BQ2 Scotland special report - Forging our digital future

2 BUSINESS QUARTER SCOTLAND: Special Feature

Forging our digital future Spotlight on the leading edge businesses and organisations helping to make Scotland’s digital sector world class

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Will you be our next big winner?

#DigitalTech2018 showcasing the achievements and celebrating the successes of the digital sector in Scotland

ENTER NOW www.scotlandis.com/digitaltech2018 26th April 2018, Radisson Blu, Glasgow info@scotlandis.com

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WELCOME

SPECIAL FEATURE

CONTENTS 04. EUROPE’S DATA CAPITAL Edinburgh leads the way, with help from Scottish Enterprise 06. OUR GIGABIT REVOLUTION City Fibre is working for a full fibre network 10. ON A NEW PLANE Mobile expert Waracle is creating some of the most exciting apps on the market 12. PARTNERSHIP FOR SKILLS SQA is working with employers to provide the skills we need 14. LEADING THE CHARGE Wallet.Services is bringing to market the transformative power of blockchain 16. MIND THE GAP Developing the skills with CodeClan 18. IT IS ScotlandIS supporting the nation’s digital technologies industry 20. DATA IS A GAME CHANGER Data Lab is doing everything in its power to help Scotland realise the full potential of data 22. AT HOME WITH TECH How Pixel is helping prepare housing for the future

Once Scotland was renowned throughout the world as a bastion of heavy industry, producing iron and steel for countries around the globe and building the ships that would carry those precious cargoes across the high seas.

Nowadays, our nation is forging a global reputation for itself in a new field – digital technology. That same strong heritage of engineering prowess has transferred from the workshop via the motherboard into cyberspace.

In this special feature, our commercial partners explain the key roles they’re playing in supporting the growth of Scotland’s digital technology industry. Each brings an interesting and informed perspective to the sector.

ScotlandIS, the digital technology trade body, explains how it connects people working in the diverse sectors that make up the industry, from oil and gas through smart transport to cybersecurity.

Meanwhile, CodeClan – the training academy in which ScotlandIS plays an important part – highlights how Scottish companies can address the digital skills gap, a topic also at the heart of the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s work.

CityFibre shines a light on Edinburgh’s digital growth, pointing to its work with partners CGI and Commsworld to install a gigabit network in Scotland’s capital. The recognition for Auld Reekie in the recent UK Tech Innovation Index came as no surprise to David Smith, sector director for digital technology at economic development agency Scottish Enterprise, and here he highlights the strength of the community behind that innovation, from academics to entrepreneurs.

This special report also celebrates the success of companies working in this innovative field; Waracle is developing some of the most exciting mobile and internet of things apps on the market, while start-up Wallet. Services is bringing blockchains and related digital ledger technology to market and Pixel’s technology is set to transform the housing market.

Yet digital technology isn’t simply a topic for internet start-ups and Star Wars fans with scraggy beards. Digi tech touches every part of the Scottish economy, from agriculture and fishing through to fashion and golf.

It’s important for entrepreneurs working in all sectors of the economy to get to grips with digi tech – and finding out how these commercial partners could help businesses to grow might just prove to be an important first step.

Peter Ranscombe In association

Business Quarter is part of BE Group, the UK’s market leading business improvement specialists. www.be-group.co.uk

BQ, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT. www.bqlive.co.uk. As a dedicated supporter of entrepreneurship, BQ is making a real and tangible contribution to local, regional and national economic growth across the UK. We are unique in what we aim to achieve as a media brand, a brand that has established a loyal audience of high growth SMEs and leading business influencers. They wholeheartedly believe in BQ’s focus on people – those individuals that are challenging the traditional ways of doing things. They are our entrepreneurs. BQ reaches entrepreneurs and senior business executives across Scotland, the North East and Cumbria, the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Wales, London and the South, in-print, online and through branded events. All contents copyright © 2017 BQ. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All content in this BQ2 should be regarded as advertorial.

All information is correct at time of going to print, December 2017.

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The data capital of Europe David Smith, sector director digital technology at Scottish Enterprise

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hen Edinburgh was named the most active tech innovation community outside of London in the new UK Tech Innovation Index, with Glasgow not far behind, it came of no surprise to those working in the sector in Scotland.

It backed up the findings of the 2017 EY Scotland Attractiveness Survey, which ranked Scotland as the most attractive UK location for foreign direct investment outside the capital, and highlighted software as a particular strength for Scotland.

Because, just as we were at the forefront of the kinds of innovation that propelled economies forward in centuries gone by, we are again leading the way with industry and academia working together to innovate and create new opportunities for economic growth.

The tech index, developed by the Open Data Institute and the Digital Catapult, found that Scotland has strengths in areas such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence and health. It also identified significant capabilities in the field of data innovation and exploitation. In fact, Scotland already has around 150 companies operating in this space, with a combined turnover of £1 bn. And it’s been estimated that data-driven innovation has the potential to deliver £20bn of productivity benefits for our economy over the next five years.

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“Success owes much to our world-class academic excellence and data assets.”

