Pandemic lessons set to boost UK tech

Widescale investment by businesses in new IT projects this year is set to drive a further expansion of the UK’s tech sector, according to a new survey.

David Sapsted

15 February 2021

Commissioned by London-based software company Studio Graphene, the survey of more than 750 British business leaders concluded there would be strong growth in the tech sector because of increasing demand from industry.After a year when the coronavirus pandemic has forced many companies to turn to remote working, the survey found that the vast majority of companies expected their expenditure on IT to grow in 2021, with 69 per cent planning to launch new digital projects, tools or initiatives.Some two-thirds of respondents said their businesses would invest in a new field of technology over the coming 12 months, with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing high on the agenda.Some 67 per cent of company bosses said they also planned to invest more heavily in cyber security, largely as a result of the pandemic illustrating an ever-increasing reliance on technology.

About half of the business leaders admitted that Covid-19 had exposed weaknesses within their companies' IT infrastructures, with 48 per cent saying they had eliminated software no longer fit for purpose since the onset of pandemic.Ritam Gandhi, founder and director of Studio Graphene, said: “2021 is set to be a year huge for digital transformation within businesses. And it is heartening to see firms responding positively to the challenges of the past 12 months by making bold commitments to invest in and embrace new technologies as part of their long-term vision for survival and growth.“The research demonstrates that Covid-19 has inspired – if not forced – businesses to reorient, adapt, and now put digital transformation efforts at the heart of their operations."The question, though, is whether businesses will invest in the right technologies - from collaborative software for staff to customer-facing platforms; off-the-shelf products to bespoke tools. Any digital project must be carefully planned and thoroughly researched if UK companies are to make savvy tech decisions in 2021.”