E-Business
Why Services Are Vital to The Next Age of Business
By Emmanuel Asika
It seems like it’s the end of work as we know it, given the significant transformation and changes in recent years. The growing need for hybrid working environments has led businesses to explore new ways of securely linking systems and staff.
Emmanuel Asika
Meanwhile, many institutions are wrestling with a shortage of IT personnel brought about by the widespread phenomenon of the ‘Great Resignation,’ which is rapidly growing around the worldI.
The latter is even worse in Nigeria, where a great number of IT professionals are resigning daily and heading to countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, in search of the proverbial ‘greener pastures’, a phenomenon known in local parlance as ‘Japa’, a Yoruba word that simply means ‘to run away’ or ‘escape’.
Apart from the medical field, the Japa syndrome seems to have hit the IT sector the most, with many tech developers either leaving the countryII in search of better paying jobs or working remotely for foreign companies.
While IT costs around the world are on the rise, interest in managed services is equally increasing. Such a scenario may appear staggering, but it shouldn’t. As these changes are reevaluating the way people and businesses work, IT as an industry is reacting with inventive solutions for the majority of the urgent challenges faced by organisations.
The increase in all-inclusive services for hardware, software, and amongst others helps businesses to adjust, grow, and constantly renew themselves to be able to provide customers with capabilities they desire. This is because services will not only propel the subsequent business revolution, but they will also be the base for their growth.
New Age, Fresh Tests
Research firm Gartner estimated that by the end of 2023IIIII, 48% of knowledge workers around the world – engineers, accountants, and writers – will work either fully remotely (9%) or in a hybrid arrangement (39%).
So, it is important to build robust IT structures and solutions that will empower these hybrid staff to be productive, wherever they will be working from. It is equally important to obtain an emerging blend of remote gadgets, cloud-based software solutions, and on-premises hardware.
Yet, achieving the goal of acquiring the perfect IT personnel proves to be a challenging task. Despite the long-standing global demand for IT workers, the increasing shortage of skilled personnel in the industry has become a cause for concern in recent times.
A Nigerian business surveyIIIIII showed that 58% of IT decision makers in Nigeria view a shortage of personnel with IT skills as one of the main threats to their business. The survey also found that 34% of tech decision makers in Nigeria were planning to move to a new region, and 33% into a new country.
Expectedly, it’s all about more money, more flexibility, reduced stress, and new experiences. Numerous organizations in Nigeria and Africa are anticipated to face challenges related to tech skills, and these issues are expected to intensify in 2024 and the years to come.
These undercurrents are a disaster for IT units, many of them already under-staffed, and at a time when businesses really need them most. Luckily, the right services can deal with such growing obstacles.
Help is Here
Over time, HP has been researching different kinds of innovations that can assist companies around the world to traverse this new era, and managed services and solutions are top of the list. In contrast to total gadget possession, these end-to-end options, just like HP’s Managed Print Services, are convenient, flexible, scalable, secure, and manageable.
Personalization is rapidly becoming the new thing. Today, to be successful, businesses need bespoke solutions that fulfil the changing expectations of consumers as effortlessly as they enable access to competencies.
We are convinced that this is where the future generation of managed services will come into play – narrowing the skill gap, and at the same time delivering solutions needed to empower and protect a hybrid staff.
For instance, the HP Device as a Service (DaaS) assists IT units cut the rate and intricacy of running devices during their lifespan of gadgets, delivering gadgets, repair services, and AI-driven analytics in a formularized payment. We also provide bespoke offerings for special needs and budgets.
Future-proofing IT
Fully managed services strengthen IT units, delivering the know-how and materials that organisations require to prevail over present uncertainties.
Managed services enable organisations to double up and grow to satisfy the present needs and be ready for future expansion. Having access to extra capability and up-to-date solutions helps businesses to easily transform digitally, thus decreasing the danger and price of doing so.
What’s more, digital services enable businesses to grow competencies in step with changing consumer demands – all the while not being obliged to update technology.
HP’s acquisition of Teradici in 2021 presents a supportive set of cloud-based and remote experiences to products like HP workstations, presenting consumers with faster computing and the suppleness of simulated access that will satisfies their personal requirements.
Emmanuel Asika is Country Head, HP Nigeria
Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.
The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.
The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.
The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.
With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.
This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.
Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.
These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.
Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.
The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.
Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.
He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.
Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.
He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.
“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.
According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.
“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.
Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.
Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.
A jury in Los Angeles has found technology companies, Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s social media addiction, in a case being described as a landmark ruling.
The 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, argued that she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram from an early age due to their attention-driven design features.
According to her testimony, she began using YouTube at the age of six after downloading the app on her iPod Touch to watch videos about lip gloss and online games.
Kaley told the court that she joined Instagram at nine, bypassing parental restrictions put in place by her mother, and spent extended periods on social media.
The trial, which lasted about a month, with arguments and evidence from both sides.
Jurors also heard testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive, Meta and Adam Mosseri, Instagram head.
However, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, did not testify.
The jury found that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms and failed to adequately warn users about potential harms. Meta and Google were ordered to pay the woman $3 million in damages.
Jurors also recommended additional punitive damages, including $900,000 against YouTube and $2.1 million against Meta, according to company spokespersons.
The jury apportioned 70 per cent of the responsibility to Meta and 30 per cent to YouTube.
Kaley was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered, alongside parents of other teenagers who say they were harmed by social media use. Both companies said they plan to appeal the decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online”, a Meta spokesperson said.
José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said the case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
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