News Archives - Page 33 of 53

The Third International Biofilm Summit in Collaboration with Cibus Tec

Posted on June 17, 2019 | by root

After Brussels in 2015 and Lisbon in 2017, the International Biofilm Summit (IBS) 2019 will be gathering in Parma the best-in-class academic and industrials experts regarding food safety and biofilm contamination in the Food & Beverage industry.

“We are extremely proud that we were able to come closer together with Cibus Tec, a worldwide reference”, explains George Blackman, CEO of the company REALCO and President of the IBS Council. “This emphasises the interest that the industry bears towards the issue of biofilm contamination which is one of the main threats of the market. More than 7 recalls per week in Europe are linked to a pathogen able to generate biofilms, which makes it a real concern for industrials. Not only in terms of public health – considering almost 3,000 people die each year in the United States from food-borne illnesses –, but also regarding profitability as hygiene crises are estimated to cost several billions of euros to stakeholders on a yearly basis! And this does not even take all the risks linked to liability and reputation management into account.”

This is precisely the reason why the IBS was first set up: raise awareness around biofilms – a main cause of contamination – and spread best practices to help prevent induced disasters. Biofilms are created by an accumulation of bacteria which develop a protective matrix made up of organic polymers allowing bacteria to resist conventional cleaning and disinfection tools, thereby helping them multiply exponentially.

“We are particularly happy to welcome the Biofilm Summit this year”, adds Fabio Bettio, Brand Manager Cibus Tec. “This one-of-a-kind event attracts the finest brains at the forefront of science in general and of the industrial R&D specifically to always refine processes, warrant food quality and at the same time favour better conservation. Down the road, the obvious aim is to minimise food waste as more than one billion tons of food is lost each year to contaminations. We can expect that the eradication of biofilms will extend the shelf life of final products and as a consequence, reduce direct financial impacts. And what better platform to discuss these topics than Cibus Tec.”

This issue is far-ranging as it concerns the whole of the industry: from breweries and non-alcoholic beverage, to meat, fish and dairy transformation industries. It is estimated that 60% of food-borne illnesses are caused by biofilms on equipment surfaces of processed foods. The summit aims to give concrete solutions to get rid of them.

Frank Boelaert, from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), concludes: “It is a privilege to represent EFSA in a conference which brings together in our hometown leaders of the scientific world and industrials from all five continents. EFSA works actively with all its stakeholders in order to contribute to the protection of EU citizens”.

Meddling SME bosses interfere in HR more than any other department

Posted on June 13, 2019 | by root

UK SME bosses interfere in HR more than they do in any other department, according to new research out today. 39% of HR workers said their boss micromanaged them, 29% said their boss was unclear when issuing tasks, while 53% said their boss has taken credit for their work.

Finance was the next department that was most interfered with – 38% of SME finance staff said their boss micromanaged them – followed by marketing, with 37% believing they were micromanaged, according to the research from process management firm Process Bliss.

Overall, 40% of respondents said that their boss interferes in their role more than they need to, with another 40% believing that such interference adversely affects company productivity. 17% believe that their boss delegates too much.

“HR is in some ways the most important business function as employees need to be happy, engaged and motivated to do their best work,” said Alister Esam, CEO, Process Bliss. “Bosses understand this and also know how hard it can be to retain talent, but not relinquishing control of HR is not the best way to improve employee engagement. It’s far better to trust people to do their jobs, giving them the right training or implementing the proper processes that ensure everything runs as it should do.”

The challenges of being a boss in a UK SME were highlighted in some of the other research findings. 13% of respondents believe that their boss has been too maverick in their decision making, while 16% said that their boss tries too hard to be a friend.

“Being the boss at a SME can sometimes feel like a thankless task, with bosses accused of being too friendly or not friendly enough, of being too maverick or too cautious,” continued Alister Esam. “There is no blueprint for being a good leader but in a SME the boss is often particularly exposed – there is little training for the role of ‘boss’ and people mostly just have to get on with it and do the best they can.”

“But micromanaging staff, whether in HR, finance or elsewhere and being unclear as to what you expect of people is obviously not the best way forward. It can be hard for bosses to give up control of certain business functions, but learning to do so will mean happier and more engaged staff and will give improved peace of mind for stressed SME bosses.”

How to add humour to your speech/presentation – even if you are not a comedian

Posted on June 12, 2019 | by root

By Jean Stewart, Toastmasters International

There is no doubt that anyone listening to a presentation will learn more from it if they have enjoyed themselves – and the introduction of humour can really help achieve this.

