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LIMA Networks Puts Autonet Insurance In The Fast Lane With New Storage Infrastructure

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Independent IT solutions provider LIMA Networks has helped one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers to revamp its data storage infrastructure, resulting in greater flexibility and impressive cost savings.

Autonet Insurance Services Ltd, Britain’s biggest independently-owned broker in the consumer and business van insurance field, called on Manchester-based LIMA Networks to help it move away from a storage infrastructure solution that had become expensive to maintain and grow, and difficult to administer.

As a financial services company with more than five million customer enquiries per month and a need to comply with industry regulation concerning data management and recovery, Autonet needed LIMA Networks to provide an IT solution that met all of the company’s various needs. This was achieved through a NetApp and VMware virtualised solution, which saw Autonet switch from using 30 physical servers to 15 virtual servers.

As well as reducing the company’s server estate considerably and improving efficiency and manageability, through the use of NetApp Autonet now has flexible disaster recovery technology which helps ensure business continuity.

Nik Potts, head of IT at Autonet, said: “I now have I now have real flexibility and have been able to achieve 90 per cent cost savings from year to year. I would wholeheartedly recommend NetApp to other firms.

“I feel a giant weight has been taken off my mind. I’ve genuinely been better able to sleep at night. I know I now have a very reliable data storage function matched by a full disaster recovery capability.”

Via EPR Network
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College Hails ‘Future-Proofed’ ICT System

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A college in Salford, Greater Manchester, says it has effectively future-proofed its ICT service to students and cut storage by half, after joining forces with Lima Networks to implement a restructuring of its IT system.

Salford City Academy, which accommodates 670 students from the Salford and Eccles area, approached Lima after coming to the conclusion that its existing infrastructure was ill-equipped to meet the future needs of its pupils. Among the concerns raised about the old system was that it was relatively slow to respond to users’ needs, meaning that staff and students alike were having to ensure an extended wait before being able to open network files.

Having been selected by the college as its solution partner, Lima Networks got to work on replacing the old infrastructure with a NetApp and VMware vSphere 4 configuration, which not only improved performance and consolidated storage, but also offers sufficient flexibility to ensure it continues to meet the requirements of students and staff well into the future. The installation was completed in August 2010 – right at the start of the academic year – and the new system has made a big difference to the way the college operates.

“What I particularly liked with this approach was the full disaster recovery suite that was included; this could really deal with some ongoing back-up issues,” said Salford City Academy’s network manager, Andrew Lawton.

Mr Lawton’s aim was to resolve the problem of physical limitations on storage, whilst also trying to make the college’s ICT capabilities more environmentally-friendly. There have been a number of benefits following the restructuring, with innovations such as virtual desktop infrastructure also helping to avoid the additional costs associated with forking out for replacement hardware.

“I think the engineering here was extremely good and the partner really understood our requirements. I have to say that at the outset our Principal was a bit nervous about all this but he’s very happy now – as are we all,” he added.

Via EPR Network
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Leading Construction Company Builds Virtual Reliability With Help From LIMA Networks

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A world leading construction company has overhauled its IT systems with the help of IT solutions specialists LIMA Networks and, as a result, has cut its downtime and improved efficiency by no end.

The company, Tensar Technologies, is at the forefront of technology-driven civil engineering and road building and provides services that utilise modern technologies. Rather than following traditional methods of construction, Tensar is constantly searching for newer and better ways in which it can develop sustainable solutions for its clients. The Blackburn-based company employs over 800 people and has clients in many different countries.

However, due to its high-demand, Tensar requires a fully operational storage area network (SAN) system that is both flexible and stable, as well as giving a high standard of return on investment. According to Tensar’s Network Manager, Steve Carroll, its current SAN solution was ‘taking an unacceptably long time’, which led to downtime that cost the company money.

At this point, Tensar Technologies turned to LIMA Networks for help. As a NetApp Gold Partner, LIMA Networks was able to present a new SAN solution that would enable Tensar to achieve its desired levels of storage efficiency, storage utilisation, backup ability and virtual system changes.

LIMA Networks installed a new SAN architecture with a VMware vSphere 4.1 operating system that allowed Exchange and SQL databases to be accessed by all users. LIMA Networks also fitted a NetApp FAS2040 as a primary storage device and a FAS2020 as a secondary device, which was located at the disaster recovery site. These devices made backups take minutes rather than hours, making Tensar Technologies more efficient, and helped to improve storage utilisation by up to 40 per cent.

“We worked closely with LIMA Networks who understood our business requirements,” said Steve Carroll. “I can now be confident a user in China who needs servicing can be helped, no matter what time it is in the UK; the flexibility and reliability of the new solution absolutely enables us to maintain service delivery 24×7.”

LIMA Networks has helped Tensar Technologies in upgrading its IT systems to a level that allows the company to get a much better grip on its services. To find out more about LIMA Networks, visit www.limanetworks.com now.

Via EPR Network
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Google To Move Underwater And Take Internet Surfers For A Dive, Says SEO Company SachaMango

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From September, the Catlin Seaview Survey, run by the University of Queensland in conjunction with insurers the Caitlin Group, will take to the water to conduct 360 degree panoramic filming of the greatest reef on earth, with Google making all 50,000 images available on Google Results, Google Earth and Google Maps through a new feature in Panaramio. There will also be a dedicated YouTube channel and live streams of the expedition team at work.

