Tag Archives: Business

Museum losing millions

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Facebook donates £1 million to help save a museum losing millions

Facebook is donating £1 million to Bletchley Park. The UK centre for Allied code breaking during World War II that now operates as a museum. This museum is losing millions of pounds during the pandemic. Rory Cellen-Jones the BBC’s Technology Correspondent takes closer look into this generous donation.

Leaders of the UK’s cultural sector warned the industry is facing possible devastation. A potential loss of more than 400,000 jobs and up to £74 billion in revenue to the end of 2020. This is due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new research from Oxford Economics commissioned by Creative Industries Federation. The research suggested museums are losing millions of revenue. As well as, theatres, galleries, will experience twice as much economic fallout from the pandemic as the overall economy. This also includes the industries of music, film, TV, Architecture and publishing.

Donation helps museum losing millions

The Bletchley Park Trust, a registered charity, announced in August that the site was facing a revenue shortfall of £2 million because of falling visitor numbers caused by the coronavirus. Because of the drop-in revenue (95% of annual income), the park announced it was considering 35 redundancies, constituting a third of its workforce. Facebook’s donation will save some of these jobs, but it’s not clear how many.

Museums lose millions

National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, UK

An ongoing legacy

Facebook said it made the donation in recognition of Bletchley Park’s “ongoing legacy as a birthplace of modern computing.” The park’s code breakers and mathematicians cracked the Enigma codes used by the Nazis. An achievement that some historians say shortened the length of the war by two to four years. They also made key theoretical and engineering breakthroughs. These include the creation of Colossus, the world’s first programmable digital computer. With the help of Alan Turing’s work, the English mathematician who is seen as the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. At its height, the code-breaking operation at Bletchley Park included some 10,000 employees, with women constituting roughly 75% of the workforce.

Bletchley Park Quote

 “The historic achievements of Alan Turing and the Bletchley team have benefited all of us greatly, including Facebook. We are thrilled to help preserve this spiritual home of modern computing,” said Steve Hatch, Facebook’s vice president of Northern Europe, in a press statement. The UK is Facebook’s biggest engineering hub outside the US, home to more than 3,000 employees, with more than half working in engineering roles.

In a press statement, Bletchley Park CEO Iain Standen said the site was “very grateful to Facebook” for its donation. “With this significant support, the Bletchley Park Trust will be better positioned to operate in the ‘new world’. It will keep its doors open for future generations,” said Standen.

Helping businesses in these troubled times

Museums are losing millions and all of the creative industries are experiencing difficult times. If ignored, thousands of world-leading creative businesses are set to close their doors, jobs will be lost and billions will be lost to our economy. The repercussions would have a devastating and irreversible effect on our country.

LIS client benefit from support for workers from home. Our team provide remote IT support and make sure your team have the correct access and security to enable them to work as if they were in the office. Contact the LIS Help Desk to find out how we can support your company.

LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD

#technews #bletchleypark #funding #facebook

Digital Services Tax

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Retail giant Amazon will NOT be impacted by £500m digital services tax. However the smaller retailers will be, HMRC admits. However, traders who use the site will be, the HMRC has revealed.

The Guardian claims the online retailer will only have to per a 2% charge on revenues it receives from third-party sellers trading on its marketplace. In June Rishi Sunak signed a letter alongside counterparts in France, Spain and Italy declaring that tech giants needed to ‘pay their fair share of tax’.

Seven months after the tax was announced, HMRC has revealed Amazon, paid £293million in taxes. On sales of £13.73 billion will not be affected by it.

Digital Services Tax

  • Two per cent on tax on internet giants will not impact Amazon, HMRC admits 
  • Treasury said Digital Services Tax would make companies pay ‘fair contribution’
  • Business leaders say the tax is penalising smaller companies who use Amazon  

With Amazon expected to cover the cost by charging higher fees. This results in putting it at an advantage compared to the businesses that use the website.

Should the Digital Services Tax be ditched?

In August it was reported that the Treasury was considering ditching the tax. Mr Sunak concluded that the £500million a year it is expected to raise is a pinprick compared with the hundreds of billions of pounds dent to the nation’s finances caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

Business groups have criticised the levy following this latest revelation. Lord Leigh of Hurley told the House of Lords: ‘It is clear that the UK government is not taxing Amazon properly. It is allowing it to avoid tax on its own sales through the marketplace’.

