Category Archives: News

News

Taxi Butler participates in The Transportation Alliance’s (TTA’s) 104th Annual Convention & Expo, Mobilize 2022

Taxi Butler, the global leader in B2B taxi booking solutions for hotels, bars and restaurants, announces its participation as an exhibitor at The Transportation Alliance’s (TTA’s) 104th Annual Convention & Expo, Mobilize 2022. The event is from October 31st to November 2nd, 2022, at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. At this event, Taxi Butler will showcase and demonstrate its purpose-made one-click taxi booking devices and exhibit its latest and most advanced device, the Taxi Butler PRO. 

Launched in 2021, Taxi Butler PRO has gained a tremendous reputation in the global taxi industry. This touchscreen taxi booking device allows venues like hotels, bars and restaurants to book taxis with local taxi fleets at the press of a button. The Taxi Butler has a 5″ touchscreen and is Wi-Fi enabled. Taxi Butler PRO comes fully equipped with Live Price Estimations, instant and pre-booking capabilities, Smart Destination Suggestions, and the ability for passengers to track their taxis using a QR code. Venues can add passenger details like their name and phone number, and the staff can also choose from an unlimited number of taxi types configured by taxi companies.

Talking about the participation, Laurence Docherty, Sales Manager at Taxi Butler, said, “We are excited to showcase the Taxi Butler PRO. From the sleek and smart design of Taxi Butler itself to the quality stats communicated to your team on the Management Portal, these devices have gained an immense reputation in the global taxi industry, particularly across the United States. At Taxi Butler, we always look for new ways to connect taxi fleets more closely to their passengers. Join us at booth 410, to catch up with our Co-founder Steven. He is excited to connect with you and explain how these devices can help fleet owners generate more automated taxi bookings.”

The Taxi Butler PRO is an advanced taxi booking device with a touchscreen. It has additional booking options like pre-booking destinations and passenger details.

Taxi Butlers are built for taxi companies and designed around the needs of venues and passengers, facilitating the connection between taxi companies, venues and passengers. It is the foundation of everything they do. Taxi Butler recently celebrated ’50 million taxis booked’ with their one-click taxi booking devices. The technology has enabled taxi fleets working with Taxi Butler to increase their market share, growth, revenue, and automation. Alongside its usability and simplicity, this taxi booking device saves time, gets more customers, reduces the pressure on the call centre, and brings in significant customer loyalty, making it an easy and pleasant way for passengers to start their journey.  

Attracting an array of world-class technology and services providers, the event offers the latest on dispatching platforms, routing systems, insurance, vehicles, call centres, back-office operations and more to further advance the business of the private passenger transportation industry in the US. It offers the chance to all industry vendors to showcase their products to fleet operators in person and create one-on-one business connections. 

 

About Taxi Butler

Taxi Butler develops a unique, world-class range of one-click B2B taxi booking devices and services to make ordering a taxi effortless for venues like hotels, bars, restaurants, and place bookings directly with your fleet. Trusted by 750+ taxi fleets globally and already generating 50+ million rides and counting, Taxi Butlers has helped reduce the call centre costs for its customers, increase their revenue and bookings, and make life more convenient for venues.

 

Healthcare, News

Dermal Fillers Market Set for Rapid Growth During 2021-2026 | Medi-Tech Insights

Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that are injected under the skin to restore lost volume, smooth lines and soften creases, and enhance facial contours.

The Global Dermal Fillers Market was valued at US$ 2.8 billion in 2021 and is set to witness a healthy growth rate of 10% in the next 5 years. ‘Covid-19-Zoom-Boom Effect’, an growing influence of social media in promoting non-surgical aesthetic procedures, rising focus on physical appearance, increasing cultural acceptance & fading social stigma on cosmetic procedures, increasing demand from younger population and men, rise in the number of clinics offering non-surgical aesthetic services, expanding geriatric population & rising awareness about anti-aging cosmetic procedures are some of the key factors driving the global dermal fillers market.

