business focus 13


Chartered accountants Haines Watts presents a series of articles based on its blogs. It offers analysis, reviews and comments and welcomes your feedback at www.hwca.com/blog


of the month Doing business in a brave new world writes John Bailey, partner at Haines Watts


Britain is now making a good economic recovery, with the CBI reporting that the growth rate is expected to hit 2.4% next year.


Surveys conducted by the International Trade Monitor, and one carried out recently by Haines Watts, have found that over 40% of SMEs have seen improvement, with many achieving positive growth. So, while recovery is still going to be a gradual process, how can more SMEs get some of this feel-good factor and achieve growth?


The answer lies in having both more confidence and a global outlook.


SMEs are looking increasingly for an export-led recovery,


seeking opportunities overseas to secure growth at home, which means they will be less dependent on the UK economy. We are in a good position to compete globally, as Britain is a great "brand" to market and the pound is currently weak.


Furthermore, the UK is expected to trade increasingly with Europe as worries abate over the eurozone and, whilst trading with the emerging markets carries more risk, this is another attractive option as the spoils are likely to be greater.


There has been more activity in both areas recently and those with a little bravery are proving that trading abroad reaps rewards if care is taken:


• Spread the risk by diversifying


Which datacentre is best for your business?


When it comes to data within any business, the volume is only going to grow, which means data management and where data is hosted are inextricably linked.


Anthony Green, sales and marketing director at IT specialist Blue Chip, said: “With the advent of cloud technology, we have seen a sharp decline in the number of customers using traditional on-premise backup and storage tapes, although some customers opt for a hybrid solution of on-premise and cloud, depending on requirements.


“This decline is attributed to the fact that properly- designed and managed datacentres offer a far more robust, dynamic, future-proof and secure environment than the vast majority of on- premise solutions.


“Companies are rejecting old-style tape technology and the maintenance and upgrade costs associated with on- premise hardware, in favour of the right datacentre partner with the right cloud-based solutions.”


So how does it work? First there’s the datacentre itself, says Green. When it comes to securely hosting customers’ data, Blue Chip has built a securely-housed cloud platform connected by a private network, with uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) through backup diesel generators and fingerprint access. Alongside 24/7 CCTV, this provides a guaranteed, secure, robust service with connection to multiple datacentres giving improved disaster recovery.


“With this in place, we are able to deliver cloud services to


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2014


“Apart from ease of use, its success is down to customers only paying for the space they use, making it both affordable and scalable. Add disaster recovery as a free extension, rather than an additional expense and customers benefit from a cost-effective, end-to-end service.”


Green concluded: “Choosing a datacentre partner to securely host an organisation’s data is a big step for any company.


I Anthony Green


enhance data management,” he said. “For example, we have seen unprecedented uptake of our cloud backup solution SecureVault.


It


provides online backup to customers by compressing and encrypting data before hosting it securely within the datacentre.


would advise anyone looking to do so to remember that data volume is only ever going to increase; to look at the infrastructure of the datacentre itself; how flexible and scalable the offering is; research the full extent of what a datacentre partner can provide for the business as a whole and consider the long-term relationship.”


Details:


0845-034-7222 www.bluechip.uk.com


www.businessmag.co.uk


across markets and product ranges.


• Take the advice of experts who know about the tax implications and regulatory compliance involved. Valuable support is also available from UK Export Finance and the UKTI.


• There are often additional overheads involved in exports – a joint venture distribution agreement may lessen the expense.


• Get export insurance.


• Recruit salespeople who know the export business.


• Sell at high volume and


maintain competitive export prices.


With the advent of cloud computing and other innovative technology the world is a much smaller place – be brave, plan carefully and your business could have a larger slice of it.


Details: www.hwca.com


Haines Watts has launched its Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition 2014 – for more details see page 9.


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