Author: Amanda

Geographical analysis, based on data provided by Burning Glass, somewhat unsurprisingly indicates that 33.5% of all creative occupation postings were found in Greater London. The South East ranks second with 16.1% of creative roles followed by the West Midlands in third with an 8.1% share of total job postings.

The list of ‘in demand’ skills for creative roles is mostly dominated by coding and programming languages. However, the report suggests that the skills in the highest demand, excluding those largely specific to IT based roles, are communication, creativity and writing.

Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, commented on the report saying;

“London’s creative industries are immensely important to both the city itself and the sector as a whole, contributing an estimated £35bn to the economy and providing the capital with approximately 800,000 jobs.”

“The extensive funding provided by bodies such as Arts Council England, which will invest over £1bn over the next three years, continues to support creative organisations of all sizes, and adds fuel to the creative economy. While the Film Tax Relief acts to bolster the UK’s film industry by offering production companies a payable cash rebate of up to 25% of qualifying film production expenditure.”

“According to a report released last year, the total gross added value (GVA) of the creative industries in London was £34.6 billion in 2012, accounting for just under half of the UK total (£72.7 billion), so it is no surprise that demand for professionals remains highest in this region.”

Source: Apsco.org

The growth in cloud IT applications is an indicator that IT decision makers are becoming more confident in moving key services to the cloud. Revenues for the top 50 public cloud providers shot up 47% in Q4 of 2013 to $6.2B according to Technology Business Research, Tableau

In the same survey, 76% said they would deploy online productivity applications, 57% said they would deploy enterprise file synching and sharing services in the cloud, and 45% said they would deploy online social media tools.

The boost in cloud usage in IT can be seen in companies such as Oracle and VMware. Oracle has seen an increase in revenue from its software and cloud division in Q2 and the cloud service has seen in 30% growth with further increases in 2015 alone. VMware has been seeing a 16% year on year growth and “14% increase in product license revenues over the prior year period” say forbes.com

For IT departments, streaming applications from the cloud is assisting to modernise their desktop PC environment and allows it to be more manageable and cost-effective Transitioning to a cloud-centric world will all businesses to no longer need to …”buy hardware and software but [only] the hardware service and the software service, so system integration goes away and it becomes service integration…” explains Kevin Jackson, CEO and founder of GovCloud Network,

From the flexibility that cloud applications provide IT departments, it would be no surprise there will be more IT decision makers making the jump to using cloud based applications.

Source: ComputerWeekly, TechTarget, Forbes, Tableau

If you are interested in a career in cloud based technology and other application development, then why not visit Certes. We have thousands of vacancies spanning across a wide variety of roles.

1. BRMs must remember that the BRM is the bridge or “glue” between both the business and IT.  BRMs need to ensure they remember this and give their equal time to both (within reason).
2. Both BRM and other IT colleagues need to be “one voice”.  This does not mean BRMs simply take the “heat” when there are issues nor BRMs simply blaming IT colleagues for technical issues to the business (which seems to the perception of both parties at present).  It means having a strong relationship with each other, where everyone understands each other’s roles, are happy to work collaboratively on projects, service reviews etc., and have clear lines of communication at all times.
3. BRMs must remember they need strong relationships with both the business and IT to be successful.  There is no point sitting in front of a key business stakeholder to discuss their roadmaps if on arrival at the meeting, corporate email is down and the BRM is unable to provide any input as to why it’s down and when it’s likely to be resolved.
4. BRMs need to ensure everyone (i.e.  the business and IT colleagues) are aware of their role and what value they bring.  IT colleagues can perceive BRMs as “blockers” due to a lack of understanding. 
5. The success of a BRM function is heavily dependent on a mature and effective IT operations department.  If this doesn’t exist BRMs are more likely to be asked to resolve tactical issues, which has an impact on a BRM’s brand and how they’re perceived.   A stronger relationship with IT colleagues will undoubtedly help here. 
6. BRMs need to establish communication processes with IT colleagues so IT can understand what work is coming down the pipeline, BRMs have clear visibility of technical roadmaps, BRMs are aware of P1s/P2s before the rest of the business etc.
7. One way to help improve a relationship is to ask senior IT stakeholders to highlight how they currently perceive the effectiveness of BRMs via workshops and help understand the impact and alternative actions to improve this relationship.

