The Easily.co.uk Website of the Month contest celebrates the hard work our customers put into their websites. Not only will the winning website be featured on our Easily.co.uk website, but they will also win an Apple iPod Touch 8GB.

Your website’s domain needs to be registered with Easily.co.uk in order to enter.

Send your domain name to wotm@easily.co.uk by midnight on the 31st January 2012.

Read more to find out what we look for in your website.

Neuromarketing studies have shown that emotional activity in a customer’s brain decreases after just eight seconds. You must strive during this brief time span to get people enthusiastic about your online shop and your offerings. The single most important factor? A well-designed shop! But what should you keep in mind while sprucing up your shop?

Do not overwhelm your customers.

Your online shop’s homepage is the online equivalent of a storefront. You can use your homepage to win over customers’ trust. You should therefore invest a great deal of effort in it. Unfortunately, a lot of online merchants make the mistake of cluttering their homepages with too much information. Consequently, customers cannot find their way around and exit the site without making a purchase. You therefore should not cram all of your products into your homepage. Instead, use your homepage to set the stage for shopping. Large-scale, high-quality and topic-specific images on your homepage enhance your entire online shop. Doing so also frees up space for you to promote certain products as discounted items. You can also utilise your homepage to draw attention to categories. You should use large-scale, topic-specific images here, too; manufacturers sometimes provide such images to merchants.

Accentuate your products

Use as many product photos as possible on product pages. Every single image helps turn interested visitors into paying customers. Use merchants’ product images or – better yet – make your own photos. You should do this, however, only if you have the necessary equipment, such as professional lighting. Your product images will otherwise seem quite unsightly and shabby.

Products are typically photographed in front of a white background. We therefore generally recommend that you similarly use a white background for those sections of your online shop where you will present products. Images will thus fit in well with their surroundings.

But do not forget to add flourishes of colour to your online shop, either. In menus or the page elements, perhaps, which appear near your products. Do make sure that you choose colours which harmonise. EasilyShop offers a colour manager precisely for this purpose; it suggests a suitable set of colours for any colour you select.

Make the most important elements easy to find

A field-proven rule for websites states that you should always place the most important items at the top of the screen – ideally, in the upper right. Users are accustomed to looking there for key information. The two most important things you should make clearly visible at the top of your online shop: a clearly portrayed shopping basket and the product-search function.

If you want to convert interested parties to customers, you must ensure that people in your shop always know which step they must take next to complete the process of buying something. We therefore recommend using colour or a large format to emphasise buttons which are essential to the buying process. While you are selecting graphics for buttons, make sure you choose an icon set familiar to your customers. The symbol for “Add to shopping basket”, for example, should be instantly recognisable. Accepted methods of payment are also significant concerning the buying process. You should therefore prominently display the logos of all payment providers on every page.

In general, you should guide customers through your shop. A navigation bar and properly organised categories will help them to get oriented quickly. A “bread crumb” – in other words, showing the current menu item as a path – can also help customers. Because users look first to the footer (the section at the bottom of a web page) if they want to find mandatory information –such as a site’s legal notice or links to contact options – you should place such information in the footer.

In just three months .xxx will be with us for good.  All of the protests about the moral rights and wrongs of the domain name suffix have been debated for years but there is really nothing that any of the groups can do now to stop it becoming part of Internet history.

Indeed in the last month alone the first adult website to use the new suffix, casting.xxx, went live.  Last week thousands of applications for brand holders and members of the adult community were also made through registrars across the globe.

Even the Los Angeles Times got in on the act, publishing a full page ad last week under the banner “Why the Adult industry is adopting a new position”.  This is all very well and good but how will search engines treat the new .xxx suffixes?  Will certain traffic be restricted? Will .xxx websites be safe? Will our search habits change for good? And will search engines create identifiable communities for adult sites?

ICM, the organisation appointed by ICANN to run the .xxx registry claim the suffix is the way forward.  They pose three moral rhetorical questions:-

•    How can we prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to adult content online?
•    How can we ensure willing consumers access adult websites that are safer from malware or spyware?
•    How do we create an easily recognisable and identifiable safe environment where adults are free to enjoy the best in adult entertainment in a relaxed and secure fashion?

On the face of it adopting .xxx is the answer to all of these questions.  That is until you stop and think about things a bit deeper.  Will adult sites still keep their .com or .net as well as their .xxx?  Of course they will, because if they don’t they will lose their existing search ranking. More importantly, however, if they dispose of their name they are essentially giving away the associated natural traffic that goes with an established name.  So people will still search for casting.com and be routed there and that negates the first statement.

In terms of malware and spyware – well there is some reverse psychology at work here.  If you saw that all .xxx names will be free from such scams surely it is only a matter of time before a malicious website is set up using an .xxx.  If people are given the belief that .xxx is a safe haven they will lower their defences.

Finally, we have the issue of an “identifiable” community.  One thought here is that if you put all of the pornographic content in one place on the Internet, you can try and ring a fence around it and only allow those in who wanted to go in – hence the ICM statement about a “safe environment where adults are free to enjoy” etc.  But this also means it is easier for companies, ISP’s and even countries to very quickly put specific filters both on content, and on search results.  The adoption could be seen as a very easy way to put censorship in place, a move that many strongly disagree with.

Google doesn’t have a “Safe Search” option you can switch on or off in general search, so if a site is classed as “adult” irrespective of the top-level domain (TLD) it will not be listed either in the auto-suggest results or general search findings unless there is a direct keyword match.  I cannot see them changing their policy for .xxx.