If you’re worried that you’re not a natural comedian – don’t fret, there are plenty of ways you can add some humour without attending comedy school. Here are a few tips to help you strike a balance between humour and objectives of the presentation.

1. Set the right tone. For an audience to enjoy a presentation, the presenter must enjoy it too, and must feel passionate and energised by their subject matter. It is very important that audience members can sense this enthusiasm from the speaker. Remember that the speaker sets the tone for the presentation by smiling and with good eye contact.

2. Do your research. If you are speaking at an event hosted by a company, take the time to find out as much about the organisation as you can. Your contacts will undoubtedly have a fund of stories about their organisation and the people in it. Pitched correctly this can provide you with an excellent opening to your presentation – and there may even be a funny story you can share. But remember…

3. Don’t make it personal. Avoid making any personal comments about a member of the audience as a way of being humorous or amusing. Even if you have arranged for a ‘victim’ before the presentation, it won’t work. You’ll find that many in the audience will spend the entire presentation worrying that they will be the next target. It’s a sure fire, and quick way, to lose the support of the rest of the audience. Sometimes you will get someone calling out or making comments you feel need to be slapped down. Don’t. Instead, tell the person concerned that you will discuss this with them later, or, ask the audience for their opinion on the comment made. Or simply ignore the remarks.

You want to be the friendly presenter who is on the side of the audience, not someone who appears to be looking for confrontation.

4. Your own experiences. If you want to tell an embarrassing story, make sure it is something you have experienced. Undoubtedly some of the audience will also have lived through this unfortunate episode in their lives. This way you will gain the sympathy of the audience – and don’t alienate anyone.

5. Practice. Humour inserted into a presentation should be written down and rehearsed as any other material would be. Do not think that humour can be off the cuff. It needs to be planned and rehearsed – you as the top comedians so.

6. Don’t laugh. Even when you are successfully humour it is best if you don’t laugh along with your audience. It is perfectly fine for a presenter having a wry smile on his/her face, but excessive laughter from you is likely to give the impression that the session is for your benefit. In addition, if you laugh and the audience does not this is very likely to make the atmosphere uncomfortable for everyone in the room.

7. Mind your language. In a lot of situations, it would be a mistake to use inappropriate language to get a point across. I have heard speakers do this I’d say it is almost always a mistake. Unless you are very familiar with your audience land know they are happy to tolerate some fairly tame, but inappropriate language, I’d avoid indulging in this.

8. Avoid ‘taboo’ subjects. Avoid at all costs using humorous remarks based on the audience’s belief structure. If you are not part of their culture you will be considered a critic of their beliefs.

9. Use pauses to full effect. If providing a humorous punch line to the story, pause and allow the audience to realise this is an important part of the presentation. If they don’t take the hint; move on.

10. Give the audience time to laugh. You can never guarantee when an audience will find a statement funny. Each audience has its own personality. Some groups will laugh at a particular statement and others will fall silent. This is about the experience of some of the people in the audience. If they identify with something they find funny, because of their experiences, then their laughter will spread to others in the audience. At this point don’t try and move on too quickly, rather enjoy the moment and let them continue with their laughter.

11. Words and pictures. Some of the audience will react well to the spoken word, and others are more influenced by visual presentations. For this reason it is a good idea to have something that will add visual impact to your presentation. This could be a humorous image on a slide, or even a humorous (and appropriate) prop.

And remember the following:

1. An audience can be enjoying your use of humour without laughing out loud. Read their body language. It can take a little time for an audience to warm up.

2. You do not have to mimic your favourite comedian when delivering the funny content. Be yourself. If the audience does not get your humour, you can still rely on the main message of the presentation. Move on. It will get easier as you deliver more presentations with humour.

3. Keep up the energy and enjoy yourself. There is no doubt this is the most important aspect of delivering a successful presentation.

Finally, be gentle with yourself. Introduce more and more humour as your confidence grows. Any comedian making a living from humour will tell you that they are pleased if over 70% of the audience is on their side. They know that not everyone will enjoy their humour – that’s life. The same is true for the humour in your presentation.

Reaching the top as a successful leader

Posted on June 11, 2019 | by root

Richard Hilton, MD EMEA at Miller Heiman Group

As yet another major shake-up appears on the horizon of the British political landscape, leadership and the qualities required to reach the top have understandably shifted to the forefront of the public consciousness. In the world of business, we tend to know an effective leader when we see one, but what exactly is it in their character and behaviour that has enabled them to rise through the ranks and flourish in their position of authority?

