http://www.publicitymatters.com/ Publicity Matters provides a complete service for all aspects of communications and design. Whatever message you wish to communicate to your audience, however you want to say it, the team at PM will deliver through stunning graphic design, effective marketing, public relations and state-of-the-art web development. en-gb Copyright 2009 Publicity Matters Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 08/09/2010 05:54:16 20 http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=180 With the threat of a significant reduction in police budgets in the wake of the new government’s sweeping public sector spending cuts, IT security solutions provider ISEEU Global is calling for a comprehensive review of the use of IT throughout the police force and the criminal justice system. As Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, warns of a substantial reduction in the numbers of police patrolling the streets and Colin Talbot, professor of public policy and management at Manchester Business School, estimates that a 25% cut in the Home Office budget would involve the loss of 35,000 police officers, 4,000 community officers and nearly 20,000 police administration staff, ISEEU Global is urging government officials to review IT systems to make longer-term cost and efficiency savings. Phil Bullivant, director of ISEEU Global, commented: “There is no question that public sector spending cuts are vital in the current economic climate. What is worrying however, is that when the proposed reductions in police manpower come into effect, yet more pressure will be put on the already struggling police and criminal justice system’s IT infrastructure. “As pointed out recently by Jan Berry, the Independent Reducing Bureaucracy in Policing Advocate, the current disparities in technology between forces mean collaboration opportunities are being made difficult, cash is being wasted and capabilities are not being exploited to their full potential. Indeed, the fragmented approach to the whole IT issue is leaking vital cash and failing to deliver - a common platform of IT across both the police and criminal justice systems has to be the only way forward.” While the Government had already confirmed that £95 million will be cut from public sector IT spending prior to the recent emergency budget to reduce the UK’s deficit, industry experts agree that a comprehensive review of the IT infrastructure and a migration to a more cost effective, efficient national platform for the police and criminal justice system will have significant longer-term benefits and outstrip the shorter-term pain. Phil Bullivant continued: “We have a ‘perfect storm’ situation in which, if we are not careful, we will have drastically reduced police numbers and administrative support staff trying to cope with a wholly inadequate IT system that is simply not up to the job. “We are urging the Government to avoid knee-jerk IT spending cuts and to review the options carefully to come up with an optimum solution that delivers the best possible outcomes for all concerned. We currently have a situation where frontline officers feel they are supporting the IT rather than the IT system supporting them and some police officers still using outdated fax machines to send important documents to CPS lawyers! “Now is the time when all spending is being carefully scrutinised to look at the current patchwork of IT systems being used out there and to reshape and reconfigure it to adapt to the demands of policing and criminal justice in the 21st Century and beyond.” ISEEU Global has developed a highly secure IT solution to help police forces improve the efficiency of their communications and IT systems. The system enables police workers to access data without compromising data integrity. ISEEU Global Police Workforce Accessibility incorporates two highly secure functions to connect remotely to all administrative applications and data transfer technology to virtually courier confidential data. The solution also incorporates full administrative and workflow control enabling managers to see at the click of a button that has accessed particular files and provides a full audit report on activity. The technology integrates seamlessly with forces’ own systems and complies with government security standards (CESG: CHECK accredited). The ability to confidently access and share information paves the way for new, improved processes cutting the cost of staff resources as well as paper, print and postage. In addition, the ISEEU Global system incorporates virtual meeting technology to enable secure online collaboration, avoiding the need for travel or disruption to daily operations. Phil Bullivant concluded: “Technology is the key to long-term cost savings. New initiatives and technologies such as the use of virtual, online meeting rooms, courts and ID suites could really speed up the criminal justice system, reduce the need for police offers to travel so much and provide real time and cost savings.” http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=186 Thule and Leicester dealer Epic Accessories, jointly sponsor local Mongol Rally participants Thule