In fact Google are yet to decide how they will treat .xxx in terms of its TLD “powers”.  There is a fear that they may not treat it the same way as other generic top-level domains (gTLD) such as .com or even .co and this will have a massive impact on search results.  In the long term this will mean that sites will still have to invest in search engine optimisation (SEO) for both their traditional gTLD and their .xxx variety which defeats the object of the whole concept.

A number of organisations will also want to put their own censorship in place on .xxx names.  Most firewalls can be easily configured to allow this to block results, and few could really argue that looking at adult websites during working hours is an appropriate activity.  But will it really stop the determined?  Proxy servers or sites with custom iframe capabilities will bypass any restrictions, and how long before someone sets up a site like viewmy.xxx to allow “discreet” browsing.

.xxx is the new kid on the domain block and we will continue to hear more and more about the benefits of the suffix until the general release in December 2011.  However, there will be uncertainty about the value of the suffix with regards on how it will be treated for ranking purposes.

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Taken from Technorati:

Domains, top-level domains, URLs and similar terms that, to the uninitiated, are often as dismissed or misunderstood as Greek mathematical symbols (∑ anyone?).  But Google has made a step forward that has been catching on among internet companies as a means to shorten domain names and maintain their trademark.

The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is the organization that manages, briefly, web site names.  The system is called Domain Name Service, and it creates a tree system, which looks similar to computer file systems used by most computer users.  At the top of the DNS hierarchy of names are three groups, collectively known as Top Level Domains, or TLD, according to the ICANN site.

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This year, Sheffield will have the opportunity to position itself as the entrepreneur capital of the UK with the 2011 MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival scheduled to take place in the city from 21 to 24 September. More than 2,000 entrepreneurs from all across the nation are expected to come to Sheffield to share their ideas and their knowledge, while getting the opportunity to meet Britain’s leading business and political figures.

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP and the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk MP will be headlining the MADE Festival, along with some of the country’s most renowned entrepreneurs.

“The Made Festival in Sheffield is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to share idea and knowledge, and help inspire the next generation of business owners in the UK,” said Dr Vince Cable. “We want to make our country the best place in the world to start and grow a business. It is small businesses that will drive growth in the economy and we need to support them in every way we can,” Dr Cable added.

Director of Marketing Sheffield, Brendan Moffett, said, “The MADE Festival has really put Sheffield on the map as the UK’s leading city for entrepreneurial thinking, and is the ideal location for entrepreneurs to set up and thrive.” According to Mr Moffett, “The UK needs to nurture new entrepreneurial talent and ensure that we help them to grow their ideas into successful businesses. Sheffield is the place to get those conversations started.”

The 2011 MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival aims to focus on three themes:

Inspire – The MADE Festival will focus on inspiring entrepreneurs to think out of the box and learn how to turn their dreams and ambitions into reality. The festival hopes to achieve this aim through networking events and panel debates, which will encourage and motivate the next generation of entrepreneurs to thrive.

Disrupt – The festival aims to highlight the value of disruption for an entrepreneur. This essentially means how an entrepreneur and think and do things differently, thereby disrupting status quo. Workshops and discussions will lead the way and focus on tech and digital start-ups. Through these channels, the MADE festival aims to motivate entrepreneurs to gain the confidence to have a disruptive influence and make pioneering decisions that take their business to new heights.

Accelerate – The MADE festival aspires to be the catalyst that accelerates innovation and growth in business. It aims to achieve this goal with the support of leading global brands that will encourage businesses to take up the challenge of transforming the economy of the nation.

MADE 2011 will be chaired by Michael Hayman, co-founder of StartUp Britain, a national enterprise campaign, co-founder of Seven Hills, a communication consultancy and Chairman of Entrepreneurs at Coutts & Co. According to Mr Hayman, “If you want to see what it means to be made in Britain, come and see MADE in Sheffield. The festival is the signature event in the UK calendar for entrepreneurs. It’s a symbol of innovation and optimism about what business can do to help spearhead the economic recovery.”

“Enterprise is about entrepreneurs and the MADE Festival is a fantastic showcase for everything that is best about British business,” Mr Hayman added.

This year’s MADE Festival will help strengthen Sheffield’s international reputation and help attract tourism, investment and jobs to the city. This is the chance for Sheffield to shine after its concerted efforts at regeneration, which has given the city the capacity and the infrastructure to support businesses from a wide variety of sectors.

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The Management Times released its 2011 list of 35 women under 35. A list of the year’s top 35 women achievers this year’s list seemed to be a list for entrepreneurs. David Cameron has spent the last year emphasizing that what Britain needs is “more people to make a job rather than take a job.” From the women on the list this year, four have started up their own businesses and are doing exceedingly well. Between them, they employ nearly 70 people, which is not bad for a self funded start-up. ‘Backing new enterprises to start up, and small businesses to grow, will deliver new jobs and economic growth,’ business secretary, Vince Cable, told MT. ‘I want people all over the country to see that working for your self is a real alternative to unemployment or getting a job.’

The common factor amongst these women is the fact that they are confident of themselves and their ability to succeed. Confidence is something that goes a long way for any business enterprise. Julie Diem Le, founder of Zoobug, an online retailer of children’s glasses, says that “having the confidence to take the plunge is vital. You need to have dogged determination and be able to think outside the box – if somebody’s not already doing it; you have to be brave enough to just go for it.”

