Tag Archives: technology

Coronavirus, Health, Healthcare News

EQL helps alleviate Covid-19 pressure from GPs in Bedfordshire and Greenwich

In a move designed to reduce the strain on GPs and the wider healthcare system, NHS Bedfordshire CCG and NHS Greenwich CCG (covering a total population of over 700,000 patients) have implemented an innovative software solution capable of triaging patients with MSK related issues such as bad backs and sprains determining the severity of their condition and recommending next stages without the need for a doctors’ appointment.

Phio is EQL’s physiotherapy assessment solution providing an agile triage tool that signposts users into suitable MSK care pathways. This approach reduces the need for human intervention thereby alleviating pressure on GP’s already under pressure from COVID-19.

Jason Ward, CEO of EQL, who along with Peter Grinbergs co-founded the company, said:

“At this time it is imperative to alleviate pressure on Primary Care and the wider NHS. We are committed to radically improving clinical pathways through technology and are thrilled to be working with NHS Bedfordshire and Greenwich through Circle Health the specialist healthcare provider. We hope to see other Clinical Commissioning Groups follow suit in the future. ”

Accessible 24/7 and available in any language, Phio can complement existing services and is a strong alternative for many telephone-based and remote physiotherapy services. It also offers dramatically improved customer journeys and has the potential to radically improve health outcomes.

Coronavirus, Law

How Covid-19 impacts on Contractual Obligations

Conexus Law, the specialist advisory firm that provides legal and commercial advice to clients who work in sectors where the built environment, technology, engineering and people converge, is launching a range of fact sheets on the legal implications of the Covid-19.

The first one provides legal analysis alongside some valuable, practical steps that may be taken by parties who find the impact of Covid-19 affects their ability to meet contractual obligations owed to others (upstream), or who find that their trading partners can no longer meet the obligations owed to them (downstream).

Ed Cooke, Founder at Conexus Law, explains:

“In the modern commercial world, businesses are often heavily reliant on trading partners and long “just in time” supply chains in order to fulfil their contractual obligations. The impact of Covid-19 could significantly upset those finely balanced arrangements and the relationships between parties may be tested in ways they had not previously contemplated.

“As trading relationships are now often global, a complex interplay of laws from different jurisdictions may also be in play, some of which are potentially in conflict. For example, English law may govern your contract with your customer, but Chinese law may govern the law of your contract with a critical supplier enabling you to perform your customer contract.”

The Conexus Law fact sheet advises that organisations identify whether there are any express provisions written into the contract which might be relevant to the Covid-19 situation. For example, there is a large section on force majeure and whether it is applicable. Other areas include certain insurances and the importance of following all relevant procedures in the policy related to claims notification and submission of claims.

“The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak is already having a significant impact on many individuals and businesses and it is becoming clearer that the impact will likely be more significant and longer lasting than we may have imagined at first. We hope these fact sheets provide helpful guidance during these challenging times,” concludes Ed.

To download this fact sheet, free of charge, click here: https://7aee0ab1-94f5-4d7e-9556-9f9a01df3265.filesusr.com/ugd/b58c63_71a397aa9f414609913e82fc89d9417a.pdf

Appointments, News

Uberall appoints Fabrice Lévy as CFO & EVP Operations

Uberall, the ‘Near Me’ Brand Experience expert, today announced that Fabrice Lévy has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Operations.

In the role, Lévy will be responsible for all aspects of finance, operations, and delivering on Uberall’s customer success strategy. In order to better understand and fulfil customer needs, Lévy will lead with a proactive, data-driven approach while also working on the tools and systems that will push scalability forward at the company and make Uberall best in class.

“Lévy’s track record as a leader in the financial and client management space makes him the ideal person to join the team at Uberall as we continue to scale and expand our customer base,” said Florian Huebner, Uberall’s CEO and Co-Founder.

“His understanding of what makes a business run smoothly and what makes customers tick will be a true asset to our company and his addition to Uberall’s executive team will ensure our continued growth.”

Lévy has over 20 years in leading financial- and client-based roles within the fintech and SaaS industries, and joins Uberall from US headquartered cloud treasury and finance solution company Kyriba, where he was CFO and EVP Operations. He was previously Chief Client Officer and CFO at the company and throughout his 12 years there, spearheaded Kyriba’s business transformation and growth, and was a crucial contributor to the company’s unicorn-status achievement in 2019.

