Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
International Dedicated Servers
eukhost has launched its new range of International Dedicated Servers enabling businesses to locate their servers across the world and speed up website loading times and application performance. Hosting a server nearer to where a business’s audience is geographically located decreases the time it takes data to travel, thus reducing latency. As a result, websites load and respond to user interaction quicker and with smoother checkouts, while customer-facing applications and streaming and gaming services enjoy reduced lag and seamless performance.
Faster-loading websites and applications benefit from increased user satisfaction, reduced bounce rates and lower incidents of cart abandonment, which often result in better conversion rates and increased sales. At the same time, the increase in speed and user satisfaction can translate to improved search engine performance and more organic traffic.
eukhost’s International Dedicated Servers are located in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands, giving customers faster access to users in North America, the EU, Asia and Australasia while improving their ability to comply with regional or national data protection regulations. For more information visit https://www.eukhost.com/international-dedicated-servers
NCSC Cyber League
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is launching the Cyber League, a new initiative that aims to address the country’s biggest security threats. The Cyber League will bring together security professionals and industry experts to collaborate on developing strategies to counter future attacks. Members will participate in various projects, including workshops and discussion groups. The initiative will leverage the expertise of the cyber industry and various institutions to enhance national resilience.
To join the Cyber League, organisations must have a significant UK connection and be part of the cyber security or threat intelligence industry. Up to three individuals from each organisation can participate, provided they have relevant cyber experience and knowledge. Participants must undergo security checks and have been UK residents for the past five years. The initiative aims to be inclusive and welcomes anyone with experience and knowledge to contribute, even if they have limited availability.
IT Spending Surge
According to Gartner, global IT spending is set to reach an eye-watering £3.9 trillion in 2024, showing an increase of 6.8% over last year and dispelling concerns of a slowdown in the sector. The growth is more than twice that of the 3.3% rise in 2023, indicating a strong momentum in the industry. Interestingly, spending on services has now overtaken spending on communications for the first time, becoming the largest area of expenditure. In terms of growth, the device sector is leading the way with a rate of 12.7%, closely followed by IT services and data centre systems. Communications, meanwhile, are experiencing the least growth at 2.3%.
Contrary to expectations and all the publicity, generative AI, so far, has not had a significant impact on IT spending. Instead, traditional areas, such as cloud services, which are projected to surge by over 20%, are what’s driving spending upwards. This trend, Gartner reports, highlights the industry’s reliance on established IT solutions while it tries to navigate its way through evolving landscapes and towards wide-scale transformation.
Microsoft Tops Apple
Although short-lived, Microsoft’s market value briefly overtook Apple this month, reaching a staggering £2.36 trillion. This achievement is mainly due to its advancements in cloud computing and generative AI. In particular, its strategic partnership with OpenAI has played a crucial role in propelling it to the forefront of generative AI advancement. The company has been swift to integrate the cutting-edge AI technology across its various platforms, including Azure, Windows and productivity tools, a move that has set new industry standards – and captured the attention of regulators.
The introduction of GPT-4 features, including the Copilot AI assistant and a dedicated Copilot keyboard button on new devices, indicates the company is moving towards widespread AI adoption to further strengthen its market dominance.
Vodafone Expands Cloud
In an effort to speed up its digital transformation, Vodafone has announced plans to transform its cloud operations. The process will see the company shift to a virtual data centre, a move that will reduce maintenance and energy costs in Europe and Africa, while enabling it to take advantage of generative AI, through the integration of Microsoft’s Copilot. This will enable Vodaphone to enhance its customer services with personalised digital assistants and thus boost customer experiences.
Other parts of the plan include an expansion of Vodafone’s fintech arm, M-Pesa, and the launch of a digital literacy initiative in Africa. In addition, a partnership with Microsoft will provide investment in Vodafone’s IoT connectivity platform, improving connectivity for 175 million devices worldwide.
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