Using the best processes, you can extract and convert complex data into what your audience can understand. This allows any brand to communicate with its customers, improve engagement, and boost conversions effectively.

If you wonder what data transformation is and how to go about it, this article will help. It explains what you need to do, the benefits of using different techniques, and the best tools for an efficient data transformation.

Let’s dive in.

What is data transformation?

This involves converting data from one format to the other. Data transformation changes information structure to improve accessibility, making it easier to analyze and consume.

The process can be constructive, destructive, structural, or aesthetic. The constructive activity involves copying, adding, and duplicating data, while the destructive process includes deleting fields or records.

Aesthetic practices cover standardizing data to meet requirements or parameters. Finally, the structural process involves reorganizing the database by renaming, moving, or combining columns.

You can transform data through an automatic or manual process. However, automation provides a more accurate and efficient result.

How does data transformation work?

The first step to converting data is to derive it from a source and convert it to a usable structure. Then, your information is made available to users according to their preferred method.

Data transformation involves six critical steps:

• Data discovery: This is the first stage of the process. Here, data profiling tools are used to understand the information available. This process helps you pick the best way to get the information into its desired format.
• Data mapping: It primarily involves determining how individual fields are modified, mapped, filtered, joined, and aggregated. This step is crucial as a single analysis mistake could have a ripple effect.
• Data extraction: Here, data is extracted from its source; it could be from a structured source like a customer log file from a web application.
• Code generation and execution: This involves using data transformation tools to create a code after extracting the information.
• Review: Details are checked to ensure the information is correct.
• Sending: This step involves sending the information to its target destination. It could be a data warehouse or database.

Best tools to transform data 

Two specific tools allow you to convert content quickly. Check them out below:

1.      Audio transcription tools

Audio transcription tools let you transform an audio file into a text file automatically. For example, they convert advert jingles, recordings, or podcasts into blog posts, e-books, reports, and others.

They are beneficial in several ways. First, they let you transfer information easily. As a result, you won’t have to transcribe data manually when transmitting information to your audience. Instead, you transform the message in minutes, enabling you to communicate with customers promptly.

Transcription tools also extend your content to more people. For example, you can reach a wider audience by converting audio recordings with HyperScribe. It subtitles the file into over 120 languages, allowing people from different backgrounds to access the content.

Also, transcription tools improve accuracy. They eliminate mistakes to showcase professionalism when you communicate with your customers.

The software helps to create comprehensive reports to share with teammates. For example, when you record interviews, you can transcribe them to text later. Then, distribute them to employees during meetings.

The tools also make content searchable, allowing customers to browse through it and find answers quickly. This improves search engine rankings and helps your audience locate you easily online.

2.      AI voice generators

AI voice generators help to transform data into digestible and engaging content. They turn text into audio, and although they are artificial, these tools produce human-like voices.

Rather than produce long-form content users will find overwhelming to read, the best AI voice generator helps you interestingly convey messages. Moreover, the voices sound real, thereby humanizing your brand and enabling customers to connect with you faster.

Voice generators also offer variety. You can select from the many AI voices available to convey messages in interesting new ways.

For instance, you can switch from a solemn voice to an upbeat tone, thereby setting a different atmosphere and evoking different emotions in your audience. This way, customers will always look forward to the content you create, boosting its consumption rate.

AI voice generators also save time. Rather than transcribe a text manually, the software automates the process. You won’t have to worry about using the right tools or voices because the program has all it takes to convert text to audio.

So, if you are looking for ways to transform meetings’ minutes and documentation into audio files, AI voice generators can help. It is also an excellent tool for tutorials, product walk-throughs, and other self-help materials.

Benefits of data transformation for businesses

Converting data allows your business to scale in several ways. Let’s take a look at some benefits.

1.      It enables better organization

An excellent information conversion system allows you to sort out files so they are within reach. For example, you can arrange them by categories or label them according to their purposes for easier access.

It also gives a good impression of your brand. When users quickly get the information they want depending on your data arrangement system, they see you as a professional, enhancing their trust.

Lastly, it improves customer experience. It provides a straightforward content search, enabling users to make their findings on time.

2.      Better data quality

If existing data is disorganized and complex, changing its format can improve its quality. In addition, this process will simplify, analyze, and structure information, making it easier for users to interact with your content.

By changing the data format, you eliminate errors and enhance its accuracy. This lets you avoid the consequences associated with incorrect data, like additional expenses and negative brand reputation.