‘This puts regular retailers at a significant disadvantage. The digital sales tax does not achieve its objective of yielding more revenue from the likes of Amazon. However, it is simply passed on to its suppliers in the marketplace, which have to absorb this tax in their margin.’

Announcing it earlier this year, the Treasury described the levy as ‘a new 2% tax on the revenues of search engines. Including, social media services and online marketplaces which derive value from UK users’.

Businesses should make a fair contribution

The Government department hoped the measure would ‘ensure large multinational businesses in-scope make a fair contribution to supporting vital public services,’ it wrote in March.

The British Independent Retailers Association has voiced its own opposition. They warned the tax has penalised smaller retailers while giving Amazon the edge.

An Amazon spokesman said: ‘Like many others, we have encouraged the government to pursue a global agreement on the taxation of the digital economy at OECD-level rather than unilateral taxes. Rules would then be consistent across countries and clearer and fairer for businesses.’

IT does not have to be taxing

Who is likely to be affected? Large multi-national enterprises with revenue derived from the provision of a social media service, a search engine or an online marketplace to UK users. This is you if your website turns over more than £25 million in the UK! Hats off if you fall into this category. You are one of the few as the Government had some very specific targets in mind when devising this tax, introduced by the Government as of 1st April 2020.

Unfortunately, we are unable to help Amazon with their tax problems! However, LIS clients do benefit from our years of IT experience. Contact the LIS Help Desk to see how we can help your business. With an approach based on the socially distanced human touch, our knowledgeable team will help you achieve your business goals.

LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD

#Digital #Tax #ITSupport #Business

Robots conducting job interviews?

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“Congratulations, you have been selected for an interview. For the professional minigamer position at Open Mind Corporation,” a robotic voice announces over a blank screen. “My name is Alex. I will be guiding you through the interview. The whole process will take no more than 10 minutes. Let’s hear your voice. … Smile for the camera. … Welcome to the interview.” Robots conducting job interviews help companies save time, money and keep social distancing

The conversational AI recruitment technology is validated and proven to objectively assess general work performance. As well as, identify competent candidates and reduce the risk of faulty recruitments. Designed and produced by Tengai AB is a HR Tech start up based in Sweden that is combining AI and an unbiased recruitment methodology in the world’s first interview robot.

Robots conducting job interviews?

Unbiased interviewer Tengai now available in English

Robots conducting job interviews: How it works

How exactly AI interviews work remains something of a mystery. The tech is driven by an interest in increasing efficiency in the interview process. The virtual interviewer/robot asks a standard set of questions (pre-designed rather than spontaneous or follow-up questions that probe into answers). It then evaluates candidates’ responses, including physical reactions and the cluster of words used. The physical reactions under scrutiny could include micro expressions. Unlike regular facial expressions which are difficult to hide or manipulate. As well as other forms of body language, vocal tone and volume and response time. Don’t panic just yet, it doesn’t appear that the algorithms judge an applicant’s appearance.

But how can the robot evaluate whether an answer shows ingenuity and creativity? As well as business acumen, a capacity for empathy or a collegial vibe? Doesn’t it take a seasoned interviewer—much less one with a pulse!—to do that?

Well, it’s conceivable that an algorithm could detect things like enthusiasm, passion, confidence and the quality of an applicant’s vocabulary, right? And isn’t it also conceivable that an algorithm could measure a candidate’s appreciation for social cues by examining responses and expressions? 

Large companies embrace the new technology

These systems are now being used by major companies, including Unilever, Vodafone, Intel, L’Oréal, Mars, and Citibank, to name but a few. Kevin Parker, CEO of Utah-based HireVue, one of the more prominent platforms in the space, tells me that one of the company’s customers, “a large grocery chain in the U.S.,” used the platform to interview about 20,000 people a day for stocker and cashier jobs. But A.I. interviews are also being used for internships and professional positions, especially in the age of social distancing.

Robots conducting job interviews: The risks

Some fear that AI run amok could engender disparate impact discrimination claims (i.e., where a facially neutral policy or practice disproportionately and adversely affects individuals with legally protected characteristics). For example, there is a fear that since AI may involve machine learning. The robot may develop assumptions over time regarding the suitability of certain groups of people for employment based on historical interview results with respect to members of those groups. 

