Nearly a third of UK firms wary of emerging tech - report

Cybersecurity and workforce gap hindering business innovation, according to CompTIA

Almost one third of UK businesses are apprehensive about emerging tech, according to research from CompTIA.

A quarter of the 1,500 global business and technology professionals cited budget constraints, risk aversion and feeling "overwhelmed" with options as primary factors that are causing some organisations to take a go-slow approach.

However, 46 per cent of respondents viewed emerging tech positively and 25 per cent expressed equal parts excitement and trepidation towards it.

The emerging tech with the highest rates of implementation are the Internet of Things and big data.

"The ingredients for innovation have never been more accessible, and tech hubs can now be found in nearly every corner of the globe," said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA.

"While the research points to momentum on many fronts, there remains much work to be done in helping businesses and workers navigate the path ahead."

Meanwhile UK spending on hardware, services and software is predicted to hit nearly $187.6bn (£145bn) in 2020, with 86 per cent of UK companies turning to outside providers to help them, with repair and maintenance, software development, consulting, cybersecurity and data and analytics among the most commonly outsourced services.

Nearly three quarters of respondents said they got a good return on investment from their tech expenditure.

"These findings are in line with the feedback we received from our member communities around the world," said Nancy Hammervik, executive vice president for industry relations at CompTIA.

"Organisations can focus more effectively on their core business knowing that their technology needs are being handled by a trusted provider. The financial and operational benefits of this outsourcing arrangement are likely to become even more evident as new technologies take hold."

Two major concerns for businesses highlighted by CompTIA are around effective cybersecurity and workforce challenges.

It cautioned that the projected high growth rates for emerging technologies in the coming years will require businesses to re-evaluate their approaches to cybersecurity, as 31 per cent of respondents described their security approach as "adequate or unsatisfactory".

Nearly half of respondents stated that the skills gap issue has become more challenging over the past two years, with almost a quarter of UK employers acknowledging that "unrealistic expectations with skills and experience contribute to exaggerated perceptions of the skills gap".