the world’s leader in sport and utility transportation are extremely proud to be supporting three Leicester University students on their epic charity adventure totalling 10,000 miles through a variety of terrain. The boys set off on July 12th from Leicester after dropping into local Thule dealer: Epic Accessories. Thule UK have proudly supplied an Xplorer Roof Tray complete with a roof bar system to allow the team to place all bulky items on the roof and give them more internal vehicle space whilst progressing with the gruelling journey. The generous team at Epic Accessories fronted by Sam Gutteridge and offered a number of spare parts as well as much expertise and knowledge whilst assisting with fitting the Thule kit to the vehicle. The Mongol Rally is an annual event beginning in the UK and driving continuously through to Mongolia for the team’s chosen charity, the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. The CNCF seeks to protect children at risk of economic and sexual exploitation, while ensuring these and other children in need have access to basic care and educational opportunities. The team will travel through 12 countries in an estimated 7 weeks to arrive in Mongolia in their 1.2 litre Suzuki Swift named Matilda, all in pursuit of an adventure and fundraising. General Manager for Thule UK commented: “The Mongol Rally is a fantastic event for Thule UK to be associated with and we’re very proud to support the Leicester team on their travels” More information on the team can be found at www.onesteppebeyond.co.uk, Thule dealer Epic Accessories can be contacted on 0116 271 9191 on at www.epicaccessories.co.uk http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=188 Thule the world’s leader in sport and utility transportation proudly supported ‘Paddle Round the Pier’ as Europe's biggest free beach and water sports festival This year in line with Thule’s events strategy, Thule UK and local dealer to the event Brighton Canoes had a fervent presence over the weekend. In excess of 80,000 people poured into the coastal town attracting a mass of enthusiasts and athletes alike. As a joint marketing initiative Thule UK collaborated with Brighton Canoes to front the Thule stand. A prominent presence was achieved on the Hove Lawns as well as with sponsored athletes participating in the event itself. Activity included a competition to win a Hull-a-port Pro, the opportunity to purchase product from Brighton Canoes and dedicated Thule staff on hand to advise the hoards of crowds as they passed through. Peter Barker UK manager commented on the success of the event: “This has been a fantastic event to be involved in with a great atmosphere. Not only did we receive positive feedback to the Brand from the end consumer, but we received two strong trade enquiries from a large Surfing Store and Camping & Motor home retailer.” Thule UK hope to return to this event in 2011 with Brighton Canoes, more information is available on Paddle Round the Pier at www.paddleroundthepier.com http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=179 A Winterbourne based independent financial advisors, have supplied their local youth cricket club with a new set of Lord’s Taverners equipment. Bats, pads, helmets, stumps and balls were handed over to the Winterbourne Cricket Club under 11s by Brighton Williams and Partners last week as part of a their support package for the young team. Philip Purnell from Winterbourne Cricket Club commented: “Brighton Williams are well known for supporting local teams and we are proud to be one of them. The Lord’s Taverners kit will provide our youth cricket with professional, high quality equipment and we hope it will see out many successful seasons.” Established in 1991, the independent financial advisors also support Frampton Rangers FC Under 8s and Frampton Cotterell Rugby Club. Brighton Williams are also keen supporters of the Bristol Urological Institute having entered a team in the 5k Run for the Future race on the Downs. Further support for the BUI will continue through the Derek Mayer Golf Day which takes place in September. Martyn Brighton, Managing Partner in Brighton Williams commented: “It is important for us to support clubs and charities in our local area. The benefits of sponsorship far outweigh that of simply recognition of our name; it helps us to contribute to positive changes within the communities in which a large number of our team live and work.” http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=183 Thule UK are very proud to be associated with the annual Telford Ski Club National. This year the event took place at Chill Factore in Manchester, the UK’s premier indoor ski venue on Saturday 19th June. Thule, the world’s leader in sport and utility transportation donated a 745 Ski Carrier to the winner of each category in the competition. Hosting the estimated 210 participants, the event boasted 8 categories from Girls and Boys to Masters Races, showcasing a variety of talent from across the United Kingdom. Thule’s very own Partner in Sport: Kelly Greenbank came away with first place in her category by winning both of her races in the Children’s 2 - Girls group. The