Monthly Archives: April 2023

Entertainment, Gambling

Historical Evolution of Casino Gambling

Historical Evolution

The casino business has a lengthy history that spans many decades and countries. It has evolved from the first open gambling den to the current gaming centres. This piece will give you a brief overview of the history of casinos. However, for more information about casinos, read at casinoofthekings.ca. There, you can see how far modern casinos have come with features like instant withdrawal.

So, when were casinos invented? The origin of gambling dates back to ancient civilizations. This was during the early 17th century in Italy. Since then, the industry has become one of the top billion dollar industries worldwide.

Below is a brief overview of the significant moments in casino history.

 

The Establishment of the Ridotto in Venice as the First Public Gambling House

Established in 1638 to regulate gambling, the Ridotto offered games like biribi and basetta. It was an instant success. To learn about the early origins of gambling in Canada, CasinooftheKings.ca is the legit source of information to explore. Canada happens to be one of the best places for online betting.

Ridotto is considered the first public gambling house in the world and has become a significant moment in the history of casinos.

The Spread of Casinos in Europe

The popularity of casino games spread throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Games like the following were a symbol of social status among the upper class:

  • Roulette
  • Baccarat
  • blackjack

Modernization of Casinos in the United States, Particularly in Las Vegas

The 20th century saw the emergence of modern casinos, with Las Vegas leading the way. Casinos such as El Rancho Vegas and Flamingo offered more than gambling. They also provided entertainment and luxury.

Emergence of Other Casino Hubs Around the World

In recent years, casino destinations have become increasingly popular. Some of these locations were:

  • Macau
  • Singapore
  • Monte Carlo

These locations offer a unique and luxurious gambling experience. They even had their own distinct games and amenities.

Rise of the Billion-Dollar Industry

The casino industry has become a billion-dollar business. This is thanks to its transformation from gambling establishments to integrated resorts. Including luxury and other forms of entertainment was a game changer.

Transformation of Casinos From Gambling Establishments to Integrated Resorts

Casinos have evolved from simple gambling establishments. They double as integrated resorts that offer the following and more:

  1. Luxury accommodations
  2. Dining
  3. Shopping
  4. Entertainment options

This transformation has contributed significantly to the growth of the casino industry.

Inclusion of Luxury Amenities and Services to Attract Visitors

Casinos have added luxury amenities and services. They include:

  • Spas
  • Pools
  • Shopping centres
  • Fine dining restaurants

When it comes to attracting visitors, these services have become as important as the casino games themselves.

Online gaming companies have also contributed to the industry’s growth. By opening an online casino, you can have people gamble from the comfort of their own homes.

Increasing Demand for Entertainment and Leisure Activities

More and more people began to care about luxury and entertainment in casinos. The industry responded by offering a wider range of options.

Live music performances, comedy shows, and other stage acts have become a standard part of casino entertainment. Hence, they contribute to the industry’s growth.

Role of Technology, Including Online Casinos and Mobile Gambling

The history of online gambling dates back to the mid-1990s. Around this time, the first online casinos were launched. Since then, online gambling has grown significantly. Some will say it has become a major player in the casino industry.

Technology played a significant role here, especially with the rise of online casinos and mobile gambling.

Expansion of Customer Base Through International Tourism

Tourism has played a crucial role in expanding the customer base of the casino industry. Many casinos have become tourist destinations in their own right. They attract visitors from around the world. This has made the industry a major player in the global economy and has contributed to the growth of many regions.

As a result, the industry keeps expanding. Its customer base is growing just as quickly.

Modern Challenges

Despite its successes, the casino industry also faces several challenges. These problems threaten its continued growth and profitability.

Regulation and legislation issues in different jurisdictions

Complying with various laws and regulations in different jurisdictions poses a problem. The regulations often vary from one jurisdiction to another. Such restrictions impact the casinos’ profitability.

Casinos need to navigate these complexities and ensure compliance. It’s the only way to avoid legal issues and maintain their reputation.

Competition from online gambling and other forms of entertainment

The rise of online gambling and other forms of entertainment has intensified competition in the casino industry. Casinos need to adapt and innovate to retain customers and attract new ones. They must find ways to provide unique experiences that online gambling and other forms of entertainment cannot offer.

Social responsibility concerns, such as problem gambling and addiction

As the industry grows, so do concerns about social responsibility. One of the most common is the problem of gambling addiction.