This success owes much to our world-class academic excellence and data assets such as the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics. Included within this is a dedicated data innovation centre, the DataLab, which is playing a key role in helping the industry to respond to the global impact of data-driven innovation. Its work is ensuring we have the largest proportion of all data science post-graduate courses in the UK, and a thriving data innovation “meet-up” community of more than 1,750 business leaders.

These leaders are part of a can-do entrepreneurial community of Scottish companies investing in data opportunities.

We’ve seen significant home-grown global success with Fanduel and Skyscanner, Scotland’s first digital businesses to be classed as unicorns, tech start-up companies that reached the US$ 1bn market value. And we’re also seeing a growing number of inward investors choosing Scotland as a location for their data-driven businesses,

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tapping into our skilled business environment and supportive tech ecosystem.

Scottish Enterprise is working hand-inhand with partners to exploit these opportunities. In March, we supported DataLab and other industry partners to host Scotland’s first DataFest, a week-long programme of events attended by more than 2,500 people. This included a business conference of 450 delegates, where leaders came together to discuss the global opportunities of data and related technologies. And one of the many things we all agreed on was that our thriving data scene has put Scotland in pole position to become the data capital of Europe.

Reaching this goal will take significant work and further collaboration to encourage more investment into our ecosystem. A great example of how this is already happening is the commitments made by the Scottish and UK governments and the Edinburgh City Region Deal partners towards a £350m package of investments linked to

accelerating data driven innovation – investments that will help to put Edinburgh and Scotland at the forefront of technology-led innovation.

We’ll also be increasing our support for business in this sector with the introduction of a new data advisory service, led by Scottish Enterprise. This will focus on developing the capabilities of companies within Scotland and helping them realise market opportunities. Developments such as the recently launched £9.2m can do Innovation Challenge Fund is another great example of how new ways of working will support companies to grow.

We are rightly ambitious for Scotland when it comes to the opportunities of digital technologies. But thanks to our culture of innovation, long-established relationships between industry and academia, and a growing skills base and tech ecosystem, Scotland is well placed to secure its position as the data innovation capital of Europe within the next few years. n

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Scotland’s gigabit revolution: a full-fibre digital transformation

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s he addressed attendees at Dell EMC World 2017, Michael Dell said: “Scotland is acting as a significant catalyst to the country’s [UK] aspirations to be viewed not only as a key European location but as a fully-fledged global digital hub.” Echoing Dell’s sentiments by building transformational full-fibre Gigabit City networks, CityFibre is committed to seeing Scotland realise its aspirations and affirm its position as a digital leader.

In the past, investment in Scotland’s traditional infrastructure such as roads, bridges and railways has delivered significant economic benefit by creating jobs, supporting local supply chains and improving the environment in which local businesses operate. Digital infrastructure is no different, and its benefits are furtherreaching in many ways. Not only does it support those who build it, it drives the competitiveness, productivity and efficiency of those who use it – from small businesses and universities to public services like schools and hospitals.

As a builder of Gigabit Cities, alternative provider CityFibre is a big believer in the wide-reaching potential of its nextgeneration digital infrastructure. The alternative investment (AIM) listed business is currently revolutionising Scotland’s cities by investing in and building state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and, alongside internet service provider (ISP) partners, the networks are equipping Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Stirling with ultrafast internet

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“Connected businesses across Scotland’s major cities have already reported experiencing a new level of productivity.”

connectivity that is future-proofed for decades to come.

Transforming a city into a Gigabit City involves providing local businesses and organisations with access to revolutionary full-fibre digital infrastructure that unleashes the power of unlimited bandwidth and ultimately creates a more- competitive business environment. Connected businesses across Scotland’s major cities have already reported experiencing a new level of productivity, innovation and efficiency thanks to their new gigabit speed connection.

Full-fibre also provides a platform for mobile upgrades and fibre to the home (FTTH) capabilities, two key areas of focus in Scotland’s digital strategy. CityFibre’s recent announcement of a strategic partnership with Vodafone will bring ultrafast gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband to up to five million UK homes and businesses by 2025, meaning entire communities are going to benefit from CityFibre’s networks. This is a huge leap forward for Scotland’s digital capabilities and the company’s plans to create a full-fibre Britain.

As a result of this type of investment, Scotland’s reputation as a leader in the technology sector is on the rise. According

to the recent Scotland’s DigitalTechnologies report published by Skills Development Scotland and the Digital Technologies Skills Group, the tech sector is predicted to grow twice as fast as the Scottish economy in its entirety over the next seven years. What’s more, technology is forecast to be the fastest growing sector of Scotland’s economy by 2024.

Better connectivity means Scotland’s digital leaders, which have largely been responsible for putting the country on the digital map, stay put. At the start of this year, Think Analytics, Cloudgine and RaspberryPi joined SkyScanner, CodeBase and Rockstar North as the top Scottish tech businesses to watch, with many more emerging since. In an interconnected world where relocation is an increasingly easy decision for businesses to make and execute, retaining talented businesses has never been so difficult. Full-fibre is the key to giving businesses and their employees everything they need to digitally thrive right here in Scotland.

The continued deployment of full-fibre is intrinsic to Scotland achieving and future-proofing its digital vision and CityFibre is proud to be a key driving force in helping it do so. n

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Case study: award-winning Graven enjoys bright future thanks to digital investment For businesses operating in the modern creative world like Glasgow-based Graven, an ultrafast internet connection is paramount.

