Month: February 2019

Preventing data breaches has become more important after GDPR came into effect. While it is important that you already think about your customers’ privacy and freedom as well as your susceptibility to regulatory action and ability to protect your reputation, this has become more important. The public is more aware than ever regarding their rights in terms of personal data.

Organisations have also been warned about the threat of data breaches. The maximum penalties for failing to meet legal requirements have also been increased by regulators.

You always need to be looking for ways to streamline your compliance process whether you are still working toward GDPR compliance or feel that your existing measures will work. This will help you to manage any issues you face more effectively and ensure that you are always up to date with the threat landscape. There are a number of tools that you can use to help manage your GDPR compliance and information security processes.

GDPR Data Breach Support Service

GDPR states that you need to report a data breach within 72 hours, but this can be a challenge for most organisations. With the threat of breaches ever growing, this is something that you might have to deal with in the future.

To make this job a bit easier, you can turn to GDPR Breach Support Service. This is a management team made up of DPOs, cybersecurity experts, lawyers and information security experts. They will help you respond to any security incidents quickly and in a manner that complies with GDPR. Alternatively, Trident Assurance Services are also always at hand for GDPR support for organisations.

Data Flow Mapping Tool

This is a cloud-based tool which helps you get full visibility of the flow of personal data in your business. It can also help you streamline processes and mitigate any risks where data could be exposed to insecure locations. When you use this tool, you will be creating a visual of the flow of data without having to use some of the more time-consuming methods like vector graphics.

Cyber Security And Information Security Staff Awareness E-Learning Course

Interactive learning is a cost-effective and time-effective way of educating your staff on issues that impact the organisation’s cybersecurity. This course will teach your staff about the basis of data security as well as information and cybersecurity risks. How to deal with these threats will also be covered in the course. The content is not overly technical and it has been designed for all employees in a business instead of only the information security expert.

Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is a controlled hacking of a system by a professional tester who works for the company. They will be looking for any vulnerabilities in the same manner that a criminal hacker would. This is essential if you want to eradicate any potential problems with an application or network before it is used by anyone.

DPO As A Service

GDPR may require your organisation to appoint a DPO or data …

IHT, which stands for Inheritance Tax, is a type of tax on possessions or money you have left behind once you pass away, as well as on a few gifts you have made in the last years of your life. If you’re wondering what is a probate and finding it hard to get your head around inheritance tax, then read on here.

Some of your assets you are able to pass on tax-free, known as the “nil rate band” or “tax-free allowance”. If you are passing your assets to a civil partner or your spouse, then there are no inheritance taxes due. Just about all of the same HMRC forms which are a requirement when inheritance taxes are due will still need to be filled out and filed, excepting there are no tax requirements that will have to be paid.

For our current tax-year, the tax-free IHT allowance is set at £325,000. It is unlikely that this amount will increase for a number of years to come.

There will also be residence “allowance” in addition to a standard “nil rate band” which applies when the deceased has left her or his interest in property which was at a certain point their main residence (yet not always necessary at the time of the persons death) to 1 or more “direct descendants”. A direct descendent can include biological children, stepchildren, adopted children, foster children, along with grandchildren.

A residence “nil rate band” will be a lower of (1) of net value of interest in a residence along with (2) a maximum “nil rate band”. Maximum “nil rate band: will start at £100,000 for each person from the month of April 2017, and will increase by £25,000 every year from here, up to a figure of £175,000 by 2020/21.

Inheritance Tax Rates and Thresholds

If when you die you were not in either a civil-partnership or married.

If you die single and your estate has a worth that exceeds £325,000, which will include money, investments, property, after the deduction of expenses and debts like your funeral costs, IHT at 40% will be payable on the overall value of the estate if it is above £325,000.

If when you die you are in a civil partnership or married.

Civil partners and married couples are permitted to pass along their assets and possessions to the other partner tax-free. Since October 2007, surviving partners are now permitted to make use of both these tax-free allowances (to an extent that 1 was not used at the 1st death).

Making a Gift Over Your Lifetime

IHT can also be payable when it comes to gifts you have made over your lifetime, particularly when you pass away within a 7-year period of making such a gift, over and above those that pass under the estate at your death. There are rules that are detailed on whether gifts are or not:

• In themselves tax-free, when these gifts were made.
• Tax-free due to the timing of a gift.
• Or taxable themselves,

Change is a constant in many high-tech fields, and there’s nowhere that’s truer than in the sphere of social media. Just when we get used to one set of rules dictating how and where content flows, fresh trends and new tech disrupt the landscape and redefine the game.