3.      It helps you make improved business decisions

Transforming information into organized and digestible formats enhances the decision-making process. For instance, you can make quick queries on your customers’ or company’s data from a comprehensive system, enabling you to make decisions when required.

Also, with the correct data, making the right business decision is easier. This will help grow your business, thereby promoting scalability.

4.      Boosts customer engagement

You increase audience interaction when you transform content into their preferred format. So suppose your audience likes listening to audio. Then, you can turn texts into audible sound using AI voice generators.

If your customers like to read text, you can convert audio to text with transcription tools. Additionally, making the data attainable to a larger community increases content views. This, in return, improves the customers’ participation.

Users will engage with content better because they can understand its message clearly. They will also find their preferred communication method more convenient, which urges them to consume, provide feedback, and share materials with others. By doing this, your audience will invest in your business actively, enabling you to convert and retain them.

5.      It enhances an efficient data management system

An incomprehensive data system is overwhelming for customers and staff. But you can create a centralized data system by turning content into usable forms. Data transformation allows you to collect, analyze, and convert data from one place, making it easier to manage your information efficiently.

Common data transformation challenges

Although converting data formats to improve its usability offers tons of benefits, it can be challenging. Thankfully, you can curb these challenges with some practices. So let’s take a look.

1.       Time-consuming

Data transformation involves several processes. This is why many businesses complain about the time they spend converting their content. For example, they have to discover, map, organize and convert their information, leading to time wastage.

However, you can combat this challenge by using data transformation tools. They streamline the activity, which helps you save lots of time.

2.      It can be cumbersome

Transcribing large documents and files can be overwhelming, making the data conversion process tiresome. So again, automating the process is handy to relieve the stress and efforts required to change data formats.

You can convert content using transcription tools rather than investing your mental and physical effort in transcribing information manually.

3.      Requires talents

Data transformation could require the expertise of a professional. So, many companies encounter the challenge of sourcing talents to help them transform their content. Moreso, they spend money hiring experts to change their content forms.

Fortunately, adopting data conversion software like transcription and AI voice generators eliminate the need to hire professionals. This is because these tools offer resources that execute the functions of experts at no extra cost.

Conclusion

Data transformation enables an efficient content distribution, improves its organization, and promotes an excellent customer experience. Although it involves several processes, you can simplify the activity with data conversion tools like transcription and voice generation.

The software saves time, improves data accuracy, enhances content accessibility, and boosts engagement. Therefore, if you want to conduct a quick data transformation process efficiently, adopt information conversion tools.

Author Bio:
Lydia Iseh is a writer with years of experience in writing SEO content that provides value to the reader. As someone who believes in the power of SEO to transform businesses, she enjoys being part of the process that helps websites rank high on search engines.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Data Transformation in Minutes: What You Should Know appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

SOLO is represented in three of the world’s biggest galleries and for each one an exclusive drop is created. My pieces are bought from all over the world, from art collectors to international celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather.

Within SOLO there are three different ranges.

SOLO is premium art for 3D enthusiasts.

The subjects vary widely, from Burlesque to lost deep space.

On the secondary market, this line has proven to be the best. It has a good return on investment and you are sure to sell it for more. Almost every art has 10 copies, except for a very rare art.

SOLO CULT – This is an avatar project but with a different approach. The avatar project almost always depicts faces, but I decided to move away from this concept. The line is called CULT and it depicts women’s legs, in different clothes, in different positions. It’s a new trend for my collection and it’s only recently launched, but there are already two collectors who have got them into their collection.

The only thing we have in common with the avatar projects is the number of copies. Each CULT is presented as a single copy.

SOLO PICTURE is the most expensive range of NFT paintings.

There is always a girl in every such picture, but this is the only thing that ties all the works in this direction together.

They are one-of-a-kind and in large format, if desired a collector may contact me and, for a surcharge, receive a physical copy of the artwork to be hung in one’s home.

The subject matter is always different and unique.

Now that PFP/ Avatar designs are in vogue, SOLO is still as popular as ever, since it is able to satisfy all tastes and also carries a lot of weight on the secondary market.

SOLO is not only beautiful art, but also an investment in the future.

3D art is a classic that will never go out of fashion.

https://rarible.com/broksh

https://opensea.io/collection/solo-collection

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Most ambitious NFT artist of 2021 appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The report from the UK’s largest workplace supplies and services company, analyses all the company’s vast reams of sales data from 2020 to identify changing patterns in UK organisations’ office behaviour.