Casinos and gambling regulators are implementing various measures to combat this issue. There are self-exclusion programs and responsible gaming initiatives available. These help to promote responsible gambling practices among their patrons.

Economic impacts, including fluctuations in the global economy and changing consumer preferences

The casino industry is not immune to global fluctuations. A good example is the global economy and changing consumer preferences. Business models must be adaptable and resilient to stay competitive in the market. For example, casinos have had to diversify their revenue streams by offering non-gambling options. These options may include hosting concerts and conferences. With them, they have been able to mitigate the impact of economic downturns.

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image credit:  pixabay.com

 

 

Business Advice

3 Easy Ways to Enhance Your Business

If you’re looking for ways to revamp your business, you might be stuck on where to start.

But there are many solutions to creating positive change within your company that will reflect well on the business you will receive as a result.

If you need a positive boost for your business, here are 3 tips for enhancing your company for the best possible results.

1.      Review Your Business Plan

It’s natural for businesses to fluctuate in their success over time, and there may be logical reasons for this. For example, recession, inflation and changing demand can all naturally affect businesses and their trade.

However, regularly reviewing your business plan can help you stay on track with your targets and goals for the year. Ensure to adapt your aims according to what is realistic, and make careful progress without overstretching.

If you need help with your organisation, you can find diaries and organisers from stationers like WH Smith to help you to keep track of targets.

 

2.      Give Your Office a Makeover

If you regularly meet customers in your place of work, you might want to think about giving the space a revamp to reflect your company’s direction and ongoing commitment to change.

Consider giving the walls a lick of paint, or install some shelves to showcase your awards, if your company is lucky enough to have won some.

If your awards are hefty in weight, you might want to buy some screws and tools from a company like Accu, who pride themselves on providing high quality fixtures and fittings so you can install your storage solutions with longevity and quality in mind.

 

3.      Expand Your Social Media Presence

Social media is now integral to businesses around the world for maintaining their presence in the forefront of customers’ minds.

To create an effective social media impact, you’ll need to figure out your target audience and fine tune your approach to aiming towards capturing them.

You can do this by creating social media posts that are engaging and make the most of the products that your target audience are looking for, as well as matching the tone of voice and pairing this with relevant hashtags. You can find tips for boosting your social media on Facebook’s Help Centre for accessible advice.

Ensure that all your social media pages have a link to your website to boost conversion rates and this will help your company to jump up the google rankings to a better placement closer to page 1.

 

Do you have any tips for enhancing your business? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Appointments, News

SmartRecruiters Welcomes Michael DeSimone as CEO

SmartRecruiters, Next-Generation Technology for Hiring Without Boundaries™, announced today that Michael DeSimone has been appointed as the company’s new CEO.

DeSimone brings over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth, expanding product portfolios, and building high-performing teams. As the CEO of ShopKeep, a cloud-based point-of-sale system provider, DeSimone successfully led the company through a significant growth phase and ultimately orchestrated its acquisition by Lightspeed POS, where he served as Chief Business Officer for the past two years.

Before ShopKeep, DeSimone served as CEO of Borderfree, an e-commerce platform provider for leading retailers. He led the company’s growth from a startup to a publicly traded company that was ultimately acquired by Pitney Bowes in 2015.

“I’m thrilled to be joining SmartRecruiters and to have the opportunity to work with a team that has already accomplished so much,” said DeSimone. “As the world of work continues to evolve, talent acquisition has become an increasingly critical function for businesses of all sizes. SmartRecruiters is uniquely positioned to help companies hire the best talent and I look forward to working with the team to build on its success and continue to drive growth.”

“We are delighted to have Michael join SmartRecruiters as CEO,” said Jerome Ternynck, SmartRecruiters’ Founder and Chairman of the Board. “Michael has an impressive track record of driving growth and building successful teams, and we believe he is the right person to lead SmartRecruiters into its next phase of growth.”

SmartRecruiters is one of the fastest-growing talent acquisition platforms in the world, used by more than 4,000 customers across 120 countries. Its suite of solutions helps companies hire the best talent quickly and efficiently, from sourcing and recruiting to onboarding and beyond. With DeSimone’s leadership, SmartRecruiters is poised to continue its rapid expansion and become the go-to platform for talent acquisition in the global marketplace.

