Steve O'Connell, managing director of Advantex, wants to see business benefit from new Government supported funding initiatives designed to power investment in local IT projects.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s (DCMS) Gigabit Connection Broadband Voucher Scheme, an initiative designed to help companies secure access to superfast gigabit internet connectivity through £3,000 worth of funding, is being rolled out nationally and has arrived in North East England.
Meanwhile, the £4m Digital Drive Durham initiative, already up and running and part funded by the European Regional Development fund, offers grants of up to 40% towards digital technology or consultancy costs. Specifically, under a scheme designed to power growth and drive opportunity, SMEs can claim funding help towards the cost of installing new superfast broadband and equipment to improve business performance through the use of digital technology.
The three-year scheme will enable start-ups and smaller enterprises to access funding which can be invested in the important digital projects that are the crucial components for expansion and provide the building blocks for growth in the global market place.
Both initiatives come as a recent Tech Nation Report identified that the digital economy contributes in excess of £97bn a year to UK plc. More than 72% of venture capital and private equity investment went to regional businesses in 2016, amounting to £9.2bn.
Steve O’Connell says: “Businesses can be recipients of these funding initiatives, which aim to boost performance and provide a head start to success through the latest workplace digital technologies.
“Advanced IT and telecoms equipment help to unlock new commercial opportunities and provide the business DNA that powers growth. These funding programmes open up whole new avenues of opportunity, and we look forward to companies getting in touch to explore how they can benefit.”
For instance, those taking advantage of Digital Drive Durham can use the funding towards the cost of digital consultancy projects, new IT technology and the superfast broadband services that drive enterprise grade networks.
Steve O’Connell again: “Superfast broadband delivers increased capacity for businesses to send and receive data electronically. This allows larger files to be downloaded and uploaded faster, while emails are sent and received much quicker.
“It also significantly improves business performance, opening up access to new markets, improving customer relationships and delivering long term and measurable efficiency and cost savings. It can also provide a safe and reliable platform to launch unique selling points, opening up a competitive lead over others in the market place. The list is almost endless.”
Funding paves the way towards supporting the cost of experts from firms such as Advantex, who can provide the requisite advice on the right type of IT and telecoms systems to buy, or review your existing digital skill sets, with tips on how these can be improved.
There’s no doubt that taking advantage of the advice and expertise on offer from specialist partners, can prove to be a worthwhile investment for those looking to navigate their way through the ever changing and challenging digital landscape, says Steve O’Connell.
“Secure, safe and cost effective internet-powered technologies lie at the heart of the advanced solutions we provide. These are designed to deliver secure and reliable services, which support employers and workforces based either in the office or working remotely from home or other offsite locations.”
Advantex can draw on its experience of delivering similar schemes to help and support businesses wanting to apply for the Gigabit Connection Broadband Voucher Scheme and Digital Drive Durham funds.
