The research conducted by comScore on behalf of Microsoft, canvassed the opinion of 107 SMEs in the UK using a cloud system, and compared them to 105 companies that did not. Each of the firms surveyed used between 25 and 499 PCs.

It found that 68 per cent of SMEs claiming to have moved to the cloud have made savings, with some stating that such a strategy used "fewer internal IT resources", and allowed workers to "spend less time managing IT overall".

However, when the research focused on businesses that had decided not to take up thetechnology, it became clear that there are still a number of issues.

Just over half (51 per cent) of non-cloud using SMEs said that they remained unconvinced about

the reliability of the system, also citing concerns over "the lack of control over data in the cloud".

Another big perception being expressed by many firms relates to security, with 52 per cent declaring it to be the main reason for not implementing the technology.

But the findings of the survey did little to support the idea that data is insecure, with 94 per cent of SMEs adopting the cloud claiming that they had "experienced security benefits in the cloud that they didn’t have with their on-premises service, such as up-to-date systems, up-to-date antivirus protection and spam email management".

More than a third (31 per cent) also said that perceived problems relating to regulatory compliance was a key reason for choosing not to use the system.

However, a similar number said that they could be persuaded into changing their minds if industry standards for cloud security, along with government regulation, were to be introduced and enforced.

But the fact that cloud adoption has led to an increase in privacy protection for 68 per cent of SMEs, means that such grievances could be fuelled by ongoing misconceptions within the industry.

The study, conducted by Strategy Analytics, found that over 62 million smartphones had been bought during the first three months of the year, accounting for around 30 per cent of the of the whole market.

However, the report also found there are some parts of the world that are still not embracing the concept of BYOD.

The findings suggest that the regions being the most liberal with their implementation are Asia and North America, but both are at different stage of progression.

North American saw its volume of BYOD devices increase by 18 per cent compared to the same period 12 months previously, whereas growth in Asia was a massive 77 per cent.

Surprisingly, IT managers within Western Europe appear to be less forthcoming to towards the idea, with the survey recording a surprising drop among those favouring BYOD.

Reasons for the drop have varied from costly roaming tariffs, inability of operators to offer split-billing on data charges, as well as continuing concerns over the question of security and complexity of managing so many devices.

But the report has claimed that there are still a number of benefits associated with a successful BYOD strategy, including increased worker productivity, potential cost savings, as well as allowing workers to use their mobile device of choice.

Kevin Burden, director of Mobility at Strategy Analytics, said: "Globally, the BYOD trend entered 2013 with more momentum than it ever had in 2012, which was a tremendous year for the movement with close to 100 percent growth.

"A nearly 40 per cent increase in the first quarter shows enterprises continue to embrace BYOD and downsides such as increasing internal support costs or losing operator support services from abandoning corporate-liable contracts has had little impact on the growing trend."

Many analysts would regard the release of the Galaxy line of devices as the South Korean firm's big breakthrough, especially considering the fact that it is continuing to threaten Apple's dominance at the very top of the market.

In the US, shipments of Samsung devices made up 33 per cent of shipments over the past year, three per cent higher than that recorded by Apple, which is now being forced to pay attention to the company's progress.

A winning combination of offering a potent mix of the latest technology within a range of affordable and functional devices has left many former competitors such as Nokia unable to keep up.

But the real significant steps being taken by the company have gone beyond its traditional consumer target, instead concentrating on meeting the demand from business customers, which could hold the key to significant expansion in the future.

The rise of bring your own device (BYOD) strategies has been something  the company has paid particular attention to in recent times. The firm even commissioned a survey in January of this year that examined the attitudes and demands of both IT managers and employees themselves.

It found that one of the chief concerns shared by both groups (84 per cent of IT managers, 74 per cent of consumers) within the workforce was the issue of security, and devising a successful mobile device management approach.

Samsung has responded with the creation of SAFE (Samsung for Enterprise), which it says proves that it is ready to meet the challenge that comes with the demands of a successful BYOD policy.

SAFE gets rid of fragmentation across carriers, device types and OS versions, aiding the IT manager in ensuring that he or she can do their job efficiently and securely.

The firm claims that there is a high level of consistency across all of the devices, ensuring that once one device is approved by a corporation's IT department, others can later be added to the list for BYOD.

When it comes to security, Samsung's aim appears to be combining its dedication to device choice, (there are over 20 smartphones from the company presently on the market), with the level of IT compliance needed for the successful implementation within a corporate environment.

Samsung's rise over its rivals has been so great that it is no longer looking to get ahead of trends, and instead wants to set them.

The company is on the verge of releasing a version of the Galaxy S4 capable of doubling its 4G speeds, a move that could tighten its grip at the top of the smartphone market.

And its own researchers claimed earlier this year that they had reached a breakthrough in their ongoing attempts to find the core technology needed to set up a 5G network.

