Monthly Archives: August 2023

Appointments, Data & Analytics, News

Protegrity Announces Executive Leadership Changes as Company Accelerates Strategy as the Global Leader in Borderless Data Protection

As the company scales toward next phase of growth, new CPO and CFO appointments highlight Protegrity’s culture of excellence and upward mobility

Protegrity, the global leader in data security and privacy, today announced Dante Malagrino has been appointed Chief Product Officer (CPO), and Christian Carnell has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Reporting to Protegrity CEO Paul Mountford, Malagrino and Carnell will take on their new executive leadership roles in August to lead Protegrity’s next phase of growth.

“We believe the market opportunity is massive, and that no one is better positioned than Protegrity to meet this moment,” said Paul Mountford, CEO of Protegrity. “With these new leadership appointments, we are bringing to bear the talent and expertise within our company to scale our business and market presence during a period of rapid growth for the data protection industry.”

 

As Protegrity expands across industries and geographies, the company is evolving its technology and business roadmaps to meet the needs of a dynamic market. Today, enterprises are embracing the potential of advanced AI systems and analytics across multiple cloud environments, which requires an exponential increase in the amount of sensitive data captured, stored, and analysed. Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform allows global enterprises to balance the adoption of nascent technologies to tap into the power of their data to enable innovation and revenue growth with the compliance obligations of a fragmented regulatory landscape that can disrupt cross-border data flows.

 

A seasoned industry executive, Dante Malagrino will oversee all Protegrity’s technology innovation strategies and product delivery. As CPO, he will lead a global team of technology architects and engineers to deliver the most comprehensive suite of borderless data protection and privacy products.

Malagrino brings to the CPO role a wealth of expertise as a technologist, and deep experience building scalable, customer-centric operational processes in product development, which will be critical for Protegrity as it grows its global customer base, which includes the world’s largest banks, retailers, and health insurers. He previously served as Protegrity’s Chief Technology Officer.

 

“As Protegrity’s new CPO, I’m excited to build on the company’s history of developing truly innovative data security and privacy products,” said Malagrino. “My vision is to lead our global team of technology-futurists to build new capabilities into Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform to meet the evolving needs of our customers in the digital world. We have exciting developments on the horizon that will further differentiate us as the leader in data protection.”

 

Promoted to CFO, Christian Carnell will lead Protegrity’s financial organisation and serve as the strategic thought partner to the company’s executive leadership team on the company’s financial performance, capital structure, and business growth strategies.

With Protegrity since 2021, Carnell brings more than 15 years of financial leadership experience, as well as business intelligence expertise spanning cross-departmental collaboration for achieving business objectives, through scalable efficiency.

 

“I am thrilled to step into the CFO role and lead Protegrity’s financial operations during a period of accelerated growth and innovation,” said Carnell. “During my time at Protegrity, I’ve become deeply familiar with our financial goals, growth strategies and culture of excellence. My priority is to ensure we have the financial visibility and discipline to rapidly scale the business globally while continuing to deliver value for our customers.”

 

About Protegrity

Protegrity is the global leader in data-centric security and privacy. With Protegrity’s Secure Data Service, organisations can secure their sensitive data wherever it is, control how it is protected, and have confidence that it is safe, even if a breach occurs. Whether encrypting, tokenising, or applying privacy models, Protegrity delivers a first of its kind cross-border data protection service that offers all the tools necessary to reinstate business-critical cross-border data flows. Protegrity’s technology is cloud-agnostic, AI and machine learning-friendly and quantum-resistant. Today, Protegrity protects the data of Fortune 1000 companies, including the top banks and health insurance providers, and the world’s leading multinational companies.

 

For more information, visit Protegrity.com.

Customer Experience, Data & Analytics, News

Shiseido Americas selects Amperity to transform first-party data strategy

The Prestige beauty company deploys customer data platform to democratise data across the organisation to deliver personalised customer experiences and increase agility

Amperity, the leading enterprise customer data platform (CDP) for consumer brands has been selected by beauty giant Shiseido Americas Corporation as the foundation of its first-party data strategy, to help create connected and personalised digital customer experiences across all of its brands.