 

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About SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters enables Hiring Without Boundaries™ by freeing talent acquisition teams from the shackles of legacy applicant tracking software. SmartRecruiters’ next-generation platform serves as the hiring operating system for 4,000 customers like Bosch, LinkedIn, Skechers, and Visa. Companies with business-critical hiring needs turn to SmartRecruiters for best-of-breed functionality, world-class support, and a robust ecosystem of third-party applications and service providers.

News

Legal eagles support multi-million pound sale of family holiday park

AN ACCLAIMED law practice supported the multi-million pound sale of a popular North Wales holiday park.

Mackenzie Jones Solicitors – based in St Asaph, Chester, and Menai Bridge – legally represented the Livingston family in selling Morfa Lodge Holiday Park in Dinas Dinlle, near Caernarfon.

The 27-acre site was purchased by Colwyn Bay’s Thornley Leisure Parks in a deal brokered by specialist caravan park sales agents, Fox Leisure.

Mackenzie Jones Director Andrew Foley Jones said it was a privilege for the business to play its part in securing the sale of one of North Wales’s premier destinations.

“Morfa Lodge is a much-loved site and has been in the Livingston family for generations, so it was a very important transaction,” he added.

“As a legal practice with a growing reputation in the hospitality and holiday sectors we are being called upon more and more to represent some of the leading operators UK-wide, and that was certainly the case here.

“We wish the new owners the very best of luck, it’s an incredible park in a beautiful part of the country and I’m sure it will go from strength to strength.”

Morfa Lodge is licenced for 188 static caravans and 55 touring caravans and features a high-quality sales and reception building, leisure facilities including two swimming pools, a play area and clubhouse, and potential to expand subject to planning.

Tim Hughes, Managing Director of Fox Leisure, said: “Having established the Chester office of Fox Leisure just over 10 years ago to focus on North Wales and north of England caravan park sales and valuations, the fruits of our labour are certainly beginning to materialise.

“We are now recognised as one of the leading chartered surveying practices in the country for the sale of premium assets such as Morfa Lodge.

“This was certainly one of the most prestigious parks I have had the privilege of selling and everyone involved in the transaction was a pleasure to deal with.”

Andy Livingston, former co-owner of Morfa Lodge, added: “From start to finish, Andrew and his staff have dealt with the sale in a true professional manner, working long hours to complete within the timescales set. Along with Tim it has been a pleasure to deal with them.”

For more information on Mackenzie Jones Solicitors, visit www.macjones.com or call 01244 699900 for the Chester office. Alternatively, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @macjoneslaw.

AI, Marketing, News, PR and SEO

Investment in AI sets paid media agency Tag Digital on way to record turnover amid resurgence in global events

  • AI supercharges Glasgow-based global paid media advertising agency’s work with major international events including  LEAP, Magic NY, CPHI, Cityscape KSA, IDEX &reMind
  • New and renewed client contracts help drive 40% YOY growth as global events industry returns to pre-pandemic levels 
  • New Finnieston HQ sees firm plant its flag in Glasgow as it builds on huge national and international growth 
  • Tag Digital launches training academy to develop young talent amid UK skills gap with first graduates helping Tag Digital’s headcount top 40 

ONE of the UK’s fastest-growing paid media advertising agencies, Tag Digital, has achieved record revenue fuelled by investment in AI technology, major contract renewals, and work on some of the biggest events in North America and the Middle East.

The firm’s turnover for the financial year just ended will be around £8.5M, and it forecasts 35 per cent growth for this coming year.

The Glasgow-based agency, founded by husband-and-wife team Craig and Laura Davidson in May 2011, has helped ‘supercharge’ industry-leading international events including LEAP, FEAST  and CityScape KSA in Saudi Arabia, as well as IDEX in Abu Dhabi, reMind in North America, CPHI Barcelona & Brand Licensing Europe in the past 18 months.

Events Industry Council (EIC) statistics showed the global business event industry recovered to more than 80% pre-pandemic levels last year, with that resurgence helping Tag Digital’s revenues to grow by almost 40% YOY – with the business growing its team to more than 40 to meet demand.

Early investment in AI tech, spearheaded by CTO Alex Velinov, has been key to Tag Digital’s impressive growth, with Velinov’s expertise even seeing him become one of the foremost figures in the UK’s AI movement.

