Vorboss launches Simply Connected to simplify connectivity, IT and cybersecurity management for London businesses
The founder of Optimity, who holds a string of government roles, will be unveiled this week as the next boss of Be the Business, the charity set up to address the perennial challenge of Britain’s weak productivity.
We understand that Anthony Impey will be announced on Tuesday as the organisation's new chief executive.
Anthony, who orchestrated the sale of a majority stake in Optimity, is to replace Tony Danker, who is about to take over as the new director-general of the CBI.
His arrival at Be the Business will come amid a turbulent period for the UK and global economies, which have been buffeted by the coronavirus pandemic and forced some industries into a virtual standstill.
Although official data from the Office for National Statistics outlining the UK's productivity record during the COVID-19 crisis will not be released for some time, Be the Business recently published research suggesting small and mid-sized companies (SMEs) undertook the same degree of innovation in the three months of lockdown that they typically would have done in three years.
The research showed that half a million businesses - more than 35% of the total - had changed or are changing their operating model during the pandemic.
More than one-quarter of companies have asked staff to work in new ways or roles aimed at developing new revenue streams, the charity added.
Be the Business said that while firms had adopted productivity-boosting technology as a result of COVID-19, they did not necessarily have the capital to continue doing so.
Anthony's appointment underlines the importance that Be the Business's board and stakeholders attach to the adoption of new technology to drive productivity improvements.
Britain has suffered by comparison with the productivity record of many other major European economies, prompting economists, business leaders and policy-makers to grapple with the underlying reasons.
Anthony, who remains on the board of Optimity, also chairs the Department for Education's Apprenticeship Stakeholder Board and the Greater London Authority's Apprenticeship Advisory Board.
He will also continue as chair of the City & Guilds Industry Skills Board.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former John Lewis Partnership chair who also chairs Be the Business, said Mr Impey's recruitment reflected the charity's desire to use the current crisis as a catalyst for increasing technology adoption across British business.
"Adoption of technology improves the growth and productivity of businesses in Britain.
"In conducting our search to replace Tony, we wanted someone who believes in and has experienced this for themselves," Sir Charlie said.
Mr Impey said there were "still too many tales of companies embracing technology only to struggle to successfully adopt it".
"That hurts twice over, causing a short-term distraction and a longer-term distrust of the role technology can play.
"This is now essential as businesses across the country are having to deal with the immense uncertainty and massive change caused by the pandemic."
Launched in 2017 with funding from government and the private sector, Be the Business counts leading business figures such as Sir Roger Carr, chairman of the defence contractor BAE Systems, Doug Gurr, the departing UK country manager at Amazon), and Dame Fiona Kendrick, Nestle UK's former chairman and CEO, among its board members and advisors.
Credit: Original article by Mark Kleinman, City editor for Sky News
Intelligent Workspaces are buildings with integrated digital infrastructure and great wireless connections. When you use that connectivity to link all that technology and the people in the building together (linking voice, data, mobile & cloud connectivity), and tap into the Internet of Things, you can create buildings that are almost intelligent organisms.
As dedicated specialists in the field of IT infrastructure design and installation, Optimity is perfectly positioned to deliver on every aspect of the build and to help turn this project into the success it deserves.
Optimity will design and build the backbone of the data systems required to run the facility, including high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity, IT hosted applications, cloud migration and of course, data backup integration with industry leading network security.
As part of the project, Optimity will integrate core IT systems and implement these with user triangulation through bluetooth and WiFi technologies.
All sensors and systems across the building will need to be qualified against enterprise security and network protocols to enable the proper functionality and make automation and machine learning possible.Optimity will also deploy wireless asset tracking to deliver more accurate information regarding space usage and which systems can then formulate decisions to improve overall building efficiency.
Ultimately, this will achieve high performance levels across the facility whilst ensuring that these standards can be maintained, creating a fully scalable and future-proofed system.
Innovate UK
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years. The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.
The Sustainable Innovation Fund is funding 1103 projects, 1189 UK businesses and totalling over £130 million in support across the UK.
Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said:
In this issue we discuss what is to be the new norm for working practices and the relevance of Smart Offices.
We also cover:
- The acquisition of Pebble.it
- 10 minutes with our CEO
- COVID-19 Update
- Project Insight - The London Studios
- Staff Focus
Latest from the press room
As companies grow, so does the technology behind them. Connectivity, IT and cybersecurity often end up spread across multiple suppliers, contracts and support models. Simply Connected brings it all together under one provider, making it easier to manage, easier to support, and clearer to understand costs.
At the heart of it is Vorboss’ own fibre network spanning over 750km across London, built, owned and operated in-house, with the same team designing, installing and managing the full setup end-to-end.
“Office technology has become overcomplicated,”
said Rhod Morgan, Chief Operations Officer at Vorboss.
“Many businesses have the right services on paper, but the experience feels disjointed. We wanted to remove the grey areas. Customers manage one relationship, have access to local support and receive one predictable monthly bill. The same team that builds the solution runs and supports it day-to-day.”
Simply Connected includes modular services that flex around each business and scale as it grows:
- Dedicated internet connectivity from Vorboss
- Fully managed office networks
- Managed IT and hardware provisioning
- Cybersecurity
- Ongoing support delivered by local London experts
Vorboss is powering the ambitions of London’s businesses with blazing-fast connectivity, managed IT, and serious cybersecurity. As we grow, we are focused on building a team that reflects the diversity of the customers we serve.
This year’s gender pay gap results mark a clear step forward, with both our median and mean pay gaps in favour of women, placing us ahead of the UK benchmark.
We recognise that lasting change depends on improving representation across roles and levels, and we are taking deliberate action to support this through inclusive hiring, clear career pathways and ongoing development. We are proud of the progress made and remain committed to achieving gender parity across Vorboss by 2028.
Read the full report here.
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