Professor Hoegh-Guldberg, Director of the Global Chane Institute and Chief Scientist on the project, said “The Catlin Seaview Survey comprises a series of studies which will reveal to the public one of the last frontiers on Earth: the oceans.

“For the first time in history, we have the technology to broadcast the findings and expedition through Google. Millions of people will be able to experience the life, the science and the magic that exists under the surface of our oceans. This project is very exciting.”

The survey will take place in three stages; a shallow reef survey of 20 sites across the2300km of the reef, a deep water survey using robots to depths of 30-100 metres, and finally a mega-fauna survey that will explore how green turtles, tiger sharks and manta rays migrate in response to ocean temperatures.

A spokesperson for SEO Company SachaMango Media, said: “This is a great example of how technology can be used to not only to help make ground-breaking research a reality, but also to educate and inspire the public to learn more about the underwater world around us. It forms an important link between scientific knowledge and public awareness, and gives people an opportunity to see rare sites that they might never get to see unless they actually visited Australia and went underwater themselves. The project will allow us all to go for a virtual dive without ever leaving the comfort of our own armchairs!

The survey is set to begin in September, although the project’s website already has some images from initial equipment testing and a demo of how the panaramio images will be viewed. However, there are already plans underway to document some of the most important oceans in the rest of the world.

“It’s no surprise that Google has got involved,” said the spokesperson.” As the biggest occupier of search space in the UK – some 93% – and with the features like Google Results, Earth and Maps already popular with the public, it makes sense they should be the partner of choice to develop the applications needed on its advanced platforms to view the incredible images that will come from the project.”

Via EPR Network
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FastVision Web Hosting Success

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FastVision the UK based hosting company in Cheltenham has been growing rapidly making it one of the fastest growing hosting companies in the UK. In its 10th year of Business FastVision has now not only won hosting awards but also the hearts of the customers. The great lengths that the customer service team and technical support guys have gone to is clear as FastVision has glowing reviews all over the internet when other Hosting providers seem to be struggling with negative reviews and even hate sites setup informing potential new customers about terrible experiences.

As with all business with company growth the most important factor of success is planning ahead and ensuring that the resources are available before the growth of clients and in the hosting environment this is far more important to get right than any other business.

Investment into hardware ensuring that the servers are running fast and load balancing clients across servers to keep the servers running optimal. Web services can be difficult to manage if the process is not controlled due to the nature of hosting as individuals or companies using shared hosting will be in control of uploading files that can potentially have problems. This is where most hosting companies fall over with failures to other clients due to one client doing something wrong.

Speaking with the Director of FastVision, he explained how his passion for success is fuelled by the glowing reviews and all the investment into new hardware, bespoke hosting software and data centre facilities has been a major part of the success story of FastVision as a business. He also explained that FastVision on a daily basis has people moving from other hosting providers to the FastVision network when the drop off of clients from FastVision is minimal and this gives a good indication that we are doing something right.

Customer service is something that every hosting company should invest in and yet the competitors appear to focus less on this, but this lack of customer care has helped with FastVision’s growth.

The FastVision network is one of the fastest hosting networks available in the shared and business hosting areas and this is something that FastVision work very hard to get right. The pricing structure is also one of the most competitive available with starter hosting at only £1.49 per month and this hosting package allows you to host unlimited websites within a single account, something no other hosting company can compete with.

The high end Business hosting is one of FastVision most popular accounts offer everything from 100,000 MB of web space and 200 IMAP / POP mail boxes with 400,000 MB of space for emails, 15 x MySQL Databases with 15,000 MB of storage space and to top it off the business hosting also comes with a FREE 2048 bit SSL certificate and all this for only £9.99 a month.

Dedicated server hosting and cloud hosting is something that FastVision are now pushing hard and it seems again that they have ticked all the boxes and the planning for the services before going live will make this a massive success.

For more information about the FastVision hosting services visit fastvision.com/Hosting.fvnx

FastVision are also starting to dominate the domain registrations of .co.uk domain names due to being selling domain names at the lowest prices available on the internet.

The domain name search checker page offers at a quick glance a list of all types of domains avaialble and registered.

Via EPR Network
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Increasing Numbers Of Pensioners Turn To Freelancing

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An increasing number of pensioners are turning to freelance work in order to boost their pension pots, according to research carried out by Future Foundation.

The study conducted for pension provider Friends Life suggests that enterprising pensioners take freelance jobs as consultants, set up as online traders and establish their own businesses, in order to supplement their retirement savings.

Researchers tagged the group ‘wearies’ (working, entrepreneurial and active retirees), saying that due to inadequate savings, by 2020 many people who are in their seventies will simply not be able to afford to completely give up work.

Martin Palmer, Head of Corporate Benefits Marketing at Friends Life, said: “Necessity is the mother of invention and ‘wearies’ will be among the most innovative and entrepreneurial contributors to the UK economy, despite their senior years.”

Just over half of the people surveyed who had already retired said they would be prepared to work part-time if it meant they could boost their pension pot, with three-quarters of those yet to retire saying they would be willing to do the same.

Unemployment could be set to rise further, potentially leading even more people to consider freelance work in the very near future. According to the Wall Street Journal, Adam Posen suggested in a speech at Nottingham Business School that hoarding of labour may have restricted productivity growth in certain sections of the UK economy, saying: “If market discipline hits the dawdlers, then most of the productivity puzzle goes away.”