Tag Digital, which supports more than 2,000 events per year across more than 50 countries, has also been buoyed by the renewal of a major global contract Informa’s Market and Connect divisions that will see the businesses work together until 2026. It’s the third time Informa has renewed a contract with Tag Digital since 2017.

 

Laura Davidson said: “Our success internationally has played a huge part in the growth, and our early investment in AI technology to support our paid advertising activity has been a key driver, particularly in relation to product diversification.

“Innovation has always been essential to what we do and Alex and the team’s work to harness AI’s potential has supported the significant growth of our global client roster.

“It’s not about AI replacing the work of people, but rather enhancing it, and it’s that smart, innovative use of the tech that has been crucial.

“We’re excited about what’s possible now we’ve diversified our product offerings and the events world is thriving again.”

 

Velinov, CTO, joined Tag Digital in 2015 as a pay-per-click (PPC) specialist and has recently become one of the foremost commentators on AI in the UK on LinkedIn.

He explained how history has taught us that new technology enables people, rather than replaces them, and AI is no exception.

 

He said: “Historically, when new tech appeared, this led to the disappearance of some jobs, but exponential growth of new jobs in general. So there is no reason to think something different is going to happen now.

“People are still crucial for digital marketing for a variety of reasons. They have free will, they can decide to do something or not. AI doesn’t have will. AI can solve some problems but will never come up with an idea about the problem. At least not yet.

“People can apply context better, layering different sources and types of information for making decisions. AI can’t still do that.

“People are needed because people are doing business with people. There is a small chance people will start doing business with machines. Machines can do some of the heavy lifting in every business, but to make business you still need interactions on a human level.

“People are still better at creating strategies compared to machines, as they can apply abstract thinking in problem solving.”

 

The Scotland-founded paid advertising agency specialises in campaigns for global clients in the events sector from Miami to the Middle East. It was dealt a devastating blow by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which wiped out more than 95 per cent of its revenue as hundreds of events were cancelled within months.

However, as the world changed, so did the business, with founders Craig and Laura quickly pivoting towards data building and digital sponsorship to support their clients, retain jobs, and grow the business.

In a bid to future proof the business further and ensure Tag Digital continues to provide a world-leading service amid a digital skills gap in the UK, the company launched its Tag Digital Academy – building out a full digital training system to enable them to take on young talent with limited experience and train them to become paid advertising professionals.

 

Craig said: “Paid advertising moves so quickly that it’s extremely difficult to learn the skills required outside of a business environment. We are perfectly positioned to develop young talent and help to plug major skills gaps in the UK – it’s really difficult to find people in this sector.

“Through the Tag Digital Academy we hope to develop the best digital talent who have all the skills needed to help event organisers around the world navigate the rapidly evolving world of digital advertising to drive revenue and event attendance.”

 

Tag Digital is also reaping the rewards from pivoting quickly when the pandemic hit, with a number of new services adapted to client requirements including audience extension, data onboarding, and increased programmatic capability – all driving more revenue to the bottom line; and even started a podcast.

 

Laura added: “Whilst the past three years might not be what we planned for, we have learned so much about ourselves, the team and the business – the fact that we have bounced forward is testament to the resilience of the team and the creative solutions that we put in place in a challenging time. It’s the perfect springboard for Tag Digital’s continued growth.”

To find out more about Tag Digital, visit tagdigital.co.uk

Marketing, News, North of England, PR and SEO

Lancashire Quality Engineering Company Roq appoints TBB to create new branding and support ambitious expansion plans

Lancashire-based Roq — a quality engineering company — is preparing for rapid growth with a reimagined brand identity, tone of voice, and website, delivered by West Yorkshire-based integrated agency The Bigger Boat (TBB).

The project forms an integral part of Roq’s aim to quadruple in size over the next four to five years.

 

Building on Roq’s clear values, culture, and reputation, TBB needed to ensure the 14-year old brand stood out in a crowded market. “More than values, you must demonstrate your expertise” explained Doug Main, creative director at TBB. “Everyone says they are ‘flexible problem solvers’ but the challenge is identifying what makes you better than everyone else.”

 

Roq CEO and founder, Stephen Johnson added, “Roq is evolving at pace, and has a clear vision to be the UK’s leading quality engineering company. It felt like the right time to revisit our brand identity, personality, and visibility, as well as investing in an updated website. We’ve always tried to punch above our weight with how we’re perceived, and wanted our digital home to act as an effective tool for self-promotion, lead-generation, and educational resources that reflects a company four times as big as we are today.”