As consumer shopping preferences and behaviors evolve, Shiseido Americas needed a comprehensive solution to bring together and manage multiple data sources across its various brands to advance its marketing goals. Shiseido Americas discovered that Amperity is the only platform that brings together data from all online and offline touchpoints, including pre-purchase, point-of-sale, and post-purchase customer care to create unified customer profiles.

“As an omnichannel retailer, we are laser-focused on understanding our customers and the channels they want to interact in, while ensuring we are delivering consistent customer experiences,” said Kristin Morseman, Senior Vice-President Americas Digital Transformation at Shiseido Americas. “With Amperity, we can unify and activate all of our customer data with the goal of creating a seamless omnichannel journey for our customers.”

Amperity’s patented, AI-powered identity resolution and unified customer profiles build a complete customer view enabling Shiseido Americas to target shoppers with affinity-based, personalised communications throughout their journey.

“The luxury beauty market is at the forefront of digital innovation, and they are finding unique ways of using data to gain a competitive edge in an omnichannel retail environment,” said Barry Padgett, CEO at Amperity. “By partnering with Amperity, Shiseido Americas now has the critical data foundation required to enable them to deliver real-time personalised customer experiences across in-store and digital worlds.”

To learn how other brands like Shiseido Americas are partnering with Amperity visit https://amperity.com/customers.

 

About Shiseido Americas

Shiseido Americas Corporation is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Shiseido Company, Limited (TSE:4911), a leading global beauty company. Shiseido Americas’ portfolio of prestige beauty brands includes Shiseido, NARS, Clé de Peau Beauté, and Drunk Elephant, and several prestige fragrance brands including Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez, and Tory Burch Beauty. Shiseido Americas is headquartered in New York City and employs more than 2,000 individuals in the United States, Canada, and throughout Latin America.

 

About Amperity

Amperity delivers the data confidence brands need to unlock growth by truly knowing their customers. With Amperity, brands can build a unified customer profile foundation powered by first-party data to fuel customer acquisition and retention, personalize experiences that build loyalty, and manage privacy compliance. Using patented AI and machine learning methods, Amperity stitches together all customer interactions to build a unified view that seamlessly connects to marketing and technology tools. More than 400 brands worldwide rely on Amperity to turn data into business value, including Alaska Airlines, Brooks Running, Endeavour Drinks, Planet Fitness, Seattle Sounders FC, Under Armour and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. For more information, please visit amperity.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Cloud Providers, News, Tech

Alibaba Cloud Open-Sources Its 7-Billion-Parameter LLM Models, Strengthening Its Commitment to the Open-Source Community

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has announced its latest contribution to the open-source community by open-sourcing its 7-billion-parameter Large Language Models (LLM), Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat, through its AI model community ModelScope, and the collaborative AI platform Hugging Face.

Alibaba Cloud introduced its proprietary LLM, Tongyi Qianwen, earlier this year in April. This cutting-edge model, capable of generating human-like content in both Chinese and English, has different model sizes, including  seven billion and above parameters. This time, the open-source release includes the pre-trained 7-billion-parameter model, Qwen-7B, and its conversationally fine-tuned version, Qwen-7B-Chat.

In an effort to democratise AI technologies, the models’ code, model weights, and documentation will be freely accessible to academics, researchers and commercial institutions worldwide. For commercial uses, the models will be free to use for companies with fewer than 100 million monthly active users. Programs with more users can request a license from Alibaba Cloud.

“By open-sourcing our proprietary large language models, we aim to promote inclusive technologies and enable more developers and SMEs to reap the benefits of generative AI,” said Jingren Zhou, CTO of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. “As a determined long-term champion of open-source initiatives, we hope that this open approach can also bring collective wisdom to further help open-source communities thrive.”