However, Mr. Posen suggested that many of those made redundant would eventually find new work as the economy adjusts towards more productive industries. He also insisted that the financial crisis had not permanently damaged Britain’s economy, and that it could resume growth further down the line.

It’s thanks to the capabilities of the internet that continually aids freelancers in finding work, especially the many outsourcing websites. One outsourcing website in particular, called OutsourceMyProject, has seen a noticeable increase in the amount of freelancers bidding on the projects posted on the website, by many different companies.

Loren Holland, Managing Director of OutsourceMyProject said: ”The demand for freelance work is continually increasing. With over £1 million worth of projects posted on our site last year alone, freelancers of all ages are securing work everyday.”

He went on to say: “The service OutsourceMyProject provides is hassle-free and the ideal way for businesses to find the exact talent they are looking for. By choosing a quote that fits within their budget, businesses are able to increase their chances of surviving a recession by saving money at every opportunity, while freelancers are able to boost their income by putting their knowledge and skills to good use.”

OutsourceMyProject is a UK based platform that’s been created to open up the global market place for professional services across a wide range of sectors. To date, the concept of outsourcing professional services has been limited to large companies and organisations. However, OutsourceMyProject enables small and medium sized organisations, entrepreneurs and individuals to successfully outsource business both at home and abroad too.

Via EPR Network
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Findmypast.ie announces 1.2 million Irish Petty Session Records now searchable online

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findmypast.ie, the Irish family history website, has launched the Petty Sessions Order Books (1850-1910) online for the first time, one of the greatest untapped resources for those tracing their Irish roots.

The original Petty Sessions records are held at the National Archives of Ireland were scanned by Family Search and have now been transcribed and made fully searchable by findmypast.ie. They cover all types of cases, from allowing trespass of cattle to being drunk in charge of an ass and cart. These were the lowest courts in the country who dealt with the vast bulk of legal cases, both civil and criminal. This first batch of entries contains details of 1.2 million cases, with most records giving comprehensive details of the case including: name of complainant, name of defendant, names of witnesses, cause of complaint, details of the judgement, details of a fine if any, and details of a sentence passed down if any. Another 15 million cases are to follow throughout 2012.

This first batch of records is particularly useful for areas of the country for which family history records are notoriously sparse such as Connaught and Donegal.

The reasons for cases being brought before the Petty Sessions Court are incredibly varied, but unsurprisingly the most common offence was drunkenness, which accounted for over a third of all cases. The top five offences tried before the courts were:
Drunkenness – 33%
Revenue/Tax offences – 21%
Assault – 16%
Local acts of nuisance – 5%
Destruction of property – 4%

The nature of these cases was significantly different from those in England. Figures show that the rate of conviction for drunkenness was three times greater, four times greater for tax offences, 65% higher for assault, and twice as likely for “malicious and wilful destruction of property” than that of our nearest neighbours*.

The records are full of the minor incidents which are representative of the vast majority of cases which were brought before the Resident Magistrates. For example, Michael Downey of Athlone, Co. Westmeath was charged with being “drunk while in charge of an ass and cart in a public area” and Pat Curley of Cloonakilla, Co. Westmeath who was charged with causing “malicious injury to a bicycle”.

Brian Donovan, Director of findmypast.ie, commented: “These court records open up a unique window into Irish society in the 19th century. Most families interacted with the law in one way or another, being perpetrators or victims of petty crime, resolving civil disputes, to applying for a dog licence. The records are full of the trauma and tragedy of local life, as family members squabbled, shop keepers recovered debt, and the police imposed order. These records help fulfil our mission to provide more than just names and dates, to get to the stories of our ancestors’ lives.”

Via EPR Network
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Fasthosts Urges Small Firms To Work More Closely With Their Tech Suppliers

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Fasthosts has revealed that 48 per cent of firms regularly make substantial purchases of new technology without being certain they fully need them.

According to the new research from the UK web hosting provider, data from 788 UK small firms* found a huge divide in terms of success with using technology in the workplace. For 1 in 3 firms, implementing new business technology such as smartphones, notepads and computer software, has failed to improve efficiencies. Only 1 in 4 SMEs seeks advice from an IT professional. Furthermore, only 1 in 10 firms disappointed with a piece of technology has gone back to their technology supplier or IT advisor to ask for help. The study concludes that it is vital for businesses to plan technology investments properly, working with suppliers to ensure the correct systems are purchased to address the required needs. Firms can save money by evaluating their needs earlier in the process.

Fasthosts’ ‘Business Technology Audit’ found that too many firms today struggle with the way they buy and use technology for their work. Whilst the vast majority are upbeat about technology, many find success with new technology items to be rather hit-or-miss. A total of 35 per cent admit that their latest technology purchases have either led them to work longer hours or failed to impact their work efficiencies. Furthermore, only 41 per cent of respondents believe that staff find using technology to be enjoyable, and 1 in 5 firms employ staff who are frightened of receiving new technology. Some 48 per cent have indeed achieved more efficient or ‘smarter working’ through their use of technology.

Stephen Holford, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet Ltd, commented: “Busy business owners can struggle to find the time and advice needed to ensure all technology investments are well placed. A lacks approach to researching technology in relation to their needs can lead firms to waste money on solutions that simply do not perform”.

