Member Blog

The number of cyber crimes targeting businesses has soared over the last few years. According to a cyber security survey, in 2018, almost half of UK businesses fell victim to cyber attacks and security breaches. This growing uneasiness of having company assets so vulnerable to being leaked, held hostage and outright stolen within seconds has encouraged many firms to proactively seek security measures to protect themselves. That said, the best way to figure out how a hacker might attack is to think like one- this is what an ethical hacker does.

The term “ethical hacker” might sound like an oxymoron. After all, when one thinks of a hacker, the image that our mind creates is of a guy in a black hoodie, sitting in front of a computer, weaving his next sinister game plan to steal our information and cause cyber terror. But an ethical hacker is the “good guy” who predicts and kills the plan-of-attack cooked up by the malicious hacker before it gets a chance to do harm.

Ethical hackers, or pen-testers like the ones at Fidus Infosec, are certified security professionals who simulate the strategies and attacks used by malicious hackers to gain unauthorised access to computer systems and applications. Being aware of these security vulnerabilities gives you the opportunity for repair so that your systems don’t stand a chance to be penetrated.

Your Current IT Security Measures May Not be Hacker-Proof

Your company might already have well-intended precautionary measures in place to safeguard your IT infrastructure against cyber attacks. But, these measures can still hold weak spots that you are unaware of. An ethical hacker can evaluate these measures, assess their efficacy, test their penetrability, and hand you invaluable data which you can use to make informed security decisions.

You Can Afford an Ethical Hacker But Not a Cyber Crime

Depending on the size of your business, cyber crime can cost your firm anywhere from thousands to millions of pounds. Your business reputation will also be in jeopardy, and the harm resulting from certain breaches may be irreversible. Having an ethical hacker scan your system for attack vectors and plug these vulnerabilities from being exploited will ensure that you never have to see a loss in hands of a cyber criminal.

Prevent Breaches With an Informed Workforce

Little, unintended, actions spark big movement…or breaches! While many threats can be countered with intelligent technology, breaches, hacks and attacks can still be ushered in by employees, who may not be aware of the best practices to follow when using your company’s network. For example, leaving laptops unattended in a public place can put your company’s sensitive data at risk of being leaked. Ethical hackers can prevent cases like these by fostering the importance of cyber security through awareness and education.

New Technology Brings New Vulnerabilities

Technology evolves fast, and agile businesses quickly adopt new innovations to optimise their day-to-day operations. These new innovations though might be brimming with vulnerabilities. For example, research shows that more than half of UK businesses still can’t detect IoT related security breach. Ethical hackers are always up to date with the latest technology and its potential flaws, and they are also aware of how these flaws can be exploited. This knowledge can be used to safeguard your systems against attacks by developing better security measures while keeping these vulnerabilities in mind.

Ethical hackers help you play better offence against cyber criminals. With attacks becoming more sophisticated, hiring them has become a necessity to protect businesses from getting tarnished or defunct.

The online slot gaming industry has already proven itself to be a massive revenue generator for the entire world economy. To back this up, recent studies reveal that slot games account for almost 70% of all the activity in virtually all online casinos. It is imperative now more than ever to try and understand casino slot players and the games that they play. In this article, we will investigate the overall behavior of free slots no download gamers. Some of the things we will investigate include the things that influence slot gamers choices, their attitude towards progressive slot machines, and the influence of game themes on players.

Most people prefer slots over any other form of gambling

Prior to the internet age, the most common form of gambling was to play the lottery. This remains popular today, and millions across the United States and around the world bet on the Mega Millions every week, tempted by the immense jackpots on offer. However, lottery-style games have now been joined by an ever-growing range of slots and table games at online casinos.

Online casinos did not exist a decade ago. Even in this era, land-based slot machines still dominated over 70% of the gambling activity on any land-casino floor. A 2011 report from the American Gaming Association showed that there were over 854000 slots in only 39 states of America. Even more interesting, 84680 of these were stationed on non-casino venues.

The land casino boom period is now long gone. Innovation and technology have led to the emergence of online-based slot machines. Unlike the non-sophisticated oldies, the online slot machines feature a more interactive game concept, graphics, and more detail. As you would expect, slot fanatics love the new, sophisticated online slot machines even more.

It’s being done for the first time!

As the online slots gambling industry continues to grow, more research has been subjected to it now more than ever. However, very little research investigating the segmentation of online slot players has been done. Most research has been carried out by individual casinos who only attempt to classify their audiences according to the slot game titles that they play. Even so, this data is not shared with third parties out of privacy concerns.