Changes In UK Organisations’ Office Behaviour

It shows a 2,000% increase in headsets, and laptop sales outperforming desktop computers by 512% as people flocked to work from home.  Monitors make it into the top selling list, following employer observations that dual monitors increase productivity by up to 25%.

Meanwhile, companies driven to better ventilate their offices prompted a 622% rise in doorstop sales.

The battle for SMEs to create COVID-19 secure workspaces in between lockdowns, was clear. Sales of general cleaning products rose by 987% and demand for facemasks and hand sanitiser shot up by 3,626%. The use of disposable items such as cups and cutlery also went up by 71%, as employers strove to avoid cross-contamination.

When it comes to providing the right tech for employees, but not breaking the bank, the report highlights that the pandemic has turbocharged the rise of the subscription economy – such as for laser printer services – which is projected to rise 3600% in five years.

The report not only charts the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s workplace supplies and services, but identifies trends which Banner’s experts predict will continue for the long-term.

The Trends Are:

1. Flexi-working and focus on worker well-being
2. Customer drive to greater consolidation of services
3. Cleaning and infection control at the heart of business preparedness strategy

Flexi-working

Flexi-working and the focus on worker well-being was emerging prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, but has been radically accelerated, and its permanent adoption expedited. Its impact extends beyond laptops and headsets. Banner predicts a decline in larger inner city business complexes, in favour of smaller satellite operations, and a blend of office and home working becoming the norm for most businesses.

Employee well-being is part of this flexi-working trend and is now higher on the business agenda than ever before. This is reflected in Banner’s top-selling products list, with ergonomics absolutely central:

1. Chairs
2. Desks
3. Monitor arms
4. Monitor risers
5. Laptop risers
6. Headsets

Banner also predicts that this worker-centric trend will spearhead a leasing revolution.  Companies, challenged by the ‘upgrade culture’ of employees, will increase the use of leasing models to provide best in class equipment without denting the bottom line.

Customer Drive To Greater Consolidation Of Services

The second trend identified in the Post-COVID-19 Workplace Market Report is the customer drive to greater consolidation of services. More than ever, businesses and organisations want a ‘one order, one invoice, one delivery’ approach to receiving goods from suppliers. Aside from the efficiency and economies of scale this delivers, this trend is also driven by environmental concerns and corporate carbon reduction goals. Accelerating this trend was the need to ring-fence vital product supplies to manage the pandemic and possible Brexit disruption. Finally, companies continue to look to reduce the number of orders and deliveries to reduce the risk of contamination.

Banner also highlights the trend for multiuse and more concentrated forms of products, so organisations buy less and store less, motivated by a combination of environmental and practical factors.

Cleaning And Infection Control At The Heart Of Business Preparedness Strategy

The third trend Banner has identified is the permanent impact the pandemic will have on business risk strategy. Many organisations were ill-prepared and ill-equipped to effectively respond to the crisis and they cannot afford to be in that position again – and that is where they can use the help of businesses like Green Facilities. The need to create virus-secure workplaces has changed business behaviour and put cleanliness centre stage.

Frequency of office cleaning has increased from weekly, to 3 or 4 times a day. Communal touchpoints went from weekly cleaning to being cleaned after every single use. From a product perspective, the buyers’ focus will be on refills and multi-use cleaning products, e.g., those which can be used as a hand sanitiser as well as cleaning surfaces such as monitors, work surfaces and office equipment.

Products will also be used to drive behaviour change. For example, antibacterial bin bags, touch-free bins, aerosol-based products for hands-free surface decontamination in one hour. In educational settings, standalone hand washing stations with foot operated taps help to prevent the congregation of numbers of school children in small indoor spaces.

Craig Varey, Managing Director at Banner, comments: “As a leading fulfilment partner to public and private sectors, Banner is uniquely placed to see the shape of reactions across businesses, sectors and industries, and identify the trends that signify a permanent shift in the way we are working.  The turbulence of 2020 brought some significant trends in workplace behaviour and management to the fore, which we expect to impact the products we provide over the coming year. Interestingly we had seen these trends emerging prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, but like COVID’s impact on everything, the effect on these developments has been unprecedented.” 

To access the full report: Click here

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Realities Of Post-Covid-19 Working Life Revealed appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The hashtag ‘#smallbusiness’ currently has 25 billion views on TikTok. This has resulted in small business owners looking to use the platform to elevate their brands to capitalise on the opportunity to reach new audiences. A common way to do this is to buy TikTok followers. 