Whilst IT colleagues (certainly senior management) can help close the disconnect it is the BRM who will need to take the lead.  However, as this is an area where BRMs should excel (it’s a key part of their role) surely the current disconnect is more to do with a lack of focus with IT colleagues rather than an inability of BRMs to do so?

Your thoughts and comments are, as always, welcome.

– James O’Driscoll BRMP® (james.odriscoll@certes.co.uk)

James O’Driscoll is a search and selection consultant with 16 years’ permanent recruitment experience, with a particular focus and network within the Heads of Department and IT BRM/IT Business Partnering verticals.  

A recent report of 300 IT professionals revealed 65% expect a serious data breach to hit their business within the next year

Cyber attacks and cybersecurity failings have continued to dominate headlines in recent years.

Sony, VTech, Talk Talk, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics are just a small number of high profile organisations exposed to cyber breaches.

Yesterday, Okta (an identity management firm) released a report that highlighted just how concerned IT leaders were with the current cyber situation.

Cyber security systems are, it would appear are losing on the digital battlefield.

Information Age spoke to David Baker, chief security officer at Okta, about this survey and the future of the cybersecurity industry.

Were the results of the report shocking, or expected (given increased business connectivity)?

We don’t see the results as shocking, per se. But certainly interesting, especially because the results and trends are analogous to where many similar enterprises in the U.S. were as recently as the last two years.

It is actually very encouraging to see enterprises in the surveyed regions recognise their current challenges with becoming both more agile and more secure with their on-premises IT technology stacks.

Enterprises will recognise how best-of-breed cloud and mobile solutions will address these challenges.

How can the risk of breach be reduced through today’s IT technologies?

In simple terms, reducing risk means reducing the number of attack avenues (we use the term “attack vectors”) that are exposed to possible attackers.

Attack avenues are things like servers with outdated software versions, or vulnerable operating systems, misconfigured network devices, and even poor administrator access practices.

The list can be extensive — and justifiably so because deploying and maintaining IT infrastructure is difficult and complex.

The reason to approach cloud services to replace your on-premises IT infrastructure is to remove those attack avenues from your infrastructure.

Best-of-breed cloud services primarily focus on delivering a few key services very well (i.e. box for file collaboration, workday for HR systems, etc.).

Moreover, these services are held to high audit standards such that their infrastructure, personnel, and processes are always under focus and testing.

Attack avenues found in the typical on-premises IT infrastructure have been mitigated and blocked.

Best-of-breed cloud solutions need to be leveraged.

These services will offer the best avenues of feature integration, mobility usage, and service reliability — all while removing the attack avenues and improving cyber security for the enterprise.

What is the most common cause of a data breach (human error or external), and how can they be improved?

The most common cause of data breach has been and remains loss of access credentials from human error.

I define human error events to be everything from writing down credentials on notes and reusing weak passwords to falling victim to spear phishing attacks.

Users can be trained to avoid these types of errors.

Providing easy-to-implement and easy-to-use security solutions that protect users’ identities even in the event user credentials are compromised is a key prevention control.
 

Are trends like BYOD having an effect on the compromised security of data?

The answer here is really yes and no.

Users that continue to use antiquated and fragmented Android platforms or old iOS versions, can become an attack vector if they inadvertently install malicious applications on the devices.

That being said, we see that — in large part — most of these types of malware attacks on older mobile devices are targeting users with persistent adware.

Users that are using newer Nexus-based Android devices or maintaining their iOS devices to the latest operating systems and are leveraging good habits in patching apps — and companies with BYOD policies that insist this happens — are not necessarily compromising security.

