With employees once again being asked to ‘work from home if possible’, and further coronavirus lockdowns inevitable, finding the best way to keep staff connected, motivated and informed is the top priority for many businesses.

As local lockdowns continue to take hold across many areas of Wales and the UK, its more important than ever to ensure that your business is equipped for remote working.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial effect on global business, and the ones that have successfully navigated this challenging time, have been the ones to continue to develop and expand their online presence. Lockdown meant that the internet saw a huge 25% jump in traffic overnight, and the sudden spike in demand had to be taken seriously.

With the current trend – amplified by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – being towards online transactions, electronic communications and a cash-less society, the question is: how safe is the internet for dealing with such transactions? Today’s internet security solutions are very good, but there is always a chance that they can be breached. Is there anything available that is better? Could Blockchain be the answer?

Throughout lockdown SA1 has worked tirelessly to ensure that all our customers have the support that they have needed to adapt their business during this uncertain period. We are pleased and excited to announce that our SA1 Headquarters is back open as normal.

For many businesses, video conferencing is becoming the new normal. This virus pandemic has forced nearly all office workers to home-locate, and in order to keep in touch, video conferencing has taken the place of the usual meeting-room and over-the-desk conversations. Though many people will already be familiar with this technology, there are some who may not have used this software before the government prescribed lockdown.

Companies across the UK and around the globe have had to make significant changes to their working practices following the arrival of the novel coronavirus - aka COVID-19. Many employees have been directed to work from home (where possible) in an effort to limit its spread, and businesses have had to adapt quickly to accommodate remote working without it affecting productivity and service delivery.

As if one dangerous pandemic wasn’t enough, the coronavirus has led to a second – that of an explosion in cyber fraud and online abuse. Just as we have all had to adapt to rapidly changing and hitherto unprecedented events, so have the criminals.

In light of recent events, it’s important that businesses are able to operate effectively outside of the office environment. If possible, employees should be able to work from home - which is where cloud computing comes in.

The top trends in technology for 2020 were presented at the Gartner IT Symposium in October 2019. Gartner predicted that the key technology trends this year will be focused in two main areas: human-centric and smart spaces.