Covid-19, Financial Bottlenecks, ‘Zoom Boom‘ and Rebound of the Dermal Fillers Market

Covid-19 had a negative effect on the dermal fillers market globally, forcing a number of aesthetic service providers to alter the way they delivered their services. Facial aesthetics clinics were not allowed to operate, and people were not allowed to visit them. For a while, business was entirely shut down, which had a negative financial impact on the aesthetics industry. These disruptions encouraged several suppliers to advance their businesses to online platforms and ordering systems.

However, the aesthetics industry is currently on the path to recovery despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Since early 2020, aesthetics clinics worldwide have witnessed an overwhelming spike in bookings for cosmetic enhancements due to Covid-19 & the ‘Zoom Effect. It’s been dubbed the “Zoom Boom” in the sector because people are using video calls more for work and socializing and hence have become more conscious of their appearance after seeing their faces (facial expressions & wrinkles) on video calls every day on Zoom. Since 2020, demand for consultations with plastic surgeons has increased exponentially, according to reports from across the globe.

Explore Premium Report on Dermal Fillers Market @ https://meditechinsights.com/dermal-fillers-market/

Regulation of Dermal Fillers Likely to Become Stricter in the European Union (EU) With the Introduction of New Medical Device Regulation (MDR)

Within the EU, medical devices used to be regulated through the Medical Devices Directive (MDD), which required all medical devices to have a CE certification. This did not include dermal fillers.

However, from May 2021, the MDD has been replaced by MDR which classifies dermal fillers as Class III medical devices. As a result of the new MDR, manufacturers must comply to its requirements. If manufacturers fail to comply with the MDR requirements, they will be unable to market their products within the EU.

“The EU move to MDR is likely to create entry barriers. Smaller manufacturers who cannot support their products with clinical studies will be driven out.”– Head of Aesthetics Division, Leading Aesthetic Product Manufacturer, UK

Competitive Landscape Analysis of Dermal Fillers Market

The global dermal fillers market is marked by the presence of players such as Allergan (Part of AbbVie), Galderma, Merz Pharma, Teoxane, Sinclair, Revance Therapeutics, Prollenium Medical Technologies, Bioxis Pharmaceuticals, among others.

For More Detailed Insights, Contact Us @ https://meditechinsights.com/contact-us/

Low Code, News

New Study by OutSystems Reveals Trends in Developer Satisfaction and How IT Leaders Can Retain Top Talent

Global report takes a close look at developer job motivation and frustration  — revealing ways to keep developers for the long term and how low-code development can help

OutSystems, a global leader in high-performance application development, today released a new developer jobs report identifying the factors that motivate them to stay with their companies and the frustrations that drive them away. The new report, Developer Engagement Report: Are Your Developers Happy or Halfway Out The Door?, draws on data from 860 global developers from different backgrounds to identify trends regarding developer satisfaction and retention, and provide best practices for IT leaders to avoid developer burnout and turnover.

“We continue to be amazed by how IT leaders and developers around the globe continue to innovate in the face of challenges. However, with a global talent shortage of over one million developers1, IT leaders will not be able to hire their way out of the challenges they face in response to the insatiable appetite for building high-performance, quality software,” said Gonçalo Gaiolas, Chief Product Officer of OutSystems. “Instead, they need technologies that will optimise resources, alleviate workloads, and supercharge developer productivity. IT leaders who understand the benefits of various tools can support advanced development techniques, including specific developer coding preferences, while easing the friction, toil, and resource issues that continually test developer motivation and frustration.”

The report findings show IT teams and C-level executives new insights for retaining talented developers and opportunities to attract new developer talent as competition tightens. Key findings include:

  • Developers love their jobs, but are less satisfied with day-to-day work: Globally, 64% of respondents say they “love” their jobs, yet only 46% say they are very satisfied with the day-to-day elements of their jobs. Overall, UKI developers really like the work they do and seem significantly more confident in the job market.
  • 79% of UKI developers really like the work they do, vs. 61% of global developers and 70% of EMEA developers.
  • Retention is a challenge: Globally, fewer than half (48%) of developers said they would definitely be with their current company a year from now — and that percentage falls to 29% when looking two years out.
  • US developers are leading in work-life balance: US developers feel significantly better overall about their work-life balance. While 50% of respondents globally strongly agreed they need a better work-life balance, only 30% of US developers felt the same.
  • The grass isn’t always greener: While slightly more US developers are seriously considering changing companies right now (33% US vs. 31% globally), they feel less confident about their prospects. Meanwhile only 13% of UKI Developers strongly agreed that the job market is tightening vs. 33% of global developers and 30% of the rest of EMEA.