following day, Kelly participated in the Snowsport England Grand Prix and prevailed to win this also, concluding a fantastic weekend for the now, 14-year-old. The event was a large success overall aided by a surprise forerunner, no other than Olympic champion Dave Ryding – fresh from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Thule are very pleased to have been invited to sponsor the event and congratulated Kelly on her triumph: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Thule UK to be involved in, promoting the best skiers that the UK currently has to offer. We extend our congratulations to Kelly once again and wish her the best of luck for her winter training.” Peter Barker, UK General Manager Kelly often visits Chill Factore to train, this coming winter she will now fall into the juniors category as she competes in slalom, giant slalom, and the super G [halfway between giant slalom and downhill]. As part of this extensive schedule she will visit Alpbach in Austria as well as Landgraaf Snow dome in the Netherlands, thankfully she has her Thule equipment to make the journey run more smoothly. http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=184 Thule donate product to the Gone Paddling team in their endeavour to take on a 3000-mile sea kayak adventure around the coast of mainland UK. Thule the world leader in sports and utility transportation are a very proud sponsor of sea-kayak team: Gone Paddling. The team will attempt to kayak around the entire coast of the UK which they hope they can complete in less than 5 gruelling months. Thule have donated roof bars, kayak carriers and a roof box to give them invaluable storage, from the teams regular updates it’s clear that these have been gratefully received: “The Thule bars are doing exactly what they are needed for - and the box on the roof is certainly giving us the extra space for kit and food. It’s a bit of a squeeze in the van as it is, can't imagine how much more difficult it would be without the space upstairs.” states James Bonell of Gone Paddling. The team consists of Joe Andrews and James Bonell, in April they embarked on the epic journey intent to raise £20,000 to be donated to WaterAid and the NACC (National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease). When the two contacted Thule UK for product donation Thule were only too pleased to be involved: “Joe and James are taking on a phenomenal challenge and we absolutely we wish them the very best of luck for the adventure. Thule are very proud to support such a worthy and enduring challenge and look forward to their regular updates!” Peter Barker, Thule UK General Manager. The team’s progress is thoroughly documented on their blog on www.gonepaddling.co.uk . http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=182 With the recent flight disruption of late, why not take the stress free approach to your weekend break. Camp, canoe or cycle with Thule’s storage solutions in the UK this Spring. Thule the world’s leader in sport and utility transportation want to ensure that you arrive at your holiday destination safely and on time, so why not transport yourselves? Pack up the car and head off to a UK or European holiday-spot this season; whilst taking full advantage of Thule’s variety of space-saving products to take your hobbies and past times with you. Kids, suitcases, canoes, tents and bikes soon take up space and your family’s comfort and safety will become a top priority as you travel. Thule, the world’s largest manufacturer of car roof rack systems, boxes and accessories, have a wide range of equipment to add space to your car: roof boxes to add litres of extra luggage space, cycle racks to transport bikes on the roof, back or tow bar and canoe and kayak carriers for water-sports enthusiasts. Peter Barker, UK General Manager of Thule stated that: “The Thule range can transform a UK holiday, with the recent air travel issues the public want guarantees on their Spring breaks. Through utilising our products it is possible to take everything that you could possibly need with you, and to the make the absolute most of your trip.” Thule have a network of local dealers, your nearest stockist can be found at www.thule.co.uk under the dealer locator tab. From this site, you can also access the full product range with descriptive specification and images. http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=192 With the recent blanket ban on flights in and out of the UK estimated to be costing British businesses more than £3m a day* as workers remain trapped abroad, ISEEU Global, the IT security solutions and services provider is urging SMEs to make sure they have business continuity plans, such as secure remote working facilities in place, or pay the price in lost revenue and profits. While National Air Traffic Services (NATS) is now lifting some of the flight restrictions, the unprecedented no-fly zone across much of Europe has already caused the biggest disruption to air travel in the history of commercial aviation and will cost billions of pounds in lost business not only to airlines but the wider business community. According to absence management