For the first time, we will try to analyze the demographics, motivation, & behavior of online slot machine players, why they choose certain games over others, their perception of progressive jackpot slots, and the influence of game themes on slot players. This will be made possible by analyzing the casino environment itself, individual players’ personality traits, gambling motivation, and the effects (problem gambling).

Effect of personality traits on slots gambling

A study carried out earlier on land-based slot machines proved that all slot players are not the same. Each player has his/her own personality traits that directly influence the slots playing session. The study revealed some quite interesting facts that might still apply to the current online slots world.

The study revealed that there was more innate action in the players than just the lever pulling action. Based on comparison with players who preferred other forms of gambling such as cards and sports, it was clear that slot players were less competitive and not primarily motivated by basic needs. Instead, they were motivated more by upper-hierarchy material needs driven by impulsiveness.

Based on Cattel’s 16 personality theory it was concluded that slot players interacted more with the gaming session than the rest of the players. The motivation behind this was plainly the need to change their lives through the winnings rather than just make something little to get by.

To further prove this claim, data collected from observation showed that slot players were mostly low-income earners.

In the online slots dimension, slots’ gambling is not any different. Online slots give more reason for players to engage in the sport due to the privacy, flexibility, and better gaming experience that comes with it. This is in addition to the fact that online slot players have more to worry about rather than just pulling the lever.

Unlike traditional slot machines that were based more on the random generation of numbers, modern slots are based on skill to some extent. This means that the players are likely to be more fixated on mastering their skills so that they can make more winnings.

Effect of the casino environment on slots gambling

Several researchers have attempted to analyze the effect of the casino environment on the slots players. Several of these researchers who based their research on land-based slots found out that the slot games sounds, the theme, lighting, noise, and availability of fresh air had a direct effect on the casino player. Those casinos with likable atmospheric elements attracted more visitors than those that did not. This is because the players were more likely to visit the casino again and also probably put in a positive recommendation of the casino to their friends and family.

This also applies to the online slots industry that has seen a larger fan-base than land casino slots. This is because the online slots can be played from anywhere meaning that the player can choose his/her own level of comfort.

Problem Gambling

Online slots are superior in terms of components such as graphics and the concept of play than the land-based slots. The higher level of entertainment has led to higher rates of problem gambling than ever.

In fact, recent studies prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the high incidence of problem gambling is directly attributable to the growing advancement in slot machines, made possible by the online slot revolution. Although other studies suggest otherwise, the majority of them indicate that some machines are indeed responsible for slot machine addiction.

To further discredit the work of those who believe otherwise, other studies have been able to prove that:

·         Exciting casino game music encourages most players to keep on playing even after they lose a substantial amount of money

·         A near win illusion created by the game encourages the player to have another go

·         Irrational thinking. Majority of players, especially the poverty-stricken, are influenced by certain factors to keep on gambling even if they keep losing. A good example is when a player personifies a slot machine, usually observed when the player talks to or bangs on the device being used to play the slot. This trait was observed more in high rollers (those who bet huge amounts of cash)

All in all, not all the gamblers have reported cases of problem gambling. The effect of slot features such as higher volatility, wins, and more pay lines on the slot player can, however, not be undermined.

Slot Gambling Motivation

In the past, very little research has been done to investigate the factors motivating slot players. This is despite the fact that several studies have revealed that slot players are more motivated to participate in their sport than the players in other categories. A study carried out in 2005, for instance, revealed that slot players scored higher in motivation parameters such as stimulation, prestige, and relief after playing the games.

Another recent study carried out in 2009 revealed that slot players had more solid motivation factors other than money. These factors included a search for happiness, escape from daily stress & pressures, and low self-esteem.  All the studies seemed to agree on one thing, though, happiness was the most sought after motivating factor for the slot players. Other motivators for more experienced slot players included things such as recovering money lost in previous bets.

Some people prefer table games over slot games. Why?

In some jurisdictions such as China, table games are more prevalent than slot games. This is quite contradicting as you would expect the norm to apply everywhere around the world.

For most of these jurisdictions, this choice is mostly influenced by cultural beliefs which must, without a doubt, be respected. According to a recent study carried out in one of the casinos in China, the residents view gambling more as a business opportunity rather than just entertainment. This is in the sense that the winning odds are higher in table games and the fact that table games present more interaction opportunities with other people. In that way, the residents believe that they might make more money and also get a chance to network with influential businesses people. Slots, on the other hand, are a solitary affair and does not provide for such opportunities.

Thanks to this research in China, Macau specifically, more reasons as to why people are motivated to play slot games were revealed. While table game players were more oriented to the business during their playing sessions, slot players had other goals such as killing time, winning, happiness, relief from pressure, or simply just trying out the slot game.