“At Uberall, enhancing data-driven decision-making through business intelligence and automation will be key for me in driving both scalable operations, unlocking growth opportunities, and helping customers achieve their goals,” said Lévy.

“Since the company has such a wide-ranging catalogue of customers, it’s particularly important to me that we take a strategic approach to engaging with them. I’m delighted to be joining the team and look forward to helping Uberall build strong customer experiences as well as grow as an internationally recognised business,” added Lévy.

Healthcare News, News

Physiofastonline CEO appointed to expert panel of Source One Associates

Source One Associates, the sports and talent management agency has appointed Katie Knapton, the CEO of PhysioFastOnline.co.uk to their Panel of Experts. Source One clients will now get full access to the online physiotherapy service provided by PhysioFastOnline as part of their overall package of services.

Interactive video call appointments can be booked online, in real-time, and are generally available the same day to swiftly help reduce any pain and concern and, in many cases, promote a quicker recovery time. Katie and her team will identify the issue and advise on any treatment. The team will monitor progress via a smart phone app that lists the recommended exercises, repetitions and shows how the patient is progressing with feedback from every session shared with the physio team.

Katie Knapton, CEO at PhysioFastOnline said:

“Professional sports can put a considerable strain on the body that can cause problems later on. We will be on hand to provide advice on this as well as on general fitness and how to remain injury free. Leading research has found that video consultations are as effective as face-to-face appointments, however, should an appointment this be necessary we can also organise this as part of the service.”

Katie has over 25 years of in musculoskeletal experience including spending time at Guys Hospital in central London and St Georges Hospital in Tooting. Her passion for ensuring patients receive accurate and timely information about their specific condition led Katie to set up PhysioFastOnline.

Law, News

Conexus Law announces new team

Conexus Law, the specialist advisory firm that provides legal and commercial advice to clients who work in sectors where the built environment, technology, engineering and people converge, has announced a number of senior appointments that are joining founder, Ed Cooke.

Emma Cordiner specialises in Real Estate & Data Centre Leasing with over 15 years’ experience in the world of commercial real estate transactions, both in the UK and internationally. This includes acting for datacentre industry clients, advising during the negotiation and legal transaction phases of securing space in data centres to create global networks spanning multiple jurisdictions.

Husna Patel specialises in construction and engineering law with a strong legal background in transactional and advisory work. She has worked in-house at a global electrical equipment suppliers who frequently supply the technology and data centre sectors, and so has seen negotiations from both sides. Projects include commercial and residential property development, technology projects such as data centres, on- and off-shore wind farms, bio mass and bio fuel plants, and land remediation projects in the UK and internationally. She has particular expertise with engineering and international contracts, such as those based on FIDIC.

Marilyn Heward-Mills has over 20 years of employment law experience focusing on contentious and non-contentious matters. She started at the predecessor to WilmerHale in 1996 as a dual-qualified English and US lawyer. Marilyn is also a published fiction author and a qualified therapeutic counsellor.
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Philip Brown has over 15 years’ experience as a lawyer working in the technology sector. His clients include data centres, telecommunications providers, software developers and platform providers and their customers. He has put cloud and software platforms into some of the biggest global brands and advised on telecommunications systems arrangements within the nuclear sector and consumer-facing technology providers.

Commenting on the new team Ed Cooke, founder at Conexus Law, said:

“Conexus Law is founded on the belief that we can only deliver the best counsel if we have a strong understanding of the sectors’ challenges and the underlying technology and processes. Therefore, every member of the team has specific industry expertise and is a leader in their field. I am extremely proud of this amazing group of people and look forward to welcoming others as we continue to grow.”

Data, Technology

Meeting The Forecast Demand For Datacentre Capacity Has Its Challenges

According to a latest industry survey from BCS (Business Critical Solutions), 90% of investor and developer respondents expect to see a further expansion of their datacentre portfolio in the coming year. This ongoing increase in supply is matched by demand and provides opportunities for developers, designers and constructors.

With around half of the survey respondents expecting to increase their externally managed datacentre space within 12 months, there is also an opportunity for third party suppliers.