Leadership qualities can be elusive, and it’s not always easy to pinpoint what it is that marks someone out from the pack. People often over-intellectualise the notion of leadership and place too much focus and pressure on carving out a clear trajectory to top. Instead, aspiring leaders would do better to concentrate on inward reflection and uphold a simple but focused ethos towards one’s work and work relationships. Here are a few considerations drawing on my own experience:

Don’t showboat: While many people think they need to be constantly on the radar of the leadership team, this isn’t always the best way to get ahead. It’s not about being the loudest person in the room. Instead, you should be showcasing what you do well and, as they say, your reputation will take care of itself.

Balance emotional intelligence with pragmatism: A good leader is one that has empathy but doesn’t let it get in the way of doing what needs to be done: setting out clear instructions and expectations for team members. Balancing assertiveness with ensuring that colleagues feel emotionally supported can be a delicate art. It’s essential to know how your team members tick; understanding what drives them and how to then best communicate and motivate them accordingly.

Have humility: While, for many, confidence and leadership go hand in hand – and they often do –

individuals should make sure to keep their ego in check. As the saying goes, you should never be ‘a legend in your own lunch hour’ – do your job to the best of your ability, stay professional and let your success speak for itself. The inability to stay grounded will warp your perspective on things and ultimately could cause your work to suffer.

Give team members space: Any good leader should always have a ‘leading by example’ mantra for instilling a top-down work ethos. However, this should not be a call for employees to play copycat. Leading is not about producing ‘mini mes’ – workers should be allowed to breathe and be who they are. Successful teams thrive on diversity of views and methodology, therefore respecting an individual and allowing them to play to their strengths is vital for the success of everyone. You should never assume that your particular approach will work best for everyone. It’s about inspiration, not suffocation.

Roll with the punches: It’s pretty rare to go through your working life without experiencing a career low. There will likely be a point, or even several, where you’ve been knocked back. It could be that you’ve just landed the job of your dreams but when you get there, the nirvana role you were sold is really all smoke and mirrors – and resigning is the only option. Or, it could be that you lose out on a big promotion opportunity to a colleague. Regardless of the setback, it’s key to not lose faith. Remember: dust yourself down, rebuild your confidence and focus on what’s next.

Know your business: The more a person can understand the business, the better they are at their job and the easier it becomes to be noticed by your peers and the people in charge of career progression. It’s therefore vital to understand aspects of the company beyond your core role such as the impact of brand, profit and loss, and employee engagement. A true leader is one who goes above and beyond in living and breathing the values of their organisation.

Never stop working on yourself: As we see across the board, not just in business but also from great sports people or entertainers, it’s important to keep developing your skillset to get to the top of your game. Never presume that you’re at your best. There is always room for further personal development and there is never nothing left to learn. This is especially true when the rules of the game are constantly changing due to myriad factors, whether they be technological, economic or social.

Rising to the position of leader and performing the role successfully requires the ability to prioritise where to expend your energy. You should never lose sight of the ultimate goal of always delivering to the best of your ability and upholding the utmost respect for colleagues.

Richard Hilton is the MD EMEA of Miller Heiman Group, the leader in sales training, technology, consulting and research.

THE AGE OF THE 365-DAY FUNDRAISE

Posted on June 8, 2019 | by root

By Scott Haughton, COO at Envestors

Growth businesses are now realising the benefits of Always-on Fundraising, in which companies leave themselves open for investment 365 days a year.

An open funding round provides an opportunity to capitalise on any unexpected successes, gives the entrepreneur the best chance of finding their perfect investor(s) and with an investor relations mindset being a constant, follow-on funding. Here’s why all of this adds up to a higher likelihood of fuelling growth and achieving exit:

More time, more likelihood of success

Sophisticated investors and canny scale-ups appreciate what it really takes to reach their fundraising target: it takes time. This gives the company the best opportunity to find the perfect investor and the investor the best opportunity to find the perfect company. A shorter, time-limited round in which a company must ‘succeed’, can create pointless stress and pressures on the founders as they risk ‘failing’ when actually all they needed was time to gain traction and, therefore, to find the investors who are a ‘right fit’. In turn, experienced investors recognise that finding the ideal investment opportunity needs due diligence and patience: think the Tour de France, not a velodrome.

