How Brexit affects Websites

I just cannot resist hopping onto this bandwagon, depending on your point of view, Brexit is just around the corner and we’ve got to ask ourselves practically – what are the implications.

And here I have to stop myself, already, do I look at the technical side the legal side, the financial side or even the opportunistic side, there’s so much going on… But I want to be reasonably brief.

And before I go on, this is not meant to be a ‘for-or-against’ piece, this is for my clients a practical look at Brexit in relation to your websites.

Technical

I don’t honestly think there will be a lot of change. A computer is a computer and the UK does not overly rely on European companies in the IT sector, most services are American based and therefore we can assume that the giants of Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook will continue to plunder our privacy and hard-earned cash.

Both Hardware and Software will still work, as will our Internet Connections and Software.

The only grey line is where you might be using a European Service or App such as OVH Hosting or ProtonMail as a few clients do.

Changes in store for the future are few as most technology is not dependent on location, and in the few cases that it is, a determined person can usually work out a way.

Upgrades and Updates will become increasingly important, the likelihood of creating something and leaving it, such as a website is going be increasingly difficult. The pressure will increase on you to upgrade and update your website more frequently. This is largely driven by the user requirements for security and performance but also driven by the suppliers of your services who which to make a bit more money out of you. Expect this to increase post-Brexit.

Lastly, we see Technology being properly affected is on the legal side. Enforcing either EU or UK rules is usually done with technology.

Legal

In recent years there has been an avalanche of rules and regulations mostly to protect consumer privacy and well being from overly invasive social media and websites collecting too much information. It kinda makes sense, although can be very annoying.

The key issue within Brexit is that the UK will employ exactly the same laws as the EU – at least to begin with. So no changes are really coming.

• GDPR – the UK will introduce new legislation protecting user privacy and requiring user consent to opt into a companies data collection.
  
  Also – should we wish to continue trading or advertising to EU countries then those websites will have to fully comply with EU GDPR rules.
  
• Cookie Consent – this is the most visible aspect of GDPR and there is some talk of it being removed, but certainly not yet.
  
• Credit Card and Payment Security – on 14th September rules were toughened up to introduce further checks on credit cards before they could be used to purchase something online. Expect the same.
  
  The UK is actually in an 18month period while companies continue to prepare for these changes.

Financial

Brexit itself is unlikely to cause any financial implications for your website, but Currency Exchange Rates could.

Adwords is an example, Google run them, but technically everyone in the UK operates in GB£’s and it’s an auction-based system. So if everyone is competing to spend £0.30p or £0.50p – that will continue, there should no rise in prices.

But that’s not true of everything if the exchange rate plummets we can expect our US-made computers to cost more, I can see rises in costs for major websites that use Mircosoft Azure or Amazon Web Services, the big-ticket items may cost UK companies more.

Equally, while the above will hurt UK based clients of ours, we will become far more attractive to abroad based firms wanting website site. i.e. if the exchange rate tanks, the UK becomes cheap and the money flows into the UK.

If, on the other hand, the exchange rate goes the other way, then it will become advantageous of companies in the Uk to use overseas services. I will become more expensive for my clients… unless I outsource to India.

Right now – the predictions are the GB£ will continue to take a hit and a company like mine in the UK will continue to be a proposition for overseas companies. So really a good thing.

Opportunities

I am afraid we are guilty of seeing Brexit in terms of an Opportunity, remain or leave, extend or as probably deserved booted out, for NCompass and our website design company the outlook is extremely positive, there are opportunities everywhere at all turns.

One area that has worried companies like ours is freedom of movement, being able to employ talent from across the EU has been great and we have certainly done this over the year, but I see no reason to stop. It might mean an extra piece of paper, but it would never mean we won’t do it.

Conclusion

The reality is that Brexit means very little for a company based in Wiltshire designing websites, it’s easy to worry that our pensions might go-to pot, or that I won’t be able to buy fresh tomatoes or my local hospital might lack medicins, but I can’t control that.

What I can say is that your website will work regardless, your email will continue and the enquiries, visitors and opportunities brought to you through your website will continue unabated.

I am sure over time you will adjust your websites to suit any new environment we all find ourselves in, but this will be neither rushed nor urgent and when ready we will be available to help.