The Qwen-7B was pre-trained on over 2 trillion tokens, including Chinese, English and other multilingual materials, code, and mathematics, covering general and professional fields. Its context length reaches 8K. In training, the Qwen-7B-Chat model was aligned with human instructions. Both Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat models can be deployed on cloud and on-premises infrastructures. This enables users to fine-tune the models and build their own high-quality generative models effectively and cost-efficiently.

The pre-trained Qwen-7B model distinguished itself in the Massive Multi-task Language Understanding (MMLU) benchmark, scoring a notable 56.7, outperforming other major pre-trained open-source models with similar scales or even some larger-size models. This benchmark assesses a text model’s multitask accuracy across 57 varied tasks, encompassing fields such as elementary mathematics, computer science and law. Moreover, Qwen-7B achieved the highest score among models with equivalent parameters in the leaderboard of C-Eval, a comprehensive Chinese evaluation suite for foundational models. It covers 52 subjects in four major specialities including humanities, social sciences, STEM and others. Additionally, Qwen-7B reached outstanding performance on benchmarks of mathematics and code generation, such as GSM8K and HumanEval.

Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen-7B model distinguished itself in several benchmarks

In July, Alibaba Cloud also introduced its AI image generator, Tongyi Wanxiang, which was designed to support developers and SMEs in their creative image expression. The cloud pioneer also unveiled ModelScopeGPT, a versatile framework designed to assist users in performing complex and specialised AI tasks across language, vision and speech domains by leveraging various AI models on ModelScope. Launched by Alibaba Cloud last year, ModelScope is an open-source AI model community currently featuring over 1,000 AI models contributed by 20 leading AI institutes.

For more information, please check out the details of Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat on ModelScope,Hugging Face and GitHub pages.

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About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com) is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, management and application services, big data analytics, a machine learning platform and IoT services. Alibaba maintained its position as the third leading public cloud IaaS service provider globally since 2018, according to IDC. Alibaba is the world’s third leading and Asia Pacific’s leading IaaS provider by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner.

Cardiff, Recruitment, Recruitment News

South East Wales businesses invited to venture into new graduate talent scheme in September

Businesses across the Cardiff Capital Region are invited to learn more about an innovative graduate talent programme that will see the training of 60 graduates in key skill sets this autumn.

Cardiff Capital Region’s ‘Venture into Digital, Data and Cyber’ bootcamps are designed and delivered by industry experts including The Big Learning Company, iungo Solutions and the Cyber Innovation Hub.

The three bespoke bootcamps aim to tackle recruitment issues and skills gaps employers in these sectors may have by connecting businesses with highly skilled, ready to work talent.

Recruitment intentions are above pre-pandemic levels, according to the CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook report published in Spring 2023. However, recent research by Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid revealed that 71% of businesses in Wales experienced difficulties in recruiting suitable staff in Q2 of 2023, particularly for professional and skilled technical roles.

Employers who are recruiting in the region have the chance to meet the graduates participating in the three-week intensive skills training programmes, allowing them to match their future placement or job opportunities.

Rowena O’Sullivan is the Skills & Talent Manager at Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and said: “The Venture into Digital programme offers a unique opportunity for employers in our region to connect with talented STEM graduates and ensure their business gains access to industry-ready digital, data and cyber talent.

“These skills are all part of a critical mix that enable and empower modern businesses. We have brought together industry experts and skills leaders to take STEM graduates to a level where they can make an immediate impact in the workplace.

“All three bootcamps will help generate the skill sets that power the future for tens of thousands of businesses in south east Wales – delivering the talent pipeline that will help make the connected, competitive and resilient region detailed in CCR’s Regional Economic & Industrial Plan.”

Businesses are encouraged to register their interest before 26th August by visiting https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=lSs1xtlwAkeId8aLiOsbJh7RQRYLu_5PqPnoFuJmWElUNTFJTjFDMlRBRVRKUE5OOVZQRzI0ODYyNy4u

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About Cardiff Capital Region (CCR)

The Cardiff Capital Region embraces the 10 local authority areas of south east Wales, covering Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.