Of course, along with confidence comes the ability to play your own strengths to your advantage. A common advice given by most of these entrepreneurs is that one should be comfortable in their own skins. Women find the need to emulate men, which is something they think is the key to success, which these 35 women have disproven. Being yourself and comfortable with who you are will go a long way in contributing to your success.

This year’s list has a wide range of businesswomen, from designers to corporate disciplines. Let’s take a look at three of these success stories and what they do. The list has entrepreneurs as well as executives for the biggest names in the country.

Natalie Dunn is at 26 the youngest woman on the list and the senior advertising manager at Sainsbury’s. What makes her a name worthy of mentioning is the fact that she worked her way up at Sainsbury’s. She started out at the check out at the age of 16.

Anna Bance, at the age of 30, is spearheading her company, Girl Meets Dress. The idea was simple enough and Anna, who was formerly working at Temperley, managed to convert it into a successful business model. Mentioned in the Vogue as ‘the answer to all your prayers,’ Girl Meets Dress rents out designer wear for a fraction of the cost, for those who cannot afford it or don’t want to spend so much on designer wear.

Julie Diem Le, at the age of 34, has made herself an online sensation. Her idea for a line of safe to wear sunglasses for children came to her when she was looking for a pair for her niece. Being an eye surgeon with an artistic streak helped her a lot. Zoobug, her company, now distributes in 21 countries around the world, and is currently working on producing the official Olympic themed sunglasses for children for the London 2012 Games.

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In an economy that is struggling to recover from the recent slump, the jobless in the UK are seeking jobs in the technology sector. The tech sector is one place where not having the expertise in the field does not stop people from applying for and securing jobs.

PeoplePerHour.com, a website for freelance recruitment, released new figures that say that there are a large number of people from other industries seeking jobs in the tech sector. These latest figures prove that the tech sector is playing an important role in the economic recovery of the UK.

Going by these figures, it is clear that there is a 50 percent increase in the number of jobless people applying for and securing jobs within the digital sector. The general observation is that most of these people have secured jobs working in a technology role or in the IT department of an organization. According to a report on V3.co.uk, PeoplePerHour.com says that “75 per cent of the new workers in the sector were working in an area unrelated to technology before being made redundant.”

Web programming, IT and web design account for 30% of the jobs in this sector, while editing and copy writing accounts for 11%. Another 10% of the jobs were secured in the search engine optimization and internet marketing domains.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, the founder and chief executive at PeoplePerHour.com says, “Tech is in the driving seat in what looks to be a stagnant economy. There’s significant innovation in the digital space. You just need to look at the whole ecosystem that sprung up around Facebook, the iPad and gaming industry, iPhone apps, it’s really what’s driving the economy. All of this is creating demand for more digital talent, a lot of which works freelance.”

In an economy that is struggling to hold on to the power of its currency in the foreign market, this trend looks like it might be able to bring some relief from the economic crisis being faced, given that joblessness makes demands on the economy’s social services and employment cells. Foreign investment is an important aspect of the economy and is being depended upon as a driver to lift the economy.

The coalition government has time and again courted the tech industry, in the hopes of attracting investments from foreign sources. Web giants, such as Twitter and Google, are a main source of foreign investment. The tech industry is expected to encourage investment by these companies in the home-grown start-ups.

Technology Strategy Board, which is backed by the government, is expected to plough in £1 million into UK-based tech start ups. This is an attempt to increase the prosperity of Silicon Roundabout, a digital hub in east London. The UK seems to be fast realizing the importance of a strong digital sector, and jobs in this sector are being encouraged all around.

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A group of UK’s largest companies and environmental groups, Adlersgate, says that the deregulation drive undertaken by the government could hamper the economic recovery of the country. Adlersgate Group’s report, to be launched in Parliament on Wednesday, to an audience of business leaders and MPs states that “effective regulation is essential to drive growth and jobs.”

In the report, Adlersgate states that initiatives, such as the red tape challenge that threatens to “rip up” vital green legislations are likely to jeopardize future competitiveness as well as damage the attractiveness the UK holds for green investment. Not only this, the report states that the deregulation drive would “lock in polluting industrial processes for decades to come.”

The government has committed itself to reducing the cost and volume of regulation on the economy with the implementation of measures such as the ‘one-in, one-out’ rule. The report questions the government on whether measures such as this one will make any sense when addressing environmental issues like climate change. In a market that requires more regulations, not less, to protect the environment and to drive the growth of new and upcoming industries, this measure is an example of market failure.

Regulation ought to seek to achieve “best value” and should be assessed on the basis of merit, according to the report. The report highlights the negative impact that putting sensible environmental regulations at risk will have, especially since a loss in business confidence will be a consequence.

“It is a myth that all businesses want less regulation. Effective green laws create a level playing field which drives efficiency, early action and the innovation in UK companies that will be the engine for future growth and jobs,” says Peter Young, the Chairman of the Adlersgate Group. “A crude deregulation drive risks damaging competitiveness and severely threatens the Prime Minister’s commitment to a green industrial revolution. The regulatory framework should encourage a rapid shift to a sustainable economy rather than being held back by vested interests or the lowest common denominator,” Young explains.