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he award-winning design studio had been struggling with a slow copper connection for more than 10 years when it heard about CityFibre’s Gigabit City network via it’s Glasgow launch partner and internet service provider, HighNet. One of Graven’s main challenges before was backing-up it’s data. Employees had to complete manual daily back-ups onto a hard-drive for off-site storage because automatic overnight back-ups would regularly fail. It could take up to two days to upload a three-dimensional (3D) visualisation file, and even if this eventually worked, they were often unable to transfer these files to clients. A poor connection was costing Graven precious time and resources.

Since connecting to the Gigabit City network however, Graven has enjoyed the start of a very bright full-fibre future.

Notable digital achievements include: a transactional website to start making sales via e-commerce; installing sophisticated video conferencing technology, which has

improved it’s ability to collaborate remotely with overseas clients; and it can now back-up it’s whole system in minutes.

Janice Kirkpatrick, creative director at Graven, shared her thoughts on the introduction of full-fibre to it’s business and Glasgow: “We wish we had been able to upgrade our connection 10 years ago as it has restricted our development. It was embarrassing to explain to clients that we

were based in the centre of Scotland¹s largest city but had almost no connectivity – I’m not sure they actually believed us. Our full-fibre connection has been truly transformational for our business and we are now able to offer a level of service that’s truly leading-edge.” n To find out more about how full-fibre could transform your business, visit: cityfibre.com/connect

Fibre vs full-fibre: what’s the difference?

We’ve all heard the UK’s biggest broadband providers crowing about superfast “fibre” broadband services, but the reality of what they’re actually providing might surprise you.

Standard fibre broadband

Fast fibre cable

Slow copper cable Street cabinet

Exchange

Your business

Full-fibre connectivity

Gigabit speed, future-proof connectivity Exchange

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Your business

When some broadband providers advertise fibre, what they’re actually selling is Fibre to the Cabinet. Fibre to the Cabinet uses fibre to carry data to the local data cabinet but from there copper wire, which is notoriously slow and unreliable, completes the journey to the premises. Fibre broadband services are only as strong as the weakest link – the copper wire.

‘Full-fibre’ is completely different. With full-fibre, there’s no outdated copper wire involved. Instead, fibre connections are used for the entire length of the journey. That means no slowdown in speeds or sudden drops in quality. Simply put, it’s exactly what most people think they’re buying when they sign up for “fibre”.

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A spotlight on Edinburgh’s digital growth

Gigabit City Edinburgh 150km city-wide full fibre network

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ailed as the UK’s entrepreneurial city of the year and a hub for Scotland’s tech-savviest minds, Edinburgh – one of the country’s largest Gigabit Cities – presents a significant opportunity to drive economic growth and investment through its digital sector. But this wasn’t always the case. The demand for ultrafast connectivity from

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both private and public sector organisations had been mounting for some time.

Struggling with aged copper networks and planned upgrades were not up to speed with the city’s aspiration to become one of the UK’s most digitally connected cities, Edinburgh’s digital future didn’t always look so certain. However, in June

2015 this was remedied when CityFibre launched its full-fibre gigabit network alongside it’s launch partner and local internet service provider, Commsworld, and global ICT firm, CGI.

The capital’s full-fibre future

Business expansion, start-ups, accelerated job creation, skills development, higher

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“Edinburgh has established itself as one of the most tech-minded and impressive Gigabit Cities in the UK thanks to an innovative and well established partnership between the private and public sector.”

productivity and innovation are just some of the growth factors the city has seen since full-fibre connectivity became a reality. Edinburgh now has the capability to accelerate internal and external growth because it has the digital infrastructure to support it.

As one of the early adopters of full-fibre in the city, digital marketing business 180Vita backs this vision. Excited about the international opportunities this new infrastructure is affording Edinburgh’s business community, the company’s chief financial operator, Tom Alford, explained: “The future of Edinburgh hinges on world-class connectivity, in our opinion.

The ability to leverage connectivity, results in a more meritocratic world, whereby great businesses with a global footprint can be forged and scaled at speeds that were previously impossible – until now.”

Spanning the city centre to the outer suburbs, the 150km Edinburgh gigabit network looks set to continue growing.

With increasing demand from businesses of all sizes and public sector organisations, CityFibre will continue building and investing at the rate the city dictates.

With more than 300 council buildings connected, including more than 130 schools,

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the City of Edinburgh Council’s demand for full-fibre connectivity has also provided a strong foundation for growth of the CityFibre network.

The new Gigabit City network provides the council with a future proofed platform to deliver innovative, more efficient public services. It allows experimentation with smart city initiatives and new teaching techniques that would not previously have been possible, while also extending the network footprint across the wider city, allowing more local businesses to benefit from the transformational impact of full-fibre.

Attracting new talent and investment

Bruce Strang, head of iT at the City of Edinburgh Council, also believes CityFibre’s network is helping to attract talent and investment. Bruce Strang commented: “Edinburgh has established itself as one of the most tech-minded and impressive Gigabit Cities in the UK thanks to an innovative and well established partnership between the private and public sector.