Alarmingly, only 11 per cent of UK small firms review whether a technology has worked well after every new piece is introduced. Only 1 in 10 disappointed with the impact a technology has made, has addressed this with either the supplier or IT advisor who provided it. Surprisingly, only 1 in 4 firms seek the advice of an IT professional before they make substantial investments in technology, a worrying trend which shows businesses should work with their suppliers before purchase to ensure they buy the right solution.

Holford added: “It is vital to plan technology investments properly, working with suppliers to ensure the correct systems are purchased to address the required needs. Knowledge is often the key, so contact suppliers to ask for advice, guidelines, case studies or examples of best-practice usage before an investment and on an on-going basis”.

Via EPR Network
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Stellar Phoenix releases SQL Recovery V4

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Software to repair severely damaged MS SQL server database that is now enhanced with upto 15% faster scanning engine.

Edison, NJ, February 22nd, 2012: Stellar Data Recovery a landmark for data recovery products and services today announced the release of Stellar Phoenix SQL Recovery version 4; software that repairs corrupt or damaged Microsoft SQL Server database (.mdf & .ndf) files in a safe and non-destructive manner. The new version is updated with features such as upto 15% faster scanning engine, improved support for SQL Server 2008 R2, full support for NDF Files and detailed preview.

“Database corruption is one of the biggest nightmares in the life of a Database administrator that can occur due scenarios like improper shutdown of SQL Server, sudden application exit or virus attack. It not only puts the data at risk, also threatens to take a toll on businesses and revenues. Stellar Phoenix SQL Recovery software is a complete solution that can deal with all possible instances of SQL Server failure and recovers the components from any damage either in .mdf or .ndf file.” said Mr. Sunil Chandna, CEO Stellar Data Recovery.

Stellar Phoenix SQL Recovery v4 uses powerful algorithms to perform thorough scan, gives an option of selective recovery, and repairs all your SQL Server Tables, Views, User Defined Functions, Stored Procedures, Triggers, Rules and Indexes. Additionally you can try the software available in a free download version to scan the damaged SQL databases and preview all the recoverable objects. Stellar Phoenix supports MS SQL Server 2008 R2, 2008, 2008*64, 2008 Express, 2005, 2005*64, Express, 2000, 2000*64, 7.0 and mixed formats.

Pricing and Availability

Stellar Phoenix SQL Recovery Version 4.0 is available for immediate download and is available at a starting price point of $349.

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Entrepreneurs get backing from both David Cameron and the Federation of Small Businesses

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A pressure group that aims to promote the interests of small businesses in the UK has launched a campaign designed to celebrate the country’s entrepreneurs.

The Federation of Small Business (FSB) has said it wants to celebrate “real life entrepreneurs” who take the risk of following an idea, start up on their own and work to grow a business. Starting last Monday, a roadshow commenced visiting various locations across England to provide advice and networking support to independent workers.

As part of the events, serial entrepreneur and regular Financial Times columnist Mike Southon will speak about the main themes of the FSB’s manifesto. Key areas include reducing and simplifying tax issues faced by small businesses, taking a new approach to regulation, and opening up export markets.

FSB Chairman John Walker wants to see an “atmosphere of entrepreneurship” created in the UK, allowing anyone with a good idea to potentially set up and run their own business. He said: “In short, turning a good idea into a business is one of the most positive acts an individual can perform for themselves and the community in which they live.”

In addition to the comments from the FSB, David Cameron has praised the spirit of entrepreneurs who are brave enough to follow their dreams to become freelance workers and start their own business.

Giving a speech last month in central London on responsible capitalism, the prime minister said that more than anything he admired “the bravery of those who turn their back on the security of a regular wage to follow their dreams and start a company”, adding that he believed the UK was “fizzing with business potential”.

He said: “When people take risks, with their own ideas, energy and money, when they succeed in a competitive market where anyone can come and knock them off their perch at any time, we should celebrate entrepreneurs who get rich in that way.”

Outsourcing to freelance workers is a concept that has made it possible for many entrepreneurs to successfully get their ideas off the ground and established as profitable businesses.

Loren Holland, Managing Director of OutsourceMyProject said: “Outsourcing is providing a welcome boost to the economy, especially for the many entrepreneurs and small businesses who would otherwise be struggling to access the skilled services they require at an affordable price.”

Official figures released last month revealed a significant increase in the number of people who have chosen to become self-employed and take on freelance projects. More than 100,000 people took on self-employed status during the period, taking the total number of independent workers in the UK up to 4.2 million, according to a report by the BBC.

A report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) yesterday said people from a much wider array of backgrounds and occupations had now turned to self-employment. However, Dr John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the CIPD, suggested many would move back to full-time employment if the jobs were available.

Loren Holland went on to say: “The freelance sector is booming at present, with a wealth of skilled and experienced workers available on flexible and affordable contracts. Entrepreneurs and start up businesses are tapping into the freelance market and this is clearly benefiting the economy”.

Via EPR Network
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Ikroh SEO Rank 6th Best Enterprise SEO Company In February 2012

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Ikroh SEO has once again ranked 6th on this month’s list of the best enterprise SEO companies. topseos release monthly rankings lists following rigorous evaluations, delivering a list of the best of the best internet marketing vendors working in the SEO industry in the United Kingdom.

“It is always a great honor for Ikroh SEO to be presented with such an acknowledgement. We hold topseos in high regard and being part of this ranking is an indication of our hard work and efforts,” said Daniel Wright, Managing Director.