consultancy FirstCare, some 20,300 employees have been unable to get to work, claiming they are affected by the volcanic ash cloud chaos while ABTA estimates that as many as 150,000 UK workers are stranded overseas and unable to get to work. ISEEU Global provides secure remote working solutions to support businesses and enable employees – who may be unable to get into the office due to unforeseen circumstances - to remain productive while working from home, hotels or even airport lounges or ferry terminals. Phil Bullivant, director of ISEEU, said: “In this day and age businesses need to be prepared to expect the unexpected. Snow, strikes, terrorist threats and now, even volcanic ash clouds can prevent employees from getting to work or attending important client meetings. It is vital that UK firms have business continuity plans in place to help them cope with unforeseen disruptions and this means giving employees access to secure remote working practices to ensure they can log into office systems safely and securely, wherever they may be in the world. This will ensure businesses can safeguard vital revenue and customer service is not adversely impacted just because certain members of staff cannot physically get into the office.” To reduce the negative impact the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland is having on UK firms, ISEEU Global recommends businesses review their IT systems and use the technology that is available to fully equip staff with the applications they need to work effectively from remote locations. Phil Bullivant added: “ISEEU™ Global Accessibility Suite provides businesses with data and applications that can be accessed securely from anywhere at any time, reducing time pressures and enhancing working capabilities enabling staff to perform more effectively, regardless of their location. Not only that but it can be implemented quickly and cost effectively with seamless integration into firms’ existing IT provision. “Having a proper business continuity plan in place does not mean just offering web-based email, this simply isn’t enough – SMEs need to seamlessly deliver all work applications to ensure maximum productivity away from confines of the office in a robust, secure environment. “The ISEEU Global Accessibility Suite enables stranded staff based in different locations to have remote access to internal applications and data, electronically courier documents of any file size or type to multiple recipients and host ‘virtual meetings’; allowing them to view the same documents, images, applications and desktops safely and securely without the need to go to their place of work.” ISEEU technology has security at the heart of its remote working software, delivering a complete solution that is designed to protect customers’ organisational data to the highest level. Phil Bullivant concluded: “With the huge snow disruption earlier this year and now the volcanic ash issue, these are trying times for the UK’s beleaguered business community. Firms have to seriously rethink their IT strategy to enable employees to work efficiently and effectively remotely and ensure it is ‘business as usual’ in the face of unexpected or unprecedented events. Failure to have such continuity plans in place will squeeze revenue, impact the bottom line and could threaten many businesses’ survival.” http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=178 As the deadline for the introduction of heavy fines of up to £500,000 for organisations that breach data security rules looms on 6 April 2010, IT security solutions provider ISEEU™ Global is calling for a ban on the use of USB memory sticks and other portable media used to store and transmit personal data in the National Health Service. ISEEU warns that failure to address the issue of data loss in the NHS once and for all will cost NHS Trusts hundreds of thousands of pounds and put the confidential files of millions of vulnerable patients at risk. Phil Bullivant, director of ISEEU, commented: “The catalogue of NHS data losses is unacceptable with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) slamming the Health Service as one of the worst offenders for data loss, reporting as many incidents as the entire private sector. “Just recently, three USB memory sticks containing sensitive information relating to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in Middlesex and Surrey were lost. The data contained in the USB sticks was in word format – leaving the information entirely accessible to anyone with a computer. There is also the well-documented example at Stockport Primary Care Trust when a member of staff lost a USB stick containing data extracted from the medical records of some 4000 patients. “Confidential patient data is also at risk with the loss and theft of laptops in the NHS – just last year Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust had to inform the ICO about the theft of a laptop holding the personal data of 349 patients and 258 staff stolen from an employee attending a health conference while the theft of a laptop in the West Midlands resulted in the loss of more than 5,000 patients' details. “It is clear that removable