However, the survey identified a number of challenges that must be overcome for the demand to be met and these opportunities to be fully realised. In addition to the skills shortages in the designing, building and operation of datacentres with over three quarters of respondents foreseeing an issue, the demand for energy to power data centres is forecast to rise and increased costs pose a threat to the supply of new capacity.

Over 75% of surveyed professionals expect their levels of power consumption to rise over the next three years and four-fifths of respondents see the availability of power as the single most important factor affecting datacentre supply. This suggests that the challenge for the industry is to meet this demand in the short term, whilst sourcing long term sustainable power.

A further challenge to the supply of datacentre capacity is the increasing costs of raw materials in Europe. Around two-thirds of directly affected parties such as developers, designers and construction professionals believe that this represents a major threat to the data centre design and build process.

James Hart, CEO at BCS (Business Critical Solutions) said:

“With demand forecast to rise so sharply there is a huge opportunity for those involved in the design, build and operations activities. However, as an industry we need to collectively overcome the challenges this brings or face potentially severe consequences with demand outstripping supply and costs rising even further. At BCS we are continuing to work with our clients to design cost effective datacentres, looking for ways to optimise the use of raw materials and to improve the efficiency of datacentres thereby reducing the energy requirements.”

The Winter Report, now in its 11th year, is undertaken by independent research house IX Consulting, who capture the views of over 300 senior data centre professionals across Europe, including owners, operators, developers, consultants and end users. It is commissioned by BCS, the specialist services provider to the digital infrastructure industry.

Appointments, News

Greg Sterling joins Uberall as VP market insights

Uberall, the digital platform delivering ‘Near Me’ Brand Experiences for customers, today announced that Greg Sterling will become the company’s first VP of market insights. Sterling brings 20 years of experience as an analyst, writer, and researcher focused on digital and location-based media and marketing.

In this new role, Sterling will provide his expertise, insights and support to multiple internal teams and will lead research and content initiatives within Uberall. They will include leveraging Uberall’s unique data and insights to help benefit the company’s enterprise customer base, channel partners and resellers (e.g., SEO, digital marketing agencies, and more), as well as the broader market. Sterling will also be speaking at and programming events.

“I’m thrilled to join the exciting Uberall team,” said Sterling. “There’s still a considerable amount of work to do to educate and help brands and marketers to deliver effective ‘near me’ experiences to their customers; and Uberall is doing some great and innovative things to meet those needs.”

Sterling is one of the leading analysts and speakers on location marketing, location intelligence and the SMB marketplace, with an extensive background in digital strategy, research, content development, and event programming. He has been a contributor to Search Engine Land since 2006.

Before joining Uberall, Sterling was the VP of strategy & insights at LSA, where he helped accelerate the organisation’s transformation from traditional media trade group to leading digital marketing association for location-based marketers.

“Greg has been a leader in the location marketing space for two decades,” said Norman Rohr, SVP of marketing at Uberall. “We believe that his expertise and knowledge will help Uberall as we continue to grow, win business, and serve our customers around the world, and in North America in particular.”

For more information about Uberall, visit: https://uberall.com/.

Appointments, News

Edtech company Atom Learning strengthens team with two senior appointments

Fast growth edtech company Atom Learning has announced two senior appointments, as the company accelerates expansion in the UK and internationally. David Joerring joins Atom Learning to lead the company’s business development and growth team. He comes from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he was a strategy consultant, with a particular focus on working with the public sector and government.

Meanwhile Tom Digby has joined the company as lead developer. He will be supporting Atom Learning as the company expands the tech team. He will lead digital architecture and design. He is a highly proficient react developer with eight years experience as a front end developer. He comes from the Stylist Group where he was the head of digital product.

Atom Learning uses AI to transform educational outcomes. With ambitions to become the Netflix of education, it is an adaptive learning platform, using machine learning to determine the optimal learning pathway for children at key stage 2. The new appointments will drive the development of its innovative learning platform, Atom Prime. The company is witnessing 50% growth month on month.

According to co-founder Jake O’Keeffe:

“I am delighted to announce these senior hires as we rapidly scale our platform within the education sector. David brings fantastic experience within public sector and government as we look to develop our offering across the UK State sector and overseas.

“Meanwhile Tom’s huge experience in digital product development will be invaluable as we ensure Atom Prime becomes a vital component for schools looking to build excellence in results for key stage 2. Both of these appointments will help us develop our mission to democratise learning.”