Exploit good news

A valuable new client, unexpected publicity, a significant hire… if it creates a buzz, this is the perfect chance to highlight your company’s achievements which naturally attracts investors. An open funding round allows instant engagement; a closed round means the opportunity is lost. Envestors’ portfolio company, ZAP&GO, is a great example of how valuable this can be. BBC Click ran a piece about their superfast charging technology which generated a lot of interest and publicity. By having an open round, they subsequently raised £500,000.

Keep the investor relations mentality on, always

Traditionally, if a business was seeking equity finance, there would be a short, sharp period of intense activity of engaging and focussing on investors. The same goes for the multiple round model, which requires numerous bursts of investor engagement. But what happens in between? The risk of neglecting your investors and losing their goodwill is a serious one; if you’re Always On, so too is your investor relations mindset; If you haven’t ignored somebody, you won’t have to reengage them. Anybody who’s experienced at fundraising knows that your investors are the key to your long-term success – maintaining good relations, keeping them updated and an open, honest dialogue is crucial.

Always on Fundraising – How does it actually work?

So, it sounds great, but how does it work practically? While the concept does seem radically different, the steps you have to go through as a business are the same. We’ve outlined them here:

1. Define your investment opportunity:
You need to start by defining your investment opportunity which includes deal structure, valuation, share price and your minimum and maximum investment levels.

Even though you’re ‘Always on’, you must have clearly defined investment levels. This benefits all parties. Your minimum investment level protects investors by ensuring that you have a significant cashflow runway to execute on your plans and projections while the maximum level dictates the total number of shares you are willing to sell at that price, protecting the shareholders from dilution.

2. Get the right tools in place
You need an FCA-regulated environment in order to promote your investment opportunity, accept pledges and draw investment. The new breed of White-label platforms like Envestry for Scale-ups, provide off-the-shelf functionality to allow companies to create a branded fundraising portal that easily links to their current site. With FCA-coverage built-in, companies can focus on the hard work of attracting investment rather than regulatory fine print.

3. Promote, promote, promote
With your fundraising site up and running, it’s time to promote your investment opportunity. Before you do anything, think about the investor journey by type. For example, personal connections who may be new to investing will need more guidance as they go through the process than experienced investors. To accommodate those new to investing, how-to guides, investment glossaries and frequently asked questions are imperative. Whereas, your communications to experienced investors can focus on the why instead of the what.

4. Do a first close
Once you hit your minimum investment level, you can do a first close and draw down the pledges, while keeping your round open. This allows you to start fuelling your growth while continuing to attract investment to your maximum level. Up until you reach your maximum you can continue to draw down funds at significant intervals as they come in.

5. Close a round; open a round
While the name ‘Always on’ might imply one continuous round, the best way of using this approach is via a series of back to back rounds (tranches). As a growing business you will want to change your valuation and share price to reflect the progress you have made. It is worth noting that on rare occasions businesses may also reduce share price, known as a ‘down round’.

So, when is the best time to close one round and open another one? Clearly, once maximum investment level has been reached, the round will have to be closed. Beyond that, anything significant which justifies an increase in valuation, such as a securing a large new contract, reaching a customer milestone or securing regulatory approval on a product, should prompt you to close the round and open a new round at a higher share price.

Wi-SUN Alliance marks a year of strong growth in membership and 91 million devices awarded globally

Posted on June 5, 2019 | by root

Wi-SUN Alliance, a global ecosystem of member companies seeking to accelerate the implementation of open standards-based Field Area Networks (FAN) and the Internet of Things (IoT), has marked a year of strong growth in its membership and a number of major milestones, including the launch of its FAN certification program and the first FAN certified products.

Global membership, which includes service providers, product vendors, utilities, municipalities, local government, academia and other enterprises, has grown with 50 new members joining in the past 12 months, taking total membership to 227. Rethink Technology Research estimates that companies in the Wi-SUN ecosystem will see compound annual growth of 20 percent, as mesh network technology reaches into new verticals, including telecoms, and different business models emerge.

Wi-SUN Alliance also welcomed Trilliant a global provider of secure, enterprise-wide smart energy communications solutions, as a new Promoter member and to the Wi-SUN Alliance Board.

Wi-SUN Alliance has also seen its influence grow, with more than 91 million Wi-SUN capable devices (Navigant Research) awarded globally as service providers and city developers deploy new IoT applications and services for smart cities and utilities. Cities including the City of London, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Paris and Miami use a Wi-SUN compatible network, with Wi-SUN regarded as the communications infrastructure of choice for very large-scale rollouts. It is increasingly specified by utilities and city developers to enable interoperable, multi-service and secure wireless networks.