2019 is already primed to bring dramatic developments to the social media world. Privacy concerns, political activity, mental health, and technological advancements (particularly in AI) are all going to be important. Here are our key trend predictions for social media in 2019:

Nano-Influencers Gain Power

A nano-influencer is a content creator who commands a small audience, usually less than 10,000 followers. We expect to see brands pay more attention to these individuals in the coming months. Why? Because they are realising that a huge following does not, in itself, guarantee the high levels of engagement they’re looking for. Nano-influencers offer a greater level of authenticity and typically hold much more sway with their followers. I have a few friends at the nano-influencer level who are already being courted by brands, scoring free material and often payments in exchange for brand advocacy. Nano-influencers are good deals for brands, as exposure can be bought at this level much more affordable than from past ‘influencers’ with bigger audiences. Nano-influencers are generally new to the world of compensated social media, so they’re hungry for experience as well as money.

Technological Advances

The endless march of technology rewards cleverness and forward thinking amongst brands on social media. Capitalising on the latest technological possibilities offers multiple challenges. Perhaps the most important one, in terms of social activity, is education. Brands and organisations find themselves not only in need of clear strategies for using the latest tech such as animation production but also with a need to educate and inform their potential user base. Hybrid clouds, machine learning, quantum computing, IoT security: Brands need to do more than plan the most advantageous ways to employ these tools. They also need to teach users and the public what to expect from them.

The Story Format Will Grow – From the Marketer’s Side

The idea of providing content in the form of ‘Stories’ – ephemeral pieces posted to a social platform that will disappear within a day – has successfully taken the marketing world by storm. The platforms themselves have taken note, too. Mark Zuckerberg has already noted the rise of Stories over the News Feed on Facebook, and he has re-tasked the company’s internal developers appropriately. It would be no surprise at all to see new Story-focused ad products emerge from Facebook in 2019. The big question to keep in mind this year is that we can’t say for certain yet how organic this interest in Stories is. Marketers and social media operators love them, but how much do users actually like them? We need to be careful not to be taken in by an ‘astroturf’ swell of popularity that actually comes from advertisers and marketers.

Social Video Experimentation

Content marketing is one of the basic marketing strategies every marketer should keep an eye on in 2019. With hundreds of blogs run by both global companies, brand design companies and individuals, and ranging from general to more specific ones, identifying the best ones worth your time and read can be a little intimidating. Outlined below are 9 of our favourite blogs – these are worth your time.

1. Vero
   Vero mainly specialises in email marketing. Email marketing is, however, closely related to social media and content marketing though at another level. Finding interesting and insightful content for your email marketing campaign doesn’t have to be as daunting with this blog. The content here is more valuable and insightful when compared to numerous other similarly-themed blogs.
2. HubSpot
   With thousands of business owners and marketers (over 300,000) forming the HubSpot Community, there’s no doubt that you can learn a thing or two from this giant. The content here covers social media, SEO, lead generation, content marketing, and analytics. You should be able to find lots of expert and valuable content published in various perspectives by both the HubSpot staff and guest blog writers who post items regularly.
3. Jim’s Marketing Blog
   Jim is a blog editor and the manager with more than 30 years’ worth of experience in the marketing industry. Jim is dedicated to his blog, with more than 300 pages worth of insightful articles on marketing. One of the best things with subscribing to his blog is that his blogs are insightful, easy to comprehend, and based on facts. You can even get plenty of marketing tips from the blog as well. The tips and insights outlined in his blog are easy to understand and can be integrated with your marketing campaigns and plans.
4. Content Marketing Institute
   Content Marketing Institute is home to hundreds of articles and blogs delving into content strategy, industry trends, and best blogging practices, all created and published by a variety of seasoned writers. ‘This week in content marketing’ is one of CMI’s main hit series that provides insights and highlights on current events and trending news, all related to content marketing.
5. CopyBlogger
   CopyBlogger is one of the best one-person blogs with more than 330,000 subscribers. Created in 2006, CopyBlogger covers almost everything from social media marketing, email marketing, and SEO. Subscribers also get access to a free 20-part course on any of these topics. Subscribers also get access to content that can help them attract and even drive traffic to their businesses.
6. MarketingProfs
   If looking for marketing strategies, tools, online seminars and everything related to online marketing, then MarketingProfs is the go-to blog. The blog provides expert information on a range of marketing aspects from social media tips to industry trends. Use this blog to find tried and effective solutions to most marketing issues.
7. Hootsuite
   Hootsuite focus mainly focuses on social media and how to gain a social audience. You will find tons of content aimed at helping you adopt a macro approach when using social

If you would like to sell in a tricky market, then this article is here to help you out. The tips in this article will help you increase the value of your property and help you attract potential buyers. From minor improvements to large extensions, here are tips for increasing the value of your home:

Find Out as Much as You Can About Your Target Market

When you want to sell your home, research your target market before doing anything else. Doing so will help you avoid wasting your time and effort on things that will not increase the value of your home.

