Gold Sponsors to the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018

Sponsor to Local Awards

By: Sam Geary, Marketing Executive

PCS are getting involved with this years local SME Northamptonshire Business Awards…

Entries are now opened for the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018 and we’re proud to announce our involvement as Gold Sponsor.

We’ll be supporting the ‘Business Innovation’ category of the awards and we’re excited to see what local entries come to the surface.

The category ‘Business Innovation’ is the perfect fit for us as a business because it suits our outlook and approach to business. We’re always looking for new and improved ways to develop our products and services and innovation is something we are very film believers in.

The SME awards target small businesses within the region and are free to enter for any business or organisation with less than 250 employees. Each business is eligible to enter up to three categories and new businesses which began trading after January 2016 are also being welcomed to enter the awards.

There is a total of 18 categories to enter all together, so everyone will have the opportunity to get their business recognised.

Award categories include:

• Apprentice of the Year Award
• Best E-Business Award
• Best New Business Award
• Business Innovation Award (We’re Sponsoring!)
• Business of the Year with less than 50 Employees Award
• Business of the Year less than 50 Employees Award
• Community Business of the Year Award
• Employer of the Year Award
• Enterprising Business of the Year Award

• Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• High Growth Business of the Year
• Green Award
• Service Excellence Award
• Not for profit Business of the Year Award
• Young Business Person of the Year Award
• Training and Development Award
• Networking Group of the Year Award
• Rural Business of the Year Award

We’re looking forward to the launch of the awards on April 24^th and the ceremony in October. On the judging panel is our very own Shelley Thompson the UK Sales Manager here at PCS Business Systems.

Shelley said, “Since we’ve been focusing our attention a bit closer to home, we’ve had a fantastic reaction from local businesses. We’re delighted to be part of the SME Northamptonshire awards this year as a gold sponsor and look forward to recognising the talent Northamptonshire has to offer.”

The awards are open for entries from April until July. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us. The SME Northamptonshire business awards seek to recognise and celebrate the hard work and of SMEs within the county of Northamptonshire. We believe that awards like these are significant to raising the profile of some of the county’s most deserving businesses.

The reason we’ve decided to sponsor the awards this year is because we’re a local business and we want to empower other local businesses. So, showing support to businesses in our local area will encourage.

So, fancy your chances? We’re encouraging our clients and other local businesses to enter the awards this year. Not only is it a massive accomplishment and a great experience but it’s also unifies businesses in the local area and encourages them to come together and celebrate success together.

If you’re thinking about entering the awards or want to find out more information on the categories or sponsors please visit: http://www.northamptonshireawards.co.uk/ or get in contact with a member of the team at PCS.

Good Luck!

 

Employment Start Date:	August 2017
Job Title:	Marketing Executive
Years in Marketing	3
Twitter	@PCS_Samantha

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NN16 9QJ

08452 41 41 55

The post Gold Sponsors to the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018 appeared first on PCS.

source https://www.pcs-systems.com/gold-sponsors/

Sponsors to SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018

Sponsor to Local Awards

By: Sam Geary, Marketing Executive

PCS are getting involved with this years local SME Northamptonshire Business Awards…

Entries are now opened for the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018 and we’re proud to announce our involvement as Gold Sponsor.

We’ll be supporting the ‘Business Innovation’ category of the awards and we’re excited to see what local entries come to the surface.

The category ‘Business Innovation’ is the perfect fit for us as a business because it suits our outlook and approach to business. We’re always looking for new and improved ways to develop our products and services and innovation is something we are very film believers in.

The SME awards target small businesses within the region and are free to enter for any business or organisation with less than 250 employees. Each business is eligible to enter up to three categories and new businesses which began trading after January 2016 are also being welcomed to enter the awards.

There is a total of 18 categories to enter all together, so everyone will have the opportunity to get their business recognised.

Award categories include:

• Apprentice of the Year Award
• Best E-Business Award
• Best New Business Award
• Business Innovation Award (We’re Sponsoring!)
• Business of the Year with less than 50 Employees Award
• Business of the Year less than 50 Employees Award
• Community Business of the Year Award
• Employer of the Year Award
• Enterprising Business of the Year Award

• Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• High Growth Business of the Year
• Green Award
• Service Excellence Award
• Not for profit Business of the Year Award
• Young Business Person of the Year Award
• Training and Development Award
• Networking Group of the Year Award
• Rural Business of the Year Award

The awards launched on April 24^th and the ceremony is in October (more specific dates will be released closer to the time). On the judging panel is our very own Shelley Thompson the UK Sales Manager here at PCS Business Systems.

Shelley said, “Since we’ve been focusing our attention a bit closer to home, we’ve had a fantastic reaction from local businesses. We’re delighted to be part of the SME Northamptonshire awards this year as a gold sponsor and look forward to recognising the talent Northamptonshire has to offer.”

The awards are open for entries from April until July. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us. The SME Northamptonshire business awards seek to recognise and celebrate the hard work and of SMEs within the county of Northamptonshire. We believe that awards like these are significant to raising the profile of some of the county’s most deserving businesses.