Major milestones include:
• October 2018 marked the launch of the Wi-SUN Field Area Networks (FAN) Certification Program, which certifies devices for use by utilities and service providers to simplify and support large-scale, outdoor networks for smart cities and other IoT rollouts. Wi-SUN certifies products based on their compliance to a communications profile derived from open standards and their ability to interoperate with other Wi-SUN certified products.

• February 2019 saw the first Wi-SUN FAN certified products come to market, from Cisco, Itron, Kyoto University, Landis+Gyr, Nissin Systems, Renesas and ROHM, many of which were displayed publicly for the first time at industry event, DistribuTECH in the US.

• Wi-SUN Alliance and Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) announced plans to work together to maximise interoperability, portability, security and privacy for the industrial Internet.

Phil Beecher, President and CEO of Wi-SUN Alliance, comments: “We have been quietly going about our business for many years, but this past 12 months has seen much of this work come to fruition. With higher IoT adoption rates, particularly with smart city and utilities increasingly rolling out applications such as advanced metering infrastructure, distribution automation, and smart home automation, Wi-SUN Alliance members are seeing growing demand for their products.

“The launch of Wi-SUN FAN and the first FAN-certified products is a game changer in the market, and we are seeing growing interest from organizations around the world wanting to be part of our unique and influential ecosystem. We’re at the forefront of wireless communications innovation in cities, utilities and other industries and will continue to be so as the market matures”.

Wi-SUN Alliance offers four levels of membership: Promoters, Contributors, Observers and Adopters, and has members in over 25 countries, including Asia Pacific (Australia, China, India, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan), the Americas (Brazil, Canada, Mexico, USA), Europe (Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, Sweden, UK) and South Africa.

Membership is open to all industry stakeholders, and includes silicon chip vendors, product vendors, services providers, utilities, universities, enterprises, municipalities and local government organizations.

To learn more about Wi-SUN Alliance, watch members discuss the benefits of membership: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDwUpdP9MOQ&feature=youtu.be

Is on-screen clutter getting in the way of good customer service?

Posted on June 3, 2019 | by root

Contact centres are still wasting precious time on administration instead of servicing customers. Colin Hay at Puzzel believes the answer is, quite literally, staring you in the face. Here are 5 tips for improving the customer experience using the latest agent desktop applications.

Automating business processes and providing a clearer view of what really matters makes life easier in terms of delivering customer service. However, just as the advent of electronic communications failed to deliver on the promise of the paperless office, contact centres are still required to deal with online administration which is often a major barrier to delivering an exceptional customer experience (CX).

In fact, recent research by Call Centre Helper(i) in the UK has highlighted that contact centres waste over 40% of their time handling administrative tasks instead of servicing customers. Much of this time is spent by agents switching between screens and on post contact wrap-up, updating different enterprise systems. The same research showed that less than 10% of contact centres integrate their customer communication channels.

It’s time to tidy-up the desktop. The first step towards revitalising the contact centre is to get rid of the clutter. The next step is to take a fresh look at the humble agent interface. Amazingly, it is often over-looked and yet it offers the perfect de-cluttering solution when supported by the right technology. Recent advancements in agent applications mean they are becoming more easily accessible, crystal clear and simple to use. They also help agents to clean up their own messy screens to produce a single contextual view of customer interactions by bringing together all channels and systems into one place.

Five-star service, five ways
The answer to five-star service is literally staring you in the face. Make the most of today’s agent applications to:

1.Welcome in a brand-new widget concept – new agent desktop applications remove on-screen clutter by supporting direct integration between enterprise systems and agent screens through widgets. Customisable and flexible, widgets allow every agent to be presented with the information and functionality most relevant to them in any given situation without switching screens or resorting to pop-ups.

This provides a single view of customer conversations that increases agent confidence, empowering them to provide a highly personalised and satisfying customer experience at all times. Look for a vendor that offers a collection of ready-made widgets for faster set-up and effective in-house training.

2.Easy switching between customer enquiries – the superior functionality of today’s agent applications means that each customer interaction is handled via a separate tab which is opened automatically. This provides easy switching between channels and customer enquiries, whatever the channel while allowing agents to deal with multiple simultaneous interactions at any one time.

Agents can even customise their screens and highlight the functionality tabs they use most frequently such as queue overview, queue details and personal queues as well as identity and verification tabs for specific partners or customers.