Development Techniques Matter – The Impact of Low-Code Solutions

With the significant rise of low-code as a streamlined development technique, the report investigates developers who use low-code as a subset of the larger developer community. Results indicate low-code users – most of whom also use traditional coding languages alongside – experience greater satisfaction around workload, shorter work weeks, more career growth and fewer other factors that contribute to burnout.

  • More than half of low-code developers reported that they were “very satisfied” with both team productivity (59%) and the quality of tools at their disposal to complete their work (57%). Conversely, less than half of traditional code users reported similar feelings around team productivity (41%) and developer tools (36%).
  • More than 71% of low-code users said they were able to stick to the typical 40-hour work week, compared to only 44% of traditional developers. Additionally, 63% of low-code developers indicate they are happy with their salary and benefits compared to 40% of traditional developers.
  • Low-code developers have received an average of 3.5 job promotions at their current company, while traditional developers have been promoted just 2.0 times.

Full Report Findings

The complete Developer Engagement Report is available here. The full report details insights that help CIOs, IT Directors and leaders understand developer engagement trends and how low-code can boost developer satisfaction. For more information on OutSystems, visit the OutSystems website.

Learn More in November at NextStep 2022

OutSystems shows how leading organisations are embracing high-performance low-code to transform their organisations at the company’s NextStep event, taking place online November 15-17. To learn more and register visit https://www.outsystems.com/nextstep/registration/.

Study Methodology

Findings in the “Developer Engagement Report: Are Your Developers Happy or Halfway Out The Door?” are based on a survey panel of 860 developers working either full time or part time managed by Evans Data Corp. The panel of developers surveyed spanned multiple industries and regions, including the Americas (United States, Mexico, Brazil), EMEA (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands), and APAC (Singapore, India, and Australia).

About OutSystems

OutSystems was founded in 2001 with the mission to give every organization the power to innovate through software. The OutSystems high-performance low-code platform gives technology leaders and developers the tools to rapidly build and deploy their own business-critical applications. The company’s network spans more than 600,000 community members, 400+ partners, and active customers in 87 countries across 22 industries. OutSystems is “The #1 Low-Code Platform®” and a recognized leader by analysts, IT executives, business leaders, and developers around the world. Some of the most well-known brands use OutSystems to turn their big ideas into software that moves their business, people, and the world forward. Learn more at www.outsystems.com.

 

Construction News, News

A Glazing Guide: Glass Types & What They are Used For

When you are in the midst of a renovation, structural glass glazing is probably not at the top of your list of exciting projects, but it is an essential aspect, as it ensures your project is as airy and light as possible.

It is also essential to get your glazing right, as it will have a major impact on the warmth of your home, which will have a significant influence on your heating costs.

Regardless of whether it’s an internal door, a glass extension, or windows for your home, it is essential to consider what type of glazing you should use.

This article will look at the different glass types on offer and what they are used for so that you can pick the right option for you.

What Types of Glazing are There?

In total, there are so many types of glazing to choose from, and each one will offer different benefits for your project. Toughened glass is a great option for any glass that you anticipate will have plenty of contact. Laminated glass is ideal for preventing breakages, and soundproof glass is perfect for busy, noisy areas.

Ultimately, whichever one you choose will depend on your needs.

The Different Types of Glass Options Available

There are plenty of modern design ideas that involve using glass in various forms, but it is essential to use the correct glass for each project, or you risk having a structurally inefficient or dangerous result.

Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is frequently used on systems and products as standard due to the fact that it offers a more durable option than normal float glass. Toughened glass is ideal for any project where you anticipate the glass aspect will undertake heavy contact.

When glass gets knocked into or bumped regularly, you want to ensure it is as robust as possible.

