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Posted: Tue 17th Oct 2023
Enterprise Nation has partnered with Cisco, Google, Sage and Vodafone Business to launch Tech Hub – a free online tool that provides recommendations and resources to help small businesses adopt new technology.
Sage's report, Digital Britain: How small businesses are turning the tide on tech, found that encouraging more businesses to implement technology could unlock £232 billion for the UK economy.
And other research has shown that a quarter of small and medium-sized businesses that do buy technology struggle to use it efficiently because of a lack of knowledge. This is where Tech Hub comes in.
Tech Hub is for any small business – whether just starting out, or which has been running a number of years – that wants to explore technology to improve its business processes.
It starts with a simple diagnostic tool that asks questions about your business, your confidence with technology and what you're looking for. The tool then analyses your needs and delivers a series of recommended solutions.
You'll also be able to access training on how to implement these tools within your business, and how such solutions can be a catalyst for growth.
On the reasoning for the new Tech Hub, Emma Jones CBE, founder and CEO of Enterprise Nation, said:
"We're falling behind. But we can change this. The UK has the experience and the expertise to lead the world in building a digital one-stop-shop that can revolutionise tech adoption.
"Tech Hub is backed by experts and is the merging of brilliant minds which all understand that failing to tackle the UK's poor digital performance now is simply storing up problems for years, and possibly decades to come.
"If entrepreneurs don't know where to turn for accessible, pragmatic digital advice on, say, artificial intelligence or time-management tools, how can we expect to see the improvement in productivity we need so that the UK can compete on a global scale?
"By bringing this idea to life now, we hope Tech Hub can unlock new ambition and maximise possibilities while minimising risk."
Secretary of State for Technology and the Digital Economy, Paul Scully, said:
"It's clear that businesses thrive when they truly embrace the benefits of digital technology and embed it into their operations. With the right tools and support available, we see increased productivity and boosted profits – which leads to economic growth and better paid jobs.
"Tools like this hub will help small businesses enhance their digital capabilities and drive forward with digital transformation, opening up a whole new world of opportunity and growth."
Enterprise Nation and partners plan to launch a new Tech Consortium, which will see policy leads from major technology brands come together to discuss how digital performance among small and medium-sized businesses can be boosted across the UK.
Emma added:
"The Help to Grow: Digital initiative was a brilliant idea in principle, but it closed earlier this year. We need to build on what it achieved, and Tech Hub is perfectly placed to help with this."
Tech Hub is free to use and works by automatically analysing businesses' individual need for technology and levels of confidence with using it. It then generates practical digital recommendations based on expert knowledge and guided by real experience.
Paul Struthers, managing director of Sage UKI, said:
"The digital economy is the key growth sector and will help to deliver a new generation of enterprise, tech start-ups and innovation. We therefore need to empower small and mid-sized businesses to embrace digitalisation and harness emerging technology.
"By creating digital first businesses, the UK is set to gain by a staggering £232 billion every year. We must unlock this opportunity by creating a world-leading digital economy to accelerate growth."
Backed by top technology firms, Tech Hub is a new-generation, one-stop-shop solution that allows businesses to access industry-leading digital tools, training, support and know-how to succeed, all in one place. Take me to the hub