CCR is home to more than 1.5m people (half the total population of Wales) and represents c.50% of the economic output of the Welsh economy. It is a region being reshaped through the £1.23bn CCR City Deal: a unique programme of collaborative working building on the Region’s sectoral strengths, through a series of considered targeted investments in skills, infrastructure, innovation-led scalable projects and priority sector businesses, in sectors that include advanced manufacturing, compound semiconductors, creative industries, cybersecurity, fintech and medtech.

About Venture

The Venture Graduate Scheme aims to enhance productivity, innovation and economic growth by linking talented graduates with ambitious businesses in the Cardiff Capital Region. Venture works with a wide variety of businesses within the region, ranging from start-ups and micro businesses to SMEs and larger businesses.

 

Appointments, News, Wearables

Dr. Chris Parkinson Named RealWear CEO

RealWear, the pioneer and leader of industrial extended reality (XR) wearables, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Chris Parkinson as RealWear’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Parkinson, co-founder, and former CTO of RealWear®, is the visionary mind behind the HMT-1® flagship headset that started the RealWear story in 2016. The HMT-1 was RealWear’s first industrial head-mounted tablet computer on the market and catapulted RealWear into the spotlight for delivering an Extended Reality (XR) solution that worked for frontline teams who required the use of both hands to do their work and whose operations demanded 100% equipment uptime.

Dr. Parkinson brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to his new role as CEO. As the primary inventor of the RealWear HMT-1 headset and the driving force behind its hands-free user experience, Dr. Parkinson has been at the forefront of revolutionising the way frontline professionals interact with technology. His specialty lies in developing hands-free computing built on high-accuracy, noise-robust speech recognition, and gesture-controlled user experiences.

Before co-founding RealWear, Dr. Parkinson led the technology development of the groundbreaking “Golden-i” series of head-mounted computers, which laid the foundation for RealWear HMT-1 as well as today’s flagship product. This transformative work for Kopin Corporation covered 9 years of research and development, and resulted in more than 100 patents around head-worn computing and 5 generations of headset devices. In 2015, he embarked on his entrepreneurial journey, forming the company that eventually became RealWear, to realise his ambitions of introducing ruggedised hands-free computing to the world.

Dr. Parkinson holds a Bachelor’s degree (with honours) in Chemistry from the University of Manchester, UK, and a PhD in Computational Chemistry and Moleculars, also from the University of Manchester. Moving to the USA in 1996, he has remained a prominent figure in the Northwest, currently residing in the Tri-Cities area in Washington state.

In a statement regarding his new position, Dr. Parkinson said, “I am deeply honoured and excited to have been appointed as the CEO of RealWear. Our mission is clear: to empower frontline professionals with cutting-edge XR wearables and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions that enhance their productivity and overall work experience. It is essential to provide them with the same or even better level of technological support that has been enjoyed by knowledge workers for years.”

Dr. Parkinson’s vision for RealWear centres around a commitment to delivering solutions, not just hardware, that effortlessly integrate into the everyday routines of frontline professionals in manufacturing, automotive and healthcare. With an unwavering focus on company growth and innovation, he is determined to continue enhancing RealWear’s product offerings and expanding the company’s reach in various industries.

“Two of my biggest priorities will be incorporating AI and sustainability into everything that we do,” continued Dr. Parkinson.  “We will do this through our own engineering teams and through our many incredible partners who are participating in our growing App Marketplace.”

Under Dr. Parkinson’s leadership, RealWear is poised to strengthen its position as an industry partner and deliver XR wearable solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of frontline professionals, promoting safer, more efficient, and more productive work environments.

Dr. Parkinson succeeds Mr. Andrew Chrostowski, who has retired from his position. The board of directors expresses its heartfelt appreciation to Chrostowski for his exceptional leadership and dedication.

