Technology is no longer seen as a luxury but is now viewed as an essential part of life, one industry expert has said.

Ian Neild, disruptive futurologist at BT, stated that IT services and products are now being opened up to the wider population, having previously only attracted those interested in the technology.

He suggested gadgets such as mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices have become increasingly accessible.

Commenting on the growth of easy-to-use plug and play systems, Mr Neild added: "Before … it was quite techy. It's interesting that you plug these things in, turn them on and you get your account."

BT's recently-published 21st Century Life Index consumer research report revealed that almost one in four people feel compelled to buy the latest gadgets, even when they know that they do not actually need them.

Furthermore, 15 per cent of adults aged 16 to 35 admitted to being jealous of friends or relatives who always have the most up-to-date gadgets.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent) In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'