The finance experts at money.co.uk have investigated which business sector is currently doing the best on TikTok. The team reviewed the top performing videos under #smallbusiness, noting down the number of likes and the industry the business belonged to. You can get TikTok followers to grow your account on this platform, and this allowed them to rank the business sectors in terms of popularity from highest to lowest.

Key Points

• The beauty industry is the most popular #smallbusiness industry on TikTok with a total of 61,792,300 likes from the videos analysed.
• The fashion industry is the second most popular with 50,424,500 likes.
• Just behind in third is the jewellery industry with 49,893,000 likes.

Top 10 most popular business industries on TikTok:

Money.co.uk can reveal that the most popular #smallbusiness industry booming on TikTok is the beauty industry with a total of 61,792,300 likes amid the most popular videos. From cosmetics such as homemade lip gloss to ASMR packaging clips, the beauty industry is certainly proving popular on TikTok.

Coming second on the list of the most popular small businesses on TikTok is the fashion industry with 50,424,500 likes. Streetwear, printed logo shirts and activewear were all heavily featured in the most popular small business videos.

Jewellery comes third with a total of 49,893,000 TikTok likes. The most popular videos included homemade necklaces, rings, and earrings.

A common way to do this is to buy TikTok followers.

The art industry is fourth on the list of most popular small businesses on TikTok. Paintings, canvases, and graphic design videos received 43,543,000 total likes.

Completing the top five is the home decoration and accessories industry with a total of 27,103,700 likes.

Methodology

1. Money.co.uk trawled through the #smallbusiness page on TikTok to identify the most popular videos under the hashtag.
2. In order of popularity, 235 of the most popular videos were analysed, noting down the number of likes the video had and which industry the business belonged to.
3. This enabled them to rank the industries from highest to lowest based on popularity.
4. The data was gathered on 06/05/21 and is accurate as of then.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post The Most Popular SMEs Industries Booming On TikTok appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Following the announcement on Sunday 28 October 2018 that IBM will acquire US-based open source software solutions provider, Red Hat for approximately $34bn to bolster its hybrid cloud capabilities,

Analysts at GlobalData, a worldwide data and analytics company, offer their view on the blockbuster deal:

Chris Drake, Principal Analyst for Data Center Technology at GlobalData, comments,

“Although IBM and Red Hat will be strongly positioned to address data portability and security issues, and accelerate hybrid multi-cloud adoption, there are questions about how they plan to do this and how this transaction will impact IBM’s main hybrid cloud play—IBM Cloud Private—which they announced last year. IBM has expressed plans to continue building and enhancing Red Hat partnerships, including those with major cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Google and Alibaba. Does this mean that IBM will promote equal access to these additional public clouds as part of its Cloud Private offering and, if so, how will it do this?

“There is also a lot of speculation as to how this transaction will position IBM as ‘the world’s #1 hybrid cloud provider’ in an emerging $1tn growth market. However, hybrid cloud is a fast-changing market that is being targeted by a growing number of major players. In addition, several large infrastructure vendors, including Dell EMC, HPE, Huawei and Cisco, have more than one hybrid cloud offering. Red Hat has been reporting strong hybrid cloud growth based on its OpenStack and OpenShift solutions. It’s unlikely that IBM would want to disrupt this growth and may therefore use the acquisition to develop a more differentiated range of hybrid cloud solutions.”

Despite all these questions, there are plenty of benefits for the two companies, particularly around access to one another’s existing customers.

Brad Shimmin, Service Director for Technology and Software at GlobalData, comments,

“The acquisition will give IBM a solid bridge between its existing on-premise hardware and its global cloud platform. However, the long-term and most profound ramifications will be felt within the Linux and broader open source communities. Hopefully, IBM will allow Red Hat engineers to continue prioritizing upstream contributions, regardless of whether or not those are in the best interest of IBM’s bottom line. If not, the driving force Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) will very likely shift toward rival distributions like Debian, CentOS,  OpenSUSE, Ubunto, Gentoo, or perhaps some as yet unrealized new opportunity.” 

And finally, Charlotte Dunlap, Principal Analyst for Application Platforms at GlobalData, says,

“IBM would do well to gain access to RHEL customers and Red Hat’s greater loyal developer community. In recent years IBM and Oracle have made inroads in open-source software (OSS) by adopting technology from OpenStack to Cloud Foundry further up the stack, but no one’s got the following of the developer community like Red Hat for its initial commitment and business model around OSS. Once these hybrid cloud set ups are in play and enterprises move into the digital transformation phase, which converts their IT and data centers into modern app development/deployment architectures, operations teams (DevOps) are pinning a lot of hopes on OSS technologies such as Kubernetes (container orchestration), Istio (microservices) and Knative (serverless) to ease the complexity of moving app workloads into production. Application platforms providers like Red Hat having an advantage here carry a lot of weight among enterprises.”