How Do We Segment gamblers?

Previous studies have all attempted to classify gamblers in general rather than slot players only. This is despite the fact that online slot players constitute the larger majority of all the gamblers combined. The importance of all these previous studies can, however, not be underestimated because they have provided a basis for the segmentation of online slot players.

One such study compared the behavior of staunch gamblers to those who do not gamble at all. Their specific demographic revealed quite some interesting facts when their attitude towards escorted group tours was analyzed. It was revealed that the gamblers were more motivated to participate in the group tours more so because of the gambling aspect of the tour. Behavior wiser, the gamblers also spent less time planning for the tour and it was observed that the group consisted more of old participants.

The study was concluded by segmenting players into four major groups which include:

·         High centrality gambling

For these players, playing casino games was a major part of their lives

·         High-enjoyment gambling

For these players, the entertainment part of casino gaming was very important for them

·         High self-expression gambling

Gambling for this category of players was more of an identity activity. It was a way of being oneself and doing what they enjoy doing most.

·         Low gambling involvement

These players had little interest in gambling activities.

As good as the classification was, it only attempted to classify gamblers in general. For the first time, we will apply a research methodology aimed at segmenting the online slot players.

Segmenting online slot players

Investigating individual players is imperative when you want to understand free slot game players.  For this reason, internet-based methods such as online questionnaires must be employed. Most importantly, the sample used must represent online slot players on a global scale.

Having met all these conditions with our methodology, we have some quite interesting facts for you. Also important to mention, the data collected was backed up by previous studies that prove that the behavior of online slot players remains consistent for a very long period of time.

Questions used to segment the slot players

Questions used to segment the players were separated into three parts. The first section consisted of general questions such as what type of game was played, for how long, and how much they gambled. Section two delved deeper by asking questions such as what effect free slot features had on their gaming choice, if the game theme was important, and their general perception of progressive slots. The last section focused on demographics such as age, gender, level of education, marital status, and income.

Results

General demographics

Our study revealed that 52% of the respondents were female and mean & median age of 55 and 56 years old respectively. The largest group, falling between 55 and 64 years took up 39% of all the respondents. Older respondents consisted of 16% of the respondents.

72% of the respondents were married. Singles accounted only for 11.9% of the population under study.

Education wise, 21% had a high school diploma or its equivalent. 40.4% had a college/associates degree and 38.6% had a 4-year university degree.  

More than 88% of the population had their own homes.

Slots gambling behavior

Among the free slot players, 58% of them were more oriented to playing video slots. 41%, on the other hand, played reel slots.

The most popular denomination that was wagered was 25 cents (39% of respondents). 21.9% of them wagered at least a dollar while 19.4% of the population wagered 5 cents more frequently.

More than 60% of the respondents also held that they would prefer lesser, frequent winnings to large infrequent payouts.

Period Length and frequency

77.5% of the respondents spent 1-6 hours playing their favorite free slot. Frequency wise, free slot players were categorized into three main categories which were heavy (at least once a week), medium (once or twice a month), and light (four times a year). 22% of the players fell in the heavy frequency category, 44.7% in the medium category, and 33.5% of the responders in the light frequency category.

This section also revealed that more players preferred games with the denominations that they wanted to play & within one’s budget, those that had better chances of winning, those that didn’t require the player to break a budget to enter the bonus round, and those that were fun to play.

Progressive Jackpot Machines

In this type of slot machines, a percentage of each player’s wage contributes to a prize pool hosted from several machines or even multiple casinos.  Among the respondents, only 33% of them played progressive slot games. 6.6% of them couldn’t really answer yes or no while 60.2% responded with a big NO.

Among those who played the progressive games, 56.3% of them admitted that their choice was influenced by both the size of the jackpot and how much that they were winning on each session. 54.2% of them preferred the progressive sessions with a starting prize pool of at least $20000.

68.9% also admitted that the participating denomination also mattered with 36% of the respondents preferring 25 cents, 25.3% preferring 1 cent, 17.3% preferring 5 cents, and 9.3% preferring a dollar.

Effect of the game theme

18.9% of the respondents thought that the theme was a very important component of the slot game. 56.8% of these would prefer a movie-based theme, 60.8% a show gamed theme, and the rest, a board theme.

Free slots cluster groups based on sets of variables

Based on our research, free slot gamblers fall under 5 factors which are:

1.               Ego-driven free slot players

For these players, the reason for playing free slots was mostly ego-driven. This means that they only did so not out of their own motive but for how other people see them. A show off of playing skills would be very common with this type of players. It basically represents the self as well as the inspirational motivations for gaming.

