takeITon.

Businesses in the region are to be offered a free IT healthcheck by a new team of Business Link specialist IT advisers, funded by the East of England Development Agency as part of its takeITon programme.

Businesses in the region are to be offered a free IT healthcheck by a new team of Business Link specialist IT advisers, funded by the East of England Development Agency as part of its takeITon programme.

The team of five, are on a mission to help businesses diagnose their IT needs, and encourage IT adoption for business survival and growth. This will not only have an impact on individual businesses, but on the economy of the region as a whole. This package is designed to close the gap identified by an EEDA report which showed that businesses in the East of England were lagging behind in IT.

Funding for the new Business Link advisers has been provided as part of the East of England Development Agency’s (EEDA) £2.8 million takeITon campaign, which will see a package of free practical and financial support measures delivered to businesses in the region over a three-year period. Further information about takeITon can be found on the campaign website at http://www.takeiton.org.uk/

The team will carry out a free IT healthcheck on businesses and give independent professional advice on how they can improve. This could be making better use of what they already have, helping them understand how they could benefit from a strong integrated IT structure, or simply reducing people’s fear and resistance to using IT. Businesses that are keen to grow through IT may also be eligible for match funding to help them adopt new IT infrastructure. EEDA has provided £200,000 for a grant scheme this year and Business Link is administrating the grants, which provide up to 40% (with a limit of £4000) of the cost of IT packages supporting the implementation of IT and e-commerce improvements in their businesses.

The team consists of Tony Franklin, Bill Hamblin, David Marsh, Keith Padbury and Shahed Patel, all of whom have a wealth of expertise in dealing with IT and business issues. They expect to meet around 2000 businesses in the next year, which could save the region up to £2million in consultancy fees.

Richard Ellis, chairman at EEDA, explains:

“A strong IT infrastructure is critical to improving the productivity and efficiency both of individual businesses and the prosperity of the region as a whole. The takeITon campaign will help raise awareness of the importance of IT for businesses and will provide practical advice and support delivered through the new team of specialist Business Link IT Advisers.”

Pat Smith, chief executive of Business Link in the East of England, explains: 

“Our team of specialist advisers are poised to help businesses in the region take on IT. Every company that meets with an adviser will come away with an independent audit that will help them plan and develop their IT systems going forward. This is a great opportunity for businesses to increase their productivity and ensure a prosperous future for their business.”