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post IBM Acquisition of Open Source Software Red Hat for $34bn is a Win-Win for Both, Says GlobalData appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Despite GDPR legislation having come into effect over four months ago, the majority of UK businesses in the professional services sector are now risking penalties by failing to adhere to some of the rules.

According to a survey of 1,002 UK workers in full or part-time employment, carried out by Probrand.co.uk, a large proportion (30%) of businesses in the professional services industry failed to wipe the data from IT equipment they disposed of in the two months following GDPR. The workers surveyed were from a wide range of professional services including law and accountancy firms.

This news is perhaps less surprising given the research also found that 81% of all UK professional services businesses do not have an official process or protocol for disposing of obsolete IT equipment.

What’s more, 48% of professional services workers admit they wouldn’t even know who to approach within their company in order to correctly dispose of old or unusable equipment.

The top 5 industries most guilty of not clearing the memory of IT equipment before disposal in the months following GDPR were transportation (72%), sales and marketing (62%), manufacturing (59%), utilities (58%) and retail (57%).

Matt Royle, marketing director at Probrand.co.uk commented: “Given the amount of publicity around GDPR it is arguably impossible to be unaware or misunderstand the basics of what is required for compliance. So, it is startling to discover just how many businesses are failing to both implement and follow some of the simplest data protection practices.”

“This is especially startling to see from businesses within the professional services sector, where sensitive customer information is handled all the time.”

“The fines involved in a GDPR breach can potentially run into the millions – and what appear to be less tangible impactors, like reputational damage, customer trust and loyalty, will ultimately become financially significant.”

“Given these findings, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that all businesses have a disposal procedure in place to avoid inadvertently leaking sensitive.data.”

The top 10 industries which are most guilty of not clearing the memory of IT equipment before it is disposed of:

1. Transportation – 72%
2. Sales and marketing – 62%
3. Manufacturing – 59%
4. Utilities – 58%
5. Retail – 57%
6. Education – 54%
7. Leisure and travel – 49%
8. Healthcare and hospitality – 45%
9. Trades / administration – 44%
10. Information and communication – 39%

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post GDPR Compliance: Companies In The Services Industry Risk Penalties By Not Wiping The Memory From IT Equipment appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

An innovative new energy bill management app has been unveiled at Business Showcase South West in Bristol. EnergyBillKill is the only API-driven commercial energy switching app available to the market.

Created in response to the rising cost of energy in the UK, EnergyBillKill combines the latest technology with decades of experience to provide the quickest and easiest energy switches for business owners and managers.

The app will get the most affordable rates from suppliers and slash the broker fees by 50% or more, giving savings of up to 30%. Businesses can compare prices, and decrease their energy bills with minimal hassle and minimal 3rd party costs.

EnergyBillKill is already available on the App Store and the Android Shop and is free to download. And it aims “to deliver some of the cheapest business gas and electricity prices in the UK.” It will be first focused on business management, giving out gas and electricity prices directly from energy firms. They claim they can cut fat broker commissions by 2 to 3 times, which means business owners and managers get to keep more hard earned cash.

Energy Bill Kill Co-Founder Michael Rossman explains the motivation behind creating the app: “It’s widely acknowledged that the UK’s major energy suppliers overcharge their loyal customers and as energy prices continue to rise, this is becoming an even more critical issue.

“Our aim is simple: be transparent, fair and simple, taking away the hassle of switching and delivering the lowest energy prices to small businesses in the UK in just a few clicks.”

Business Showcase South West is an annual event that attracts around 220 of the most promising brands, SMEs and entrepreneurs from in and around Bristol.

“Bristol is a dynamic and exciting City with a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, making it the ideal place to launch EnergyBillKill. We look forward to delivering big savings and efficiencies to our customers here and across the UK,” adds Co-Founder Aidan Brady.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post EnergyBillKill, World’s First API-Driven Commercial Energy App Launches in Bristol appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Your age isn’t the only number that increases over time. As you accrue more experience in the workplace, your value to employers inevitably increases, and salary expectations should follow in line.

There’s a direct correlation between age and salary – for most of your life they will increase together as you learn new skills, gain more experience and increase your potential.  But it also depends on several variables, including your industry, development, skill set and even gender. Here’s what you need to know according to Instant Offices.