In a statement by the firm, it hopes the new network will be set up by the year 2020, and although some experts have already expressed doubts, Samsung has shown that competitors simply cannot afford to write them off.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need.

For the last two years, Arrow has supported the charity’s annual Vinnie Pack campaign which involves the purchasing and packing of 1,000 bags containing socks, hats, gloves, toothpaste and other useful items. Arrow employees assembled these packs and distributed them to the homeless in London.

Acorns Children's Hospice

Acorns Children's Hospice offers a network of specialist palliative care and support to children and young people who have life limiting or life threatening illnesses, and their families. Acorns is currently supporting around 640 children and nearly 900 families, including those who are bereaved.

Children and young people can stay at the charity’s three hospices in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester for short breaks, emergency and end of life care. In addition, a Community Team gives support to families 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There is no charge to families for using Acorns services.

Arrow is looking forward to working closely with Acorns to provide practical assistance and resource as well as raising more money through sponsored activities.

Chris Russell, Managing Director of Arrow says, "As a company we want to ensure that we acknowledge and act in the interests of all of our stakeholders and make a contribution to the improvement of our community. We chose to support St Vincent de Paul and Acorns because of the potential for our employees to provide practical assistance through volunteering and fund raising but also give them the opportunity to develop closer relationships with their local communities."

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The findings, put together by VoIP Review, suggest three particular reasons why VoIP can be such an effective system within the workplace.

One reason is the advantage of VoIP extensions, which the report claims have become an increasingly popular feature across the country.

Current extension systems use analogue technology to connect calls, which requires a great amount of wiring and can also be costly to maintain.

In contrast, VoIP extensions only require an internet connection, which can often be done wirelessly.

This gives it an extra sense of flexibility, as it immediately becomes easier to establish or remove extensions within the office. All that is required is an online request to the provider, and the changes can be made quickly and easily.

If an extension within a traditional system needs to be altered, companies often have to hire specialists to ensure that the job is done properly, which can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

Another advantage outlined in the report is the fact that the office can be made to be truly mobile, as many VoIP providers also offer specific apps for use with office smartphones, laptops or tablet devices.

This creates an ideal working environment for remote employees, who can program the system to divert calls to their mobile or home phone when they are not in the office.

When more staff members are working remotely, in-office costs such as air conditioning and electricity are substantially reduced.    

Finally, one of the main contributors to a high phone bill for a company is the traditional fax machine, which again uses analogue phone lines in order to send and receive messages.

VoIP allows the implementation of IP faxing, which also only requires an internet connection, to send either a traditional paper fax or as an email attachment.

 This cuts costs on office supplies such as ink and paper, and helps to minimise the amount of clutter around the workplace.

One of the flaws was found in Adobe Flash for both the BlackBerry Playbook and Z10 touchscreen smartphone, while the other was related to the BlackBerry Protect application for the Z10.

In a statement, the company reassured customers that it would be difficult for malicious users to take advantage of flaws in BlackBerry Protect, as it relies on the application first being enabled, then used to reset the password, and actually having physical access to the phone itself.

However, if an attacker manages to meet all of those requirements, it can cause havoc with the bring your device (BYOD) safety features within the Z10.

BlackBerry has subsequently stressed the importance of ensuring that any passwords for work uses are separated from any personal information.

In a blog post for Naked Security, writer Chester Wisniewski explained: "While BlackBerry's latest OS lets users segregate their work and home lives using perimeters, those are only secure if you use different credentials to access each.

"Even worse, if you use the same password on your phone, your work perimeter, home perimeter and Active Directory credentials, one mistake brings down the whole house of cards."

He added that even when the chances of a security attack appear to be remote, it is still important for workers to apply a separate password to every facet of their device.

The company itself has also advised any users with earlier versions of the BlackBerry 10 operating system to download the latest software.

In a separate bulletin, it said that the issue surrounding Adobe Flash was yet to be maliciously exploited, and stressed that risks were limited due to the design of its latest operating system.

But BlackBerry claims that such security could be compromised by a successful phishing campaign, which could result from an email or webpage being accessed.

Again, the company has recommended that users download the latest version of its operating system.

Recent data from the National Office of Statistics has shown that the number of over-65s being employed by firms across the country has increased to the one million mark for the very first time.

The Department for Work and Pensions has said that the increase was due to a general reflection of the population, combined with measures to prevent workers from being sacked simply for turning 65.

The rising age of staff members has brought the issue of flexible working under the spotlight once again, as employers attempt to tailor their approach in order to enhance productivity.

The director of research at the Institute for Employment Studies, Jim Hillage, said: "Some underlying structural changes in the labour market continue. Significantly, the number of employed people aged 65 or over has reached 1,003,000. While this reflects a welcome willingness among employers to recruit and retain experienced people, it may also reflect the need that some older people have to top up inadequate pension arrangements."