“By partnering with Commsworld and CGI to connect to CityFibre’s infrastructure, the City of Edinburgh Council has enabled the construction of world-leading digital

infrastructure that not only makes a significant statement to the global investment community but is helping to accelerate the growth of city organisations that can now connect to gigabit internet services and transform the way they do business. We have achieved this by being innovative about our own needs and ensuring that they have created this opportunity for businesses across the city.

“Digital investment is a long-term solution that will support the city as new ways of working evolve, data usage and storage needs to continue to grow and ever faster data processing is required.”

James McClafferty, head of development for CityFibre in Scotland, said: “Edinburgh has fully embraced the digital future of Scotland with a palpable reverence for technology and its ability to unleash the city’s full economic potential. The other Gigabit Cities in Scotland are also benefiting in similar ways but this is just the start.

Ultimately, if Scotland is to remain innovative and we are to continue to support our business community on a competitive global playing field, then it needs to invest in the future. And the future is not paved in asphalt, it is lined with fibre.” n

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a n o g n i t a r Ope e n a l p t n e r d iffe Waracle is one of the UK’s largest mobile app development, internet of things (IoT) and digital solutions companies. Known for being a mobile expert, it creates some of the most-exciting mobile and IoT apps on the market.

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aracle goes back to 2008 when it began as a spin out from Abertay University.

Dundee has a strong contingent of technology companies and a lot of people with technological expertise, mainly gaming, so the original aspiration was to create a gambling and gaming mobile apps and web company.

In 2013, a new chief executive, Chris Martin, brought a wealth of software development experience and the shift of the company moved into mobile app development and internet of things (IoT). In fact, Waracle became the first company to develop an app for the Scottish Government as part of its “Love Food Hate

Waste” programme. Following on from this, the client base grew to include the Ryder Cup, Imperial College London and NCR. Waracle now has proven in-depth experience across many industry sectors including fintech, scientific research, digital health, energy, transportation, luxury goods and has become a trusted partner for many of the UK’s largest brands.

The Fintech sector has become a core part of Waracle’s portfolio. It has worked in the financial services sector for many years covering mobile banking, card mobile apps, real estate, insurance, accounting and broader retail banking initiatives. It is proud to be Clydesdale Bank’s ground app development partner working in it’s building alongside it’s wider technology team.

In December 2015, Waracle became part of Edinburgh based IT consultant Exception.

This enabled much faster growth enabling Waracle to hire further talent and grow the mobile app development team and expand into additional digital solutions.

As part of this growth, the Dundee headquartered company expanded with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. It is a rapidly growing team of industry leading

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iOS, Android and hybrid developers, user experience designers, scrum masters, QA and app store optimisation experts.

Recently both Waracle and Exception invested in Wallet.Services as they believe blockchain will enable both intra and inter company collaboration and their combined customer base is starting to explore uses of blockchain.

Business Development Director: David Romilly says “We feel we operate on a different plane to other mobile operators in Scotland. We’ve elevated ourselves out of ‘we’ll develop you an app for your business’ to ‘we can take on a whole programme of mobile work to customers who use your app around the world.”

Taking on a whole programme of digital solutions for customers, it now sees voice control as the next major development and Waracle is expanding more into voice control, smart homes and mobile health.

Already for a number of years, digital health

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“Taking on a whole programme of digital solutions for customers, we now see voice control as the next major development and Waracle is expanding more into voice control.”

and care has become a core part of Waracle’s portfolio and it works alongside pharmaceutical, dental, research and health organisations to develop mobile apps and technology for wearables.

It has also been working with bots and artificial intelligence (AI) for a while now and has a real interest in seeing how they are developing.

All of this development expertise has resulted in robust engineering processes that have agile at the core. It works across platforms and languages including iOS, Android and hybrid HTML5 and provide single project support, onsite or offsite managed agile teams and optimisation.

It has the flexibility to work with small teams, as part of your own team or scale up for large projects.

Waracle has regularly been cited as an industry leading mobile app and IoT development company from independent research companies including Clutch, AppIndex and Carnival. Waracle is also in the process of becoming an IBM Watson IoT partner.

The way your business responses to ‘being mobile’ will significantly influence your future success. Waracle has the skills and expertise to help you innovate faster and deliver first-class mobile app, IoT and digital solutions. Why not contact Waracle today? n

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SQA’s Derek Houston (right), and David Hannah of QA Apprenticeships with QA Apprenticeships candidates.

A partnership for future skills The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is working with employers and training providers to meet Scotland’s skills needs and understand key sectoral trends. SQA is supporting businesses and learners across Scotland in an ever-changing digital landscape. Information technology skills specialist QA Apprenticeships has been working with SQA.

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nformation technology (IT) and business apprenticeships provider, QA Apprenticeships, has 1,000 candidates across Scotland, it supports employers and provides awardwinning apprenticeship programmes.

QA has more than 30 years’ experience in IT training and develops apprenticeships that deliver for its client-base of employers across both Scotland and England, with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

In 2011, it became an SQA Approved Centre and now delivers SQA qualifications that are

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relevant to employers and develops the right work-place skills for learners.

These include: • Diplomas in Information Security • Diplomas in Information Technology and Telecommunications • Diplomas in Digital Marketing • Diplomas in Digital Application Support • SVQs in Business and Administration • SVQs in Providing Financial Services • National Progression Awards in PC Passport

Over the years, this partnership has grown and has allowed QA to enhance its performance in Scottish markets and make a significant contribution to the digital skills landscape.