 

Employing around 125 people across the UK, Roq is expecting to hire 150 new colleagues over the next four to five years – from experienced professionals to those studying STEM subjects at university through to new entrants into the technology sector via its ground-breaking apprenticeship programme. As such, defining its employer brand was a mainstay of the project brief.

 

Speaking about the positioning work, Carrie Webb, head of content at TBB (pictured above) added: “Roq is a people-focused organisation, and wanted its identity and assets to demonstrate its inclusive, values-driven approach to attracting and retaining colleagues, — by promoting Roq as an employer of choice and a great place to work.”

To guide Roq towards this vision, TBB took steps to ensure Roq’s colleagues are at the forefront, from photography capturing the real people — with real personalities — behind the brand, to tone of voice guidelines that enable Roq to create messaging that’s ‘human’ and easy to understand.

 

News, Tech

Volaris brings innovation to LATAM region through Zamna´s invisible Digital Intelligence

  • LATAM’s first introduction to digital intelligence set to improve efficiency at airports during international check in processes. 
  • New pilot scheme with Zamna verifies passenger data and travel documents – before airport arrival 

An innovative digital intelligence solution from London software company Zamna is being piloted by Mexico´s largest airline Volaris, it is announced today.

The partnership will focus on improving efficiency during airport check in for international flights at Mexico City International Airport, reducing time in queues. Zamna’s digital intelligence verifies data, invisibly behind the scenes, for passengers before they arrive at the airport. This enables Volaris to instantly confirm that the identity and travel documents provided by each passenger are compliant with the multitude of travel regulations. This new solution demonstrates Volaris’ commitment to innovation and its passengers’ needs.

Eliminating the need for Volaris to excessively verify passengers travel documentation when they arrive at the airport, the carrier aims to drastically speed-up pre-flight check-in processes, promoting a more seamless experience for guests at what is Latin America’s busiest airport by passenger traffic.

Serving 71 airports across Mexico, United States, Central America, Colombia and Peru, the pilot will initially cover two city-pairs; the first route between Mexico City and Los Angeles Airport (LAX), and the second, more complex route, between Guadalajara and Los Angeles Airport (LAX), involving stricter travel requirements.

Rodrigo Tame, Zamna’s LATAM Representative, explains further: “Without Zamna’s solution in place, Volaris staff are required to process and check travel documents – every single time a passenger flies. This process is not only costly, time-consuming and labour-intensive, but has a significant impact on the passenger. Zamna’s technology removes this process from the airport. Using invisible digital intelligence, passenger documentation is verified and checked against a dynamic, live regulatory checklist according to travel destination. This solution can ensure that travellers on selected Volaris flights are instantly pre-cleared to fly at the point of check-in – way in advance of their arrival at the airport.

“As the first airline in the Latin American region to integrate Zamna’s digital intelligence technology, I am thrilled to see strong leadership in Volaris take an innovative approach to improving passenger experience, while simultaneously impacting the airline’s operating costs. It’s great to see the carrier pioneer innovation in the Latin American region when it comes to digital identity in travel.”

Carlos Alberto Gonzalez, IT Director at Volaris, adds: “We are particularly keen to reduce check-in time as much as possible through technology and innovation.

“What’s more, as an ultra-low-cost airline, we must ensure that everything we do is mission critical. Our goal in partnering with Zamna, is to not only improve the experience for the passenger, but to see benefits on the operation cost side as well. Each time somebody checks in digitally, it will reduce the labour and associated costs previously needed on the check-in desk.”

Because Zamna securely connects all valuable data to the passenger’s passport inside its digital intelligence network, the next time the passenger travels, they only need to verify that the customer has their travel documents with them.

“The fact that Zamna only needs to verify a passenger once is an especially exciting capability that we expect to be of particular benefit to our frequent flyers,” Gonzalez adds.

As an ULCC (Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier), the Volaris team expertly invests in increasing their customer satisfaction, while reducing their cost base. Currently, established tools for regulatory compliance, such as Timatic, suggest passengers that may be of concern to the airline – and thereafter, the airline applies the effort and cost needed to resolve these in the airport. In advance of the passenger arriving at the airport, Zamna gets them ready to fly by both digitising and resolving all passport verifications and other regulatory compliance checks.