Laminated Glass

Another glass type to consider for your project is laminated glass. Laminated glass is a fantastic option for roof or overhead glazing. The reason it is so popular in these instances is that the lamination ensures the glass stays in place even if there is a breakage.

So instead of the glass roof falling in on itself and causing damage or harm, laminated glass will keep the glass in place until you are able to fix it.

Low Maintenance Glass

Another option available to you is low-maintenance glass, which is an excellent option for coastal projects or hard-to-reach areas. Essentially, this glass is the right choice for any project where salt deposits found in the air can settle on your glass.

The low-maintenance glass option allows you to implement a smooth surface that particles struggle to settle on.

Solar Controlled Glass

Solar control glass is used frequently for any residential extensions or new build projects that require south-facing glazing. It is also frequently used for large elevations of glass that could potentially overheat internal living spaces if another glass type was used.

Solar-controlled glass coatings can reduce how much shortwave radiation can move through the glass panel, which also lowers the increased heat levels. This glass type can save you plenty of money on cooling and heating costs.

Low E Glass

The term Low E glass refers to glass that has low e-coatings and low emissivity. The coatings get used to lower the heat a glazing unit can take in.

These low e-coatings get applied to almost all insulated glazing units and improve the thermal performance of the glass, which is great for your energy bills.

What are Single, Double, and Triple Glazing Glass Types Used for?

Single glazing consists of one glass pane, which offers no thermal or insulation support. However, this also makes single glazing the cheapest option available, and it is extremely easy to repair.

Double glazing is much more energy-efficient as the glass holds the heat, and triple glazing is the most expensive option and offers the most thermal and insulation support.

Double Glazing is Better for Heating Costs

While single glazing offers zero insulation, double glazing provides a full thermal break and a gas-filled cavity to build highly insulated rooms and keep the heat in.

Single-glazed external windows will leave you needing constant heating for your home, whereas double-glazing will offer support with your heating and reduce your heating costs.

Certain glass has Soundproof Qualities

Another glass type that often gets used is acoustic reduction glass, which can be used within glazing to lower noise pollution, which is ideal in densely populated areas.

This specialist acoustic reduction glass captures the sound and stops it from travelling inside the home.

 

 

News

Organic farm on hand to supply 1,000+ turkeys as UK faces national shortage this Christmas

AWARD-WINNING Rhug Organic Farm is preparing to serve up Thanksgiving and Christmas cheer for customers nationwide.

Rhug Estate, which covers 12,500 acres from Gwyddelwern to Carrog, North Wales, has more than 1,000 of its acclaimed Organic Dee Valley Bronze Turkeys for sale.

As suppliers and supermarkets face shortages due to an outbreak of bird flu at sites across the UK, Estate owner Lord Newborough revealed they have already secured orders from prominent names in the hospitality sector and see that trend continuing over the coming weeks.

“The current situation is a big concern for the industry as sales have been affected across the country, but we are well placed to cater for customers and also have special offers and events lined up over the festive season,” he said.

“Our turkeys are award-winning and we work hard throughout the year on ensuring the quality is of the highest standard, which means animal welfare is paramount, especially as we come out of the pandemic and given the unprecedented challenges of past years.

“They are already proving popular, and we have received a lot of positive feedback from independent buyers, suppliers and restaurants getting ready for the upcoming Christmas period.”

Rhug Estate is recognised as one of the UK’s leading producers of high-quality meats and was even appointed a Royal Warrant of Appointment by King Charles III for its management of the countryside and high animal welfare standards.

Its Organic Dee Valley Bronze Turkey was a recipient of the 1* Great Taste Award 2019 and voted ‘best buy’ turkey in the The Independent newspaper, as well as being previously featured on the menu at Michelin-starred venues such as The Connaught, Four Seasons, and The Rosewood in London, and restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau.

“We are exceptionally proud of the team for continuing to produce the best quality, organic turkeys, which live free range on the farm in the most spectacular surroundings – our meat can be found on some of the most important menus in the world,” said Lord Newborough.