2.               Learning/Evaluating

Players here feel that learning new skills and assessing one’s ability to master them is very important. This represents the need to deeply rationalize an experience with the purpose of obtaining new knowledge as well as evaluating one’s learning capabilities.

3.               Relaxation

This factor described those free slot players with a need for tension relief or an escape from stressing reality.  It represents the hedonic need for “escape” or just relaxation.

4.               Financial awards players

These players played primarily for the financial benefit that comes with it.

5.               Excitement

Players here are just looking for a form of entertainment when playing free slots. It represents a desire for excitement.

Cluster analysis of free slot players

This approach uses the five factors above, as well as the preference, demographic, and behavioral data obtained.

Using factor-cluster segmentation, the respondents were classified into four distinct groups. Let us look at the characteristics of each:

Cluster 1: Utilitarian

This is the smallest group taking up only 19.8% of the sample. It the oldest group of people with the highest household income. The high percentage of light gamblers (18.3%) indicates that utilitarians may be motivated by other factors such as kill time and socialization.

Players in cluster 1  prefer slot machines with the denomination that they want to play, do not care about the theme of the machine, and also do not care if it is a progressive machine or not.

Cluster 2: Excitement

This is the largest group taking up 27.5% of the sample. Females dominate the cluster (58.95%) with 21% of them being under the age of 45. The group has the lowest percentage of heavy gamblers (19.3%).

Players here prefer bets within their budget, do not care about the theme, play less often than the other clusters, and over half of them do not play progressive slots. They, however, have higher income and spend more than all the other clusters

Cluster 3: Multipurpose

They constitute 27.1% of the sample. It is dominated by males (55.1%), has the lowest reported income, and has the highest percentage of high gamblers.

Players here prefer games that they like to play, those with high chances of winning, and those with bets that are within their budget. They also do not care about the theme of the game and a larger percentage of them do not play progressives (61%)

Cluster 4: Relaxation

They constitute 25.5% of the population. There are more males (51.5%) than females. The majority enjoy dollar machines (22%).

Plays prefer games that they enjoy playing and those that have the denominations that they want to play.

Summary

The typical free slot player is more likely to be a female between 55 and 60 years old, has a college education, and a homeowner with a household income of more than $50000. The majority of the players are also medium to light players.

The most important factors influencing a players choice of a slot game was the available denominations, fun-level, winning chances, the bet size, and the amount required to enter the bonus round. Only 33% of the respondents showed interest in playing progressive machines. The decision of 56.3% of these players was influenced by the amount being contested for and the frequency of wins during the game session.

The four-cluster segmentation proves that the free slot market is non-homogenous. Each slot player is different in terms of the motivating factors which places each free slot game player in one of the clusters.

Whatever the industry you are in, it is likely that technological developments are revolutionising the tools you use. If you are in the housing sector, this is most likely to be in the form of property management software (also known as PMS). Perhaps you are aware of it but have yet to use it for your company, or maybe have concerns about implementing this type of software for your business. We take a look at the benefits of property management software and how it can help to drive your business in the property industry forward.

Accounting is Made Easier

By using property management software, you will be able to monitor your finance in a much more organised way. That means that when it comes to the necessary larger accounting tasks that present themselves on a quarterly or yearly basis, it won’t be a major headache for your company. With this kind of software, you know that when the time comes for accounting tasks, they can be easily dealt with, making dealing with taxes that little bit easier.

It makes managing properties more efficient – By using the correct tools through using the right property management software for your company, you can help to seamlessly run property management, keeping both employees and tenants happy, as you will be able to complete tasks with ease and without unnecessary complications.

Easier finance monitoring – Having good quality property management software also helps you to better keep a track of your companies finances.  With PMS, there will be features allowing you to track your numbers to ensure you are within budget, as well as specific portals for tenants to pay their rent or mortgage repayments, allowing you to keep an eye on incoming payments.

Time-saving – Of course, one of the biggest advantages that PMS brings is that it can save you valuable time. For example, you can set up features that send automated notifications (for when rent is due) or set up maintenance request tracking. All of which gives you more time on working out ways to develop your company and make it more successful.

Real-time access to information – No need to worry about all company and tenancy information being spread out amongst different laptops, office, or in large piles of documents, having PMS means all information is stored in a web-based platform. This provides you with greater freedom, as it means you can work anywhere, at any time. Furthermore, all data is updated online automatically when enables you as well as your tenants to access any necessary information in real time, even from their mobile phone.

Better communication – As PMS provides tenants with the possibility to manage and perform all the necessary operations online via a portal, it enables better communication between you and the tenant.