Source: InformationAge

Surprisingly, the UK is lagging behind in adopting connected healthcare technologies compared to other countries. Despite the high access to healthcare in the UK, the integration of healthcare and technology is amongst the lowest with an FHI score of 53.7.

A major barrier on uniting healthcare and technology is the cost of technology adoption and this could be the deterrent for the UK as in 2016 only 8% of the UK's GDP is spent on healthcare.

Infographic: Raconteur

For more information , visit Raconteur report 'Lessons in healthcare from around the world'

Source: Raconteur

It’s also important to point out that it’s not only Contractors that are showing growth in demand. “Demand rose for all permanent staff categories during October, but in varying degrees. Engineering maintained its top spot in the table, followed by IT & Computing”. 

Source: SIA

“Despite ongoing uncertainty, the UK jobs market is thriving again in most areas of the UK. Job Vacancies are back to levels not seen since April, and for the third consecutive month recruiters have reported an increase in the amount of people finding permanent jobs”

Kevin Green, Chief Executive of REC

While consulting patients, GP’s record the data which then becomes available online. This can be then accessed patients and authorised personnel.

Beverley Bryant, NHS England’s director of strategic systems and technology, said: ‘Practices are required to check and verify people’s identify [sic] before issuing access credentials and guidance has been made available to them through NHS England and the RCGP. In addition, practices should make patients aware of their responsibilities and safeguards they should apply when accessing their records.” But with everything being available online there is potential for the information to be compromised.

Dawn Monaghan, group manager at Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) public services explained ‘We see very few [breaches] that are, what you would call “malicious security issues”; where somebody deliberately breaches password protocols, cybercrime, those sorts of things… within the health sector.”

NHS England told Pulse “only patients and authorised carers will have access to online records, adding that practices must verify patients’ identities and explain the relevant safeguards.”

Dawn Monaghan also mentioned “I would suggest the cyber-security side of things, the ID-theft side of things, will start to come up the pile in health when we get proper online access to patient records. That is a real danger, and that is where security by design and security in an organised way come in.”

In a day and age where data is becoming more accessible, there is always a fear that sensitive data can be compromised. However, with the right security protocols such attacks can be avoided.

Craig is nearing his goal of £200 but there is still time for you to make a donation to Craig's just giving page and help other families.

From everyone at Certes,

Good luck! 

Recruiting graduates pose a number of unique challenges when compared to experienced hires, they have less experience not only industry related experience but experience of interviews.

There are hundreds of articles detailing interview and CV tips for graduates but I thought I would share some that are particularly relevant to Graduate Developers.

1. Include examples of projects you have worked on – As a graduate, you may have little or no commercial experience and listing a number of technical skills you have gained from your degree will always pose the questions “how” and “where” you have used these skills. Any extra information or unique projects can set you apart from regular candidates.
2. Promote your soft skills – This follows on from the first tip, your lack of commercial experience will require you to focus on other skills. Recruiters are particularly interested in your soft skills, teamwork, Time management and communication skills are all required to become a good developer and again as with the first tip provide examples!
3. Don’t over exaggerate your experience
4. Promote your interests – Another good way to stand out from you competition and show your passion for the industry. Including self-study, hackathons and personal projects will improve your chances of getting an interview.
5. Understand your not expected to know everything – This is more of an interview tip rather than a CV tip. Hiring managers understand you won’t have all the technical knowledge and experience in the world, you’re a graduate! They want you to admit when you don’t know understand something. Show your passion for the industry and willingness to learn new things. Admit when you don’t know something. Explain to the hiring manager how you would go about finding a solution. Remember a good developer is a good problem solver!

– Niall

For more information on the Developer market, contact Niall Gibson

As more technology devices being used continues to soar at a rapid pace, the cyber security market is expected to reach over $170 billion (£116 billion) globally.

Source: Raconteur