The UK has made giant strides towards becoming the world’s leading technology hub. It is now home to 70 tech unicorns and the UK tech industry has received over $3.5 billion in new venture capital funding over the past year. However, there are challenges on the horizon which could limit the potential of the UK tech economy. As London Tech Week closed, multi-billion dollar data management company NetApp revealed for the first-time new research about the concerns UK technology leaders face.

The major finding from the research shows UK tech leaders want to make sure they get the best out of the data they have as well as reassurance that they will not lose access to their data as Brexit looms again. Chris Greenwood, NetApp’s UK and Ireland Managing Director, said:

 “As London Tech Week 2019 draws to a close, it is very encouraging to see the UK Government emphasising the importance for UK businesses and academic intuitions to master data and its applications for AI. For UK businesses to continue thriving in the global tech economy, having the expertise and talent in data governance and analytics is crucial. From our new research, a third (35%) of UK tech leaders told us they are worried about the lack of IT skills available and 43% are concerned as to where their data will reside as Brexit looms in October. There’s progress being made but there’s more work to be done to reassure UK tech leaders their valuable data will be used to its full potential.”