He feels that the “war on red tape” that the government has undertaken must not become a misguided crusade that will result in a threat to the regulatory outcomes, protecting the environment being one of them. “Even the threat of deregulation on the Climate Change Act and renewable energy support is massively eroding investment and making growth more difficult,” Young adds.

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said, however, that the debate is not more regulation versus deregulation or more laws versus fewer laws. The question here is what the right kind of regulations might be. Regulations that will help businesses become more competitive globally, that will lower the costs incurred by consumers and that will result in the realization of benefits for the environment, economy and society should be focused on.

Dealing with deficits, the report by the Adlersgate Group also argues that the reduction of outdated, excessive and burdensome measures are welcome, but they should not be at the expense of the essential role that regulations play in the correction of market failures, protection of the environment and the promotion of fairness. Regulatory reform should be about the maximization of innovative potential of businesses as well as effectively achieving outcomes.

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Last week Sustainable Brands held its fifth annual conference in Monterey, California. Professionals in the fields of design, brands and sustainability from global countries convened to lead a movement of change towards a brighter future. For companies committed to making sustainable innovations a business and brand value driver, the conference is an important event. Amongst the topics discussed by the attendees of the conference, a few struck out as important for companies that want to make a shift to sustainability.

Besides just doing less harm, companies should work towards providing proactive solutions, so as to see some real benefits in terms of industry leadership and costs, said Chris Laszlo, co-author of Embedded Sustainability. “Innovative disruptive change is the future,” Laszlo added.

Ogilvy Earth stated in its latest research, presented at the conference, that the “green” concept has long been associated with being feministic and is perceived as having a larger appeal for women. Products need to appeal to the male ego as well in order to actually change a consumer’s attitude and buying practices. The marketing of sustainable products needs to shift from eco-friendly to “ego-friendly.”

“GE’s Ecomagination not only posits the company as a sustainability leader, but is GE’s #1 recruiting tool at schools and MBA programs and is itself a Fortune 500 company,” said Kate Brass, GE Program Manager, Ecomagination. She believes that eco-innovations should not be treated as a means, but as an end.

Cost overruns are thrust upon the consumer by the traditional models of business. “In a world where sustainable materials cost more than their unsustainable counterparts, successful business models move beyond economic disincentives for sustainability to make their products viable for consumers as well as business,” said Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation. The economic disincentive needs be overcome. It is one of the major hurdles faced by sustainable product makers.

Erin Schrode, the lead spokesperson for Teens Turning Green, observed that to capture millennial consumption and loyalty towards a brand, the promotional success of sustainable products lies in the company’s authenticity and its transparency. Once this is incorporated, brand advocacy and social sharing will follow automatically. The key here is to remain completely honest with the consumers.

Ian Yolles, the chief sustainability officer at Recyclebank said, “Recyclebank has employed a strategy to get people to recycle that is actually working.” They have gamified recycling by providing incentives and online spaces for engagement in order to improve communities. The key here is to involve your consumer and encourage sustainability.

“SAP provides carbon footprint analysis that allows companies to pinpoint the energy use of individual plants, consumers to monitor their energy use and analyze savings and employees their personal carbon footprints,” said Peter Graf, the chief sustainability officer at SAP.

Jules Peck, Partner at Abundancy Partners, UK explained that decoupling economic activity from material throughput will be of massive significance. It is a fact that by 2050, the global carbon intensity should be only 6 grams per dollar of output. The current figure is 770 grams per dollar, which is a whopping 130 times the figure it should be. Peck described a “Great Transition,” one in which we shift paradigms, from the current growth as prosperity paradigm to a wellbeing as prosperity paradigm.

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Edwina Hart, who was recently appointed the Minister for Business, Enterprise Technology and Science, gave her first interview since being appointed minister. In her interview with Walesonline.co.uk, she spoke about the goals she has for the department and the challenges being faced by the Welsh economy.

The minister’s first comments were about the Civil Service reforms. She feels that the assembly has a very “risk-averse culture,” an observation she has made ever since she became a minister back in 1999. She says, “I think if the risks are always outlined to you as a minister then you should be prepared sometimes to take them as that is the only way you get success for businesses.” Edwina Hart feels that the risk taking is an inherent part of the success of any business. She agrees that the government needs to improve clarity in terms of what kind of support they are going to provide businesses with. “This is an area I am exploring, looking at how we can be quicker to respond, but also sometimes I don’t think it is clear to business what the role of Government is in this area,” Hart explained. She also said that the government should use what resources it has to its advantage, seeing as how the nation is at the edge of Europe.

Her appointment to this key position was a surprise to her as well as a lot of people in the Assembly. “I don’t think you are ever surprised at what you are offered. You are always very pleased and honoured that the First Minister has considered you for an appointment. Obviously I enjoyed my time in health which was a period of great reform and very much enjoyed the restructuring and discussions within the service… this is a different challenge,” Hart added.

Edwina Hart has her own opinion as a newly appointed minister on the exclusion of Transport from the Department for the Economy and Transport, and its inclusion in the portfolio of the Local Government Minister, Carl Sergeant. This was a decision that had raised a lot of eyebrows in the Assembly. There is definitely a link between improvement of the economic performance and rail connectivity, and so the fact that Transport is not in any ministerial titles is a little worrying.

“When you are trying to attract companies into Wales they will not always go to areas, say like up to the Valleys, but where they want to go for their interest,” she said. “We are duty-bound to look at transportation and systems to make sure we take people into work wherever they are, like Cardiff” hart added, regarding the potential economic upside of projects such as electrifying the Valley Lines to Cardiff.