storage devices and other portable media are a prescription for disaster for the NHS and they should have a government health warning on them at the very least. In a private company such embarrassing and potentially damaging incidents would lead to a wholesale review of procedures and the NHS should be no different. With the Government taking a much-needed tougher stance on the issue of data loss, now is the time for Trusts to review data protection and put systems in place to protect sensitive patient information.” While encryption has been hailed as the way forward for NHS Trusts, it is clear that even these are not infallible from security risks. Just last month USB maker SanDisk issued a recall of its Cruzer Enterprise series of USB flash drives, which are password-protected with built-in encryption and are used by some NHS Trusts, because they contain a flaw which could allow hackers to easily gain access to the sensitive information contained in its devices. ISEEU's Phil Bullivant argues that this begs the question – why is portable media being used as an acceptable form of data transfer in the NHS in the first place, given the sensitivity of patient data and the implications for getting it wrong? He said: “The only way for government to ensure patient data is secure is to ban the use of removable media such as memory sticks and CDs which are all too easy to misplace or drop on the train. “It is time for NHS Trusts to invest in their IT infrastructure and implement secure ways for NHS workers to remotely access central documents on the network safely and securely without the need to rely on haphazard quick fixes which pose serious security threats. Patients have a right to expect their personal information will be treated with the utmost care. “ISEEU Global has developed a highly secure solution to enable health workers to access data without compromising data integrity. The ISEEU Clinical Workforce Accessibility Solution incorporates two highly secure products; ISEEU™ Global Access to connect remotely to all administration and clinical applications and ISEEU™ Global Courier data transfer technology to virtually courier confidential patient data. The solution also incorporates full administrative and workflow control enabling managers to see at the click of a button who has accessed particular files and provides a full audit report on activity. The technology integrates seamlessly with Trusts' own systems and complies with governance and security requirements.” Investing in a robust, secure IT solution which allows safe transmission of sensitive data would make the current NHS reliance on removable media redundant. Phil Bullivant concluded: “Trusts need to stop fire-fighting individual instances of data loss and start getting to the root of the problem. A review of IT infrastructure in the NHS is urgently required to address the issue of data access and transfer and ensure that the Government's investment in networks such as N3 are not wasted. The cost of implementing secure remote access and transfer solutions is not significant compared to the heavy fines as well as the cost to Trust’s reputations for losing valuable, confidential data. “While the appeal of the USB stick lies in its ease of use and cost effectiveness, perhaps now is the time to ban their use or at the very least ensure they come with cigarette-style warnings – 'use of this USB could seriously threaten your data security and cost your Trust hundreds of thousands of pounds.” ENDS Notes to editors • For more information on ISEEU Global visit www.iseeuglobal.com • Press release issued by Deborah Bartlett at Publicity Matters. Please contact for further information on 01666 838 850 or email deborah@publicitymatters.com http://www.publicitymatters.com/releaseDetail.asp?pressID=181 It used to be an old advertising campaign for Martini but now thanks to modern technology, SMEs can, in theory, reap the benefits of being able to work anytime, anyplace and anywhere. However, according to recent research , almost two thirds of SME employees (61%) never work from home despite huge advantages such as higher productivity, improved job satisfaction, better staff morale and higher retention rates. It begs the question: what is holding back the UK’s 4.8m SMEs from adopting more flexible remote working practices? Recent surveys have found that despite the IT and communications solutions available to encourage flexible working, one in four UK SMEs are technologically unprepared for remote working with one of the main barriers for SMEs the inability to access important documents away from the office. According to BT Business, one in five (22%) SMEs lack the IT support to enable them to work from home effectively. In order to remain competitive, reduce overheads and improve business continuity, it is vital that today’s SMEs embrace remote working or be left behind forever. It is clear that owners and managers want to be able to access their network anytime, anywhere but they need to fully understand the technology that needs to be in place to make this happen. In order to get the most out of remote working, it is important that SMEs deploy the most