David Hannah, QA’s head of delivery apprenticeships – Scotland, is delighted with how the working partnership with SQA has evolved: “We work consistently with SQA to deliver a quality solution for our clients and our learners. The support we receive from

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our account manager, Derek Houston, is invaluable. He has guided us through SQA’s robust quality assurance processes and ensures we benefit from SQA’s expertise.

“Some 92% of QA employers say we add value to their business – becoming an SQA Approved Centre has allowed us to increase this value. Not only do we now deliver a range of SQA qualifications, we also have direct involvement in the development of qualifications.

David continues: “Feedback from our customers highlighted a need for qualifications in digital marketing. We worked closely with Derek and SQA’s qualifications development teams to get the digital marketing diploma created and credit rated on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

“This qualification is now the key component of a recognised Modern Apprenticeship in digital marketing in Scotland.”

Derek Houston, SQA regional manager for Glasgow, has helped build this partnership with QA, and has regular involvement with employers and key stakeholders in the information and communications technology (ICT) and digital sectors: “In 2016, I worked with Skills Development Scotland to engage with employers addressing issues affecting the ICT and digital sectors. This resulted in the formation of the Tech Industry Advisory Board (TIAB), which aims to shape the future of qualifications for ICT and digital sectors, by encouraging collaboration between public and private sector organisations.

“This group is taking big steps in achieving this – with certain members involved in the development of Higher National Certificates (HNCs), Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), and Professional Development Awards (PDAs) in cyber security.

“SQA is delighted to be working in partnership with QA Apprenticeships. This partnership can be replicated anywhere across a range of sectors. Our dedicated team of regional managers and business development consultants are ready to work with employers across Scotland to ensure we are meeting future skills needs.”

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“SQA is delighted to be working in partnership with QA Apprenticeships. This partnership can be replicated anywhere across a range of sectors.”

Sponsored by the Scottish Government’s learning directorate, SQA is committed to supporting the Scottish education system.

It’s regional managers actively engage with public, private and third sector organisations as well as schools and colleges to ensure Scotland’s qualifications are robust, relevant and respected.

SQA qualifications are designed and continually reviewed in partnership with industry experts to foster the workplace skills and experience needed in the real working world to make businesses more competitive and Scotland’s economy more dynamic.

As Scotland’s national awarding body, it is uniquely placed to support businesses in an ever-changing skills landscape — working closely with Skills Development Scotland, local authorities, and other private, public and third sector organisations.

SQA also has centres in other parts of the UK and across the globe. It is recognised by the Office of Qualifications & Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to deliver qualifications in England, and its nternational operations include an established programme in China.

Every business working with SQA has a dedicated account manager – one point of

contact who will take the time to get to know them and how they work, and who understands the particular challenges in their area.

SQA’s account managers advise organisations on the best possible journey for enhancing workforces in a range of sectors. Working together, they can continue to give Scotland a happier, more productive, more reliable and more skilled workforce. n

To find out more about SQA’s business development team visit www.sqa.org.uk/businessdevelopment email mycentre@sqa.org.uk or call 0303 333 0330

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It’s a digital life It’s been a heady first year of business for Wallet.Services, the Scottish tech outfit leading the charge in bringing to market the transformative power online of blockchains and related digital ledger technology.

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n top of landing major awards – from Edinburgh, where it is based, to New York – the fledgling start-up landed its first client, the Scottish Government, no less, as public services innovation partner to research and write a digital ledger technology (DLT) way forward to underpin its digital strategy.

Blockchains – whether used in public or

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private value supply chains – are fast growing in significance as more honest, transparent and efficient frameworks for governance and business via the internet, and aimed at bringing a new era of accountability and cybercover plus lasting economic and social benefits all round.

This is achieved by using peer-to-peer fully-encrypted networks where everyone

follows strict digitally-signed data recording rules in cryptographically secure blocks.

Siccar – old Scots for “sure and trusted” was devised in close collaboration with Scottish Government’s CivTech unit.

A successful seed funding round that attracted a group of tech entrepreneurs and business leaders is ensuring the continued development of its “Siccar” platform that applies blockchains to deliver streamlined services based on sharing sensitive data across citizens, government and business.

The tech company’s commercial director, Peter Ferry, one of four directors all from tech backgrounds, says its mission is to simplify and secure digital life.

“We’ll build on Wallet.Services role as an innovation partner in public services, grow our blockchain software development team in Edinburgh, and establish a world-class advisory board. The coming months focus

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on building proof-of-concepts in our government customers, whilst building out the Siccar product.”

Investors include Gordon McKenzie, vice president of Digital Reasoning Corp, who says: “I’m delighted to be joining this exciting venture in what is forecast to be the next major technology transformation.

Wallet.Services has rightly seen the opportunity and created a platform that can enable transformations in government and commerce alike.”

Steve Langmead, tech entrepreneur and former head of ATOS (Scotland said:) “They’ve brought together a great mix of technology, skills and experience, people who clearly have the determination to take this exciting technology to the market.”

