to IT solutions will find potentially lucrative work waiting.

Wearable technology

Wearable tech was supposed to be a big trend in 2014, but you may have felt a little underwhelmed by the devices that came to market last year.

Such disappointment also brings great opportunity for IT contractors ready to embrace wearable tech. At this year’s International CES conference in Las Vegas, there were plenty of new wearable developments ready to capture the public’s interest and integrate such technology seamlessly into day-to-day life.

Expect to see running shoes which help you train smarter, patches which monitor your vital signs and clothes to power your devices. Opportunities for app developers, software engineers and electrical engineers are abundant in this innovative space.

Internet of Things

Big data hit the headlines in recent years, and cutting-edge analytics tools are likely to be in great demand in the years ahead.

The market for solutions that can analyse huge amounts of data derived from the Internet of Things (IoT) will reach £3.75 billion in 2015 alone, with much of the innovation in this particular area being led by startups, according to a recent study by ABI Research.

This represents an opportunity for contractors, as companies will be increasingly keen to invest in solutions to process and analyse information that comes from appliances or gadgets that are now being connected to the internet, such as fridges and smart meters.

IoT-specific analytics are predicted to account for nearly one-third of all big data analytics revenues by 2020, so this is certainly one trend that app developers, sensor designers and software engineers should be aware of in the future.

Cyber security

The rise of the cyber-attack as an instrument of terror is a real threat to us all. Hackers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to gain access to extremely sensitive data, and IT professionals that specialise in data security have really got their work cut out.

Cyber security is big business and it has an insatiable appetite for expertise. As the complexity of the threat increases, so the expertise required to counter it needs to develop at a faster pace.

Near field communication

Near field communication (NFC) technology is a growing sector which has struggled to get off the starting blocks, despite much promise.

This is predicted to change as applications such as using your smartphone to make fast, secure contactless payments are growing in popularity.

NFC was held back by a reluctance to ‘trust’ the security of such systems. With the likes of Apple Pay and PayPal joining the contactless payment movement, contractors with banking software and cloud-based payment knowledge can tap into this emerging technology and enter the market with a head start.

Nixon Williams Group CEO, Simon Curry, said: “Our IT sector clients work in a fascinating industry where opportunity exists everywhere. Technology is advancing at breath-taking pace and contractors allow businesses involved in cutting-edge IT developments to expand their skillsets, while retaining control of their costs.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Welton .