The headcount has trebled in the past three months, with Atom Learning expanding into the UK State sector, following a trial in the independent sector – over 250 Preparatory Schools now use the platform. It is also undergoing an international expansion, now operating across Asia, Africa and the Middle East and was shortlisted for AI Business of the Year at the National Business Awards last month.

Business Advice

6 ways your SME can thrive during the Christmas season

It’s that time of year again. For some, it may feel like it’s been creeping up for a while, but for others, Christmas can really feel as though it’s come out of the blue. For SME owners, the festive period can be a particularly stressful and overwhelming time, with demanding customers, increased workloads, and the added pressure of having to contend with out-of-office suppliers and financial dependents. Research from last year found that 53% of small business owners in the UK worked over Christmas, and 18% of those worked more than 18 hours straight a day.

With this in mind, Opus Energy, renewable energy provider to businesses, has shared its advice to combat burnout over the festive season and ensure your business continues to operate smoothly.

Managing tighter budgets effectively

End-of-year bonuses, annual donations to charities, lower sales – budgets always feel tighter at this time of year. The best way to deal with this is to plan for it. Start setting a small amount of money aside right from the beginning of the year, and create a special account for it, so you know you can’t touch it. Preparing financially for the holidays over the course of the entire year will make your financial strains a thing of the past.

Making the most of increased sales and customer traffic

If you own a storefront, the holidays can be the craziest time of the year, with a heavier footfall and demanding customers, often with urgent requests. Be prepared by hiring part-time holiday employees to cover the rush. Any extra money you spend on staff can easily be made up in sales, thanks to better and more attentive customer service.

Consider utilising the extra sales by running promotions over the holiday period. Convince your customers that now is the time to spend their money on exactly what you’re offering. Perhaps it’s a holiday sale, or a buy-one-get-one-free event – word-of-mouth promotion can make a huge difference to your sales figures over the festive period.

Improving cashflow

The Christmas period and the first few weeks of January are often a critical time for small businesses, not least because many managing directors, clerical assistants and finance department staff are on holiday over Christmas and the New Year. As a result, payments often don’t get made, cheques don’t get signed and small businesses often experience real problems with cashflow at this time.

During the festive period, many business owners often resort to costly bank overdrafts to see them through or, worse still, the company credit card, both of which can exacerbate their weak cashflow positions in the short term. To avoid this, try to forecast potential financial problems to ensure you, or your staff, aren’t caught short this Christmas.

You should also make sure you send invoices to your customers as soon as possible to avoid delayed payments. Make extra effort to follow up debtors earlier on, as the chances of receiving payment become increasingly less likely the closer to Christmas you get.

Working with reduced business hours

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you will inevitably be clocking in fewer hours around Christmas, due to statutory holidays and employee vacation time.

The best thing you can do to prepare for this slow period is to account for it in your business calendar. If that means you need to adjust your sales targets for the rest of the months of the year to make up for that reduction, factor that in as well. It can do wonders for your wellbeing to go into the holidays knowing you don’t have to achieve unrealistic goals between December 24th and January 2nd.

Dealing with distracted employees

It’s the time of year when we all have extra things on our plates. Your employees may be spending company time planning the party they’re hosting, or making their shopping list, resulting in lower productivity. Why not offer more flexible working options, so they can get things done that they might have otherwise tried to do at their desks?

Don’t forget to thank your employees for their efforts over the holiday season, especially if a Christmas party isn’t on the agenda this year. For budget-friendly ways to say thank you, check out our tips here.

Combat your personal stress

Having to worry about not just your own income but also your employees’ during a slow period can be hard on a business owner. The regular responsibilities remain, but the personal responsibilities also begin to pile up, which can lead to an overwhelming situation.

Make sure to take time for your own self-care, whether it’s meditating, exercising, Christmas shopping, or just leaving early to have dinner with friends or family. It can clear your head and put you back in the holiday spirit. Remember, it’s your Christmas too so try to switch off where possible during this festive season.

Leadership

6 tech solutions to enhance your SME

Recent studies have shown that as many as 65% of small and medium sized businesses are losing time and money through failing to adopt technology and use it to its full potential.