The Option of Online Payments

It can be difficult to manually keep track of rent payments manually, which can sometimes take a few days to process. When done manually, it is also easier for an error to be made, such as a payment not being tracked. However, with PMS tenants can pay their rent using their phone, and you can receive the money in a matter of minutes.

Reduced administrative work – Putting data into spreadsheets manually is not only time-consuming, but there is also the possibility of errors, and it also requires you to analyse the data yourself. With PMS, all data is automatically updated on your behalf. It enables you to generate small or comprehensive reports on demand whenever you need them too.

Sensitive data is secured – Making sure that customers details are safely secured is vitally important, and having PMS means you have one less thing to worry about in this respect. All good quality PMS software safely stores data, such as credit checks or lease agreements.

A week-long residential course at the Grafham Water ‘OutWard Bound’ Centre to give professionally delivered leadership training to young people between the ages of 18 and 26 is being held from August 31st to 7th September. The week is designed to take 50 young people out of their comfort zone, challenge them physically and mentally, expand their horizons, and teach them, through fully qualified instructors, leadership and communication skills. The aim is to give employers the opportunity to invest in their talented young people at an affordable cost, boosting their self-confidence, teaching the benefits of team work and delegation, and motivating them to achieve.

The course costs £660 met by the employer or via co-sponsorship with a Norfolk Rotary Club. This represents exceptional value – outside commercial organisations are charging many times more for comparable courses.

The Rotary Young Leadership Programme has been running locally and nationally for a number of years and employers have been impressed by the benefits both to the employee and the company. If you are interested in nominating an employee, or would like further information email [email protected] or telephone 01473 730316 or mobile 07712 069626, or contact your local Rotary Club.

The Cambridge – Norwich tech corridor

There are some fantastic businesses throughout our region. The idea of the tech corridor is to help companies collaborate, share ideas and grow together. The breadth of ideas and talent is astonishing, tackling some of the big issues of our time.

Linn Clabburn is Programme Director for the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor for the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership. The Tech corridor is a partnership between the New Anglia LEP as well as a range of public sector partners, district and county councils, and numerous other stakeholders to include businesses and research institutions.

Here’s a summary of our recent podcast and if you want to listen to the real thing (and why wouldn’t you!) catch it here: What is the Cambridge & A11; Norwich Tech Corridor? Linn Clabburn explains all!

There are lots of businesses along the dual carriageway between Cambridge and Norwich. The partnership was really set up on the back of the fact we’ve had 100 million pounds of investment from central government. So now how do we drive economic growth, inclusive economic growth along this geography. Even though it is along the A11 dual carriageway, it’s much broader in its remit.

The tech corridor initiative is about linking up and telling the clear story and narrative of all the businesses, research and all the other assets that we have in the corridor area. This includes all those smaller market towns and areas along the corridor, not just Cambridge and Norwich.

Unassuming Sheds

And what’s been really interesting in this last year is to go in and actually see all these different businesses that we have. It’s been a real eye-opener to go into these unassuming sheds, and just find amazing companies that fly under the radar for most people. And that’s part of what the tech corridor is here to do. It’s about taking all of these companies, bringing them together on a platform where we can enhance them and put them in place them within a narrative that is actually of global importance in many ways. So enhancing them in terms of joining the dots. Because I think that if you start looking at the tech corridor as, as an area, the whole list is greater than the sum of the parts.

Agri-tech

People wouldn’t necessarily Google Norfolk but they will look for a cluster such as agri-tech or similar type of sector. That’s where we really focusing our attention.  Making sure that we have that narrative and that those capabilities really clearly mapped out so that when someone puts agri-tech into Google, this region comes up top. Everyone knows then that this is the best place to be for foreign agri-tech business. Which is actually true as our region is world class in that sector.

We have a large chunk of a private sector representation on our delivery board. I always remember that it is the businesses, whether they’re here now or coming into the region, they are really our key customer. So supplying them with the things that they need, that’s what we’re here for. And I think that we need a less public sector approach to do that.

The good news is we have had a lot of very, very positive reactions. I think there’s a lot of businesses in particular in the north Suffolk end of the corridor really shouting out for somewhere where they can use this platform to enhance their image. Interestingly even in Cambridge, as Cambridge can be a little bit different, we have some really good feedback from businesses. They’re saying we’re actually really, really interested in understanding what’s going on up your way (in Norfolk and Suffolk).  One company very involved in the Cambridge cluster came up to Hethel Engineering in Norfolk, and his reaction was ‘Wow, you guys make stuff! Whereas in Cambridge we think about things and come up with all these weird and wonderful inventions. You’re going to actually make it, you make it happen.”

