NORTH East business leaders discussed the benefits of embracing technology and using it to drive business growth, at an event hosted by leading accountancy practice Tait Walker.
Directors from the region’s business community attended to hear Craig Iley of Atom Bank and Pete Watson of Atlas Cloud discuss the impact that the rapid pace of technology development is having on business.
Alistair Wilson, tax partner at Tait Walker, opened the session by highlighting that the North East is at the forefront of growth when it comes to technology, ranking as the second best performing region in the sector within the UK.
Atom Bank, the UK’s first bank designed for digital and optimised for mobile, has recognised a gap in the market and re-evaluated what banking means in the 21st century. Based in the North East and founded with just six members of staff, Atom now has 205 employees and 30,000 pre-registered users.
MD for Business Banking, Chris Iley, said: “As a company, we embraced the trend towards mobile and more business relationships becoming screen to screen, rather than face to face.
“We wanted to create ground breaking technology to drive efficiency, enabling us to deliver an outstanding client experience and allow our customers to access everything they needed from their bank, all within one app.”
Continuing the trend for producing an easily accessible way to retrieve all the information needed as a business, wherever you are in the world, Newcastle-based Atlas Cloud has created virtual desktops for business that can be used on any device.
Founder Pete Watson, explained: “The way we work is changing and many businesses are looking for an easy solution to keep up with evolving technology. The Cloud allows for modern ways of working, giving members of staff the ability to use their own device and work from anywhere, at any time.”
Alistair concluded: “It’s always great to be able to give members of our business community the opportunity to join forces and discuss key issues. The development of new technology is something that is clearly a challenge and an opportunity for us all, both in home and work life.
“It’s great to see how companies within the North East are developing new and exciting applications and cloud based solutions to ensure businesses are able to move along with these changes easily and effectively.”