3. Extend social media capabilities – modern agent interfaces enable contact centres to become more flexible and responsive by providing a far greater choice of social media communications options for customers. For example, they link directly to the latest WhatsApp Messenger and consumer review website Trustpilot.com. They can also scale readily to add new channels rapidly as they appear on the social media networking scene.

4.Integration with partner systems for vital information – new agent desktop applications connect effortlessly to selected third parties and knowledge -bases, vastly accelerating an agent’s ability to solve user or product queries from one single user interface. Information on orders, stock availability and delivery times are instantly available. What is more, today’s agent screens support co-browsing to enable simultaneous viewing of products while dealing with a customer’s enquiry.

5.Future proofing for an omni-channel experience – look for a vendor with a forward thinking approach to product development. The best agent applications have been developed with the future in mind as customer expectations demand a sophisticated, seamless service from contact centres. They should support a variety of customer communication channels, systems and advances in Softphone that enable companies to provide a complete customer experience that meets the requirements of today and tomorrow.

Spring clean your agent application to re-energise the contact centre and revitalise your customer care programme. For more information on the latest agent applications, visit Puzzel

Colin Hay is VP Sales at Puzzel UK
About Puzzel

Puzzel is a leading Cloud Contact Centre software provider that builds on over 20 years’ of heritage. It was one of the first pioneers to develop a cloud-based contact centre. Today, Puzzel combines its flexible omni-channel technology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide complete customer interaction solutions in a digital age.

Puzzel was named a Challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service, Western Europe, Report 2018 for the fourth consecutive year for its strong growth, functional capabilities, strengths in standards and compliance, customer service and support. With offices in 6 European countries Puzzel is passionate about being close to its customers and to deliver innovative solutions to solve customer interactions.

For more information, please visit Puzzel.

Decmil selects Active Risk Manager to manage enterprise risk across construction and engineering

Posted on May 31, 2019 | by root

Sword GRC, a supplier of specialist risk, compliance and governance solutions, has announced that Decmil, the Australian owned construction and engineering company, has selected Active Risk Manager (ARM) for projects across Australia and New Zealand. ARM will be used by business users across Decmil’s organization to manage the lifecycle of all construction and engineering projects. Decmil selected Sword GRC’s ARM to align with its business strategy to develop an ERM solution that addresses the risk management needs of the entire organization, enabling it to identify, analyse and manage risk at all levels.

Using ARM, Decmil will manage operational project and program risk and support strategic business planning, mitigating and reporting on risk across the enterprise.

Damian Kelliher, Executive Manager – Commercial, Risk and Strategy at Decmil said; “We wanted to implement a simple solution for the identification, analysis and management of all risks, at all levels of the organization, to assist strategic and operational decision making and to identify business opportunities.

“As a result of implementing ARM, we expect business benefits including integration of risk within day to day operations and the multi-level escalation of risk. It gives us complete transparency across the business and a single source of the truth, which means reduced errors and time spent managing risk.”

Keith Ricketts, Vice President of Global Marketing at Sword GRC said; “Active Risk Manager (ARM) is the world’s leading Enterprise Risk Management software package. ARM delivers risk-based capability to multiple users across the governance, risk & compliance (GRC) spectrum.

“With its robust and unique integrated approach, ARM is the only ERM solution that addresses the risk management needs of the entire organization. It distributes risk management responsibilityacross the enterprise, increasing personal engagement across all levels of the organization, leading to more accurate and timely risk reporting and more successful risk mitigation.”

Ellisons Solicitors bolsters team with promotions this spring

Posted on May 30, 2019 | by root

Eight new Senior Associate roles created

Ellisons has made a raft of promotions across its four regional offices, which include one new Partner and eight new Senior Associates, as well as four new Associates. It is the first time that Ellisons has ever appointed any of its lawyers into the position of Senior Associate, a senior fee-earning role which will be vital in the delivery of Ellisons’ business objectives, vision and growth plans. The promotions illustrate the firm’s focus on increasing specialism and expertise as they include lawyers from different practice areas.

This year has seen Ellisons going through another period of growth with the appointment of Petra Sharp, who joins the corporate and commercial team as a Senior Associate. Petra has over 17 years’ experience and specialises in all areas of corporate and commercial. This is in addition to the recent announcement of five appointments in the firm’s Commercial Property, Residential Property and award-winning Employment team.

These promotions bring the total number of Associates (including Senior Associates) to 21, with the new total number of Partners reaching 23.