“We encourage people to get in touch soon if they are looking to purchase – our sales staff are ready to help with whatever you need.”

Turkeys are scheduled for delivery the week commencing December 19 and if pre-ordered for collection will include a free garnish pack.

If you would like your turkey as a Crown, call 01490 413000, email contact@rhug.co.uk or visit the website: www.rhug.co.uk/product/rhug-estate-organic-dee-valley-bronze-turkey

For more news and information including upcoming events, visit www.rhug.co.uk and follow them on social media @rhugestate.

Business Advice, News, Recruitment, Recruitment News

3 Ways to Improve Your Business Recruitment

Recruitment can be a trying task for any business, and while it’s necessary to help your company grow, it’s rarely the most enjoyable part of your day-to-day business management.

The stress of finding the right people to fill your vacancies can be great, you want to make sure that they’re up to the job, as hiring the wrong person will not only negatively impact your business, but it can destroy the morale of your existing team. This is a bigger problem than many business owners realise until it’s too late; in fact, three quarters of small businesses have hired the wrong person for a job at some point over their business history.

If you’re looking to improve the recruitment of your business and find better candidates for the job, then here are just three steps you can take.

 

1)      Improve Your Job Advert

Improving what you write in your job advert will help to connect you with more relevant candidates.

Be specific about what it is that you’re looking for in an employee – this requires you to fully understand the role you want them to take on as well.

When you explain exactly what you want in a candidate, you reduce the risk of connecting with candidates who do realise that they’re not suited to the role.

Hiring service Indeed have put together a handy guide on writing effective job adverts for your recruitment process.

 

2)      Use Talent Acquisition Software

The automation that is built into many talent acquisition software programmes not only helps to save you time and reduce your time to hire, but it also helps to connect you with better candidates.

Automated software can sift through applications to weed out any candidates who don’t meet the requirements of the job role before they even reach your desk. Plus, automation removes the unintended biases that are embedded in many recruitment journeys, finding a diverse selection of candidates for you to choose from.

You won’t be alone in using recruitment tools for your company either, many big name brands in a variety of industries, including the finance sector, have made use of the Oleeo recruitment software to improve their hiring journey.

 

3)      Ask for Referrals

Another great way to connect with new candidates is to ask your existing team members for referrals. Your employees may have friends or family members who are perfect for the job.

Your existing employees are likely to only refer those who they believe will thrive in the role, as they won’t want a poorly performing employee to reflect badly on them.

Consider offering bonuses as a reward for those employees who recommend a hire that goes on to pass their probationary period, as this provides a great incentive for your current team members to evaluate the talents of their acquaintances and put forward those they trust.

 

How did you improve your business recruitment? Share your tips in the comments below!

 

 

 

Business Advice, News

4 Ways to Make Extra Money in Your Spare Time

If you’re looking to make a little extra cash in your spare time, making the most of the resources you already have in your home could help you along the way.

For those out there looking for a side hustle, here are four tried and tested ways you can make money in your spare time.

 

1. Rent Out Your Spare Room

If your kids have moved out, or you’re lucky enough to have a spare room that you don’t currently use, you can rent it out as a great arrangement for travelling professionals or backpackers.

To set this up, purchase a key safe for your front door (just remember to regularly change the code!), and make sure that your guest has access to fresh towels, a clean bathroom, and facilities to cook food.

You may also want to decorate the room by re-painting, and arranging furniture to provide good access to power sockets (travelling workers may need access to charge devices for remote working), and buying a new comfy bed.

You can contact bed specialists like Archers Sleep Centre for advice on buying a bed that will suit your needs as a host, whether you need a bed frame with extra storage for bedding, or one that folds out to become a king size from a single.

 

2. Get a Cricut Machine

Cricut machines have become revolutionary for those wanting to start a small craft business, and are perfect for making greetings cards, t-shirt printing, or label-making. The opportunities are endless!

With various different Cricut models available depending on the nature of your business, you can pick whichever one best suits your needs.

Choose from materials like vinyl, foil, or card to create the perfect products that you can sell right from the comfort of your own home. Set up a profile on an e-commerce site, or simply market through social media to friends and family.