The reason we’ve decided to sponsor the awards this year is because we’re a local business and we want to empower other local businesses. So, showing support to businesses in our local area will encourage.

So, fancy your chances? We’re encouraging our clients and other local businesses to enter the awards this year. Not only is it a massive accomplishment and a great experience but it’s also unifies businesses in the local area and encourages them to come together and celebrate success together.

If you’re thinking about entering the awards or want to find out more information on the categories or sponsors please visit: http://www.northamptonshireawards.co.uk/ or get in contact with a member of the team at PCS.

Good Luck!

Employment Start Date:	August 2017
Job Title:	Marketing Executive
Years in Marketing	3
Twitter	@PCS_Samantha

PCS

About Us
Contact Us
Partners
Meet the Team
News & Security

Useful Links

Managed Services
Locations
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Managed Services Brochure
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Registered in England No. 3082062

2-4 Northfield Point
Cunliffe Drive
Kettering
Northants
NN16 9QJ

08452 41 41 55

The post Sponsors to SME Northamptonshire Business Awards 2018 appeared first on PCS.

source https://www.pcs-systems.com/gold-sponsors-to-the-sme-northamptonshire-business-awards-2018/

GDPR Security Tips

GDPR Security Tips

By: Joe Morrissey, Digital & Social Media Executive

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is going to replace the DPA (Data Protection Act 1998) on May 25^th 2018. (Yes, that’s next month!) It will affect any company that holds personal information about not only its clients, but its employees too. It will introduce measures that ensure the protection of this information. 

We live in a world where businesses hold large amounts of personal data about their clients and employees, so GDPR is an important part of ensuring that this information is kept safe.
(To find out what ‘Personal Data’ is defined as click here).

GDPR is part of a much broader push towards ensuring businesses treat the data they hold seriously.  In this blog we’re going to outline some of the ways in which businesses can adopt processes to become more robust, and to mitigate the risk of security breaches and cyber attacks.

As more and more businesses are holding valuable information both on premise and in the cloud, criminals are trying their hardest to obtain this information. Therefore, it’s vital that businesses are aware of the changes that occur in the GDPR and Cyber-Security world.

As well as understanding the changes that occur, it’s also important to implement certain measures to protect sensitive information. So, we’ve put together four helpful security tips that will help go some way to achieve this.

Be vigilant

The best thing a business can do when it comes to protecting against security breaches is to keep up to date on the various forms that cybercrime can take.

This means having a knowledge of the various tactics that are used by criminals to trick a business into giving access to sensitive information.

Malware, ransomware, viruses, and phishing attacks are just a few examples of the ways in which cyber criminals operate.

We’d recommend any business starts their cyber security journey by contacting us and speaking to our Commercial Manager Reuben who can advise on various cyber security aspects and how cyber security fits into GDPR.

The best thing a business can do when it comes to protecting against security breaches is to keep up to date on the various forms that cybercrime can take.

Back up your data regularly

Another very simple thing a business can do is to be secure is back up its data.  This should be done at least daily.

Ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent. Backing up data regularly is an easy way to make any business more resilient.

Ransomware is malicious software, which when installed on a device encrypts the files.  Once the encryption is complete, to retrieve and access the encrypted data a ransom must be paid to obtain a special passcode (or key), to un-encrypt the files.  There’s no guarantee if the ransom is paid that access will be granted.

Regularly backing up data will mean that important information is secure and accessible in the event of a data loss or Ransomware attack.

Using a service such as that offered by Datto can protect against Ransomware.  PCS offer consultancy, installation and ongoing support to businesses looking to adopt this service.  From a GDPR point of view this service ticks one of the boxes in Article 32.

Be wary when using public Wifi hotspots

One of the benefits of modern technology is that it’s much easier to take work out of the office. It’s common for employees to work from home or even in cafes and restaurants. Places like McDonalds or Starbucks have free public Wifi and, though this is very convenient for those on the go, it comes with security risks.

The best defence against this is to raise awareness amongst employees and discourage the use of work devices on public internet connections.  A more secure way of working is to use the hotspot internet connection from a smart phone instead.

Review your security policies regularly

As well as keeping up-to-date with cyber-security developments, it’s important to also regularly review company policies and procedures that are in place.

As an ISO27001 certified organisation, PCS can help with this by providing sample policies and procedures where necessary.

This is an important part of keeping up to speed with GDPR.  In addition to maintaining security policies employees should also be made aware of their responsibilities when it comes to sensitive information or data.

These tips will go some way to making any business more secure, but extra methods and services will likely be required.  Especially when preparing a business for GDPR.  GDPR will affect all businesses no matter how big or small, so it’s important to start implementing responsible practices now.  Practices which will help avoid data loss and successful cyber-attacks.

Meet The Author

Name:	Joe Morrissey
Job Title:	Digital & Social Media Executive

See what Joe’s up to on Social Media:

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Registered in England No. 3082062

2-4 Northfield Point
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Kettering
Northamptonshie
NN16 9QJ

08452 41 41 55

The post GDPR Security Tips appeared first on PCS.

source https://www.pcs-systems.com/gdpr-security-tips/