If this technology does become the norm, some new skills will suddenly become just as important as your work experience, education and professional referrals. Whether you’re a database administrator or a regional sales rep, you might want to enrol yourself in an acting class or get a poker coach. “Impression plays a major role in personality analysis,” the researchers said. A study found that 7% of a person’s impression depends on the spoken word. 38% on vocal sounds and a whopping 55% on facial expressions.

The human touch

A recent study revealed that the number one reason customers dread calling companies for support is the growing probability that they will encounter a bot instead of a human upon connection.

LIS clients benefit from the human touch. We do not have robots that deal with our client issues. Contact the LIS Help Desk for an IT audit. You are only a phone call or email away from an IT partner that can help your business save time and money.

LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD

#AI #Interviews #ITSupport #Technews

 

Online Covid scams

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The Online Covid scams that steal your data

There have been some shocking online Covid scams in the last 6 months. As cyber-criminals have taken advantage of businesses during the global pandemic. It is important to make sure your business is not caught out. Our new video shows you the scams you should watch out for.

Business owners targeted in Covid-19 VAT deferral scam

HMRC have uncovered a new email scam produced by hackers. The latest of many recent scamming attempts by criminals is using the topic of coronavirus alongside the subject of VAT deferrals to trick you into giving away sensitive data.

A recent article published on the TechRader website, explains how hackers continue to exploit business vulnerabilities.

Aimed at small business owners, the fake HMRC email attempts to purloin confidential information from ventures struggling to cope with the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Between March and June 2020 HMRC allowed VAT payments to be deferred. The email scam pretending to be from the Revenue tries to dupe companies affected into revealing private information including account names, passwords and payment details.

Helpful tips to avoid online Covid scams

Know how scammers may reach you. Scammers are taking advantage of the increase in COVID‑19 communications by disguising their scams as legitimate messages about the virus. Alongside emails, scammers may also use text messages, automated calls and malicious websites to reach you.

Be cautious of requests for personal or financial information. If you receive an unsolicited request for information, take extra time to evaluate the message. Scammers will often ask you to input login information, or share bank details and addresses with them. They may also request payment via bank transfer or virtual currency.

Double check links and email addresses before clicking. Fake links often imitate established websites by adding extra words or letters. If it says something like “click here,” hover over the link or long press the text to check the URL for mistakes ─ being careful not to click it. Misspelled words or random letters and numbers in the URL or email address may also indicate a scam.

Search to see if it’s been reported. If somebody has sent you a fraudulent message, it’s likely they’ve sent it to other people as well. Copy and paste the email address or phone number. Alternatively, copy the most suspicious portion of the message into a search engine to check if it’s been reported.

Not Sure What IT Security You Need?

Security is one of the most important considerations when building any network. It doesn’t matter whether you are a small business or a multi national corporation, security should be your top priority. Recently office, home and mobile networks have been targeted more by cyber criminals across the globe. As with all forms of crime, the first victims are the low hanging fruit. But the criminals are getting more sophisticated. So businesses need to keep one step ahead.

At LIS, we can conduct an IT security audit to help you identify the right level of protection for your network. Contact the LIS Help Desk for your free consultation and find out how to protect your IT network against data breaches, viruses and more.

LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD

#Covid19Scams #Top10Scams #DontFallForIt

Keeping your business data safe

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Keeping your business data safe: The GuideThis is the ultimate secret to keeping your business data safe. Whenever you hear of the term cyber-crime, you probably associate it with big businesses and corporations. After all, why would anyone target your small enterprise? Thinking like this could prove to be damaging and possibly catastrophic.

Small businesses are increasingly becoming the victims of cyber-attacks. In fact, Symantec reported that out of all the cyber-attacks perpetrated in 2015, , 43% targeted small businesses. Their report also indicated that the attack on small businesses has been on the rise with 2011 having 18%, 2012 having 31%, 2013 having 30%, and 2014 having 34%. That’s why we’ve written a brand new guide. To tell you about the ultimate secret to keeping your business data safe. You won’t believe how simple it is. Download your copy now.