About RealWear

RealWear is the world’s leading provider of Extended Reality (XR) wearable solutions that engage, empower, and elevate the modern frontline industrial worker to perform work tasks more safely, and with increased efficiency and precision. RealWear gives these workers real-time access to information and expertise, while keeping their hands and field of view free for work. 41 of 100 Fortune companies, and thousands of others, equip their frontline teams with RealWear to boost productivity and enhance safety.

 

News

Diversity and wellbeing festival will become annual event as 800 students enjoy inaugural celebration

AN INAUGURAL college event celebrating inclusion and diversity will return next year after being visited by more than 800 learners.

CambriaFest was organised by the Student Voice team at Coleg Cambria, who plan to make it an annual occurrence.

The two-day programme featured live music, attractions and activities and was held at Cambria’s sites in Deeside and Yale, Wrexham.

“Rather than an expensive prom or traditional ceremony to mark the end of the academic year the students suggested something more inclusive, which is where the idea for CambriaFest came from,” said Student Voice Engagement Officer, Mark-Ryan Hughes.

“It was a free festival with appearances by college musicians and Wrexham band Break the Record, who were absolutely brilliant.

“Students came from Deeside, Wrexham, Northop and Llysfasi and we also had lots of entertainment including a fire eater, stilt walker and circus skills workshops, as well as a wellbeing zone, inflatable assault course, food and drink vans, Big Ideas Wales mentors and much more.”

He added: “In the following days we sent a questionnaire to the students who attended, and feedback revealed that more than 80% of them enjoyed CambriaFest.

“Responses also found 50% said it had a positive impact on their mental health and 75% felt it raised their spirits after the exam period, which can be stressful for many.

“As a result of this and other praise for the event we definitely plan on bringing it back next year with even more activities and a packed programme with continued emphasis on the health, wellbeing and happiness of Cambria’s learners.”

For more information, email studentvoice@cambria.ac.uk

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for more on the wide range of courses and qualifications available at Coleg Cambria. 

Career Development, Careers, Social Media

How to Land Your Dream Job Using Social Media

In the rapidly changing landscape of the job market, traditional methods of job searching and resume-building are constantly evolving. As technology continues to penetrate all aspects of life, our professional lives are no exception.

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are no longer confined to personal connections and entertainment. They are emerging as powerful tools for job hunting and showcasing talents.

According to ExpressVPN’s research, social media posts are becoming integral to the hiring process in 2023, and approximately 70% of hiring managers have reported successful hires through social media platforms.  This trend is especially pronounced for Gen Z, who constantly compete against more experienced professionals.

But how exactly can you leverage this trend to land your dream job? Here’s a guide.

 

  1. Build a Strong Online Portfolio

The first step is to create a professional profile on platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, or Instagram. Make sure it includes your qualifications, relevant experiences, and a clear, concise bio that articulates your career goals. Your profile is your new resume; keep it polished and updated – and keep it separate from your personal social media profiles.

 

  1. Showcase Your Skills Creatively

Traditional resumes are often bland, lacking the space or format to display your creativity or individuality. Social media, on the other hand, provides an excellent canvas. For example, if you’re a graphic designer or video marketer, you can create a video showcasing your best designs. If you’re in marketing, a series of Instagram stories highlighting successful campaigns can make a difference.

 

  1. Engage With Industry Influencers and Professionals

Networking has always been crucial in finding a dream job. With social media, it’s easier than ever to connect with industry leaders and influencers. Comment on their posts, share their content, and don’t hesitate to reach out via direct messages. Your dream employer might be just a direct message away.

 

  1. Use Relevant Hashtags and Keywords

Your online content must be discoverable. By using relevant hashtags and keywords related to your industry, you increase your visibility to potential employers. Platforms like LinkedIn also allow for keyword optimization in your profile, so don’t overlook these details.

 

  1. Maintain Professionalism

While social media offers a more relaxed environment, maintaining professionalism is paramount. This includes being mindful of the content you share and engage with. An offensive post, controversial comment, or even just a ‘like’ on someone else’s inappropriate post could cost you an opportunity.

 

  1. Ask for Recommendations and Testimonials

Just like letters of recommendation, social media endorsements and testimonials can bolster your credibility. Encourage colleagues and former employers to endorse your skills on LinkedIn or share positive feedback on other platforms.

 

  1. Monitor Your Privacy Settings

Not everything on your personal social media needs to be public. Familiarize yourself with privacy settings and control what potential employers can see. Even if you keep your personal life separate from your professional online presence, exercising good judgement on what employers could potentially see is wise – and check your history too.

 

  1. Be Patient and Persistent

Building a strong social media presence takes time and consistent effort. Share valuable insights, engage with others, and show genuine interest in your industry. Your dream job won’t appear overnight, but social media can accelerate the process.

 

  1. Consider the Platform’s Audience

Different platforms attract different audiences. While LinkedIn is more formal and industry-focused, TikTok and Instagram allow for more creativity and personal flair. Understand the audience of each platform and tailor your content accordingly.

 

  1. Stay Informed About Industry Trends

Being knowledgeable about your industry’s latest trends will not only help in your job but also in crafting relevant content. Share insights, comment on new developments, and position yourself as a thought leader in your field.

 

Conclusion

The way we search for jobs is undoubtedly changing. As the research shows, social media is transforming from a mere communication tool into a vital component of professional development and job hunting.

By thoughtfully crafting your online presence, engaging with the community, and maintaining a balance between creativity and professionalism, you can stand out in the competitive job market. These tools, combined with traditional job-seeking methods, can help you land your dream job in today’s interconnected world. Happy job hunting!

 

Agriculture, History, Lifestyle & Travel

What is Wisbech famous for?

Once part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia, Wisbech is a historic market town on the banks of the River Nene. It is often referred to as the “Capital of the Fens”, a sprawling agricultural district in northeast Cambridgeshire that has long been associated with brewing and brickmaking. 

Wisbech is particularly renowned for its Georgian architecture, with several notable examples around the Circus and Wisbech Castle, as well as along the riverfront districts of North Brink and South Brink. Many of these buildings were constructed following the draining of the marshes in the 17th century, which saw the town flourish as an inland port. 

In this article, we’ll introduce some of the best ways to discover Wisbech’s architectural heritage, including local museums and National Trust-managed properties. When planning your trip to this beautiful corner of England, you can find a diverse choice of accommodation online at Rentola UK. Not only are there cosy cottages for two in the heart of Wisbech but also spacious homes if you’re travelling with the extended family in tow. These accommodations provide a charming and comfortable stay, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the rich history and stunning architecture that Wisbech has to offer. Whether you’re an architecture enthusiast or simply seeking a peaceful getaway, the combination of historical exploration and comfortable lodging ensures an unforgettable experience in this picturesque town.

Peckover House

Originally built in 1722, Peckover House is a National Trust-managed residence that was once home to a prominent Quaker banking family. It has since been Grade II listed and its elegant interior is open to the public between spring and autumn. As you wander through the panelled rooms with their ornate plasterwork and impressive fireplaces, you can learn about the Peckover family’s legacy. The property’s Victorian-style walled garden is also not to be missed, with 300-year-old orange trees and a diverse array of roses, as well as a 17th-century reed thatched barn that served as an amateur theatre during World War II. 

Elgood’s Brewery and Gardens 

Located in the North Brink area of Wisbech is Elgood’s Brewery, which has remained largely unchanged for more than 200 years. It was one of the first Georgian breweries to be constructed outside of the English capital and is still making ales according to traditional brewing techniques today. After admiring the brewery’s classical Georgian facade, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into crafting beer on a guided tour before sampling the finished product at the Bramling Bar. Elgood’s is also famed for its four-acre garden, which includes Japanese-inspired plantings, a tranquil lake and a maze. 

Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House

On the opposite bank of the River Nene is the birthplace of Octavia Hill, a social reformer who played an important role in co-founding the National Trust. Constructed in 1740, the Grade II-listed building is notable for its outstanding architecture. It was here that Octavia spent her early years with a family of radical thinkers and her life and legacy are now beautifully showcased within its period-furnished rooms. Learn about the causes her parents were passionate about and Octavia’s training as an artist, with a talent for copy paintings by celebrated masters.

Wisbech & Fenland Museum

Founded back in 1835, the Wisbech & Fenland Museum occupies a Grade II-listed Georgian building in the heart of town. It was designed by George Buckler and is one of the oldest purpose-built museums in England, with many of its original display cases still housing exhibits today. Highlights of its collection include the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s novel “Great Expectations” and a Sèvres breakfast service once used by Napoleon. Also on display are objects related to the locally-born, anti-slavery campaigner, Thomas Clarkson, including 18th-century African textiles and leatherwork. 

Angles Theatre 

Wisbech is home to one of the oldest surviving Georgian theatres in England, the Angles Theatre, which originally opened as a playhouse in 1790. It spent several years as a concert room and later hosted the School of Science and Art before being transformed back into an arts venue in 1978. In addition to the Grade II-listed original theatre building, the complex includes an 1837-built former school. With just 112 seats, the Angles Theatre provides an intimate setting for watching not only plays but also dance and musical performances. 

Merchants Trail 

To learn more about the history of Wisbech and the people who left their mark on the town, enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Merchants Trail. It takes in beautiful Georgian buildings along the North Brink and South Brink, as well as around Wisbech Castle and the Circus. Discover some of the characters who helped Wisbech become one of the most important English river ports in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

 

News, Tech

Yugabyte Achieves ISO 22301 and ISO 9001 Certification

Yugabyte, the leading PostgreSQL-compatible distributed SQL database company, today announced that it has successfully achieved ISO 22301 and ISO 9001 certification encompassing the open source software, YugabyteDB, plus Yugabyte’s commercial DBaaS products, YugabyteDB Anywhere and YugabyteDB Managed.

These prestigious certifications illustrate Yugabyte’s continued commitment to providing enterprise-grade DBaaS products and services to any customer running business-critical workloads.

Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 22301 and ISO 9001 are the international standards for business continuity planning and quality management systems, respectively.

Conducted by an independent certification body, the assessment included a review of company policies and procedures around Yugabyte’s Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) and its Quality Management System (QMS). The assessment also tested Yugabyte’s administrative, physical, and technical controls.

Focused on building an all-inclusive approach, Yugabyte has implemented structured processes around business continuity, risk assessment, process optimization, and employee engagement to align with the requirements of ISO 22301 and ISO 9001.

“Providing our customers with exceptional services for business-critical workloads is fundamental to what we do at Yugabyte. Receiving both ISO 22301 and ISO 9001 is further proof of our commitment to providing our customers with a consistent, high-quality experience and our belief in transparent business processes,” said Maurice Olsen, Director, Information Security and Compliance at Yugabyte. “We are extremely proud of these achievements and have enhanced our business continuity capabilities along with other business management services to continue providing our customers with a modern, best-in-class database.”

These new ISO 22301 and 9001 certifications follow the company’s recent announcement of ISO 27001 certification and the completion of SOC 2 Type II attestation for the company’s suite of products.

To learn more about Yugabyte’s compliance certification and authorizations, visit https://www.yugabyte.com/compliance/.

To learn more about Yugabyte or YugabyteDB, please visit: www.yugabyte.com.

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About Yugabyte

Yugabyte is the company behind YugabyteDB, the open source, high-performance distributed SQL database for building global, cloud-native applications. YugabyteDB serves business-critical applications with SQL query flexibility, high performance and cloud-native agility, thus allowing enterprises to focus on business growth instead of complex data infrastructure management. It is trusted by companies in cybersecurity, financial markets, IoT, retail, e-commerce, and other verticals. Founded in 2016 by former Facebook and Oracle engineers, Yugabyte is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, 8VC, Dell Technologies Capital, Sapphire Ventures, and others. www.yugabyte.com

 

Finance and Banking, News

New research indicates confusing bank jargon could be fuelling financial vulnerability

Research finds that more than half of banking customers say banks are unsupportive and should be doing more to help them understand their finances: given 1.3m missing household payments this is becoming crucial to address.

Research with 2000 UK adults, released today shows that banking customers are feeling alone and confused about their finances at a time of economic uncertainty for many. The research commissioned by experience services business – Foolproof, a Zensar company, demonstrates the need for the FCA’s Consumer Duty principle which was/will be implemented last/next week.

Off the back of this research, Foolproof financial services experts encourage banks and financial providers to consider the term ‘vulnerable customer’ carefully and urges them to ensure they are offering services that are clearly worded, informative and supportive. The firm believes that the combination of lack of financial comprehension and the continued squeeze on household incomes may see many previously solvent Brits in danger of falling into the ‘vulnerable’ category.

The Consumer Duty rules indicate that firms should equip customers with “the right information to make effective, timely, and properly informed decisions.” This is one of a few outcomes where banks are perceived to be falling short according to Foolproof’s research which showed:

 

Perceived lack of support from banks: 58% of customers are unsure if, or do not feel, that their bank is supportive. This could be related to issues with customer service, lack of personalised assistance or inadequate communication. Banks must work to improve their customer support and engagement to build stronger relationships with their customers.

 

Difficulty understanding Terms and Conditions: 1 in 4 customers find it hard to understand the terms and conditions of their banking products. This highlights the need for banks and other financial providers to simplify their T&Cs and use more accessible language to improve transparency and customer comprehension, particularly in relation to big ticket items like loans, mortgages and other credit products.

 

Lack of clarity in financial language: 20% of customers do not understand the language used to describe financial products. Banks should make an effort to communicate in plain language, avoid jargon, and provide educational resources to help customers better understand financial terminology and what might best serve their needs.

 

Limited support for vulnerable people: 18% of customers think banks do not do a job of serving vulnerable, elderly or disabled customers. This indicates an awareness of an underserved group and that more could be done through accessible technologies and designing for all rather than the average experience.

Need for improved financial literacy: Almost half (44%) of customers believe that banks could do more to help them understand their money better. This underscores the importance of financial education initiatives by banks to empower customers with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions and to grow their wealth.

 

Low customer trust in banks to provide help needed: 26% of customers believe banks do not care about helping customers come out of debt and believe that it is in their interest not to. This could indicate a brand perception problem and one that needs addressing through clear communication and increased support of vulnerable or indebted customers.

 

Anup Rege, Chief Business Officer, Foolproof, a Zensar company said: “Consumer Duty talks much about protecting vulnerable customers. However the term vulnerable, with regards to finance, has the danger of being misconstrued as being a smaller group of people than could actually be the case. Anyone seriously worried about their finances should be considered in this category and financial services businesses will need to think about what services can be created to support them. The spirit of Consumer Duty is in embodying that lives change and that some financial products stay with people across significant changes in their life, and this broader definition is incredibly important in the present moment.

“Addressing these concerns and aligning with customer needs will be a priority for banks as Consumer Duty regulations come into effect combined with a financial environment that many aren’t used to living in. By improving transparency, simplifying language, enhancing customer support, and investing in financial literacy programs, banks can build stronger relationships with their customers and provide better, more personalised services that will pay back these short-term investments in the long term many times over.

“That said, whilst Consumer Duty is welcomed in terms of providing more transparency, it will only really help existing customers. To address the needs of the unbanked population, additional targeted initiatives and policies are required. These may include efforts to improve financial literacy and digital access, expanding access to basic banking services through community banks or credit unions, and fostering the development of more inclusive financial products designed for those with limited resources and financial experience.”