Flexible working has been suggested as a solution to the problem before. Back in December, it was suggested by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that over half of older workers intended to work beyond the traditional retirement age, and that businesses needed to enforce measures that would address the possible problems that might arise from such a trend.

One of the ways in which businesses are accommodating their older employees through flexible working is through implementing a successful VoIP system.

Experts have suggested that around 70 per cent of companies will have installing a VoIP network by the end of 2013.

The main advantage of such a system is that it eliminates the need for employees to commute to the office every day, allowing people to work from home while staying in touch with their colleagues.

Not only is VoIP being touted as an appealing option for older members of staff, but it can also save money, due to cutting down on office space.

The US market is one of the organisation's most important, and one where it has lost a significant amount of ground in recent years, due to the rise of rivals such as Samsung and Apple.

But the release of its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones could be set to win back customers previously using devices like Apple's iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy.

Its latest handset, the Q10, features the firm's traditional QWERTY keyboard, and will be its first smartphone to be available on all four of the major networks in the US.

The device is already being sold on the country's T-Mobile platform, while Verizon and AT&T are also taking pre-orders for delivery later in the month.

Rival network Sprint has also said that it plans to begin sales later in the summer.

The Q10 launched in other countries such as Canada and the UK two months ago, but it is the US market that has BlackBerry excited.

There are reportedly high hopes for the Q10's success, and the firm is confident that it can be even more successful than the touch-screen Z10.

Prospects for BlackBerry in the US market will undoubtedly be boosted by the news that 60 per cent of companies in the country's Fortune 500 list, which includes big names such as Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, and General Motors, are now testing or using its products for business purposes.

In an interview with Reuters, BlackBerry chief operating officer Kristian Tear said the development would make the firm more attractive to corporate customers.

He said: "Since everybody is migrating toward this, we expect it will definitely create pull for our (smartphone) products.

"There are a lot of very loyal BlackBerry keyboard users out there who have been waiting for this and I think, with the Q10, we will also be able to win back prior BlackBerry customers, who are now trying other platforms."

The survey, commissioned by BT and Cisco, asked workers from all over the world about their attitudes towards working on their mobile devices, and found that 60 per cent of IT managers believed they had seen a positive impact on productivity after the implementation of a BYOD strategy.

Despite businesses seemingly recognising the advantage of such a policy, only 50 per cent of employees admitted to working on mobile devices, although there were more who said they did so without the knowledge of their employers.

The survey also noted an attitude among workers suggesting their employers should do more to ensure that the maximum potential of using smartphones and other mobile devices is met, with a total of 76 per cent stating that their organisation was not doing enough to take advantage of the possible gains in productivity that such a strategy can bring.

Many respondents offered their own solutions, with 33 per cent suggesting an increased use of cloud technology, while 32 per cent recommended the use of specialist software, and others (32 per cent) thought a greater level of support for those using mobile devices would be beneficial.

However, there are still trust issues between IT managers and employees that are affecting whether companies permit BYOD or not.

Just over a quarter of IT managers believe that all workers within their organisation understand what is required to use mobile devices safely. The fact that the figure has increased by seven per cent in comparison to last year's figures shows that confidence has increased among managers, but there are still suspicions over the security of systems.

Neil Sutton of BT Global Services, said: "With networks creaking under the demands of smart devices and more than three-quarters, (76 per cent) of users convinced that their organisation needs to step up to the opportunity, it's clear that enabling BYOD in its many forms is about much more than simply cool devices and a mobile contract. Organisations need to consider elements of device compatibility, security, Wi-Fi, network, application performance, with a focus on driving costs down."

The market research firm, Ipsos MORI, gauged the opinions of 1,000 remote workers, and found that 70 per cent claimed they were more productive at home than when in the office.

Video conferencing firm UCi2i said that the figures coincide with a rocketing increase in demand for its services of 357 per cent over the past 12 months, and that when combined, the figures demonstrated the value of video communication to today's workforce.

Managing director Michael Grant said: "Our call usage figures are reflective of the industry as a whole and it’s clear that for many businesses, video communication is now an integral part of both mobile and desktop interaction, allowing business to run as normal, regardless of an employee’s location or device."

Mr Grant added that the need for video conferencing had dramatically increased due to the popularity of flexible working, as it allows employees to engage in important face-to-face communication, which can strengthen business relationships by making them more interactive, and personal.

He also predicted that future business communications would see staff creating working environments of their own, which will help them to reach a maximum level of productivity, while the increased level of loyalty means that companies do not need to worry about aspects such as concentration.

That sentiment is given weight by the findings of a CIPD survey last month, which suggested that seven-out-of-ten companies believed remote working helped motivation and retention, as well as engagement, with employers feeling a greater need to contact people wherever they are.

The role of video conferencing in the popularity of remote working cannot be underestimated.

Research by Microsoft indicates that it is the most popular social tool for workers within the oil and gas sector, with members of staff seemingly so keen to work with such tools, that over a third said they were willing to buy their own devices in order to support it.