Edwina Hart also discussed a lot of topics ranging from her interest in helping micro businesses become successful to the government’s powers to vary the corporation tax.

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Foreign exchange movements affect investments and as a result most investors prefer to stick to British companies. They prefer to stay away from investment assets that are valued in foreign currency. Since almost all the day to day liabilities are denominated in sterling pound, it makes sense for investors to have assets in the same currency. More so since the mortgage is not going to be accepted in Japanese yen or US dollars.

Globalization, however, has allowed many companies to set up their offices overseas, to an extent that the one can question the nationality of the company, especially since the currency in which they make their profits is not the pound.

This brings us to the question of how exactly can the nationality of a company be determined? Textbooks say that the country where the company has its headquarters is the country it belongs to. Now, this can prove to be difficult to determine, seeing how some companies have their base and operations in over a hundred countries. The earnings of a company cannot be determined by its location, and that is an important thing. Take the copper mine, Antofagasta, for instance, whose registered office is in London. Its operations are, however, in Chile, and the accounts are in US dollars.

Some companies do not list their profits on a country to country basis, like Diageo, the spirits giant. Nearly 28% of its sales in the year 2010 were from Europe and Russia, so one can safely say that what happens in the UK does not really affect it. Now, if you want to define a company’s nationality based on where it gets most of its business from, then Diageo is more American than British, given that 34% of its sales are in the US.

Even big companies like Unilever and Procter and Gamble are affected by where their offices and sales are because most British  investors tend to choose Unilever over P&G, since they consider Unilever more British. This happens despite the fact that most of Unilever’s dividends and accounts are in euros, with maximum business conducted by it outside the UK. These companies can be thought of as “Global.”

British investors benefit from the fact that despite conducting business in countries where English is not an official language, these companies generate their reports, news releases and accounts in English. And more often than not, their accounts and papers are easier to decipher and understand than most native British companies.

However, where the question of investor protection and regulation is concerned, having a Nationality becomes an important aspect for the company. Investors are directly affected by the company’s host country, since it has to follow the rules and regulations of that country. This becomes an even bigger concern for investors if the company in question is based out of a country that is not developed, say Russia.

The globalization of the market is changing the way investors think and how much they trust a certain company’s assets. British investors would still opt for a company based out of the UK, but this is a trend that appears to be looking at a change in the near future.

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The graphics and technology expectations of the construction industry have been transformed thanks to the latest innovations in BIM Technology. BIM Technology has allowed more sophisticated information exchange and enhanced supply chain collaboration opportunities. No longer is BIM concerned only with 3D modeling, the latest innovations have added a dimension for the manipulation of models through time, and incorporation of cost data, making it 5D!

The operational scope of BIM exceeds its initial incarnation of being a mere model-based visualization tool. “The BIM concept has been expanded across disciplines as well as work flow to become an advanced business enabler, customized for all stages of construction from concept to completion and beyond.” says Jay Bhatt, Autodesk’s senior vice-president for architecture, engineering and construction solutions.

This means that BIM can now manage, manipulate and monitor, as well as model. Its capability is no longer limited to and concentrated on just visualizing buildings alone, BIM now aims to influence post-occupancy management, civil infrastructure, environmental performance and urban development.

This new generation of BIM has been driven by the turbulence in the global economic front over the past three years, adds Bhatt. He said, “BIM is now crucial to delivering smaller costs, greater certainty, higher efficiency and minimized waste.” Some of the latest advances in BIM technology are Data Management, Interoperability, Urban Planning and Infrastructure, and Utilities and Post Occupancy.

Autodesk has developed software, such as Vault, Buzzsaw, Autodesk BIM 360, Revit Sharer and Navisworks, that seek to consolidate and control centralized banks of information. BIM technology is being embedded with integrated capability that allows full access to the project data, while tracking and securing the project’s history. The growing use of mobile synchronization will enable instant access to the facility to edit digital data in real time from portable media, such as the iPhone and iPad, as well as from web browsers.

Two of the biggest operators in the field, Bentley and Tekla, announced their plans to link BIM software formats to ISM technology, which enables interoperability between the two.

“Supply chains … need to appropriate knowledge, process, tools and infrastructure to help them collaborate electronically. IT vendors also need to enable easy exchange of data between the tools that are used by different team members,” said technology consultant Paul Wilkinson, while identifying one of BIM’s key challenges.

The Urban Planning and Infrastructure innovations allow for the quick simulation of entire cities, regions and countries! A basic 3D model of the city of Boston was created using BIM in just 40 minutes! Buildings, squares, roads, dams and bridges, everything can be visualized virtually and then subjected to performance testing that probably would have taken years without this technology!

Utilities information can now be overlaid on to 3D models with some strands of the BIM software. This software allows the inclusion of critical details that are related to the age, size and location of the important civil infrastructure components, such as sewers, drainage, access tunnels, power lines, water pipes and gas mains.

Amongst the most significant innovations by BIM is its evolution from a simple planning and design tool to a management tool. The data accumulated during and for the construction can now be used for the maintenance and operation of a building, long after it has been completed.

These innovations by BIM are certainly set to make the construction business more cost efficient and manageable.

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The current scenario is perfect for the rise of the social enterprise sector. The government is looking to cut down on state run public provision, leading to speculation among the politicians that the social enterprise sector will step up to fill the gap created by the attenuation of the public sector.