Ikroh SEO has been included in this list for some time due to our consistent performance and the delivery of superior services to our clients. As always, this doesn’t mean Ikroh SEO are planning to stand still – they intend to continue to strive to be even better. The staff at Ikroh SEO prize customer service and want their clients to be happy with the services they receive as well as the way those services are delivered. Despite being the smallest company in the top ten, that definitely doesn’t reflect the size of Ikroh’s aspirations, so they have every intention of continuing to move up that list!

Via EPR Network
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Is A Double Dip Recession Around The Corner?

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The looming possibility of a double dip recession is likely to see more UK businesses striving to cut costs in 2012, with figures recently released by the Office for National Statistics suggesting the UK could be heading for its first double dip recession since 1975.

The British economy shrank by 0.2% during the three months to December and the Bank of England has warned that the private sector is planning job cuts. The accountancy firm Deloitte claimed that half of all chief financial officers in the UK see cutting costs as a priority over the next 12 months. The growing prospect of a double dip recession is set to cement this view, with more businesses taking a proactive approach by turning to freelancers and switching to outsourcing in an attempt to reduce overheads.

Chairman of the National Outsourcing Association, Martyn Hart, said recently that as well as the upfront cost savings, outsourcing jobs such as copywriting and web design to specialists allows firms to concentrate on their core business. “It is better to focus on things like customer satisfaction, outmaneuvering the competition and securing new business. Outsourcing frees up resources to be the best you can be, in the business you are truly in,” he said.

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls insisted Osborne should be blamed for putting the economy into reverse, saying: “Far from the eurozone crisis being to blame, it is only rising exports that kept us out of recession last year. By clobbering the economy with spending cuts and tax rises that go too far and too fast, the government has left us badly exposed if the eurozone crisis deepens this year.”

These poor economic growth figures have resulted in many businesses gearing up for a likely double dip recession, keen to cut unnecessary head count and overheads. Many companies are achieving this through outsourcing particular business functions to freelancers, who charge a far lower price when compared with what can be found on the high street or through employing an internal resource.

There are several online outsourcing marketplaces that offer a hassle free outsourcing service, where freelancers can sign up and offer their services to companies who post details of the work they need completing.

Helping businesses to be more robust against the looming recession, OutsourceMyProject is an example of an outsourcing website that is reaping the benefits of the outsourcing boom, with over £1 million worth of projects posted in the past twelve months.

Loren Holland, Managing Director of OutsourceMyProject said: “We have seen a significant increase in the number of companies taking proactive measures in preparation for another recession.”

He went on to say: “The service Outsource My Project provides is hassle-free and the ideal way for businesses to find the perfect freelance worker to outsource their business functions too.”

Via EPR Network
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New Player in the Market Will Compete with LinkedIn

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Rumors have abounded about Masterseek.com’s professional profile site’s imminent introduction to the World Wide Web. Still under development, it boasts the world’s largest business database with over 145 million personal professional profiles from around the world—that’s more than LinkedIn which is currently estimated to have just over 125 million professional profiles.

What makes Masterseek’s profile database so competitive?
Masterseek is already the largest B2B search engine, with 40 million more businesses listed than the nearest competitor and growing at a faster pace. Masterseek.com’s service is free, like most similar databases. Where it differes is in its ability to allow businesses full control over their profile. In addition the actual search functions are more intuitve, with more accurate local results or global results if that is the user’s search preference.

This is what has attracted so many businesses, and so many professionals to the website. Upon launch Masterseek.com’s professional profile section is fully expected to perform as well as the business search portion of the site. It seems to be the natural evolution of a business search engine, that it should incorporate professional profiles as well. However other sites have not done so, at least not to this degree. There in lies the power of Masterseek, and why it is expected to replace LinkedIn at some point in the near future.

How will Masterseek’s professional profiles work?
Currently it is very similar to LinkedIn it looks like. As of now the primary difference is in the numbers. Masterseek already has more, and if past growth is any evidence it will soon be one of the new places to search for professionals. Masterseek’s site is also free and it gives users control over their own profile. It is expected to use Masterseek’s primary search engine application from the business listing side of the site. If so expect it to have faster, more complete, more specific and more accurate search functionality both locally or for any specified geographic search.

We got a hold of Masterseek President Rasmus Refer who preferred not to comment on current plans,

“We are working on many new activities with the objective to become the largest global provider of business information, but cannot tell you more about our plans right now” –Rasmus Refer

Despite details being kept close to the vest, we have dug up a number of key points:

• Masterseek will have more profiles right off the bat as mentioned, 145M to LinkedIn’s 125M.
• It will use a different search platform, if it is the same as the Business Listings section it will be faster, more accurate and more comprehensive locally and globally.
• Listings will be 100% free.
• Those making a profile will have as much or more control to share information than those using LinkedIn.