Well-established tech companies Waracle and Exception are also investors, and Waracle’s chief executive, Chris Martin, sums up: “We believe blockchain will enable both intra-and inter-company collaboration and our combined customer base is starting to explore uses of blockchain.”

Alexander Holt, head of the Scottish Government CivTech Unit, says “We look forward to seeing the accelerated development and implementation of the

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Siccar platform within governments, thus proving the potential for the safer delivery of public services through use of DLT.” One example of such international co-operation is when Wallet.Services led a first-time Scots business trip to Estonia.

It achieved a dual objective of invaluable long-term cross-border digital knowledge transfer initiatives plus two-way commercial opportunities.

The visit involved a mix of senior Scottish Government policy representatives and business leaders, underscored by what might be learnt from an eastern neighbour to help in Scotland’s goal to become a world-leading nation in digital public services by 2020.

Ferry, who has become the newlyinstalled Scottish honorary consul to the republic of Estonia, led the delegation who spent a full day at the E-Estonia showroom, previously visited by France’s President Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Merkel.

It proved an eye-opener. On show were drones, robotics and manufacturing all wrapped round digital public services and uniform branding across diverse sectors from healthcare, e-learning to tourism.

The Estonians tell a great story of

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“We’ll build on Wallet.Services role as an innovation partner in public services; grow our blockchain software development team in Edinburgh; and establish a worldclass advisory board.”

joined-up digital governance: an entire state public services network built on very little money by fully engaging indigenous tech companies.

Yet in the early Nineties no one in Estonia had actually seen a computer, never mind switched one on. The country’s software industry now contributes an impressive near 10% of gross domestic product. Digital food for thought. n

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How Scottish companies can address the digital skills gap

By Sara Dodd, CodeClan’s head of quality and curriculum.

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cotland’s tech sector is based around a hugely dynamic industry with fantastic examples of innovative start-ups growing to become public-limited companies (PLC) and global organisations, plus world-class research and development contributing to the astonishing developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

Supported by Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish

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Development International (SDI), the tech sector has become a key driver in the economic development of Scotland, and with strong links to the Silicon Valley innovators and global leaders, it has become one of our brightest stars, showcasing a natural aptitude for creativity, innovation and collaboration.

This vibrant sector is outpacing others in terms of growth, and growth needs fuel.

Fuel means people with the right skills, but recent statistics indicate that while there are around 12,800 digital technology job vacancies every year, there simply aren’t enough people to fill them, most critically in the area of software development, though the majority of jobs now demand a minimum digital skillset.

How can Scottish businesses across all sectors ensure that they have the

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workforce in place to capitalise on these tectonic shifts?

New ways of learning Some of our major universities have been key to supporting this growth, producing talented computing science graduates that have become the envy of the world – and the pick of the crop when new tech companies choose to establish a base in Scotland.

Human resources denizens of the big tech companies scour universities and colleges for the brightest and the best, snapping them up as soon as they complete their degrees. New university and college courses have been developed to give

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non-computer science students key technical knowledge and skills to combine with their degree in the burgeoning sectors of fintech, biotech and the creative industries.

ScotlandIS and Skills Development Scotland have also played a key role in helping to establish CodeClan, the digital skills academy that enables career changers to move into new tech roles after completing the immersive 16-week course in software and web application development.

One of the key attributes of the success of CodeClan’s graduates is that they also possess a huge range of desirable,

“ScotlandIS and Skills Development Scotland have also played a key role in helping to establish CodeClan.”

transferable skills from having worked in previous occupations.

We have seen people from all walks of life transition into new tech roles who are now being promoted to key positions that combine their experience and expertise with the knowledge and skills of contemporary technologies.

Upskilling existing staff With software developers in high demand, some companies have looked at re-training as a critical way to keep and develop staff.

Offering them the opportunity to undertake the 16-week professional software development course can give them the skills to transition to new roles within the company, whilst retaining their valuable knowledge and understanding of the business.

Upskilling also has huge advantages.

Providing focused training in specific topics can add value to an employee’s skillset. This is true for both tech newbies and experienced staff across sectors as varied as legal and financial teams to teachers and educators.

We have seen huge interest in our three-day “Coding for Professionals” course, which gives teams a taste of what’s happening in the tech world, from understanding how the internet and application programming interfaces (APIs) work to new services in the Cloud.

Delivered in tandem with learning the practical skills to code a simple application end-to-end, this can be an inspiring exploration of the value of gaining new tech skills.

By recruiting new staff and in re-training and upskilling existing staff, all sectors can prepare their teams to capitalise on the huge potential that technology has to offer in growing and expanding Scotland’s future. n

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e provide our members with connections, up, down and across the industry, with market intelligence and insights, and we campaign on the issues that affect them, such as skills. We also work to promote the industry to the press, policy makers and end markets across Scotland and further afield.

Scotland’s tech sector is growing and everywhere you look there are new opportunities. From global players such as CGI, BT, and Oracle through a range of high-profile Scottish businesses like Petrotechnics, Skyscanner, Craneware, KAL, and Freeagent to newer product-based companies such as Smarter Grid Solutions, Ecometrica, Administrate, and Amiqus.

As a country we’re also continuing to attract inward investment. Companies such as Encompass, Avaloq, JP Morgan, and Amazon Development Centre are setting up in Scotland to access the talented workforce here, further boosting demand for skills.

