On Tuesday last the Government launched its’ long awaited National Economic Recovery Plan - Ireland’s €3.6 billion investment shot in the arm to help economic recovery from COVID-19.
The level of investment puts it on a par to Budget Day, but €3.6 billion in the context of high unemployment and precarious position of thousands of businesses won’t stretch far. That said, it continues the pragmatic approach by this Government of propping up businesses, which, pandemic apart, would be viable.
There is a strong focus on a digital and a green recovery too. Digital and green go hand in hand, with digital often being an enabler of more sustainable ways of living. Take remote working, fuelled by high quality fibre broadband and reliable connectivity, but pervasive in reducing the need for long commutes, reducing carbon emissions as a result.
If the extent of funding committed to Ireland’s digital recovery, at €295 million, was the only marker of success, then Ireland would have already aced it. Add in ring-fenced funding of €85 million to support
SMEs accelerate digitisation and the opportunity for Irish business is significant.
Yet, funding, while critical to the success of any project, is only one part. Ensuring funding is invested in the most impactful and transformative way is also critical. And it isn’t just about what it can do for business, but also how it benefits communities and individuals, particularly in reducing inequalities.
Plans are often only as good as the leaders behind them. In deciding how best to support a meaningful digital revolution, it’s important to set out what’s the vision and the end goal for Ireland, including KPIs. A glance at where Ireland’s ranks on digitisation relative to others in the EU, finds we are marked relatively high. Unfortunately, this doesn’t tell the full story.
The European Investment Bank has noted of Ireland, “
the digital economy appears to run at two different speeds, with a small number of foreign-owned multinationals with high digitalisation levels and productivity, and traditional indigenous SMEs, which are slower in leveraging digital solutions”.
With 99.8% of active businesses SMEs and 70% of the workforce employed in non-digital sectors such as services, construction and manufacturing, there is no doubt that we are a nation of small businesses and digitally, we are exposed.
The priority must be to foster SMEs, ensuring that they are digital leaders not laggards. We need fast adaptation of new technologies such as AI, digital automation and VR, as everyday business tools.
Equally, with the winds of global tax changes blowing ever stronger, we must cushion ourselves against a significant drop off in multinational corporation tax by investing now in the capacity of our domestic businesses.
The starting point is a swift transition to the new networks driving connectivity, possible through rapid migration to full fibre broadband.
We need greater awareness of the importance of high quality and reliable fibre business broadband connections. As fibre networks, such as SIRO’s, increase their footprint across Ireland it’s hard to believe, but some businesses remain unaware of an alternative to slow and
outdated copper connections, paralysing their business every day. Business leaders and State agencies can play a greater role, in addition to industry, in ensuring SMEs understand what best-in-class fibre broadband is and can unlock for their bottom line.
The upfront cost of a business broadband connection can be an issue for some businesses. It’s a commercial reality - rolling out a fibre network cost hundreds of millions. To fund this investment a once-off connection fee is necessary, but it can dissuade some smaller businesses.
Government can support businesses, particularly micro-enterprises, in meeting this cost. There are already voucher schemes for companies wishing to develop a website or sell online so why not to connect to high-speed fibre broadband too?
Government has spoken about digital training for SMEs, but unless we have a more rapid uptake of high-quality broadband then the training can’t be applied. Equally, the training we provide SMEs must be appropriate for their individual needs. SIRO has submitted a proposal to Government for each SME to undergo a digital fitness test, identifying their digital weaknesses and the best to means to resolve them. It makes no sense to expect SMEs to self-diagnose their digital condition, perhaps opting for unsuitable training courses.
Beyond SMEs, the digitisation of our public services is key. A National Digital Strategy is imminent. It must develop digital public services which meet users’ needs; not the agencies which provide them. Digital pioneers such as Singapore, give food for thought. Its’ LifeSG App provides access to a grouped suite of public services to support citizens at key life stages such as young families, active ageing or employment and job seekers supports.
In Ireland it’s end users who must work around State agencies when accessing public services. The pattern starts early. Take parents of a new-born, in those early weeks, they must engage with three different agencies with three sets of paperwork when registering a birth, applying for children’s allowance and applying for under 6 free GP care. For business, the bureaucracy can be worse.
The Plan also commits to bridge digital divides. This is more than just older, non-digital natives. While important, there are other, equally significant, impacted groups including lone parents, carers, those with disabilities or ethic communities.
They need equality of access to both digital skills and the tools needed to deliver those skills, including broadband. The pandemic exposed many manifestations of digital marginalisation in Ireland, in home schooling, working from home, healthcare or access to other services. But it also established
broadband as an essential service equal to water or electricity.