Via EPR Network
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Translation Services Predictions in 2012

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As we welcome the New Year, tis become the season for predictions! Hence our predictions on how 2012 will impact the translation services industry to keep you in anticipation of how the year will unfold. Here they are…

  1. As broadband continues its relentless expansion around the world and as PayPal and Skrill become available to citizens of all nations, the world will become flatter in 2012 and a larger pool of translators will awake to the handiness of hard-currency-paying-jobs from translation service vendors, expanding the supply of capable professional translators to all. This will apply downward price pressure on translation rates for certain languages.
  2. Online translation services performed by low cost human translators, hailed from different parts of the world, and assisted by machine translation, are proliferating on the web. In 2011, we often heard of new start ups getting multimillion dollar funding to offer translation services at very low rates. These announcements will continue in 2012 possibly contributing to further erosion in translation rates as professional translation consumers experiment with these new and very price enticing offerings.
  3. Improvements with online translation management systems, translation memory technology and collaboration will continue in 2012 creating further efficiencies in the market and improving quality. These efficiencies will contribute to the lowering of the overhead involved in the management of translation.
  4. On the other hand, the world’s population reached 7 Billion in 2011. If 10% of people on earth fund only one page of professional translation per year each, this will put the professional translation services market around $35B, in line with industry estimates. Now granted there are many factors involved in determining the market size, however one can safely assume that a growing diverse world population will continue to need to communicate and assimilate as the world gets flatter.
  5. With the start of 2012, there are still lingering questions about the survival of the Euro Zone as we know it today. This is creating uncertainty and affecting markets and industries worldwide. What is certain however is that all European countries will retain their diversities, including their various languages and cultures, if not the Euro! As economic turmoil is expected to continue in 2012 while Europe equivocates on its future, translation services will not cease to be needed to either further assimilate or facilitate the secession of EU nations.
  6. The US fragile recovery lingered in 2011 and may continue to linger in 2012 as US presidential elections get under way. American companies that have survived this fragile economy have not only become lean, but also learned to hedge their bets by being active in many other parts of the world. 2012 will not be a year where American companies will retreat worldwide, despite shifting growth rates around the world. New opportunities in new frontiers will require further investments in product localization and international sales, hence more translation services!
  7. Industries depending heavily on quality and service, like medical translation, will continue to rely on traditional professional translation services, further funding the development of language technologies that will help streamline the service.
  8. Based on the above indicators, we predict that the needs for professional translation services will continue to gradually grow in 2012. Advances in technologies and services will make an evolutionary impact not large enough to disrupt the industry and its positive growth trends.
  9. Lastly, although I have much respect and admiration for the Mayan civilization and historic accomplishments in the realms of mathematics and astronomy, the world as we know it today will not end in 2012. But if they are right and it does end on December 21, well, I guess this posting would have served its purpose for 98% of the year…
APIs, Apps, B2b, Internet, ISPs, Software, Web, Web 2.0

Results Are In: Revel Systems’ David and Goliath Story Continues

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On January 31, 2012 Revel Systems was officially announced as the winner of the Business iPad App of the Year Award. This weekend at Macworld | iWorld, it was clear early on that the Best Business iPad App awards came down to two remarkable companies: Square, led by Jack Dorsey, and Revel Systems, led by female entrepreneur Lisa Falzone. Both of the nominees were a hit with the crowd, and both were in the payment industry, which is the fastest-moving market for iPad apps. Even though voters were presented with an impressive field of nominees, the battle was clearly dominated by these two competitors.

While competition was fierce between Square and Revel, here’s a breakdown of the vote: First of all, users chose Revel Systems as the most useful business iPad app. Revel was also found to help with a wider array of business functions, with seven to Square’s four. Square was found to have over 100,000 users, while Revel Systems has fewer than 100,000. As far as which offers the simplest user interface, both companies were tied. Finally, users chose Revel Systems as the company with the best customer support.

In the end, Macworld users declared Revel Systems iPad POS the winner. Lisa Falzone, CEO and co-founder of Revel Systems, told iPad Biz Apps today that “Revel is honored to have won such an award, and thanks all of the voters at Macworld | iWorld for voting for them.” A wide range of powerful apps were represented, but Revel’s sophisticated level of functionality and wide range of applications led to its selection as the best iPad business app.

Even though Square has been nominated for a Crunchies award, and has over 100,000 customers, users found that it only supplies a payment app. On the other hand, Revel Systems offers a fully functional Point of Sale system to manage every task that store owners encounter on a daily basis. This can explain why Revel has landed deals with many heavy-hitters like Popeye’s Chicken in Georgia (popeyes.com), Illy Coffee in San Francisco (illy.com), U-sushi in San Francisco (u-sushi.com), Camille’s Sidewalk Café in Oklahoma (www.camillescafe.com), and other big franchises. On the other hand, Square’s clientele is largely restricted to businesses that only require a few simple operations, including farmers’ markets, taxi cabs, and street vendors.

Now that the competition is over, Ms. Falzone is back to leading Revel Systems to the top of the Point of Sale marketplace. She has raised $3.7 million in her “A” round of funding last year and is gearing up for her “B” round. The recent victory of Revel Systems has cemented Ms. Falzone’s place among today’s top women entrepreneurs, and she looks forward to the future of what Revel Systems will accomplish. Moving forward, the company hopes to facilitate growth through its open API, which allows all companies to integrate into Revel—creating new opportunities for local commerce to thrive into the future.

Via EPR Network
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Earning a self employed income is easier than you think…

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With an increase in UK unemployment figures last week, it is good to know that as a counter measure the number of self-employed workers is on the increase, showing the determination of those who are unemployed to survive, while also illustrating the fact that earning an income is easier than most people think.

With many companies increasingly having to cut fixed headcount numbers through redundancies, many of those who find themselves unemployed are seeking out their own work, opting for self-employment and freelancing instead.

Official figures released last week by the Office for National Statistics revealed a significant increase in the number of people who have chosen to become self-employed and take on freelance projects over the past few months; more than 100,000 people took on self-employed status during this period of time, taking the total number of independent workers in the UK to 4.2 million, according to a report by the BBC.