With start-ups popping up on a daily

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ScotlandIS is the trade body representing the fast-growing digital technologies industry, which covers software, telecoms, information technology services and digital media. basis in Codebase’s centres in Edinburgh and Stirling, at The Tontine and Rookie Oven in Glasgow, and Elevator in Aberdeen, and a thriving games cluster in Dundee, the buzz around the industry is palpable.

A new generation of tech entrepreneurs is using the growing pool of talented digital makers, with skills in software development, product management through to digital marketing, to build the businesses of the future. They’re often funded by tech savvy business angels, and increasingly coming through tech “accelerators” such as Seedhaus and Civtech.

Digital technologies are effecting all our lives and all parts of the economy, enabling new products and services and improving

productivity in industries as diverse as retail and aquaculture, tourism and leisure, financial services and health and social care.

As companies like Cityfibre, BT and Virgin continue to invest in the connectivity that underpins the digital economy, delivering Gigabit Cities, 5G and rolling out broadband to all parts of Scotland, and businesses like Microsoft and Google provide easy to access cloud-based services, providing an internationally competitive platform, the opportunities in technology are enormous, and this provides unparallelled potential for Scotland.

Through our regular events, at ScotlandIS we bring people across the industry together around these opportunities, for

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“We provide our members with market intelligence and insights, through our annual industry and salary surveys, and market specific research such as analysis of public sector IT spend.”

example in smart transport through MaaS Scotland, in cyber security, in technology for the oil and gas sector. We facilitate peer to peer networking for people from software engineers to sales and marketing professionals, enabling informal partnerships to be developed and best practices and experiences to be shared. We help develop the ecosystem - for example through working on the establishment of The Data Lab, setting up CodeClan and championing the development of CivTech.

We provide our members with market intelligence and insights, through our annual industry and salary surveys, and market specific research such as analysis of public sector information technology (IT) spend.

And we campaign, acting as the collective voice of the industry. The skills shortage the industry faces has been a constant theme for us. We work with all parts of the skills ecosystem, with schools, colleges, universities and policy makers, support careers advice, promote

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apprenticeships and work to address gender balance issues, highlighting female role models. We run an industry placement programme, ePlacement Scotland, to give students increased employability and helped set up “Digital Xtra”, the new charity funding extra curricular coding and digital making activities for school pupils across Scotland.

Looking forward, a number of technology developments are opening up new horizons that Scotland is well placed to exploit. The coming together of proven mobile applications, low cost sensors, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), combined with smart analytics, the Internet of things and “big data” is driving disruptive technology solutions, particularly in financial services, and life sciences. The challenges posed by cybersecurity also create opportunities to create products and solutions. In food and drink, tourism, life sciences, social care, financial services, advanced manufacturing, transport, energy,

environmental sciences, the creative arts – everywhere you look technology is making a difference and that will only increase.

The Scottish Government has set out a vision to build a high-tech, low-carbon economy. Scotland is already home to more than 2,000 digital technologies companies, many of them well established and growing rapidly, selling into markets in Scotland, the rest of the UK, and globally.

We can increase that figure further, harnessing the innovation and creativity across the industry. By nurturing the next generation of businesses to introduce their ideas and innovations, and helping existing businesses to scale-up, they will contribute even more to the economy in the years ahead. n

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DATA

E M A G IS A R E G N A CH The Data Lab is a government funded innovation centre with hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, explains Gillian Docherty, CEO.

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very aspect of our lives today is data-driven.

In everyday life, being technically savvy is the new norm. From downloading music, exercising and ordering the weekly shop, through to crime prevention and medical diagnosis.

Data provides a wealth of opportunities and can be a strategic asset in trade, competition and innovation. Whether using historic or real-time data that’s generated through supply chains, production processes or customer behaviours, an organisation has much to gain by analysing the wealth of information they have at their fingertips. It’s also worth an estimated £20bn to the Scottish economy.

That is why at The Data Lab, we do everything in our power to help Scotland

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realise the full potential of data.

We enable industry, public sector and world-class university researchers to innovate and develop new data science capabilities in a collaborative environment.

Our core mission is to generate significant economic, social and scientific value from data.

Scotland’s unique landscape of leading industry and university institutions has attracted businesses and talent alike.

Edinburgh, for example, boasts world-class

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research in informatics and computer science attracting some of the world’s brightest minds to our country’s capital.

However, it is essential that we continue to both attract and retain a secure a pipeline of data talent to enable further innovation and progress in the field of data.

Despite data science capabilities being one of today’s hottest skillsets, The Data Lab is also here to show that the power of data can be harnessed by anyone that sees its potential – not just those traditionally

“Scotland’s unique landscape of leading industry and university institutions has attracted businesses and talent alike.”

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“We believe that collaboration across sectors is key to supporting Scotland’s data warriors. By bringing different industries, expertise and data together, the huge potential of data can be realised.”

perceived as data specialists.

Data Fest 18, the second outing for The Data Lab festival, will support ‘data warriors’, whatever their core profession or industry, by providing inspiration, tools and leadership skills to make a difference. The festival will run from 19th to 23rd of March next year encompassing a talent event, an international summit and numerous fringe events across Scotland.