Calling Cambridge!

That’s what we need to communicate to Cambridge is when you ready to make stuff, come over here, come this way!  There is loads of talent in terms of manufacturing but also software, the whole value chain we have them covered. So that’s really what we’re trying to do, not in any way reduce the positive impacts in Cambridge. Instead of having all of the dividends generated in Cambridge go to Eastern Europe or the far east, we have a very credible opportunity and option to collaborate with businesses and networks much closer to home.

Stronger Together

I think the two areas have a lot to offer to each other to be mutually to support those lot of complimenting assets and skillsets. I think together we’re much stronger as region than if we’re trying to separate us out as separate counties. And you know, at the end of the day, businesses don’t really care about county and district lines. They go where the opportunities are.

We might not have Airbnb here and we might not have the latest takeaway food app. But what we are developing are the things that are really going to make a difference in the world. We are actually sitting in the middle of the potential solution to some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Events

We hold numerous events to link and bring everybody together. We are planning one around the supply and value chain, bringing companies together, not just the manufacturing supply chain.  It’s the whole value chain. If you as a company are looking for a new solution, you might not have the time or a big procurement team who can go and find it for you. Come to us and we will use all of our networks that we’re part of to help.  We can organise speed dating where we bring a number of companies to you. You can tell them what your challenges and they can help solve that challenge.

Check out the website: https://www.techcorridor.co.uk

Or email

[email protected]

You can check all our podcasts entirely relevant to our business community here: BGC Podcasts

Investing your money wisely is a good way to make it work for you, rather than letting it sit in the bank with interest trickling in on occasion. Any type of investment you make comes with a degree of risk attached, but some prospects are more likely than others to suffer setbacks due to unforeseen circumstances. If you would rather invest in an asset that has comparatively low risk of making a loss attached, while also offering the chance of netting a healthy return, here are 5 options to consider.

Personalised Number Plates

An investment opportunity that not many might have on their radar, owning a personalised number plate can actually be an excellent idea if you are looking to net long term gains. The most expensive examples can sell for over half a million pounds, and if you are looking to invest in one it is better to choose the more unique, rare examples from sites like AbsoluteReg.co.uk rather than something which is just a generic adaptation of a standard format plate issued by the DVLA.

P2P Lending

Lending as part of a peer-to-peer network has risen in popularity in recent years amongst those seeking to reduce the risks they face. In this case, you will effectively be handing over your money as a loan to a third party, whether a business or an individual, which they will then pay back in instalments, with interest added on top.

The stability of P2P lending comes from the small chance that the person or organisation which borrows from you will be unable to repay the loan. There have been problems with this type of investment elsewhere in the world, but for UK investors offering loans domestically it should be a suitably stress-free option.

Premium Bonds

With bank interest rates often minimal or liable to fluctuate, putting your money into Government-backed Premium Bonds remains an eminently sensible option for investment. With tax-free prizes and higher chances of winning larger amounts when you invest more, Premium Bonds have a lot to offer, with a £50,000 maximum set for an individual investor. And with the opportunity to win up to £1 million as part of a monthly draw, the returns can be significant. There are other types of bonds to consider as well, although these may be subject to tax, which is worth bearing in mind.

Classic Cars

Investing in something tangible can have a lot of risks to take onboard, as the more volatile markets might mean that your initial investment diminishes over time and you need to have nerves of steel to wait for the value to bounce back in your favour. Classic cars are a little different in that values can be relatively stable and risks are lower than with other assets. You can even spend as little as £5,000 to get a vehicle which should appreciate in value over time; just be aware that costs like storage and maintenance need to be taken into account.

Property

When it comes to long term security, investing in property can be less risky than the alternatives, as well as offering the opportunity for very high returns, so long as you choose to buy in the right place at the right time. The property market is susceptible to the ebb and flow of the wider economy, although house prices in good areas can enjoy a steady uptick in value over time on a reliable basis. As with any of the investments suggested above, there is no guarantee that property investments will pay out more than you put in, but by accepting a little risk you can reap greater rewards.