Average Wages in the UK

The average UK annual salary or monthly wage of full-time employees differs drastically across industries. According to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees in the UK were up 2.2% between April 2016 and 2017, rising from £539 to £550.

Depending on which sector you join and where you’re situated, your salary could quickly outstrip this amount.

According to Graduate Jobs, the median starting salary for UK graduates in 2018-2019 is between £19,000 and £22,000 while Totaljobs estimates a higher average at £25,000. Those working in the London area can expect to start with an even better salary, which Glassdoor estimates at an average of £29,975 – a full 7% above the national average. However, this figure is heavily influenced by several factors that will determine just how much you earn at what age.

Factors that Influence Salary Growth

These factors play a significant role in determining how much you should be earning at your age.

• Education
  It is well known that a degree, or at least a good qualification from a reputable institution, will positively impact your salary potential.
• Experience
  This is perhaps the most obvious factor, and one that most closely correlates with your age. The amount of years you have spent in a particular role or industry will have a big impact on your salary.
• Industry
  As can be expected, salary ranges differ wildly across industries according to skills needed, demands on the employee and level of education required.
• Company
  Big, small, traditional, progressive…any number of attributes will play a role in determining how much a company is willing to pay an employee.
• Gender
  In April 2017, the gap dropped to 9.1%, compared to 9.4% the year before. This is the lowest since the ASHE survey began in 1997, where the gender pay gap was 17.4%. In 2016, Monster reported that the average annual salary was £22,381 for UK women and £32,961 for UK men. More recently, in August 2018, the figures also showed the gap diminishing, with women earning an average of £25 303 and men earning an average of £30,524.
• Location
  London remains the beating heart of the UK’s finances and of course, its denizens can expect a hike in pay.

What Can You Expect to Earn at Your Age? 

According to ASHE, 16-to-17-year-olds entering the job market can expect to earn under £200 a week. Thankfully, by the time you reach your twenties and have far more responsibility, this figure will improve significantly.

• Terrifying twenties

Employees and job hunters in their twenties can use their skill sets and education as solid motivating factors for more money. ASHE calculated the average earnings of employees aged 22-29 at up to £477.9 a week for men and £440.8 a week for women. Your salary at this age can grow quite quickly though and will, of course, be dependent on the other factors listed above.

The most obvious dearth in a twentysomething’s arsenal is experience. As of August 2018, Monster & PayScale estimated an average annual income of just £20,404 for employees with less than one year of experience. After 5-9 years, this figure burgeons to £30,915, and around the 20-year mark it’s up to £39,199. For a fresh graduate looking for work experience, these figures can be quite disappointing, but keep in mind that they do not take industry fluctuation into account.

• Stable thirties

Here is when you can start outstripping the national average. Your experience, wisdom and carefully curated set of skills will start to pay off.

In your thirties, you can expect to gain quite a significant boost to the weekly wage estimate. ASHE calculated the average weekly wage for employees aged 30-39 at £613.3 for men and £557.5 for women. This is also the age group where women’s earning potential typically peaks.

• Fabulous forties

This is when your extensive experience, years of expertise and deep knowledge of the industry fulfils your potential as an employee. As with age, individual years become less important than the bigger picture of what you have done with those years. While women’s earning potential is highest in their thirties, the 40-49 age group is where men hit their earnings peak.

Five Fastest Growing UK Industries in 2018

The top industries for growth in the UK in 2018 include:

• Information Technology
• Construction
• FinTech
• Manufacturing
• Healthcare
• Engineering

Road to Success

Whether you’re in the highest or lowest paying industries, there’s always room to grow. Your salary and potential earnings will increase automatically as you improve your skills, knowledge and experience, but there are a few ways you can increase it right now:

1. Negotiate a salary raise

Keep details of your achievements at work and use them as leverage when negotiating a salary increase.

2. Research and compare your salary

Know how much your skills are worth and compare your salary with the industry average for an overview.

3. Become an expert

Consider training or studying short courses to become more knowledgeable in your industry.

The moral of the story? Keep improving your worth, learning from great mentors and studying your niche to find success in your industry through every stage of your life.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Average Salary: This is What You Should Be Earning in the UK appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The rapid growth of these channels, such as Twitter and Facebook as well as the proliferation of corporate blogging (which, while still a force, has been stalled by the social media rise), is indicative of a broader, sweeping change in the ways that businesses are using these tools to connect and engage with their customers.

This infographic from Go Gulf takes a closer look at the social media statistics of Fortune 500 companies.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Social Media Statistics of Fortune 500 Companies appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.