We believe that collaboration across sectors is key to supporting Scotland’s data warriors. By bringing different industries, expertise and data together, the huge potential of data can be realised.

An example of pioneering collaboration is our partnership with UNICEF. We’ve joined forces with UNICEF to call for public and private organisations to collaborate for the good of Scottish children by sharing data to help solve pressing public problems.

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The first collaborative project aims to address the issue of child obesity in Scotland. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions across the globe, affecting millions of children. Since1998 the proportion of children in Scotland aged 2-15 at risk of being overweight and obese has fluctuated between 29% and 33% putting these children at risk of serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes.

UNICEF has recognised that solving some of the most complex problems affecting children around the world will require access to different data sets and expertise from diverse sectors. The rapid rise in the availability of quality data offers a wealth of information to address complex problems affecting children. UNICEF saw that the opportunity to tap into this potential lay in collaborative working – prompting the development of DataCollaboratives.org in

partnership with The Governance Lab (The GovLab) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the Omidyar Network.

DataCollaboratives is about encouraging organisations from different sectors including private companies, research institutions, government agencies and others, to exchange and share data to help solve pressing public problems This is just one example of how data can change lives and affect systemic change for good in Scotland. With the right pipeline of talent, the right understanding of data’s potential and the right ambition – which is in abundance in Scotland – we can achieve so much. n

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Finishes Selector demonstrates how Pixel is bringing digital technology to housebuilders

HOW IS THE HOUSING INDUSTRY IN SCOTLAND EMBRACING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY? Technology is poised to change the housing industry beyond recognition but Pixel is at home in the future.

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here is little doubt that consumer habits and expectations have changed dramatically in recent years with the massive impact of technology.

Whether it’s travel, food, cars or fashion, almost every consumer-facing industry, and a growing number of business-to-business organisations, have had to change the way they communicate with today’s tech-savvy

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buyers to future-proof their business and embrace the disruption in their markets.

Companies once dominant in their sector like Nokia and Blockbuster saw massive shifts with the advent of Apple and Netflix. Now it is the property industry’s turn for disruption as consumers today conduct their own research online before making a buying decision; as Google first

coined the phrase the “Zero Moment of Truth” (ZMOT) back in 2011.

Home buyers are also consumers of products and services from other industries, many of which have adapted to accommodate these changes in consumer behavior. But what about the property industry? When we consider that buying a new home is one of the largest

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Pixel managing director Steve Smith, speaks at Homes for Scotland conference on innovation and technology in property.

(Chris Watt photography)

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“Pixel’s biggest challenge, along with securing the right investment partner, is educating the housing market about the changes technology is bringing to an industry that has seen very little change.”

purchases most people will ever make, the information available to them is no more than it was 10 or even 20 years ago.

As an established property technology company with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry creating threedimensional (3D) visual content, interactive choice selector systems and online virtual reality tours, Pixel has completed more than 2,500 property projects worldwide.

With such in depth sector knowledge, we have strong views on the need for the housing industry to better align itself with the home buyer’s online journey. By investing more in digital technology and meeting the online consumer’s needs and expectations as other industries are already doing, the property industry and buyers can significantly benefit.

As a company based in Scotland with an overseas production centre, we see the huge growth potential across Scotland’s burgeoning digital technology sector and are passionate about playing our part as an established proptech to support the changes needed. Pixel’s biggest challenge, along with securing the right investment partner, is educating the housing market about the changes technology is bringing to an industry that has seen very little change, and one which has so much to benefit from embracing a more dynamic digital approach.

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Virtual Visits allow property developers to visually engage with buyers anywhere online

With investment into proptech continuing to increase from £250m in 2015 to an estimated £3.2b globally in 2017, we are starting to see a willingness amongst the more progressive house builders that recognise the need to embrace and reap the benefits of digital technology.

As Pixel boldly highlighted on the innovation and technology panel discussion at this year’s Homes for Scotland annual conference, such rapid investment points to a global disruptive shift happening across the property industry, changing every aspect of it from the ground up. The main benefactors will be the home buyer or renter but also those development and investment companies that embrace these technological advancements. To not embrace and invest in this change, runs the risk of suffering the fate of companies once dominant in their market, now in sharp decline.

The change this level of investment heralds will be positive and long overdue and in so doing will also have a positive knock-on effect across Scotland’s digital technology sector.

A great example of this is Pixel’s partnership with Springfield Properties as it continues to focus on the accelerated delivery of much-needed affordable housing across Scotland, most notably the

building of 3,000 homes at Bertha Park, Perth. Recognising the importance and benefits of embracing digital technology, it has recently launched the “Choices Selector”, an intuitive image-based specification and selector system that can display thousands of possible finish combinations throughout the home, before construction even begins.

We see huge potential in the UK housing market and believe we can almost double the demand for essential new homes within a year of national launch with our forthcoming interactive systems. With our tech development centre in our India office and business development and account management in Edinburgh, Pixel is well place to expand throughout the UK and globally in 2018.

Currently in discussions with investors, Pixel has an eye to the future and global expansion and is seeking partners that share it’s vision. n

Tel: 0845 230 9100 - www.pixelimage.co.uk www.thehomeselector.co.uk

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