A separate report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also stated that people from a much wider array of backgrounds and occupations had now turned to self-employment than in previous years.

Online marketplaces allow freelancers to sign up and search for work, which is advertised by companies seeking to outsource business functions to freelancers rather than employee fixed in-house teams. Last year was a particularly buoyant year for freelance marketplaces, as both the demand for freelance services increased , as companies look for flexible staffing solutions, coupled with an increase in the supply of freelancers operating within the UK.

Outsourcing business functions to freelancers has been a lifesaver for many companies in 2011, with this trend towards outsourcing looking likely to continue in 2012.

One outsourcing website in particular that has reaped the benefits of this increase in demand is OutsourceMyProject. With over £1 million worth of projects posted onto the site over the past 12 months, the business is looking forward to what 2012 will bring for them.

Loren Holland, Managing Director of Outsource My Project said: “We are expecting the demand for freelance staff to continue increasing this year, as companies continue to cut fixed overheads and permanent staff numbers, and instead turn to outsourcing business functions to more flexible freelance professionals.”

“OutsourceMyProject offers the perfect marketplace for freelancers and businesses to connect. Businesses looking to find a freelancer or outsource business functions simply advertise their project, which becomes visible to the thousands of freelancers registered on our site who then submit their proposals to win the work.”

Further figures released last week by the Office for National Statistics showed that unemployment has continued to increase, especially in the three months to November, where it reached a total of 2.7 million.

The UK’s unemployment rate stood at 8.4% of the economically active population by the start of November, up 0.3% during the quarter and the highest its been since 1995.

The number of jobless young people between the ages of 16 and 24 also hit another record high, with there now being over 1 million people in this age group out of work.

Via EPR Network
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Increasing interest in mobile app development

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The New Year has already brought about a noticeable increase in companies exploring the world of mobile app development, which is becoming an ever increasing way businesses connect with their customers.

This growing popularity of smartphones, and Android devices in particular, is undeniable, with data released last week by US web analytics firm Chitika Analytics revealing that in North America Android devices overtook Apple iOS handsets when it came to mobile web browsing, and is therefore one of the most popular operating systems that people buy into.

Ever since the very first smartphone came into the marketplace, there has always been criticism over the lack of available apps. However, with the mobile app development industry growing and technology ever-advancing, more apps are being launched with every coming week. Companies are now being forced to wonder what benefits they can reap by launching their own app.

The amount of interest developers have had in relation to mobile apps over the last few months is also as a result of an increasing number of businesses investing in new tablet computers. A new survey has recently claimed that it is not just personal use which is fueling the tablet market, as more companies than ever before will invest in several tablet devices for their workplace during 2012.

According to the NPD Group, 73% of companies in America with less than 1,000 employees plan to buy tablet computers over the next few months, showing that it’s not only large organisations investing in such devices. A significant amount of companies have also spoken of their want to invest in iPads in particular.

Not only is this level of interest keeping developers who specialise in mobile app development busy, but it’s also creating a significant amount of additional jobs for freelance developers. This, coupled with the fact that more and more smartphones running the Android operating system are being launched, things look set to only get busier.

Loren Holland, Managing Director of OutsourceMyProject, a marketplace helping UK customers find a freelancer (e.g. freelance web designers and freelance graphic designers), said: “We have witnessed a significant increase in the number of projects being posted on our outsourcing website by those wanting a mobile app for their business. Furthermore, there has been a similar increase in freelancers registering to offer their mobile app development services. This is certainly a growing market and a mobile app is something every business should be considering for the near future.”

With the workloads of app developers likely to increase throughout the year, it’s no surprise that both developers in this market are getting their very own industry body. The idea for a dedicated industry body is being led by Jon Potter, the former executive director of the Digital Media Association. According to a report by Info World, the aim is to establish an organization that can lobby on behalf of app developers, promoting their interests, while at the same time increasing collaboration, improving education and providing shared product-testing facilities.

Jon Potter, the former Executive Director of the Digital Media Association is leading the idea and said: “Our thought now is that there’s an interesting space in the application developer community that isn’t really organised. We’re going to be at the meetups all around the country, we’re going to be at conferences, we’re going to be talking to folks, we’re going to be polling people.”

Via EPR Network
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Is 2012 set to be a bumper year for outsourcing?

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With the New Year upon us, many companies are now looking at their business processes in order to assess what they can change in 2012. With companies continuing to struggle amidst a challenging economic climate, many are likely to dramatically change how their company operates this year, with outsourcing likely to become the preserve of many businesses attempting to rationalise their cost base.

Last year was a record year for companies operating in the outsourcing sector, with a huge number of businesses looking into the concept in an attempt to cut fixed costs and become more flexible. With the ability to drastically reduce fixed overheads whilst maintaining business operations without interruption and providing access to skilled staff, outsourcing has been a lifesaver for many in 2011, which is why the new year is likely to bring a further uplift in demand for outsourcing services; not only in the UK but overseas too.

In a recent survey conducted by dictate2us, a dictation and transcription service, it was found that 62% of companies plan to outsource administrative jobs this year, to cut the costs of overheads. Chief Executive of dictate2us, Daryl Leigh said :“Many of the administrative tasks typically undertaken by secretaries are necessary but incredibly time consuming. For that reason, it’s important that business owners look objectively at their organisation to question whether outmoded methods of operation are still relevant.”