The realistic value of this scenario cannot be verified yet, as it remains to be seen if social enterprises will indeed be able to fill this gap.
John Bennett, who is currently heading the Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition (WSEC), shall be of vital help in the process of entrusting the social enterprises sector with a bigger role in the UK economy. Mr. Bennett was a natural choice for heading the WSEC when it was set up in 2010, given that he had been the chief executive of Pack-IT, an award winning social enterprise, based out of Cardiff. The coalition has built a 120-strong membership in the nine months since it was established.

“The important thing at the moment is to establish that strong membership base and to find out who those social enterprises are across Wales,” Bennett said, while adding, “Secondly, it’s important to get the political parties to understand what social enterprises are about; what they can and can’t do.” When he was appointed chair, the WSEC was a steering group, and Bennett’s first task was to formulate a development plan for the coalition. He has since travelled around Wales, to talk to the members and find out what their expectations in terms of delivery by the coalition are.

One of the biggest problems is to define what exactly a social enterprise is and what the membership criteria should be for the coalition. Bennett claims it is not an easy or straightforward task. “The problem with social enterprise is it doesn’t have a legal structure per se. I call it a state of mind as much as anything else,” he said.

According to Bennett, social enterprises have an important role in the economy and in social provision; however, he doesn’t have an evangelical take on it as do some other commentators. “Social enterprises can deliver, there’s no question, but this broader idea of social enterprises being the panacea to solve everything, it isn’t going to work like that” he mentioned. He believes that contrary to what some people say, profits have to be earned, and there is nothing wrong with that. To achieve financial sustainability the enterprise must keep profits in mind.

Social enterprises should strive not only to be financially sustainable and viable, but also every little bit of public funding they receive should be fully justified. Bennett believes that social enterprises have no right to be funded if they cannot deliver what they are receiving those funds for.

The coalition is the lobbying voice of social enterprises. While individual organizations might not be able to meet a minister for a problem faced by them, if the problem is persistent and prevalent over a number of enterprises across Wales, Bennett goes and raises the issue with the minister in question.

Bennett feels that at the end of the day, a social enterprise is essentially about people wanting and aspiring to improve things and make them better.

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Scotland’s economy is in a situation that can potentially hamper its recovery from the recent recession; and that is the loss of “a generation” of young businessmen. The past few years have seen a dip in the number of aspiring thirty-something entrepreneurs. The successes of billionaire tycoon Sir Tom Hunter, TV star Duncan Banntyne and lingerie tycoon Michelle Moore seem to be the last of their kinds.

According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, fewer people between the ages of 18 and 23 years are likely to set up businesses in Scotland as compared to the rest of the UK. This phenomenon is unexplained because even the authors of the Monitor are unable to understand why the numbers are dipping. Especially since everywhere else in the UK, the figures show that there is an increase in the number of businesses set up by people from this age group.

Dr Jonathan Levie of Strathclyde University’s Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship says, “This is basically a lost generation of potential entrepreneurs in their 30s, and I think it is something we should be worried about.” Dr Levie feels that there are some very amazing things happening in Scotland but just not enough of them. “We cannot recover this lost generation, but we can help to prevent another one through the universal provision at colleges and universities of training in starting a business.”

According to Dr Levie’s research, the world’s fastest growing economies are those where new start-ups contribute the highest percentage to the economy. In light of the recent economic recession, such activity is crucial for the Scottish economy, especially since the Coalition Government is heavily dependent on the private sector for the revival of the UK economy. Dr Levie theorizes that one of the factors that might be affecting this trend is the growth of economic discontent.

Sir Tom from Ayrshire says, “There is no great change in new business activity levels. The funding landscape remains extremely challenging and there is evidence that for Scots lack of interest is a more significant barrier to starting a business.” Sir Tom built up Sports Division into a nearly £300 million empire once he realized the inherent potential of selling trainers while he was working with his father on the market stall.

Nearly 14% of Scotland’s young businesspeople go to their relatives for the funding of their businesses, while a quarter of them rely on their immediate family for funds. This could be a potential reason for the recent trend, since young people are turning to their families instead of professional advisors for assistance. Dr Levie says, “Most of their family and friends have had no experience of running a business. This raises questions about the quality of the advice they are receiving.”

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report suggests that the Scottish government fill the gap in “third level education.” This report was part of the world’s largest study on early-stage start-ups. It has suggested that a comprehensive plan of action needs to be implemented to address the increasing level of disinterest that is being experienced today.

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Following the announcement of a hike in overseas sales, As Seen On Screen (ASOS) announced on June 2 its intention to foray into the Chinese market. UK fashion retailers have seen a contradictory surge and fall in sales over the last couple of years. Online retailer ASOS has seen a profit hike of 41% with international expansion. The company is benefiting more from overseas sales than its sales in the UK, according to the figures released on June 3.

ASOS, established in 2000, has seen a consistent increase in its popularity and sales figures, however in recent times; the company has seen an increase in its overseas sales, prompting it to plan expansions to Italy, France and Australia in the coming year. The representatives at ASOS say, “We remain positive about the outlook for 2012 and remain on track to deliver our ambitious plan of £1bn of sales by 2015.”

With the incorporation of the initiatives of free delivery as well as returns, their UK business has delivered a strong performance. The sales rose by 25% to a very positive figure of £184 million despite the extremely competitive environment. This figure, while impressive, is not a very positive one, when compared to the increase in the company’s overseas sales. The announcement of switching to this warehouse has resulted in the bottom-line profits to be pushed down by 23% to £15.7 million.