Although the large majority of SMEs use the internet for business purposes, including online banking and emailing customers, many of these owners have admitted to not possessing basic digital skills and knowledge beyond this. This is despite a proven correlation between digital skills and a high business turnover.

So why wouldn’t an SME want to adopt a few simple tools to help streamline their business processes? In this article, Opus Energy, renewable energy provider to businesses, shares its top 6 tech solutions for helping business owners save both time and money.

1. Get a project management tool

Being able to stay on top of your workload is important, but when you’re juggling twenty different tasks, it’s easy to lose track of where you are.

There are lots of handy online tools to help you manage projects more efficiently. For example, Trello and Asana use the Kanban methodology, a production-line style approach which enables you to see what work you need to complete, and when.

This can help you stick to deadlines, keep your priorities organised and ensure nothing gets forgotten or dropped.

2. Make the most of the cloud

It’s been argued that the one of the biggest impacts on businesses over the last few years has been the introduction of cloud technology, but not everyone is reaping the benefits yet.

In the past, people would use programs on their computers or building servers to do their work, but cloud-based software allows the same programs to be accessed through the internet. As long as you have an internet connection, you can complete your work anywhere, when it suits you.

Cloud software like Office 365 allows multiple users to simultaneously collaborate on the same document, without creating multiple versions.

Users can see changes in real-time, including who has made what changes, which saves time as you don’t have to wait for other people to finish editing before you can start.

At the same time, it’s easier to protect sensitive information and prevent data loss with cloud-based software. For example, Office 365 has advanced security features to safeguard your data. From encrypted emails to mobile device management and threat intelligence, you can be confident that your data and intellectual property is well protected.

3. Train yourself and your employees online

As a small business owner, it’s vital to continue to develop and expand you and your team’s knowledge, whether that be in your specific sector, or more general business updates. In an ideal world we would attend all of the seminars, meetings and training events possible, but these can be costly and time consuming.

However, self-paced training and online business training programs, which are often free or low cost, are the ideal way to expand your know-how.

There are various business training resources that will cover everything and anything you need to research and educate yourself on, so get familiar with these tools and pick the right options for you and your team. Don’t forget podcasts either; they can be a great source of entertainment, but they are also a viable tool for education, and you can listen at any time, even on the commute.

As a business owner, it’s important to think about developing your leadership skills to help your business grow – and unproductive commuting time is an ideal time to use technology to expand your skills. 

Serial award-winning turnaround CEO Peter Ryding recently created ‘VIC Your Coach‘, a new online leadership coaching system for CEOs AND their employees.  The system coaches leadership skills with small, bite-sized tips and short, snappy videos on over 200 business topics, delivering useful, actionable advice on your handheld device. Peter explains:

“For years, blue chip organisations have paid me to mentor their leaders, boost profits and increase business turnover.  The internet has allowed me to create a coaching system that anyone can access for a fraction of the cost – meaning the same strategies, advice and tips I use to support top CEOs can now be easily accessed by the smallest start-up.”

4. Share your calendar with everyone and anyone

Finding a time that works for you and a supplier, a new client or even a lunch date with friends can often be an exercise of email tennis, with dates and times suggested back and forth over email for weeks before anything is set in stone.

Using online calendars will allow others check your availability for meetings. This not only takes the management of your calendar out of your hands but will save everyone a lot of admin time and hassle.

5. Digitalise your invoices

When it comes to getting paid, the easiest way to track and log your finances is online. There are currently several companies offering similar invoicing services, so businesses need to do their research to ensure that the chosen system will complement their working methods and will be adaptable to their business.

In fact, a digitalised and streamlined online invoicing service may be an appropriate alternative for your business that allows you to manage your billing process quicker and more proficiently.

6. Track every second of your time

Whether or not you bill customers and clients by the hour, there is much to be gained from keeping track of where you and your team’s time goes each day. This not only ensures you bill those who pay by the hour, but helps you spot where you can be more time efficient, and which tasks are taking up too much of your time.

Like bookkeeping tools, there are many of these time-tracking tools available so be sure to select one which will integrate easiest into your day to day activity.

It might not be possible to adopt all of these solutions for your business, and some may not be relevant. But for businesses, time is a great commodity; freeing some up and saving money can go a long way to building a more lucrative and sustainable business.