Connect


Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.

Connect. Support. Grow.
 
Connect


Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.

Connect. Support. Grow.
 
Support


Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.

Connect. Support. Grow.
 
Training Services


Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.

Connect. Support. Grow.
 
Latest News

Blogs

Check out our blogs section where Chamber representatives, members and high-profile business figures write about a range of topics. If you are a member and want to submit a blog, please click here.

Jan 15, 2021
The power of intentional learning

By Kate Stranks | BeanStalk Learning Ltd

2020 taught us a lot about the way we live and work and for many, the changes made will remain because they have made us realise the benefits; like not having to commute every day if you work in an office, it's okay to wait a few days for a delivery - did we really need it the same day? And asking for help when we need it most. But some of the process changes would never have happened, or taken many years, if it wasn't for the pandemic. My sister is a GP and within a couple of weeks of Lockdown 1.0, the majority of appointments were virtual, they ran on time and prescriptions could be organised and picked up without even visiting the surgery. Suddenly, the customer experience improved for many....

Read more
Jan 15, 2021
Down with trust: A practical, actionable approach to achieving Zero Trust

By Greg Inge | CyberCX

Trust no one and no thing. That is the central thrust of the aptly named Zero Trust paradigm. In stark contrast to traditional castle-and-moat approaches, Zero Trust is built on the idea that everything and everyone must be considered suspect – inside and outside the castle. With Zero Trust we must interrogate, investigate and cross-check until we are 100% positive the access is safe to be allowed. Born out of the need to mitigate the risk of prolific and evolving attacks in the complex, dispersed modern environment, Zero Trust continues to gain momentum for its hard-line security stance and rigorous approach to countering today’s escalating cyber threats. Still, after almost 10 years since...

Read more
Jan 15, 2021
Have you heard the buzz? I certainly have!

By James Brodie | Business Buzz for Birmingham & Warwickshire

At the moment there is a lot of talk of how Business Buzz is shaking up the networking world. We offer accessible networking for all in business, we are innovative in our thinking & the people who walk through our doors or join us online really matter. Business Buzz provides one of the best networking experiences around & online. I am proud to be part of the Business Buzz Family & so, I am going to share my story to success. When I started my business in January 2017, I made a very conscious decision that my primary marketing tool was to get out from behind my desk & to go networking. Early into my journey I discovered Business Buzz. Although, I have tried many other networking formats I returned...

Read more
Jan 14, 2021
Three most common CRM modernisation mistakes

By Rebecca Bennett | Jumar Technology

Modernising an IT system, especially those that are highly complex, can prove difficult for many organisations.  In a series of blogs, we ask Jumar’s business technology experts what the three most common modernisation mistakes are that they have seen throughout their career. We speak to Jumar Technology’s Principal CRM Architect, Simon Morris on the most common mistakes he has encountered when organisations choose to modernise with a new CRM system. Simon has more than 20 years of experience in a variety of CRM roles ranging from pre-sales, functional consultancy, application design through to program delivery within the Dynamics CE space. Here is what Simon has to say: 1: Unclear or overly...

Read more
Jan 14, 2021
How to market your way out of a recession (and turn £1k into £15k)

By Jade Edwards  | AIM Internet

The news is inundated with the possibility of a recession, with some of the best sources in the world clear about its inevitability. While the thought of a recession instills panic in many, it’s a normal part of our economic cycle. (Most) businesses will be impacted There’s no sugar coating the fact that most businesses will be affected in the short-mid term. The tremors of the Coronavirus pandemic will likely be felt for well over a year as businesses struggle to overcome the impact of the outbreak. However, now more than ever it’s time to focus on evolving your strategies and learn new and relevant ways to grow. Market your way out of a recession Would you believe us if we said £15k in...

Read more
Jan 14, 2021
The trade deal and data protection

By David Campbell | DPA/OK

On Christmas Eve the UK reached a Trade and Cooperation agreement with the EU. Part of the agreement related to the continued flow of personal data from Europe to the UK. The deal will be welcomed but it has not permanently resolved the issue of how personal data can lawfully flow from Europe to the UK- it just kicks the can down the road for a period of four (possibly six) months.  During that period  the EU has agreed that personal data can be sent to the UK as before.  In return the UK is not allowed to exercise certain powers that it would have been able to exercise such as to recognise other countries as having adequate data protection or to issue its own version of the above Standard Contractual...

Read more
Jan 11, 2021
LexisNexis Market Tracker Trend Report – Corporate Reporting on Ethnicity

By Tom Proverbs-Garbett | Pinsent Masons

LexisNexis, the legal information publisher, has put out a 2020 study of corporate governance reporting on ethnicity as part of its series of Market Tracker Trend reports, to which I was able to contribute some thoughts. It is research that provides food for thought for all businesses, although its focus is on the FTSE100 and the 2017 independent Parker Review into the ethnic diversity of UK boards, which found that directors from an ethnic minority background are vastly under-represented on the boards of the UK’s leading companies. As described in the report, there is growing recognition that general terms such as “BAME” are at risk of hiding chronic under-representation in the UK of particular...

Read more
Dec 23, 2020
About the SUNBURST cyber-attack

By Davoc Bradley | Intercity Technology Limited

The SolarWinds Orion hack could become one of the most extreme and severe cyber-attacks in history. A series of notifications from technology companies and US government agencies indicated the existence of a large-scale and persistent Cyber Attack (approximately 18,000 potentially affected customers according to SolarWinds) The complexity and advanced nature of the threat suggested involvement of a nation-state actor. Initial information highlighted that part of the initial attack vector included the successful insertion of backdoor functions into the SolarWinds Orion network performance monitoring platform. Once established on the network, attackers were able to move laterally across a network,...

Read more
Dec 22, 2020
I think we’ve got a bit of a problem

By Chadd Blunt | Millennium Cargo

I’m going to show my age a little bit now, but I’m really concerned about the younger generations.They’ve grown up in a world of instant.Instant tv. Instant messaging. Instant coffee.Even shopping is pretty much instant with Amazon Prime’s next day delivery well established and same-day delivery now being rolled out.They’re not used to having to wait.Now, I hear what you’re saying… “What’s the problem? Surely, this is a good thing Chadd?”And it is.But good things can also have a bad side.In a world of “instant”, people can forget about the power of the long game.You want to grow your business and you want to do it now.You want to close that client and you want it done today.But what about the...

Read more
Dec 22, 2020
How to recover overpaid money from a past employee?

By Sean Hemmings | Creditreform (UK) Limited

A debt owed by an employee to their employer is usually due to an overpayment in salaries, bonuses or overtime. Whether this is due to an error by the employer or the employee it is still a debt that is owed and the employer is entitled to reclaim this money. There are many reasons for overpayments to employees which is usually paid in their monthly/ weekly salary. Repeated overpayments can cause financial issues to the company. In such cases, it is vital for the employer that once identified it addresses the problem as quickly and swiftly as possible to avoid future accounting issues. Businesses need to have systems and clear processes in place to claim back any overpayments made. The best...

Read more

Older

Search our blogs
Categories
Archive

We've provided a full archive for you to have a look at our past articles. Please click below to expand the tree