The company has announced an intention to open a 530,000 sq ft warehouse in the Barnsley area. This move consolidates its four existing site of distribution in Hemel Hempstead. This move will support its range of own label products and 50,000 branded products.

Although analysts say that the results are in sync with the expectations, the shares have slumped 10%, due to the cautious stance taken by investors due to apprehensions about the prospects going forward. Investec analyst Katharine Wynne said, “A recent hammering for shares in rival SuperGroup, after it failed to cash in on warm April weather, highlighted the ‘fragility of valuations in these markets’.” She has a maintained a sell rating on the stock. She has, however, upgraded her underlying profit forecast to £40 million from her previous forecast of £35 million this year.

All this speculation has not stopped ASOS from announcing a move into China. “It is not a question of if but when,” said its chief executive, Nick Robertson, of China. He did add: “We will need to have a partner because we can’t do it independently.” This move is keeping in mind the company’s ambition to become a “global fashion destination.”

Along with its Chinese expansion, ASOS plans to move and expand into the world of Facebook via a store and mobile phone apps. “Mobile is going to be huge,” Robertson said. “This is about the shopping experience coming to you … that could be via apps, on your mobile, on Facebook.” “More than 7% of visitors to the website were already using their phones. This is the next shift in terms of how we perceive shopping online,” he added.

So, despite a slump in the stock and no phenomenal increase in UK sales, ASOS remains ambitious about achieving its £1 billion mark in the next four years, with a global expansion.

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Microsoft held a Windows 8 demonstration at the D9 conference on Wednesday, June 1. Windows 8, a reimagining of Windows from the chip to the user interface, is being hailed as the next generation of Windows. The operating system is dynamic and fluid, and the new generation of touch-centric hardware, writes Julie Larson-Green, corporate vice president, Windows Experience, Microsoft News Center.

With Windows 8, Microsoft has done away with its trademark Start menu, and has instead introduced a tile based start screen that allows the user to customize and scale the full screen view of the apps. The tiles are live, with integrated notifications that show up-to-date information from the apps. One of the main browsing features is the new Internet Explorer 10, a fully touch optimized browser.

Although no data has been given about the exact release date of the OS, it is expected to be available to users before October 2012. Microsoft has introduced this software with the idea of it being used on PCs via the mouse and keyboard, as well as via touch screens. The start screen demonstrated resembles the layout of Microsoft’s mobile operating systems. Users will be able to manipulate the live tiles by pressing on the screen. This demonstration suggests that the look on the operating system will be universal though it will run on phones, tablets, laptops and computers. Microsoft says that the system was designed primarily for touch and gesture based devices, although it will also allow manipulation via the traditional methods of keyboard and mouse. Windows 8 seems to be Microsoft’s way of saying it is not “out of the game” of tablet markets, despite the success of the iPad by Apple.

However, Microsoft wants to get more tablets running the Windows software into the hands of consumers, and to speed this up, the company has demanded that hardware firms use a single chip maker to produce their gadgets. This has not gone down too well with a lot of laptop and computer manufactuers, since they use chipsets from different suppliers to make their product ranges. Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Nvidia and Intel are among some of the firms that make chipsets for tablets.

“This industry doesn’t belong to Microsoft or Google, it belongs to all the participants,” said Jim Wang, president of Acer, at a Computex press conference. “So they can’t make the decision for all of us. That’s the problem.” Wang has labeled these restrictions put by Microsoft as “troublesome.”

But, these glitches aside, the Windows 8 OS is all set to dazzle people with its sophisticated interface and fluidity. Its effort to compete with Apple’s growing market domination is pushing Microsoft to come up with some amazing new innovations. It seems that Windows 8 will prove that Microsoft is still capable of being a market leader in the OS segment.

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Later this week the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbering) meet for in Singapore for their 41st gathering where it is expected that the process for apply for new domain name suffixes will eventually be ratified.  After years of talking the action will begin as companies, corporations and organisations will race not only to get their application in first, but to see their product “hit the shelves” as soon as possible.

Many companies are sitting back, waiting to see what happens in terms of applications.  A few companies have come straight out and said they would not consider an application, whilst a vocal minority have said that they will launch their new suffix as soon as possible.

One such company is Canon.  There are many reasons why they potentially want their own domain suffix.  The digital photography market is fiercely competitive and the big brands are constantly looking for a competitive edge.  For instance, few companies in this space have developed a “Flickr” type application, or even their own software portal such as PhotoShop.  Perhaps this is their plan.

It will also have not escaped their notice that “canon” actually means “sexy” in French, meaning a whole new world of brand image could be protected by such an application.

The whole process for applying for a new suffix is not cheap nor will it be quick.  ICANN have outlined both the process timeline and the rough guide to the fees involved.  Even if there are no objections to an application, such as Canon’s, then it will take around 9 months.  Just to submit an application for the Evaluation Stage to ICANN there is a fee of $185,000. So it is expected that the number of companies or organisations going down this route will be relatively small at the moment.

So who else may apply?  The city of Mumbai have already publically stated they will be applying for .mumbai.  A spokesman for the city has said:-

“Mumbai is a world city and is India’s commercial and cultural center. Like any great city, Mumbai has its own unique identity, recognised worldwide. We’re proud that Minds + Machines has been chosen by ITLD to help put Mumbai on the Internet stage”

Melbourne, Sydney, Berlin and New York are also rumoured to be close to announcing their intention of applying.