It is thought that the increased interest companies have in relation to outsourcing is due to the many small business that continue to struggle to find employees with the necessary skills. Research carried out by the Federation of small Businesses (FSB) found that 27% of start up companies struggle to find qualified and skilled staff.

Outsourcing was also a hot topic in the news last year, and this trend appears to continuing in 2012. In one article in particular, published in the Daily Mail, John Neilson, Managing Director of NHS Shared Business Services, has urged the NHS to outsource more of its call centres to India, to further cut costs; a predicted saving of £20 billion by 2014. With articles such as these featuring in various different publications on a daily basis, it is no wonder that more companies are wanting to know what is to be gained through outsourcing, with there being more of a demand for outsourcing companies than there has ever been before.

One outsourcing website in particular that has reaped the benefits of the increase in outsourcing is OutsourceMyProject. With over £1 million worth of projects posted onto the site in 2011, the business is looking forward to what 2012 brings. Loren Holland, Managing Director of OutsourceMyProject said: “Over the course of last year we witnessed a drastic increase in the number of small and SME companies looking to outsource their business functions to professional and freelance experts. Smaller businesses are now waking up to outsourcing, which historically has been viewed as the preserve of only large organizations. The principal benefits of outsourcing are twofold; cutting down fixed cost overheads and accessing skilled services which may not be available in-house.”

About OutsourceMyProject:
Established in January 2011, OutsourceMyProject.com aims to bring together organisations and individuals looking to outsource business functions or projects with freelance providers of professional services. Following the website launch, more than 10,000 providers, including freelance web designers, legal specialists, freelance editing professionals and copywriters have registered with OutsourceMyProject.com to bid on over £1 million worth of freelance work.

Via EPR Network
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The Google Homepage Redesign Explained

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QueryClick advise users on the recent changes to the Google homepage as part of its ongoing revamp.

Google has unveiled a new look for its homepage in what is being described as one of the firms ‘biggest changes to date of its homepage’. The revamp, which has been rolled out to a few selected users, has been designed to showcase all of Google’s other products to users – without having taking up too much of the homepage.

Christopher Liversidge, Managing Director of QueryClick explains: “The revamp of Google’s homepage is something that’s been around for a few weeks, and essentially it has been created in order to streamline and ‘tidy up’ Google’s homepage. Currently a user may see the ‘revamp strip’ along the top of the Google homepage, and when this strip is clicked, it reveals seven different Google products, such as Maps, YouTube, Images and Google+ to the user, with the option to reveal another eight related topics, including Calendar, Translate and Reader.”

This revamp, which Google has explained has been created in order to promote all of Google’s services to users in the most accessible and tidiest way possible, unlike some of the other search engines available, such as Yahoo’s infamously ‘busy’ design. Users will also be able to navigate to certain Google services much more easily as this redesign means a maximum of two clicks is all that is needed for a user to move from the homepage to another Google page, such as News or YouTube.

Christopher continues: “The Google homepage had undergone various redesigns since 1998, but the homepage has always stuck to the original format, that is the Google logo, the search bar and the list of all Google’s other services. However, this is the first time that Google has moved away from this design, and it;s very likely that these changes will have come about because of user feedback and case studies, and at QueryClick we know how important SEO case studies are to the search industry, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how this redesign will be received by users.”

Via EPR Network
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Beyonce’s Baby Bump, Justin Bieber and Tigerblood: What the World Tweeted in 2011

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A recent industry survey has revealed the most popular subjects for Twitter users last year, but what does this mean for 2012, ask QueryClick.

With 2012 just beginning, new online industry figures have revealed the topics that dominated Twitter throughout 2011 – and the results are rather surprising. The results, which were put into an infographic by the financial advice website, FrugalDad have revealed that 2011 was truly the year of the celebrity on Twitter, with events such as the singer Beyonce Knowles announcing her pregnancy at the MTV Music Awards generating an incredible 8,696 tweets per second.

Christopher Liversidge, Managing Director of the UK SEO agency, QueryClick comments: “2011 really was a very interesting year for Twitter, as a number of breaking news stories, such as the Japanese tsunami in March and the revolution in Egypt, were widely reported on using Twitter,in fact the hashtag #Egypt was the most used hashtag last year. However, celebrities dominated Twitter throughout most of 2011, with Justin Bieber’s tweets being the most retweeted, with 5 million retweets on average, compared to Barack Obama’s tweets receiving an average of 250,000 retweets.”

In terms of celebrities and Twitter, 2011 was the year that Charlie Sheen joined the social networking site, and broke the record for the fastest time to reach 1 million followers, as after joining on the 1st of March, Sheen hit an impressive 1.2 million followers in a mere 25 hours and 17 minutes. The second most popular hashtag of the year was Sheen’s infamous #tigerblood catchphrase, which was closely followed by the #Japan hashtag.

Christopher continues: “While last year was a very interesting year in terms of politics, international events and revolutions, it would appear that users are still using Twitter to follow their favourite celebrities. While this is probably one of the best ways to find out what famous people are doing, and stay on top of all the breaking gossip, it’s also a great tool for breaking news stories and other big events. Last year was a very important year for the social network, and while it has been dominated by famous names, we at QueryClick believe that in 2012 Twitter will be seen as a more reliable news source for users, and that it will will help them find out about important world events, which is a great use of this unique social network.”

Via EPR Network
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