 

3. Rent Out Your Home for Filming

Do you ever think about how filmmakers get their hands on properties to film major blockbusters or exciting TV shows?

It’s down to volunteers who sign their houses up for leasing out to film companies. Of course, how useful your home is for this often relies on location, with houses in and around London being the most popular choices.

To get involved, simply sign up to websites like Locations Direct where you can build a portfolio of your house for viewing.

 

4. Sell Clothes

A new trend that has recently risen in popularity is selling clothes through apps like Vinted and Depop. Although many people do this as a way of clearing out old clothes, you can turn it into a small business by trawling charity shops for good quality second hand designer clothes, restoring them by cleaning or repairing them, and selling them for a profit.

Some even hand embroider clothes like dungarees, t-shirts or trousers to add even more value.

 

Do you know any tips for earning money in your spare time? Leave your answer in the comments below!

 

 

Education, Education News, News, STEM, Training & Apprenticeships

National Grid’s partnership with Connectr inspires 50,000 young people into STEM careers in its major education programme’s second year

Award-winning HR platform and talent solutions specialist, Connectr, today announced the results from its partnership with National Grid, and its London Power Tunnels project (LPT), in delivering a dynamic programme to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

LPT, a major engineering scheme to rewire the Capital, has worked with Connect to deliver an ambitious five-year campaign encouraging disadvantaged students in Years 9-13 across South London communities into a STEM-focussed career. Launched in 2020, the programme blends digital and in-person activity with an aim to impact 100,000 young people by 2025 – however, at the end of its second year, the initiative has already engaged over 50,000 students.

Over the last 12 months, highlights include:

  • 12,467 workshops and Q&A sessions
  • 4,754 assembly takeovers
  • 12,906 Resource Packs to a network of educators
  • A Virtual Work Experience Week to 190 students, supported by 12 guest speakers and 10 Digital Mentors
  • 1,035 insight events

The success of year two was supported by 100 volunteers from National Grid, and engaged a total of 31,352 students – exceeding its second year target by 43%.

The STEM and career programmes give back to the communities impacted by LPT and its tunnelling works by showcasing career routes into STEM for socio-economically disadvantaged young people. The programme not only supports National Grid’s wider objective of working towards a greener grid, but also proactively addresses the demand for the energy sector to fill 400,000 roles by 2050 in order to successfully reach Net Zero.

 

Connectr designed the programme with National Grid to inspire an underrepresented community of students and their educators during the UK’s pandemic recovery through a dynamic blend of activity, whilst offering a meaningful volunteering opportunity to National Grid employees.

Utilising Connectr’s engagement platform and wider services, this included:

  • In-person workshops for Years 9, 11 & 12
  • Virtual Q&A sessions for Years 9-13
  • Online events across key dates including National Apprenticeship Week and Engineering Week for Years 9-13
  • Assembly takeovers
  • Resource packs for educators to deliver classroom workshops
  • Virtual Work Experience Week for Years 11, 12 & 13
  • Digital mentoring support

 

Connectr’s Founder and Managing Director, Will Akerman, commented, “I am thrilled to see the impact our partnership with National Grid has delivered so far. Connectr is built upon a mission to give every person equal power and opportunity to shape their future – and the success to date of The London Power Tunnels Project truly exemplifies this. I’m delighted to see how Connectr’s platform and services are facilitating such positive change and very much look forward to continuing this impact alongside National Grid into Year 3 and beyond.”

 

Gareth Burden, Project Director for National Grid said: “Growing our next generation of STEM leaders starts with our young people. The Connectr programme brings engineering to life for students, helping them to practise and develop solutions for complex problems. It is a perfect fit with our aim to encourage and inspire young people to work on ground-breaking projects, showing them a STEM career is one with purpose and an exciting future.”