Do we also need to consider providing financial assistance to pay for broadband for groups without the means to afford it, akin to how we currently provide a weekly payment to support phone charges for pensioners? In the U.S., the Biden administration recognising the potential for digital divides to grow is providing $50 a month to low-income families to pay the cost of broadband.
Government plans to accelerate Ireland’s digital competency, though welcome, bring competing choices on how to invest scare these resources - making it even more important that we spend wisely.
Right now, we’re in the midst of a digital revolution. The pandemic accelerated the integration and widespread adoption of digital living, but it also forced businesses into a sort of “Digital Darwinism.” A phenomenon defined as “technology that advances faster than the business can adapt.”
Adapting to the sudden requirement to operate digitally, motivated businesses across the world to integrate digital practices or be left behind. The most common example for businesses during COVID was (what used to be known as) telecommuting, better known today as remote working or work from home.
Before COVID-19, a clunky process of dialling in or spending time in traffic to commute to the office was the most common method of attending a meeting. Various lockdowns and Government work from home decrees fast-tracked video calls as the standard meeting format - saving time, energy, and reducing carbon emissions through less commuting. While the transition was not without its growing pains, it’s become the norm for even the most tech adverse.
The good news is that Ireland has made substantial progress on digital development when compared to EU counterparts. Each year, the Digital Economic Society Index compares countries adaptation and integration of all things digital, including connectivity and digitisation of public services.
Overall, Ireland ranks in the top 5 countries in the EU27. Ireland fell short on connectivity in previous years, but in 2021, coverage of Very High-Capacity Networks (VHCN) skyrocketed from 35% to 85%. This is thanks in no small part from fibre network providers, like SIRO, rolling out FTTH (Fibre To The Home) broadband. Productivity increases are one of the most basic benefits to transforming a business’s digital practices, but that’s just scratching the surface. It’s important that any digital change benefits a company internally, but the main driver for success should be to improve customers’ experience.
It’s true that technology and connectivity are cornerstones of a digital business, but one key factor that determines success is adaptability. Companies that have proven adaptability is the key to survival in a digital world, include Netflix and Adobe. Previously, Netflix operated as a DVD rental business, however in the mid 00’s they transitioned to a streaming platform and in turn disrupted the TV and media industry completely.
Adobe, known for their varying software systems, previously rented out software on floppy disks and CDs. Initially it was a one-time, costly purchased. After the recession in 2008, they adapted to the needs of their customers and changed their licensing to a monthly fee or SaaS (Software as a Service) that was upgraded using cloud-based technology, making renewals easier and more cost-effective.
While important businesses adopt digital practices to optimise how their employees work, they must also ensure employees are poised to adapt to the transition. Digital upskilling is essential if your business is to remain agile. According to PwC research, 40% of employees used lockdown to improve their digital skills.
There are added benefits for your organisation too. Investing in your employee’s growth will ensure your businesses survival and can increase retention. In a survey from PwC, it was found that 86% of executives felt digital upskilling improved employee engagement and performance.
At SIRO, our mission since 2015 has been to close the digital divide in Ireland. Fibre broadband is one step is ensuring your business is resilient and future-proofed for the digital era. When it comes to enhancing the digital fitness of your business, it’s not a case of one size fit all. But there are some common themes transferable to all businesses. These include researching exactly what digital tools will suit your business, cultivate and maintain a digital culture, and invest the time in digitally upskilling your work force. Search your business Eircode today to see if your business can connect to SIRO 100% fibre broadband.
Last week SIRO and Vodafone jointly announced Galway’s 
Fast forward to 2022, COVID and the shift to remote working has changed both appreciation and demand for co-working and remote working facilities right across Ireland. While not every town has a hub, just yet, increasing numbers do. They are also a growing feature of neighbourhoods within our city suburbs.
Describing hubs as merely co-working spaces, creates the impression of facilities for hot-desking only, a disservice to their full offering.
Most are set up to provide space for start-ups and small enterprises to have access to best-in-class facilities and shared services such as IT, admin support, staff canteen or break out spaces, which small businesses typically might struggle to afford.
Beyond the physical facilities, hubs also offer opportunities for businesses to collaborate, share ideas and knowledge, and collectively problem solve. They are critical also for the social side of working life, providing outlets for users to meet and engage with others – something many employees working from home yearned a lot during various lockdowns.
PorterShed joining the SIRO-Vodafone Gigabit Hubs will see both new premises receiving a high-quality Gigabit fibre broadband, ensuring that its member companies have fast and reliable broadband. This connectivity, whilst enhancing the attractiveness of the PorterShed, also ensures it has 
SIRO’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ronan Whelan joined Mary O’Neill on WLR FM to discuss SIRO’s €7.5 million investment, connecting over 9,000 homes and businesses in Waterford city to 100% fibre broadband.