appropriate IT solution for their business and choose the right remote access provider – failure to do so could result in unnecessary costs and wasted time. The following are some important considerations to keep in mind when determining the remote access solution which will be best suited to your particular business needs: • Type of work - Examine the type of work you do and what you would like to be able to do remotely. E.g. will you need to be able to access central files and data? Are you looking to create new files and data? Do you need full access to all data or read-only access? Will you be sending and receiving emails? Do you need to have the ability to have virtual meetings? • Security – Security is a vital consideration for most businesses. Whenever an employee accesses company information, they must be able to do this securely to prevent information being lost or misappropriated. Questions to ask include: what type of security protocols does the remote access method use? How well do these security measures protect you and the data being remotely accessed? • Ease of use – How easy is it to set up the remote access solution? Are there any particular system requirements? What are the minimum hardware requirements and will the remote access solution support a variety of remote devices such as laptops, desktops, PDAs and mobile phones? Is a broadband internet connection required to operate the remote access solution? • Cost – Care needs to be taken to determine your IT budget. Are there sufficient funds to implement the system properly? Remember that effectiveness will be greatly reduced if you cut corners • Deciding on a supplier – Getting the right supplier is essential. The most appropriate suppliers are not necessarily offering the ‘cheapest or fastest service as standard but instead take the time to get to know your business before making key recommendations to save your business time and money. It is also important to find out their support policies to ensure any issues are ironed out quickly and effectively with the minimum of disruption These are just some of the key business questions that need to be addressed prior to investing in any remote access solution. When it comes to the remote access solutions available, there are a number of methods available. These vary from those that are more suitable for occasional small company access to those that are designed to help SMEs with staff in various home locations as their main place of work. Solutions to suit businesses Remote control solutions – these are low cost solutions which enable you to remotely control a single machine via the internet. Best suited to very small ‘one man band’ businesses, companies such as ‘Log Me In’ provide software installed on a host pc (usually in the office) and remote control software to allow that pc to be controlled remotely. The main drawback to this method is that it does not scale – there would need to be a pc in the office for every person working remotely. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) – this technology allows offices and remote computers to connect together over a shared network using a secure, encrypted ‘tunnel’ enabling employees to communicate and collaborate reliably and securely when away from the office. Companies such as ISEEU™ Global offer remote access via a powerfully encrypted and highly secured VPN. Suitable for businesses of all shapes and sizes from SMEs to large organisations, VPN users enjoy the same full, continuous access to the business network as if they were physically connected to it – ideal for sharing resources in different offices to improve productivity. Cloud computing – question to ISEEU – does cloud computing provide remote access? What size of businesses is it suitable for and what are the disadvantages over VPN? Are there any other remote access solutions to briefly mention here? What size of businesses are they suitable for and what are their disadvantages over ISSEU’s VPN solution? It is essential that any IT system for remote working should be carefully planned and considered with your business needs front of mind throughout the decision-making process. In a tough economy where many SMEs are reducing their workforce, firms need to adopt remote working practices to help ensure skilled employees are retained. There is no doubt that remote working is here to stay and is the way forward for British business but it will take on many different forms depending on the needs of particular SMEs. When considering a remote access solution for your business: • Assess your business’s requirements • Identify remote working objectives • Have a robust plan • Allow sufficient time to brief your team and train all staff on how to operate the system By ensuring you have the systems and structure in place before implementing remote working, you will save valuable time and money. Remote working can boost productivity and profitability but only if it is managed properly. Phil Bullivant, director of ISEEU™ Global, a leading provider of secure remote working solutions to support SMEs, local government and the healthcare sector. For more information log on to: www.iseeuglobal.com