Doing research on the internet will help you know the type of buyer that would like to buy your property such as a retirement or young family opportunity. Knowing what your potential buyers are looking for will help you know the alterations you need to make to attract potential buyers.

Make Your Home’s Exterior More Attractive

First impressions are lasting impressions. Therefore, it is good to ensure that your home’s exterior is attractive to increase the value of your home. You can accomplish this by trimming hedges and grass, cleaning windows, clearing gutters and so on.

The appearance of a property from the road is usually known as kerb appeal and is among the most important things to focus on if you want to increase the value of your home. If you would like to improve your home’s kerb appeal, it may be good to consider bold, coloured statement doors.

Country Living has found that 2018 was the year of bold, coloured statement doors with purple regarded as the most popular colour. Find out how other sellers in your local area prepare their homes for sale to get tips on how to prepare yours.

Remember the Hallway

Majority of the homeowners make a mistake of forgetting their hallways when selling their homes. While hallways are often narrow, cramped spaces for coats, shoes and general junk, they are the first spaces potential buyers see when they enter a house. This has made hallways hold more importance when it comes to selling a property.

It is a good idea to have your hallway painted a pale colour as this will maximise the light. Also, consider putting up a mirror to make your hallway appear larger. To limit the amount of visible clutter, put coats and shoes in discreet storage places.

Consider Loft Conversions

Converting a loft is among the easiest ways to add square footage to a property. However, it is good to consult an architect or surveyor before converting a loft as these professionals know all about the required building regulations and also know how to do loft conversions in the best way possible.

Research has shown that a loft conversion can increase the value of a property by 12.5%. Adding an en suite bathroom to this can help you create a secluded master bedroom which can add more value than the cost of completing a …

The online arena is always changing and that is no different when it comes to social media. Algorithms tend to define how content is distributed and once almost everyone invests in the current trends, the algorithms change.

Well, as we usher in 2019, there are various social media aspects that are bound to be addressed, including tech advancements with artificial intelligence, messaging bots, privacy, political utilisation, mental health and so much more. In this read, we are going to discuss a few predictions in regards to the future of social media in 2019:

Stories Will Grow Further

‘Stories’ or the format of posting content that disappears after 24 hours burst into popularity in 2018 and we predict that it will continue to grow this year. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who recently said that they expect the platform’s news feed usage to reduce can evidence this.

As a result, he has instructed his teams to put a focus on creating features as well as advertisements for stories in 2019. The real question is whether the popularity of this form of content is genuinely popular, or a Facebook’s effort to make users on all its platforms to use it in an effort to increase their revenue this year.

Nano-Influencers Will Become More Prominent

We predict that there will be a rise in brands utilising Nano-influencers this year, particularly those with less than 10,000 followers. That’s because more and more businesses are beginning to realise that more followers don’t necessarily result in higher engagement levels.

Nano-influencers tend to be more genuine than those with several hundred thousand followers are. There are numerous people that work as ambassadors or brand representatives for firms. They get free products as well as payment to advertise or review the items and this enables brands to spend less on marketing compared to what they would on a conventional influencer.

In addition, Nano-influencers are more likely to accept such deals as they’re new in the arena and aren’t used to getting free products.

There Will Be Technological Advancement in the Social Media Space

Technology never stops advancing and as such, brands will need to be cleverer and more creative in how they put out their word on social media platforms. How are people going to visualise about quantum computing, tokenisation, internet of things security, machine learning, and neuro networks?

There is a huge need for creative visualisation and communication evolution so that the average individual can be educated on what is happening in the industry. This is imperative for brands that want to meet the content demand for social media platforms.

Segmented Social Media Video Will Become More Mainstream

Social media video is without a doubt the future of collaboration, real-time engagement, and education. It will become the closest task that we perform in real life, only with the constraints of physical location eliminated. Social media platforms are completely aware that if they are able to get social media video right, they will over future generations similar to how …