The full list of promotions:

Associates: Bernice Spurgeon (Personal Injury, Ipswich), Hayley Songhurst (Insolvency, Colchester), Jennifer Howard-Dobson (Corporate and Commercial, Ipswich), Sarah White (Private Client, Harwich).

Senior Associates: Joe Brightman (Dispute Resolution, Colchester), Jennie Kingham (Private Client, Ipswich), Michelle Lamm (Private Client, Frinton-on-Sea), Patrick Logan (Residential Property, Colchester), Antony Mao (Commercial Property, Colchester), Ceri Rogers (Dispute Resolution, Colchester), Ian Seeley (Construction and Regulatory, Ipswich), Edward Weaver (Insurance Litigation, Colchester).

Partner: Susan Ryan joined Ellisons’ Commercial Property team in 2013, and was promoted to the role of an Associate in 2017. Susan has over 15 years’ experience in property law and specialises in landlord and tenant agreements and high-value commercial property sales.

Guy Longhurst, Managing Partner at Ellisons said: “We are proud of all members of the Ellisons’ team who have worked so hard for their promotions. Introducing the Senior Associate role is something that we’ve been considering for a while and the new Senior Associates will be an integral part of our positive culture, actively contributing to the delivery of excellent service to our clients. I am also delighted to welcome Susan Ryan to the partnership, further strengthening the senior management team within the commercial property team and the wider firm. These promotions underline Ellisons’ commitment to acknowledging the contribution of our colleagues, who work so hard to help our clients.”

3Fun is the first of its kind to use AI to fight against catfish who use Snapchat’s gender-swapping

Posted on May 29, 2019 | by root

The dating community now faces a new kind of catfish with the introduction of Snapchat’s gender-swapping filter, which has been sweeping across the internet through various social media sites. The filter has made it easier for scammers to use fake photos for their social media profiles, especially within hookup and threesome dating apps.

With this increase of catfish, 3Fun has dedicated itself to identify and remove fake and scamming accounts by using an AI (artificial intelligence) program. Being the first dating app of its kind to use this technology, 3Fun has programmed the AI to remove catfishers who use fake photos created by Snapchat’s gender-swapping filter and other similar software programs. The AI program is also capable of identifying stolen profile pictures, as well as nude photos.

“With this new filter, scammers have become craftier than ever,” said Johnson White, Chief Technology Officer for 3Fun. “Our members can be easily fooled by said scammers using computer-generated photos. So we have been training our AI system to defend our users.”

Additionally, 3Fun has put further steps into place to protect its users from catfish. The threesome-dating app puts every photo into a verification system and manually approves every profile. This manual process aids 3Fun to allow the AI software to learn from patterns and features from the data input, with fast, iterative processing and intelligent algorithms.

As the AI program continues to grow and learn, it will become harder and harder for catfish to use fake pictures and profiles, keeping 3Fun’s users safe from scammers and free to enjoy the app and all of its benefits.

GDPR one year on: leading lawyer gives six top tips for staying compliant in 2019

Posted on May 28, 2019 | by root

It was the new data regulation which had every company in the UK talking about when it was first introduced a year ago this weekend.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) saw a major overhaul of how businesses, regardless of size, handle personal data.

Firms must evaluate how they collect, store and process personal data to protect a person’s privacy – and 12 months on, many are still finding the regulation a challenge.

Now expert Matthew Cole, partner at leading law firm Prettys, in Ipswich, has shared his top tips for ensuring individuals and businesses keep their compliance regulations on track:

1. Re-evaluate your current GDPR plan – When businesses first started putting together their GDPR procedures and policies, it was all a bit of a rush. Most people wouldn’t have been fully compliant even after putting these procedures in place, as there was so much to do.

Therefore, it is worthwhile to see what you have achieved and what still needs work. GDPR compliance is very much a continuous process, and now is a good time to look at how you can adapt it for future innovations.

2. Give all staff basic training – GDPR can be difficult to understand and organisations need to be proactive in training their staff to ensure they are up to speed with all the necessary information. When new staff members are joining a company, they should be given basic data management training and everyone should have some understanding of how their organisation uses data.

3. Know your data! – Organisations should understand what data they process, what they do with it and who they share it with. To do this they can conduct an audit. The hallmark of any audit is to understand what kind of personal data you’re using, where it comes from and where it goes. If you get these things right, you can’t go too far wrong.

Rather than looking at the procedures once a year to review the policies, there should be someone on hand whose responsibility it is to constantly look at ways to improve the way the business handles data and futureproof their GDPR compliance policies.