 

For more information on Connectr’s learning technology, visit www.connectr.com/products/employee-engagement

 

News

National Mentoring Day – 67% of mentors gained new perspective as a leader

Survey by MentorCloud uncovers value of mentoring ahead of National Mentoring Day (27 October)

  • 69% of mentors gain a strong sense of purpose
  • 33% of mentors strengthened their leadership skills
  • 56% of mentees developed a deeper appreciation of the power of mentoring
  • 48% of mentees learned new skills they were able to apply to their work and life
  • 44% of mentees felt more connected to their senior leaders and experts

 

More than three quarters (67%) of mentors say they have gained a new perspective as a leader and a human being from mentoring, and more than one third (38%) of mentees said mentoring enabled them to become more productive in their current role, according to a new survey by MentorCloud, which has been named the official 2022/23 global partner for National Mentoring Day.

National Mentoring Day is a worldwide initiative that takes place annually to celebrate, support, and promote mentors and mentoring initiatives. Through its survey, MentorCloud aims to highlight the benefit and necessity of mentoring not just for mentees but for mentors who give up their time to help and support others.

Surveying over 200 of its clients, the world’s leading people development platform, found that one in seven (69%) mentors found it gave them a strong sense of purpose for helping others grow. One third (33%) of mentors also strengthened their skills to be recognised as an expert in their organisation, and 29% recognised certain areas of expertise and leadership traits they didn’t realise they had.

The advantages for mentees are also huge. More than half (56%) developed a deeper appreciation for the power of mentoring, with 48% saying that being mentored enabled them to learn new skills they have been able to apply not just to work but also in their day-to-day lives. 44% felt more connected to senior leaders within their company and said mentoring had helped them to better understand functional areas of business such as strategy, marketing, finance, human resources, technology and operations.

At a time of record job vacancies and skills shortages, mentoring can provide a way for individuals to gain knowledge in new areas and broaden their employment options. National Mentoring Day is therefore asking everyone to commit one hour to mentoring someone this October and help effect positive change across the UK.

MentorCloud becomes official partner of National Mentoring Day

National Mentoring Day was founded in 2014 by Chelsey Baker, a prominent business mentor, to educate, connect, inspire and support all forms of mentoring. Chelsey said, “We’re delighted to partner with MentorCloud to build awareness of the benefits of mentoring for everyone involved. As a nation we urgently need to embrace mentoring for all, and do everything we can to boost the economy and support businesses during these challenging times. Everyone has life skills, knowledge and experience to share as a mentor, and mentoring can make a fundamental difference not just to an individual’s life, but to business and society in general.”

Dr. Ravi Gundlapalli, Founder of MentorCloud,said: “National Mentoring Day has received global recognition as an organisation that amplifies mentoring for all sectors of business and society. The work it does in supporting and championing mentoring aligns perfectly with MentorCloud’s vision of impacting a billion lives through the transformative power of mentorship.”

To mark National Mentoring Day, MentorCloud is hosting a virtual 24-hour global mentorship festival on the 27th October. Speakers include Susan Sobbott, former President, and GM of American Express Global Commercial Services; Keith Ferrazzi, NYT best-selling author, and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, and Wintley Phipps, singer, songwriter, record producer, minister, and founder of US Dream Academy.

For more information about National Mentoring Day or to download free mentoring resources visit: https://nationalmentoringday.org/

For the full event schedule and to register: https://www.mentorcloud.com/globalmentorshipfestival

Cloud Providers, Hyperconvergence, Kubernetes, News

Nutanix Accelerates Kubernetes Adoption in the Enterprise

Nutanix has announced new features in its Cloud Platform to accelerate the adoption of Kubernetes running both at scale and cost-effectively. The company announced broad support for leading Kubernetes container platforms, built-in infrastructure as code capabilities, and enhanced data services for modern applications. These new features allow DevOps teams to accelerate application delivery with the performance, governance, and flexibility of the Nutanix Cloud Platform, while allowing customers to maintain control of their IT operating costs.

“Kubernetes deployments are inherently dynamic and challenging to manage at scale,” said Thomas Cornely, SVP, Product Management, Nutanix. “Running Kubernetes container platforms cost-effectively at large scale requires developer-ready infrastructure that seamlessly adapts to changing requirements. Our expertise in simplifying infrastructure management while optimising resourcesー both on-premises and in the public cloudーis now being applied to help enterprises adopt Kubernetes more quickly. The Nutanix Cloud Platform now supports a broad choice of Kubernetes container platforms, provides integrated data services for modern applications, and enables developers to provision Infrastructure as Code.”