Leveraging the more than 60 million passport verifications already completed in partnership with other global leading airlines, Zamna’s technology works invisibly in the background to prove that a passenger’s passport and other travel document data is verified and compliant with regulatory requirements for their destination.

News, SaaS, Tech Thought Leadership

Is SaaS “Set and Forget”?

Written by Mark Molyneux, EMEA CTO at Cohesity

The explosive growth of Software as a Service (SaaS) has changed how we do business for the better. Rather than being tied into long-term and expensive contracts, companies now have the flexibility to scale application services up and down to meet their specific needs. However, IT and business leaders must avoid common pitfalls around how their data is stored, retained and protected in a SaaS world.

The SaaS delivery model, where software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted, continues to rise in popularity. Analyst firm Gartner says almost two-thirds (65.9%) of spending on application software will be directed towards subscription based cloud offerings in 2025, up from 57.7% in 2022.

The results of that success are clear – SaaS is ingrained into how businesses run their applications. Yet a side effect of that success is that more data is stored in the cloud too, which could have big implications going forwards. Their data is stored on external infrastructure, but the responsibility to protect it from loss, human error or infections remains with the businesses.

Sign up with a SaaS provider and you get all the benefits of an on-demand service, but that doesn’t mean you can log in and simply forget about how your data is held. Companies that rely on SaaS will have data spread across a host of providers. Any IT or business manager that uses SaaS must focus now on how data is stored, retained and protected in these distributed environments- with different providers involved who are guided by different service level agreements.

 

Think about the terms and conditions of data storage

Buying SaaS is so straightforward that analyst Gartner says many IT and business managers complete more than 60% of the buying process on their own before even engaging a vendor. And as a result, many IT and business managers buy the service without needing to engage with the vendor.  The big SaaS providers have designed their sites and purchasing mechanisms to make B2B procurement as simple as those a customer might find at a major online retailer.

With SaaS perceived as an easy, lower-risk investment, many decision makers are delegating the buying process to team members. So, while a senior manager might make the final spending decision, someone else covers most of the selection process for a new service. Gartner says decision makers often enter the fray for just the final 5% to 10% of the SaaS buying process.

However, IT and business managers must recognise that signing up with a SaaS specialist doesn’t mean you pass on storage responsibilities to the cloud provider. When it comes to regulatory compliance, it’s up to the end customer to ensure data is backed up safely and securely, not the cloud provider.

So, while your SaaS partner maintains the cloud provision, your business is responsible for everything it puts in the cloud. Senior managers must, therefore, be engaged from the start of the contractual process. They must consider the range of services the business is buying and ask these following pertinent questions:

Does your team pour over every detail of the terms and conditions when it signs up to a new cloud relationship? Or do the people who buy the services simply click ‘accept’ when it comes to the legal agreement, much like a consumer might do when purchasing a new service online? If that situation sounds familiar, then it’s time to act.

Senior managers must think carefully about the implications of the SaaS deals their organisations are signing. Crucially, they must ensure the systems and services they use abide by legal mandates, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

 

Create an approach to data availability  that’s right for your business

Data storage isn’t your only concern when you move to a cloud provider. Another big issue is retention. Once you pay for a SaaS service, you might assume data is retained by the provider for as long as you are signed up with the provider. However, that’s not necessarily the case.

Data retention policies and procedures vary significantly between providers and across product ranges. While some providers offer enterprise-level deals that give longer periods of retention, some services only retain deleted data for 30 days. That might sound like a reasonable timeframe, but what about if someone deletes information unknowingly and your company needs the data months later? What does the deletion of data mean for your obligations for European legislation data such as the GDPR and national-level data protection regulations?

Organisation can’t really afford to take a risk on data storage and retention, but rather they require the mechanisms to help ensure data is stored, retained and secured, even in the worst-case scenario such as a ransomware attack. For managers who want to do more than set and forget SaaS provision, then the answer is to work with a dedicated Data Security SaaS partner.

This provider should simplify your data management processes. Look for a partner who combines three critical security capabilities into one SaaS solution: threat detection, data classification and cyber vaulting / data isolation. Together, these capabilities can help customers protect, detect, and recover data in the event of a cyber attack.

The best backup and cyber vaulting services can help your business reduce data protection costs by 70% or more. This helps ensure your data is protected, resilient, and immutable in a virtual air-gapped vault, so in the event of a ransomware attack, you can quickly and safely recover.

With integrated Data classification you can accurately detect and identify sensitive data or personal identifiable information (PII) more quickly. This helps you to easily understand and assess the impact of an attack and determine if sensitive information was compromised. And you can centrally control the retention of data and stay compliant.

Also, a Data Security SaaS partner who constantly scans data to detect ransomware threats and anomalies can ensure data is protected across tiers, service levels, and environments. And ones with a single platform to manage data across all your providers will help ensure SaaS is a trusted, effective and manageable IT resource.

 

International News, News

Leading Intelligence Provider Warns Russian Threats To Withdraw From Black Sea Grain Deal Would Be Catastrophic For Poorer Nations

KCS GROUP EUROPE CLAIMS BLACK SEA GRAIN DEAL HAS HELPED TO PREVENT GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Leading intelligence provider KCS Group Europe (KCSGE) is warning that Russian threats not to renew the Black Sea Grain Deal would be catastrophic for poorer nations.

The deal, which established a protected wartime corridor for grain and fertiliser exports from three Ukrainian ports, is due to run out on May 18th.

The UN said the deal had helped to alleviate a global food crisis which has been worsened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

KCSGE CEO Stuart Poole-Robb says: “We have previously highlighted the risks attached to the grain deal. It is vital to the lives of many of the world’s poorest communities that it continues.”

 

Russia states that there will be no extension unless the West agrees to the reconnection of Russian Agricultural Bank – Rosselkhozbank – to the Swift banking transfer system.

It also demands concessions on the export of its own grain and fertilisers and the resumption of the supply of agricultural machinery and spare parts, together with the lifting of some restrictions on insurance and reinsurance.

 

Poole-Robb says: “By threatening the end of the Black Sea Grain Deal, Russia is attempting to gain more political leverage over the United Nations.

“Currently, we are in the absurd position that Russia is chair of the rotating monthly presidency of the 15-strong UN Security Council. That is despite invading its neighbour, being subject to sanctions and an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of war crimes.”

 

Previously,  KCS Group Europe has noted that support for Ukraine has been less vocal from African governments, with many remaining neutral or offering quiet support for Putin’s actions.

Closing the grain corridor would lead to an increase in global grain prices at a time when many countries are facing rises in the import costs of fuel and food.

 

Poole-Robb adds: “By using threats to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Deal, Russia is cynically exerting pressure on the governments of poorer nations, which rely on it to feed their populations, to press forward its demands on the West.”

 

KCS Group Europe is a London-based organisation which provides discreet intelligence, corporate security and cyber services around the world.

 

 

 

News

College launches crime-fighting course for next generation of super sleuths

COLEG CAMBRIA has launched a new crime-fighting course for the next generation of super sleuths.

The BTEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology is the equivalent to an A Level and will be taught at the college’s Deeside Sixth Form Centre.

Beginning in September, the programme includes modules on the social construction of crime, policy development, evaluating theories of crime, crime and punishment, from crime scene to courtroom and comparing deviant behaviour.

Head of Deeside Sixth Miriam Riddell said: “We have been looking to introduce criminology since before the pandemic, so we are delighted to be able to deliver it from September.

“We have a new teacher in place and are already receiving positive feedback about the subject, which complements our existing qualifications in law, psychology and sociology.”

She added: “There are career opportunities out there, from the police and probation services to the legal sector and more, and this qualification can be studied alongside other courses we run, so there is a lot of flexibility and scope for learners to go on and study the subject further at university.”

The news comes after the college held another success law conference, with members of the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), judges, solicitors and barristers meeting with learners to discuss future pathways and work placement opportunities.

Among the guest speakers were CPS Senior Crown Prosecutor Simon Green; former Deeside Sixth and current Manchester University Law student Thalia Humble, and Alex Riddell, Senior Commercial Solicitor at Pod Point.

“This is the third law seminar we’ve held this academic year and it was a big success once again,” said Miriam.

“Introducing criminology was a natural step for us as it fits in well with the direction our students take in this area, our employability links and given the wide spectrum of jobs out there in the sector.

“We want the learners to look at all the different ways they can approach a career in law, and this is another string to our bow, supported by industry-relevant events like this.”

For more information on the BTEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology, visit Coleg Cambria.