The trend indicated above is worrying. But, remember, the reason for the increased attacks is because hackers have realized that small businesses apply little to no effort in the securing of their data. So, what is data security and how does it protect your business from potential threats?

How to keep your small business data safe?

Data security or protection, put simply, is the procedure employed to ensure that your data cannot be corrupted or accessed illegally.

The idea behind securing your data is to protect your business’s data while ensuring that it stays private. Data includes all personal and business files that are stored in the database. The process of securing data generally follows these three steps:

  • Encryption. For any data to be of any use, it has to be understandable on a human level. Encryption counters this by using a set of algorithms and mathematical schemes to scramble the information into an unreadable format. This encrypted text can only be decoded by someone who has the decryption key.
    To take it up a notch, end-point full encryption is employed. It encrypts every last bit of data in your hard disk thus giving you a very high form of protection.
  • Strong user Authentication. We encounter user authentication on a daily basis. Every time you try to login into your computer or social media account, you are required to go through a one-step verification process. One-step verification is weak and is easily hacked. A strong user authentication process will often involve multiple stages of verification making it very difficult to hack.
  • Data Backup. You have to be prepared for when the worst happens. Securing your data will never give you 100% assurance. There is always the chance that there might be a loophole in the system which may include an inside job. That is why the process of securing data also includes a backup plan. The backup will ensure that although the information may be stolen, you can always restore it.

Keeping your business data safe

Now that we know why it is important to secure your data, here are seven data security tips for small business:

  1. Adopting EMV

EMV initials stand for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa. EMV is an encrypted payment system that uses microchips in the credit card to process transactions. In addition, it also protects the information in the card. This ensures that both parties are free from fraud. Upgrade the payment system in your business to accept EMV cards. Not only will this protect your business, but it will also absolve you from liability in the event that fraud does happen.

  1. Securing your wireless network

Wireless networks attract more hackers than a moth to a light bulb. While your standard network encryption key might keep your next door neighbours from accessing your network, hackers could log into it in their sleep. This is why you need to use the strongest encryption setting in your router to protect your business. Additionally, disable the broadcasting function in order to make your network invisible. After all, they cannot hack what they can’t see.

  1. Perform background checks

At times, we might get caught up in securing our businesses against outside intrusions and fail to protect it from what is happening right in front of us. Inside jobs are the biggest threats to a business apart from cyber-crime. Price Water Coopers reported that employees orchestrated over 70% of frauds committed to small businesses.

This is why you need to be extra vigilant when it comes to selecting the right employees for your business. Check their backgrounds as these will often give a clue on what kind of person they are. In addition, be observant of what is going on with your employees. Changes in character should be duly noted as changes in their performance will often accompany these.

  1. Decentralize password access to sensitive data

Never allow one person to have access to all the passwords. The levels of entry should be distributed to different employees to minimize the risk of the data being breached. Maintain the central access key yourself.

  1. Shred business documents

Physical documents need to be safeguarded. Access to the documents should require authorization from the necessary source. This should ensure that in case a document goes missing, you can easily trail the theft process, or at least there will be someone to be held accountable.

Additionally, old records that have their information in the database should follow the correct process of discarding. The best way to achieve this is through shredding by a particular person.

  1. Upgrade your software

Buy the necessary software that will help you in this quest. These include encryption software and excellent anti-virus programs.

Good corporate anti-virus programs come in handy because hackers nowadays have automated their hacking systems. These means that bots will try to infiltrate your system, a good antivirus should take care of this. Plus don’t forget your smartphone. You should also look into protecting your mobile from viruses and this is even more important if you do work on a phone and that includes just answering emails.

  1. Data backup of your business data

Like we previously discussed, backing up your data is preparing yourself for the worst. It will save you a lot of hassle in case something does happen.

A partner you can trust

Unfortunately, these security threats against your data information are unlikely to end anytime soon. This is because the world has all but embraced the Internet. Failing to have a website for your business is just bad business practice. The caveat is that this puts your business at risk of hacking. It is therefore imperative to secure your business in all ways that you can.

Contact the LIS Help Desk today to arrange your IT Audit. We will investigate your existing systems and advise the best way forward to make sure your keeping you business data safe.

LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD

#FreeGuide #CyberSecurityTraining #KeepYourBusinessProtected