As a company that frequently operates in potentially hazardous environments, it is understandable that at Monthind we place health and safety at the centre of all our operations. The health and well-being of our cleaning operatives, staff members, clients and the general public is a top priority, which is why we spend so much time, effort and money each year on ensuring our health and safety standards are second to none. Site-specific risk assessments are drawn up before a contract begins, which inform the training our staff receive and ensure full compliance with both our own stringent health and safety policy and all applicable legislation. COSHH assessments are also carried out, along with any other assessments that address additional risks particular to a given contract. Outside specific contracts, we pride ourselves on delivering on-going training to our staff in the form of internal and external group training sessions, toolbox talks and newsletters. Our team members possess a range of high-level safety certifications, giving us a depth of knowledge and expertise that underpins the trust our clients have in us. Additionally, independent audits are carried out by our Business Compliance Department at all our sites, which assess cleaning operation, site health and safety, training requirements and cleaning standards. Audit reports are then passed to you, our client, to assist in the smooth running of all your cleaning operations.

Often when speaking about digital I get asked the question “Do I really need a website? Can’t I just use Google listings and Facebook?” My answer is always the same and almost always unpopular. I think that today a serious business needs a website. A business does need Google listings and social media, don’t get me wrong here. But when those platforms can change the way your business appears at a moment’s notice you can’t seriously rely on them to be your ‘home’ online. Facebook changed its algorithm just over a year ago and the resulting change dented the visibility of small businesses that relied upon it as their only route to market. Getting a website for your business is easier than ever, I am tripping over ads all the time. Businesses on TV, YouTube and social media are screaming at me to build my own website. The options are endless. Mention on a business chat room or forum that you want a website and I’m sure you will have many offers of help. Here are few pointers:

• Know exactly what you want your website for before you ask for a quote/start building: What do you want your potential customers to be able to do – buy online, book a test drive or reserve a table?
• Know exactly what you want the website to be found for: It’s easier (and cheaper) for a web designer to build a site with your industry, search terms, type of content in mind at the outset rather than have to change it or modify it after launch
• Mobile first: When looking at designs/layouts, look at the mobile view first… too many of your customers use a mobile phone for it not to be your ‘default’ view
•  Go Pro: If in any doubt go with a reputable web design agency who can show you a portfolio of work from businesses like you, some things just shouldn’t be left in the hands of mates from the pub

We have some experience in this area; we’ve got quite good at making websites that work for businesses – websites that drive results. If you want to know more, contact us on 03331 365390 or email [email protected]

We were delighted to be approached by Landed Houses to assist with their SEO. The company was founded by Edmund Cohen and offers a simple way to find country houses to rent and stay in for hens, stags, weddings and other weekend getaways across the UK. Edmund approached the Tudor Lodge team to assist with the site’s rankings on Google, which were already very positive but would benefit from some further optimisation.

Link Building

Link building remains a key factor in Google’s search algorithm, whereby every link on another website acts as an endorsement or recommendation in Google’s eyes. However, it is essential that links are of a good quality and have genuine authority and are not simply acquired for the sake of it i.e free directories and blogs.

Using Tudor Lodge’s contacts, we were able to acquire a host of links across property, leisure and news – which together successfully strengthen the Landed Houses domains for the immediate and long-term future. 

When choosing which words to link, known as anchor text, it is important that you manage the exact words that you are targetting on Google You need to manage the percentage of how much anchor text you link to and also hyperlink the brand name to make the link look like a genuine recommendation. For instance, linking ‘country houses’ in every article is deemed unnatural, but a variety of brand name, click here, read more and country houses is acceptable.

Site Clean Up

In addition to link building, we proposed a strong clean up of the website from a technical perspective. This ensures that every meta-titles, description, image alt-text, internal link, response code and crawl error is fixed and optimised to ensure a smooth indexing of the website. What Tudor Lodge brings to the table is a host of SEO tools including SEMrush, Screaming Frog and AWR – which allows us to find potential fixes for the site, address them and monitor the change in ranking accordingly.

We are delighted with the progress we have made so far for Landed Houses and looking forward to working with the client and taking their business from strength-to-strength.

We hear about cyber attacks on the news every day. Some of us, unfortunately, have actually experienced them. These incidences are becoming a starker reality for organizations and businesses by the day irrespective of size or industry. The media, business leaders, and the government maintain that for every business out there, cyber attacks aren’t a question of ‘if’ anymore, but ‘when.’ The clamor is barely effective when it comes to minimizing devastating effects.

Seeing as email is one of the most popular forms of communication in the corporate world, virtually every business is at risk of a email hacking and phishing attacks, so here are 5 easy steps to help you ramp up your defenses.

Avoid Phishing Scams

Email is still the number 1 delivery vehicle for most malware. Phishing scams work by tricking you into opening an attachment or clicking a link. Once you do that, you either download malware into your computer or you are taken to a website that looks real but isn’t, and your login credentials are stolen. Do not click on links or load attachments on sketchy emails. Phishing scams have been around since the birth of the internet, and they are not going away any time soon. In fact, phishing scams are becoming more advanced.

