Almost every week we visit a customer where these things happen:

• No security on the network – routers,  printers, wireless devices left on default passwords, so any hacker can walk straight in
• No anti-virus or firewall
• No staff usage policy – So many customers have experienced the internal attack. Data theft, unhappy employee etc. Without an user policy how can you take legal action ?
• Important security updates and patches to software – Often these…

Resilience:  the ability to bounce back when things get tough.  If we all had that in spades, wouldn’t that make being in business a whole lot easier?  As we all know, businesses of all kinds can experience peaks and troughs bigger than any roller-coaster.  There are many ways to navigate these to help your business go from strength to strength and I’m going to share with you here 5 of my favourites.

Be…

This month we welcomed Taylor from www.everyoneactive.com

Taylor was presenting to us about ‘Health & Fitness in the Workplace’

So, A bit of Science for your information…

• The average person burns 700 calories during their 8 hour work day…

Difficult conversations – as the name suggests - are never easy, but there are some things you can do to make them easier.

What is a Difficult Conversation?

A Difficult Conversation is one where you have to manage emotions and sensitive information. They typically arise when dealing with poor performance, poor behaviour, complaints, personality clashes or when dealing with someone’s personal problems. In all these situations, the person you are talking to will…

Original Blog Post: http://fairwayconsulting.net/the-digital-cio-and-the-shifting-sands-of-business-technology/

How are the roles of the CIO and technology departments in modern business changing?

How can traditional small- to medium-sized business (SMB’s) leverage the advantage of a virtual CIO achieve the…

Lots of us spend plenty of our waking hours in the office. But, while we are busy with work, the clutter around our individual workspaces can start to pile up. So it’s a good idea to start a regular cleaning routine to clear some of it up – if not all of the clutter that has built up! Here we provide a few tips to help you effectively…

A problem I see time and time again within small to medium-sized companies is that they aren’t creating winning scenarios from technology. Many of the owners and directors whom I speak to feel that technology isn’t achieving the advantages they want.

4 Points to Success:

• No plan, no value

• Engage senior management with tech…

Ask the right question and you'll get the information you need. Communication is key to all aspects of managing people, and managing people is the area I focus on with businesses. But it’s also crucial for communicating with everyone; clients, suppliers, family and friends. There are different ways to ask a question and that’s what we’re going to look at today. My examples are based on interview situations, but the information provided here is valid for all situations where…

As a solo-preneur, I don't take a stand at Exhibitions and Expos, preferring to make an exhibition of myself as I wander round my captive audience of Exhibitors and engage in passing conversations with other Visitors. Being static on a stand would cramp my style - but I can see how they work well for other businesses, provided they do it right.…

Do Mealtimes With Your Kids Work For You?

Do you enjoy mealtimes together as a family, do you even have time to sit together, are you happy with the food choices you make and feel you have good variety and balance, is eating with your kids an enjoyable experience?

The knock on effect of eating together isn't just that kids usually eat more healthily research has shown there's a whole host of other benefits, including reduced stress, good mental health, improved…

This week we listened to Becky for the 10-minute slot informing us of ‘Ways to Subtly and Easily Enhance your Brand Identity by Getting Creative’ from Abstract Print & Design.

ICONS

• Icons can be used to separate different areas of your business whilst keeping a consistent brand
• A more visual way to represent your services
• Make it clear for your customers to understand what you offer
• Provides more personality for your…

Securing the best commercial cleaning contractors to clean your hotel rooms can be daunting.  After all, you are allowing total strangers full access to your guest rooms, their personal belongings and other private areas of your hotel. There will always be those ‘stranger danger’ warnings at the back of your mind, however, most people who have bravely opened up to cleaning contracts have found out that it’s not as bad as it may seem and there are many benefits.

Here are a few reasons…

One of my favourite networking tips is to always take your own name badge along to events...

If you have a badge, you are always prepared for meetings where the organiser either doesn't issue badges, or just hasn't got one for…

Don't you just love passionate people?

Yesterday was the first meeting with a lovely lady supported by her husband on their start-up business.

From the moment we started talking, the passion she felt for the product she wants to sell was very evident and extremely infectious.

The couple described the origins and the inspiration for their new product. They…

A close friend mentioned that he was in a restaurant recently and was astonished at how poor the customer service had been - this was particularly disappointing as it was a good quality restaurant and still relatively new.

This comment coincided with another made to me by a friend who commented that…

If you set goals (preferably SMART goals) for yourself, your business and/or your team, have you checked to see how it’s going? Are you, your business and your team on track? Hopefully you and they are now well on their way to achieving the goals, but have you actually checked? Do you need to make adjustments to get back on track or to stay on track? Or is everything going well? If you, your business and your team are…

There are lots of interesting pubs and bars in every city and something that they often have in common is the hardwood floor. It’s understandable since this type of flooring is classic, sturdy and hardwearing at the same time. It also fits in with the decor and the ambience of most pubs.

However, it’s been said that maintaining a pub’s wooden flooring can be a bit taxing and hard work to look after. Firstly, the high volume of traffic that the place gets during opening hours can take…

Updating Your Website Weekly Could Save Time, Money & Also Generate More Business.

1. Updating your site – even if you are using it as an online brochure –…

It's a great time to get gardening.

But I must confess, I'm not very good at it - but there are few things more enjoyable than seeing a plant you've put in the ground grow and flourish.

It's…