According to Gartner, by 2027, 25% of all enterprise applications will run in containers, an increase from fewer than 10% in 2021. This is a significant challenge for many given most Kubernetes solutions are not meant to support enterprise scale, even less can do so in a manner that is cost effective. The Nutanix Cloud Platform enables enterprises to run Kubernetes in a software-defined infrastructure environment that can linearly scale. Additionally, whether running Kubernetes on-premises or in the public cloud, Nutanix delivers a cost-effective solution that can help lower total cost of ownership by up to 53% when compared to other native cloud deployment solutions.

New capabilities, including broad support for leading Kubernetes container platforms, built-in infrastructure as code capabilities, and enhanced data services, make Nutanix an even stronger proposition for enterprises looking to deploy Kubernetes at scale. Specifically, new enhancements include:

  • Broad Kubernetes Ecosystem:The Nutanix Cloud Platform, with the built-in AHV hypervisor, now supports most leading Kubernetes container platforms with the addition of Amazon EKS-A. This builds on a large ecosystem including Red Hat OpenShift, SUSE Rancher, as well as Google Anthos, and Microsoft Azure Arc for edge deployments, along with the native Nutanix Kubernetes, Nutanix Kubernetes Engine (NKE).

  • Built-In Infrastructure as Code Operating Model:Nutanix also announced an updated API family along with its SDKs in Java, JS, Go and Python, currently under development. This will enable automation at scale and consistent operations regardless of locationーin the datacentre, on the public cloud, or at edgeーboth of key importance to enterprises. Additionally, when combined with Red Hat Ansible Certified Content or the Nutanix Terraform provider, a DevOps methodology can be brought to infrastructure through automation leveraging Infrastructure as Code.
  • Strengthened Data Services for Modern Applications: Nutanix Cloud Platform’s web-scale architecture enables customers to start small and scale to multi-PB sized deployments as application needs grow. It is the only platform to unify delivery of integrated data services with file, object, and now adding database services on the same platform for Kubernetes-based applications. Today Nutanix launched Nutanix Database Service Operator for Kubernetes, which enables developers to quickly and easily provision and attach databases to their application stacks directly from development environments. The open source operator is available via artifacthub.io as well as by direct download at GitHub. Additionally, Nutanix Objects now supports a reference implementation of Container Object Storage Interface (COSI) for ease of orchestration and self-service provisioning. It also adds support for observability using Prometheus. Lastly, Objects is now validated with modern analytics applications including Presto, Dremio, and Vertica, along with Confluent Kafka to efficiently enable large-scale data pipelines often used in real-time streaming applications.

These new features build on the Nutanix Cloud Platform’s ability to handle the dynamic demands of Kubernetes applications at scale. With the Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure, performance and capacity scale linearly, resilience is delivered from the ground up with self-healing nodes, and persistent storage is natively integrated. Additionally, the Nutanix Cloud Platform can help deliver cost efficiencies by eliminating unused compute and storage resources. For customers looking at cloud integrations, the same Nutanix value is delivered across hybrid multicloud endpoints with full license portability across edge, datacentre, service provider, and hyperscaler points of presence.

“When we decided to bring the core platform for our solutions in-house, we decided to take a modular containerised approach to give us the desired flexibility and simplify management by maintaining customisation as configurations,” said Larry McClanahan, Chief Product Officer, Nymbus. “Our partnership with Red Hat and Nutanix gives us the flexibility to innovate, the speed to get to market fast, and the tremendous scalability to support ongoing growth. We’re thrilled that we can better help our customers succeed in the digital banking market with unique solutions.”

“Container development platforms promise faster application development speed, but will only be deployed by organisations who can maintain compliance, day 2 operations, and cost management control at scale,” said Paul Nashawaty, Senior Analyst at ESG. “Nutanix offers a compelling path to speed the deployment of modern applications at scale and in a cost-effective manner, with full choice of Kubernetes container development environments and cloud endpoints.”