4. Sort out your IT systems – Companies should also make sure their IT systems are up-to-date and as secure as possible. They can use Cyber Essentials, a Government scheme that helps protect companies from all kinds of cyber-attacks.

5. Have clear policies in place to prevent security breaches – A breach in security is arguably the worst thing that can happen when it comes to data. In order to prevent this from happening it is important employees have an awareness of the policies within the company.

In the rare case that a former employee attempts to steal data, you need to be prepared. To prevent this from happening, there needs to be clear guidelines in place, including clearly stating that all data is owned by the company.

Staff should also be prohibited from storing data on personal devices and sending it to personal email accounts.

You can get software which monitors if staff have sent data to themselves. The most important thing is just to be vigilant and carry out regular checks. Do simple things like regularly change passwords, keep web systems up-to-date and make sure privacy policies are accessible and accurate. An organisation’s data consent needs to be explicit and not include pre-ticked boxes like many e-commerce companies still do.

6. Make sure you don’t become data confused – There can be confusion surrounding what data actually is. Often people think it isn’t data if it doesn’t contain a name or address. But data is actually anything that can help you identify an individual, so it is very wide ranging.

If you are unsure, the ICO website contains guidance on the exact definition of what data is (www.ico.org.uk). As technology develops and software such as facial recognition becomes more common, there will undoubtedly be more questions surrounding data in the future.

For more information on Prettys’ data protection services, contact Matthew Cole by calling 01473 298221 or email [email protected]

From passion to profit: learn how to turn your hobby into your career

Posted on May 24, 2019 | by root

Wouldn’t it be great if we could earn a living doing the things that we love doing the most? Karl Chopra is a true Porsche enthusiast, who turned his hobby into his business. Rebuilding, restoring and customising Porsches over two decades ago, he developed a particular sense for sourcing hard-to-get parts, from simple brackets to body panels. His reputation grew and a loyal circle of customers told their friends, who told their friends and so on. Design 911 was then established in 1995 and the rest, as they say, is history! As a social and business entrepreneur, Karl Chopra provides 5 useful tips on how to turn your hobby into a viable business proposition.

1) Research your new career

If everyone could turn their hobby into a career, they would. The unfortunate matter of fact is that turning your hobby into a career can be more difficult than originally planned. Some entrepreneurs are not prepared for the pressure that suddenly comes with monetising their passions, and that can cause them to feel demotivated when pursuing the career path they want. That’s why it is essential that budding entrepreneurs research their new career. Whilst the person in question may have a lot of knowledge about their hobby, they need to research it around a business perspective. Is the market stable? Could you face a lack of money and employability? Do you have the finances to invest in the things you need, to start up your business? All of these questions need to be thought through before turning your passions to profit.

2) Get good at what you do

So you have evaluated the decision to turn your hobby into a career, and you still believe it is the right choice. It’s time to turn your habits into skills. It is common for entrepreneurs to become complacent with their hobbies and this can lead to no room for development. Home in on what specifically you want to improve on that will help your career and begin practicing your hobby. Perhaps invest in an eLearning course, or develop on your software skills and become the best at what you do.

3) Market yourself

The most important and the most overlooked step. Whilst being social savvy comes into this, it extends further into your personal development and the community you are trying to build. If you are kind, persistent and knowledgeable there is no reason you cannot interact and create a network of like-minded people. Share some expertise for free, offer your services at a discount to return customers and contribute articles to blog posts with any spare time you have. Remaining professional and polite is a must to protect your brand, so remember to always think before you act or speak.

4) Ask for constructive

criticism Often business leaders are open to constructive criticism, but few are productive enough to ask for it. Most customers tend to not go out of their way to offer criticism of your business, especially if they do not know you well enough. If your business is online, consider setting up a mailing system or asking your audience to fill in a short two-minute survey of their experience. If your business is in person, sometimes it is best to just ask whether everything was ok and if the customer felt like they were treated correctly. Not only does this allow you to continue developing on your hobby and becoming the best that you can be, but it ensures that your community is cared for and satisfied.

5) Make a long-term business plan

If you are looking for investment, you need to make a long-term business plan. Investors want to understand your vision and the ins and outs of your business proposition before they give you money, so planning the perfect documentation which outlines your future plan is key. If you have the funds to support turning your hobby into your business, define your goals and work towards them. It is important to know where you are heading with your new business, to keep track of your goals and keep accomplishing them to maintain progress.

This piece was brought to you by the experts at https://www.design911.co.uk/