Don’t Click on Tracking Links or Images

Sometimes, emails from marketers and certain brands have tracking links embedded in them to spy on you. They want to find out how many people opened the email or even clicked on the link. Change the settings on your email client to ensure that attachments don’t load automatically by default. Additionally, use antivirus software to protect against new technology workarounds and loopholes in tracking and email phishing scams. Make sure your antivirus software, as well as your browser, are always up to date. 

Use PGP Encryption

There are plenty of software options you can use to encrypt your emails to ensure that they are only read by the intended recipients. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), also called GNU Privacy Guard (GPG), is one of them. PGP encryption helps you keep hackers from intercepting, snooping on, or altering your emails before they are delivered to the recipients. When using PGP, no information is left in the open. Both the sender and the recipient need to have this free software installed on their computers for it to work.

Use TLS

Always use Transport Layer Security, or TLS, on your browser. While software solutions such as PGP encrypt the contents of your email, your communication is still vulnerable if the connection itself is not encrypted. TLS encrypts the connection between your device and the browser as well as the email servers involved. To activate TLS, go to your browser settings and select ‘STARTTLS’ or ‘SSL/TLS’ in connection security. Always make sure that you are using an encrypted channel when using external email clients such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Outlook.

Create Strong Passwords

Last but not least, create strong passwords for your email and other online accounts. A lot of people still don’t have strong, unique passwords for all their online accounts. The problem is that most people don’t know what a strong password is or how to create one. Well, ideally, a strong password combines letters (upper case and lower case), numbers, and special characters. It’s simple, the password should be long, random, and unique. When it comes to creating a password, the random part is usually the hardest for most people.

Our brains simply don’t function that way. But with a random password generator, you can create a long, random, and unique password in a matter of seconds. That way, it will be impossible for hackers to force their way into your email account using brute force (brute forcing involves the use of software to create possible password combinations). It doesn’t matter how many characters your password is. If it’s not random, your account can be easily breached. Use a password manager to store your passwords if you are worried that you’ll forget them.

Branding your business is worth the effort. The colours and images that you use regularly will reinforce your company and what you do in your customers’ minds. And if you’re lucky they will begin to associate your brand colours with your business. Think about brands that use specific shades of purple or the Royal Mail and their shade of red. When you’ve spent the time and money on sending out information or communications by post you need your envelopes to stand out and using coloured envelopes is a perfect way.

Make an Impact on the Doorstep

You’ll want your business’s communication to stand out from all of the other mail your potential customer has received. An envelope in an unusual colour with an unusual finish, like a pearl or shiny finish, will be different. If you use the same coloured envelopes, then your customer will know that it’s from you before they’ve looked any closer.

Brand Association with Coloured Envelopes

If you are consistent with your approach and use the same few colours for all of your advertisements and communications you will claim those colours in your customers’ minds. This is especially true if you are focusing on your local area as you can have a big impact with only a little effort by using a well-planned brand strategy. All of your communication with your customers needs to be in the same format with the same colours, the weight of paper and paper and envelope finish.

Think About a Brand Envelope Size

Your official branded envelopes need to be the same size as well as the same set of colours. Consider what you are sending out and ensure that the envelope is the correct size and think about keeping the same size as a standard across your business. An unusual shape of envelope, such as square rather than a rectangle, will add to the impact of your mail along with the colour.

Envelopes to Protect the Contents

Once you’ve put all that time and money into working out the perfect set of brand colours and writing an ideal mailshot you need to protect the contents. If you’re sending out something that is easily damaged, use a bubble wrap lined envelope or one with a cardboard backing to prevent bending. No matter what you’re sending have it all in the same coloured envelopes to unify your brand and keep your business at the forefront of your customers’ minds.

Identity Crisis

In amongst all the noise of the ongoing saga of Brexit, we are starting to see an interesting trend emerge from British brands.

The result of the Brexit referendum on 24 June 2016 may suggest we, as a nation, are suffering something of an identity crisis. This uncertainty has given British brands an opportunity to reaffirm who they are and what they stand for – a rebirth of Brand Britain. This move by British brands is likely no coincidence, but a strategic decision to seize an opportunity, as trust in non-UK goods looks set to take a hit following our separation from the European Union.

Brand Britain extends beyond the visual cues of the Union Jack flag, to deeper, shared values – According to the latest research, for American consumers, there’s one word which sums up their perception of UK goods: quality. It’s the most common positive trait associated with British products, followed by heritage.

In the UK, consumers value British brands along similar lines as the Americans. Three in five Britons associate British products with quality, and 60% of British women see Made in Britain as a stamp of heritage. (Source: