Monthly Archives: April 2023

AI, Driving Tech, Logistics Tech, Technology, Telematics

Visiontrack Introduces Latest AI Video Telematics Innovation As Road Safety Takes Centre Stage At The Commercial Vehicle Show

VisionTrack (stand 5E80) is continuing to deliver ground-breaking road safety benefits with the launch of an AI detection camera at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2023. The VT650-AI will eliminate HGV blind spots around the vehicle and enable complete 360-degree visibility to better protect vulnerable road users (VRUs). It is part of the company’s growing range of AI-powered video telematics solutions that provides the most comprehensive risk detection and intervention (RDI) currently available.

“Traditional proximity sensors warn of a nearby road user, but typically alerts can be triggered by street furniture such as lamp posts, bollards, road signs and bins, which risks the driver becoming complacent and taking less notice of alarms,” explains Richard Kent, President of Global Sales at VisionTrack. “The best way to avoid this alert fatigue is to take advantage of intelligent and high precision AI cameras that keep the driver engaged with accurate and useful information.”

The intelligent and high-precision AI VRU detection camera is suitable for an HGV’s front, side or rear using deep learning technology to detect pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and people on scooters, while disregarding street furniture. With configurable safety zones, all angles can be covered, providing the precise location of nearby VRUs in relation to the vehicle. Footage is automatically displayed on an in-cab monitor, and supplemented with an audible, spoken warning.

“We are creating a unique AI-powered video telematics ecosystem – using the latest edge-and cloud-based innovations – to provide unrivalled, real-time driver engagement, alongside the most accurate, timely and insightful risk monitoring and analysis. This integrated technology offering is designed to mitigate the impact of road, driver and fleet risk,” adds Kent.

Earlier this year, VisionTrack launched NARA, an AI-powered post-analysis solution that is transforming how collisions, near misses and driving events are analysed, monitored and reviewed by automatically analysing footage without the need for human involvement. The device agnostic, cloud-based software is changing how vehicle camera footage is assessed and helping road transport operators to save time, costs and most importantly lives.

HR, HR News

UK business owners place reputation ahead of employees

86% of business owners agree that reputation management is more of a priority than employee development, according to new data released today

UK firms prioritise reputation management over employee development, according to recent research released today from Speakers’ Corner, the UK’s leading speaking bureau. Over 500 business owners from across the UK were surveyed and the results show that consumer perception is ranked more important than employee development or diversity. 1

Key findings from the study include:

  • 98% of business owners surveyed, face challenges with reputation control.
  • 86% agree that reputation management is more of a priority than employee development and staff training.
  • 87% view reputation management as more of a priority than diversity across their business.

In addition, the survey results found that business owners highlighted the consequences that poor reputation has had on their company in the past – with a third suffering negative media coverage and 32% experiencing either investment withdrawal or a negative impact on profits. Almost two-fifths (37%) reported that the biggest hinderance to reputation management is the lack of having a person in their business directly responsible for this area.

Nick Gold, Managing Director of Speakers’ Corner, explained; “Our study paints a fascinating picture. The data indicates a wide-spread adoption of reactive and ‘short-term’ thinking in UK leadership teams in a post pandemic Britain. It seems that the spotlight of attention has shifted from employees to protecting and focusing on reputation management.

“So whilst many leadership teams pay lip service to staff training and development, the reality is something different. Yet as business owners we inherently know that investing in employees, offering valuable opportunities for growth and development, and embracing diversity and inclusion can in fact boost an organisation’s reputation. This will ultimately have a positive impact on a company and its bottom line. It’s important to remember that employees can in fact be your biggest brand advocates and protectors of your company’s reputation.”

Furthermore, the advent of social media has increased the speed at which news travels, and this is proving to be a major test for UK businesses as they scramble to protect reputation. Thirty five percent of businesses surveyed highlighted this as the main challenge to reputation control. “Social media is an invaluable tool for firms, as it gives the opportunity for brands to enhance their visibility and engage directly with target audiences,” said Mr Gold. He added; “But there is an art to this. If we look to moguls such as Salesforce, Starbucks, Adobe and Google, these companies heavily invest in employee growth and development. Some have even introduced ambassador programs to encourage and incentivise employee advocacy, particularly on social media.”

FInance, Pensions, Retirement

Lower life expectancy could boost annuity income to help retiring employees

Industry experts have highlighted that the most significant decrease in life expectancy, for a decade could put annuities in a more favourable spotlight as a retirement option.

While this development may translate into more generous annuity values being offered, thousands of people are not prepared for retirement, according to a new study from The Wisdom Council called ‘The Great Retirement Study’.

The research shows many 55 to 75-year-olds need guidance to understand their options, with almost one-third feeling ‘not at all confident’ or ‘not very confident’ about having enough money in later life.

Punter Southall Aspire chief commercial officer Alan Morahan said higher interest rates mean annuities are now in a more favourable spotlight, but financial planning is vital to help to put their value into context.

He said “Employers can play a more significant role to support staff approaching retirement. Our own survey found just over half of companies offer no guidance on how to plan for life after work, while just under a third offer some help. Only 12% pay for consultants to assist their workforce. The advice gap remains a canyon employers could easily fill to help tens of thousands more approach retirement with confidence. Despite the headline of shorter life expectancy, many heathy people could spend upwards of 30 years in retirement. Employers have an important role to play, from those just starting out who need to be encouraged to save more, to those approaching retirement who need help with often very complex decisions.”

Punter Southall Aspire is helping plug this gap with Pension Potential an online tool free to employers to help staff assess how large a retirement income their pension can buy for retirement by comparing every annuity on the market. It also offers a picture of what drawdown can look like or a mix of options.

Data & Analytics, News

Protegrity Announces Borderless Data Solution to Enable Secure and Compliant Cross-Border Data Flows

With this new solution, global enterprises can navigate increasingly regulated, fragmented data privacy landscape by enabling data transfers across geographies and lines of business 

Protegrity, a global leader in data security and privacy, today announced the launch of the Protegrity Borderless Data Solution to enable easy, secure and compliant cross-border data flows for large global enterprises. The new solution brings together a suite of software tools designed to help the world’s largest banks, retailers and health insurers continue to reap the benefits of their investments in globalisation in an increasingly unstable and fragmented global privacy regulatory landscape.

“Cross-border data flows are the cornerstone of our rapidly digitising global economy,” said Paul Mountford, CEO at Protegrity. “Data localisation requirements, however well intended, put global innovation – which brings benefits to people everywhere – at risk. Protegrity’s Borderless Data Solution helps enterprises put their cloud strategies back on track, expedite their growth plans, and turn privacy from an inhibitor into a business accelerator.”

Cross-border data sharing allows businesses to innovate, governments to cooperate, and human beings to collaborate. For example, businesses can create new products, services, and operating models, or improve ESG monitoring along their supply chains. Security agencies and law enforcement can identify and track money laundering activities. Researchers can access global datasets to drive scientific advances.

With the growing exposure of consumer data and concerns around national security, countries are rapidly adopting and evolving data localisation regulations. But restricting data flows measurably reduces global trade, slows operational productivity, and increases prices for all industries that rely on data, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. When sensitive data can’t cross borders, businesses must duplicate expensive infrastructure and restrict the data sharing and collaboration that are fundamental to driving innovation and growth.

“At a global level, it is very hard to support data movement,” said the Global Senior Vice President of a large global financial services firm. “Through this service, I can guarantee that this data never leaves a particular entity and can satisfy any regulatory requirements. Using Protegrity, I can make those guarantees for our lines of business.”

With its new Borderless Data Solution, Protegrity delivers a first of its kind cross-border data protection service that offers the tools necessary to reinstate business-critical cross-border data flows, including a centrally managed service, federated and isolated jurisdictions, an easy-to- implement common API and frictionless app onboarding. The solution is currently running in one of the world’s largest enterprises to safeguard their most sensitive data.

By reestablishing secure cross-border data flows, Protegrity’s Borderless Data Solution enables enterprises to

 

  • Take costs out of the business – by eliminating third-party data processors, obviating the need for infrastructure duplication, and simplifying and scaling compliance through a common API.
  • Improve Customer Experience – by enabling enterprises to build enhanced personalisation and loyalty programs that drive customer trust and
  • Deliver new revenue streams – by enabling enterprises to develop new products and services, collaborate effectively with partners, vendors and their supply chain, and rapidly enter new

 

Today, Protegrity is trusted to protect data for some of the world’s leading multinational companies – serving five of nine largest U.S. banks, four of eight U.S. health insurers and one of the top two global credit card issuers. Through new and innovative services like Protegrity’s Borderless Data Solution, the company aims to expand its already robust market presence by turning data security into an accelerator for global digital transformation.

To learn more, click here.

Vaping and Smoking, Waste and Recycling

Vape Scheme Risks Playing with Fire on Safety, warns British Metals Recycling Association

British Metals Recycling Association warns the Government of safety concerns when disposing of the devices

THE Government is “playing with fire” with its proposed vape swap to stop scheme, a leading trade association has warned.

Under new measures, councils and others are set to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter-kit in a bid to drive down cigarette use.

But the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) say the scheme poses a fire risk because the current regulations for disposal of both single-use and rechargeable vapes are often not being followed and are leading to an increasing number of blazes.

James Kelly, the CEO of the BMRA, said: “ Vapes are essentially small electronic devices and are subject to regulations when no longer required. However, the reality is that not enough of the public are aware of this and often throw vapes and other electronic items containing lithium-ion batteries in a bin, which, when damaged, are causing fires and can even explode.

“That’s why the BMRA is concerned about this scheme. We believe Ministers are playing with fire with this policy and that an awareness and education campaign is urgently needed.

“We are reiterating our call for lithium-ion batteries, alongside waste electrical and electronic equipment, to be able to be collected in a kerbside collection to ensure ease of disposal for householders.

“We also need to see a system for appropriate, on-the-go disposal of vapes being made available. This will help to protect workers from fires and explosions caused by these batteries and ensure all component parts can be safely and properly recycled.”

With 1.3 million single-use vapes thrown away every week, this scheme could add even more to that number requiring disposal. Lithium-ion batteries, according to Material Focus, cause “three and half times more” fires in the waste stream.

Business Software, Web Design

How Businesses Can Use Bespoke CMS Systems to Maximise Efficiency

In today’s digital age, businesses need to utilise technology in order to stay ahead of the competition. One way to do this is by using bespoke content management systems (CMS) to manage, update, and publish content on their websites.

These customised CMS solutions can provide significant efficiency gains for businesses, reducing time spent, and allowing them to focus their efforts on more important tasks.

We took a closer look at just what a bespoke content management system consists of, and the benefits it can offer businesses.

 

What Is A CMS?

A content management system (CMS) is a software application that enables businesses to manage and control website content. It helps users create, edit, delete, and publish digital media such as text, images, audio, and video.

As the name suggests, a bespoke CMS is a customised solution tailored to the specific needs of the user. It is designed to streamline processes, reduce waste, and improve efficiency across multiple departments.

 

What Tasks Can A CMS Take Care Of?

You may be wondering just why you need a CMS, and what tasks it can take care of. Here are some of the main advantages and duties that it can perform:

 

  • Content Creation & Editing

A CMS allows users to create and manage web content, such as blog posts, images, videos and more. These can be updated quickly and easily from a centralised dashboard.

 

  • User Management & Access Control

A bespoke CMS enables businesses to control who has access to certain areas of the website and what they can do. This ensures that only authorised staff can make changes, and helps prevent unauthorised changes from being made.

 

  • Page & Site Management

Users are able to easily manage the layout and design of their websites, as well as create new pages, move content around, and delete obsolete items. This is important for keeping your site up to date – particularly if you are in an industry with high levels of competition, such as the automotive, retail or hospitality sectors.

 

  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

With a bespoke CMS, businesses can optimise their websites for search engine rankings. This includes things like creating meta tags and optimising page titles and descriptions – all of which help to improve a website’s visibility online. Once again, this is crucial for businesses with a high number of competitors.

 

  • Analytics & Reporting

A customised CMS solution enables owners to track key metrics such as traffic, conversion rates and revenue. This helps them understand what is and isn’t working, so that they can continually improve the performance of their website over time.

 

What Are The Benefits?

There are many advantages to using a bespoke CMS for businesses, and some of the main ones include:

 

  • Enhanced User Experience

A customised CMS ensures that the user experience of a website is as streamlined and efficient as possible. This can help to reduce customer frustrations, improve engagement rates, and drive more conversions.

 

  • Improved Security

With a bespoke CMS in place, businesses have greater control over who accesses their data and can better protect sensitive information. Businesses are also able to quickly detect and mitigate security threats.

 

  • Cost Savings

It may seem strange, but bespoke CMS solutions are often more cost-effective than off-the-shelf solutions, as they require less setup and maintenance, and this is due to the fact that they are designed specifically for the user’s needs.

This can be particularly useful if you are working to a tight IT budget, or need to cut down on costs without compromising on the quality of your system.

 

  • Time Savings

Using a customised CMS means that business owners can save time when it comes to updating and managing their websites. This allows them more freedom to focus on other important tasks and grow their business.

 

  • Integration With Other Areas Of The Business

By opting for a CMS that is bespoke and unique to their business, companies are able to integrate it with other areas of their operations. This helps to create a more efficient workflow and can help to reduce the amount of time taken for tasks such as updating customer details or managing stock levels.

 

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, a bespoke CMS offers businesses a great way to maximise efficiency, increase security and save time. It also provides an enhanced user experience for customers, which can help to drive conversions and boost sales.

 

If you are looking to take your own business’s online presence to the next level, then you might want to check out MotorDesk’s car dealer management system, which will help show you that a customised CMS solution is the way to go.

 

News

UK Leading Charge Towards Mixed IT Model Despite Data Visibility And Management Issues

Nutanix has announced the findings of its fifth annual Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) survey showing the UK leading a charge towards embracing multiple IT infrastructures. A trend predicted to intensify moving forward despite concerns around data visibility and management across environments which, as the survey found, are still largely to be addressed.

“The results of the latest ECI survey are significant because, as a major commercial centre, the UK has long been at the forefront when leveraging new technologies and ways of working,” said Rowen Grierson, Senior Director and General Manager, UK&I at Nutanix. “Likewise, when it comes to identifying the challenges with, in this year’s survey, clear evidence of the need for a consistent cloud operating model to enable customers to get the best from the mixed IT environments they are building.”

Back in 2018, well over half of respondents said they envisioned running all workloads exclusively in either a private or public cloud one day. Since then, however, respondents’ attitudes have drastically shifted toward the use of multiple IT environments. So, rather than working to consolidate on a particular infrastructure or operating model – as seemed desirable in 2018 – most enterprises now see the inevitability, and even benefits, of running workloads across clouds, on-premises and at the edge.

The goal now is to make this mixed model more efficient, especially when managing IT environments across the edge to the core. Greater diversity is leading to increased complexity, with nearly all respondents saying they would benefit from having a single, unified control plane to manage applications and data across their increasingly diverse IT environments.

Key findings from this year’s report include:

  • Most organisations usemore than one type of IT infrastructure, and nearly all agree that having a single platform to manage them together and consistently would be ideal.
  • UK companies lead in their use of mixed IT infrastructurewith 73% reporting the use of multiple IT environments compared to a 60% global average. In the UK that figure is expected to rise to 86% in one to three years (74% globally).
  • Data security and management considerations drive IT infrastructure choices. Data is driving infrastructure decisions for enterprises, with data security, protection and recovery, and sovereignty topping the list of key drivers. However, visibility is a growing challenge and while 94% of respondents agree that having full visibility is important, only 40% reported having complete visibility into where their data resides.
  • Cloud cost control ranks as a top IT management challenge. Among respondents, 85% consider cloud cost a challenging IT management issue with more than a third (34%) ranking it “significant”. More specifically, application migration across clouds is currently a pain point for organisations with 86% of respondents agreeing that moving applications between environments can be complex and costly. Additionally, nearly half of respondents (46%) plan to repatriate some applications to on-premise datacentres to mitigate cloud costs in the year ahead.
  • Nearly all companies developing their own applications have begun using open-source Kubernetes orchestration (96%). Those respondents, however, cite designing and configuring underlying infrastructure, storage, and database services as a key challenges of those deployments.
  • Interestingly, sustainability has become a much more pressing priority with nearly all respondents (92%) agreeing that sustainability is more important to their organisation than it was a year ago. A shift in priorities driven primarily by corporate Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives (63%), supply chain disruptions (59%), and customer purchasing decisions (48%).

For the fifth consecutive year, Vanson Bourne conducted research on behalf of Nutanix, surveying 1,450 IT decision-makers around the world in December 2022 and January 2023. The respondent base spanned multiple industries, business sizes, and the following geographies: the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region.

To learn more about the report and findings, please download the full fifth Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index, here.

Awards, Birmingham, Business & Property News

Champions UK Plc Celebrates After Receiving Four Top Business Awards

Business consultancy expert Champions UK Plc is celebrating after landing several prestigious awards in the space of just a few weeks.

The family run firm, which specialises in supporting businesses to grow, were named Business Management Consultancy Of The Year in the Central England Prestige Awards.

In another coup, the East Midlands based outfit were awarded a gong for being the Best Business Growth Consultancy by Acquisition International and they also landed a Business Excellence Award from E2 Media.

The awards come just weeks after Champions were placed among the Insider’s list of the top 300 SME enterprises in the Midlands.

Matthew Hayes, the Managing Director of Champions UK plc, credited the four accolades as a tribute to the “outstanding” efforts of those working at the company.

He said the business, based in Loughborough, was on track to deliver a successful year.

Mr Hayes said: “What is most pleasing is that each award pinpointed Champions’ dedication to delivering exceptional services and exceeding client expectations.

“That’s at the heart of what we deliver and what we will always deliver on behalf of our valued clients. I’m grateful and proud of our amazing team for their hard work and commitment to excellence.”

He added: “Like all businesses, post Covid, we’ve had to navigate challenges. But we’ve been able to emerge stronger and we are now on track to deliver strong financial results this year. And we have ambitious plans for growth.

“Champions is proud of its roots in the East Midlands and we are looking forward to continuing to support businesses across the regions in the weeks, months and years ahead.”

Champions is a strategy-led growth and implementation partner for businesses with market leading expertise across strategy, digital, communications, creative and talent.

It has won a string of awards in the past including being included in the Sunday Times’ Fast Track 100.

The firm works with businesses in a state of transition, enabling them to achieve their strategic vision and increase EBITDA. Clients they’ve helped to support to grow include  HSP, Delta Global, Farmfoods, DAINS, Hubb, Apari, eBay and many more.

 

Business Advice

How You Can Give Yourself More Peace Of Mind When It Comes To Your Business

You’d be hard pushed to find business owners who aren’t spending a lot of time worrying these days. Stability and safety are so hard to come by, and it only takes a little to rock the boat to the point where you’re going to be in real trouble. The cost-of-living crisis has caused customers to massively restrict their spending and businesses to worry about how they can continue to offer the same service without raising their prices, even if it is starting to ease. Cybercrime continues to be a massive issue, and it seems like there’s a new story about ransomware attacks around the world every time we look away.

As we look ahead to the next few months, it is very clear that things aren’t going to get magically easier any time soon. It’s up to business owners to look for ways that they can keep their risks to a minimum and continue to provide the same level of excellence for their customers.

Audit Your Past Performance

Conducting a deep dive audit is hardly the most exciting way to make your business more secure, but it is certainly an important first step. Things have changed so dramatically and so quickly that many businesses have been forced to pivot quickly. As a result, you might not have been able to keep up the kind of focus and attention to detail you’d usually demand. There may be areas that are no longer doing the numbers that they should, which can be cut. There may also be lessons that you can carry over about responding to adversity.

Look For More Ways To Back Up The Important Things

We all put a tremendous amount of confidence in our devices. It’s so easy to know to just assume that the supercomputer in your pocket is going to be functioning perfectly forever, or that you’ll get around to backing up those documents you’re working on at the end of the day. But just because they have the incredible processing power and they are able to predict what you’re going to need, that doesn’t make them any less vulnerable to being dropped, to having a drink spilt all over them or being stolen. It’s always worth making sure that you have backed up your important docs and photos. If you want to move photos to iCloud but only the ones that you want to move, AnyTrans for iOS could be a great option. Try this transferring app and learn more subtleties about moving photos to iCloud.

Give Yourself A Financial Cushion

It’s not easy to set money aside at the moment. The chances are that most small business owners will be thinking about what happens if their budget runs out before the end of the month, not what they’re going to do with extra that’s left over. However, it’s important to give yourself a cushion so that you can carry your company through any tough weeks and months. So how do you start putting one together? The first step should be talking to your financial advisor or accountant. They can talk to you about smart ways to build your business savings and identify and local grants or incentives that you could take advantage of. They’ll also have experience of helping other companies like yours through this, so they’ll be more than aware of where the peaks and troughs might be. It’s also a good idea to invest in business insurance just in case you find yourself unable to work. With the right insurance, you can ensure that some money will be coming in even if you’re injured or ill and need to take a step back.

Think Bigger When It Comes To Your Cybersecurity

Most people know the cybersecurity basics. For example, you wouldn’t click on a link in an email that comes from someone you don’t recognise promising you huge amounts of money that you weren’t expecting. You also (hopefully) wouldn’t use the same password more than once for a bunch of different accounts. But even if you wouldn’t, there are a whole lot of people out there who do. Indeed, there have been plenty of stories about cybercrime attacks that have been linked to basic password mistakes. But even if you do keep good cybersecurity habits, there are still a lot of ways that the bad guys can get at your sensitive data and your money. It’s well worth talking to an IT expert about what you can do to give yourself a bit more security. They will be able to identify areas where you may be at risk, and they can talk to your employees about where they should be putting more work into protecting themselves.

 

Commercial Property, Commercial Property News, News

New Welsh freeports in Port Talbot and Milford Haven could create 20,000 new jobs across wide range of sectors

Wales’ two successful Freeport bids are expected to create 20,000 new, high-skilled jobs across a wide range of businesses, not just those with import and export operations, according to property consultancy Knight Frank.

Celtic Freeport at Port Talbot and Anglesey Freeport at Milford Haven were the successful bidders announced last month and the new sites are set to attract an estimated £5 billion of investment.

Claire Williams, Head of UK and European Industrial Research at Knight Frank, said: “Companies inside the tax sites will be offered temporary tax breaks including reductions to the tax companies pay on their existing property, and when they buy new buildings.

“The Business Rates Relief is 100% and for five years, and will be particularly valuable given the rise in business rates taking place from April 1, 2023. Also National Insurance Contributions relief is applicable for three years of employment for new hires, which could prove a draw for labour-intensive manufacturing operations.”

According to the Knight Frank research, the Freeports offer strong opportunities for Wales, with the benefits of Freeports relevant to a wide range of business sectors, including manufacturing and energy production.

Claire Williams said: “Freeport status could help boost the prospects for the local area. For instance, part of the Celtic Freeport project involves accelerating plans for a large floating offshore windfarm in the Celtic sea with turbines being launched from and manufactured in Port Talbot.“

The Freeport could also present an appealing location for firms seeking to reshore manufacturing operations with the tax benefits leading to reduced operating costs which could help reduce or eliminate any cost advantage from offshore production.

Offshoring relies upon a significant production cost differential between manufacturing the goods at home compared with offshore locations. Labour-intensive industries, in particular, have sought to take advantage of the relatively lower cost and availability of low-skilled labour overseas as a way to drive down their wage bill.

       Neil Francis

Neil Francis, head of the Logistics & Industrial team at Knight Frank in Cardiff, said: “Opportunities for manufacturing growth and reshoring for Wales lie in advanced, high-value manufacturing. This is because of the post-Brexit rules of origin, the UK’s strong intellectual property rights and some of the strengths of the Welsh market, which include the availability of highly-skilled labour and low occupancy costs relative to other parts of the UK.”

Investment in manufacturing in real terms has increased 51 per cent over the past 10 years according to the Office for National Statistics, and manufacturers are estimated to occupy around 392 million sq ft of industrial floorspace in units over 50,000 sq ft across the UK, with around seven per cent of this space located in Wales.

Neil Francis said: “With manufacturing investment expected to rise 17 per cent over the next 10 years, the sector is likely to place further demands on industrial land and floorspace, as well as providing continued investment into facilities.”

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Image of Baglan Bay, one of the areas set to benefit from the development, created by dji camera