Where the fun will really be had will be in the brand marketing area.  Trademarks exist for a number of companies who share similar (or even the same names) yet there can only ever be one domain name or suffix.  Back in 2006 when .eu domain names were launched, EURID received multiple applications for polo.eu.  Ralph Lauren, Nestle (Polo Mints) and Volkswagen all claimed to have legitimate rights to the name.  What would happen if all three apply for .polo as a new domain suffix?

United Airlines v United Utilties?  Who wins there?  Or what if Boston, Lincolnshire decide to apply?  Will that mean Boston, Massechussets will be forced to defend their honour? And going down the route of Ford Escorts is just a world of pain.

So what are the advantages for spending all this money?  Brand purity and protection must be up there.  If you own your .brand then you can almost eliminate uncertainly and infringement straight away.  Cost savings are another consideration.  We have seen some domain names change hands at unbelievable sums of money as companies try to secure all of their brand domain names.  Some of the domain sales are for $millions.  Yet now for a fraction of the cost they can register the .brand and never need another domain name again.

So keep an eye out for some interesting news in the next few months as to who exactly is going to take the plunge.

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Last week in San Francisco the ICANN board approved the launch on .xxx domain names by a vote of 9 to 3 (with 3 abstentions). This vote paves the way for .xxx domain names to be launched this year.

So who will be the winner in all this? You may think that this is a victory for the Adult industry but you would be wrong. They are totally against the idea and protests have been raging for months about this. From their point of view this is the last thing they want. They do not want to be “catagorised” in such a way. They rely on miss types, casual visitors and people visiting their sites when they shouldn’t be. So by making all adult sites end with the suffix .xxx it will become easy for restrictions to be put on outbound Internet traffic.

Just as companies easily cut down on 0898 chat lines a few years ago when the numbering system was changed in the UK then so will it become easy for companies to put on content filters on any sites ending in .xxx. The result? visitors to the sites plummet, advertising revenues dry up and die.

But what about brand owners? Will they rush out to protect their brand by registering .xxx domain names? ICANN have already started this discussion so that brands can protect their names. BMW.xxx will not revert to an adult site but will potentially just resolve to a blank holding page. All good stuff for them.

And who will police the Internet to ensure that adult content is re-classified as a .xxx domain name? The Internet is like the wild west at the best of times so I do not expect to see any new regulatory body being created to “protect and serve”, or to define what an adult site actually is.

Moral groups, especially in the USA are also up in arms about the decision. They see this as a move to legitimise pornography, making it easier for our children to be lured to the dark side. Whilst this may be true to an extent, as we have discussed above few content holders actually want to adopt the new name as it is.

So who is the winner? Well, potentially no one. It is early days so we will keep our eyes peeled to see what happens next.

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World class business technology used to require an investment of millions and a project plan as long as your arm. Now all you need is a couple of days and an Amazon gift card so says Bloomberg Business Magazine.

“To the Cloud”

So goes the annoying adverts on TV advertising some of Microsoft’s new services. Google’s new advertising campaign talks extensively about harnessing the power of “The Cloud” and various other companies promote the power of Cloud Computing by using their services such as Cisco, SAS and EMC. But is it a stupid question to ask what the “Cloud” actually is?

But first, some definitions that may come in useful:-

• A Bit – is a binary digit

• A Byte – 8 bits

• A Kilobyte – 1,000 bytes (or 8,000 bits)

• A Megabyte – 1,000 kilobytes

• A Gigabyte – 1,000 megabytes

• A Terabyte – 1,000 gigabytes

• A Petabyte – 1,000 terabytes

• An Exabyte – 1,000 petabytes

• A Zettabyte – 1,000 exabytes

Clear? OK I shall begin.

Few would believe that the leader in Cloud computing is actually the world’s best known online store – Amazon.com. Andy Jassy is the man who came up with the idea to utilize Amazon’s spare capacity within their own network to rent it out to customers as and when they need it. Amazon Web Services, or AWS was born a few years ago and already has revenues of $750million. It has some very impressive customers – NetFlix, Zynga and InterContinental Hotels. The barrier to entry for any customer is simply knowing the URL for Amazon.

The “cloud” refers to the amorphous, out of sight, out of mind computing tasks that take place on someone else’s network. Most of us have heard of GMAIL. Gmail is a cloud service. You do not store any part of the programme on your own network or PC, you simply log on and use the software there. Ditto Google Docs, Meebo, Salesforce.com and a host of others.

Whilst the cloud seems ubiquitous it is actually very small in terms of actual network size. Only 5% of corporate information technology is spent on “cloud” services. The rest is on physical kit – servers, switches, routers – that a customer buys and installs in their own data centres.

So is there harmony in the cloud? Not at all. Amazon face a battle every second of the day with the likes of Microsoft and Google in providing services. Let’s just look at those three again. The world’s biggest online bookstore faces a daily battle with the world’s biggest PC software company and the world’s biggest search engine. Hardly the sides you would expect in such a keenly fought conflict. But that is what the power of the web is all about. Anyone can quickly grab a slice.

In 2011 it is predicted that the amount of digital data sitting on the internet is around 1.2 Zettabytes, or every word ever written in every language…and then times it by 20,000. So quite a lot then. And this is why the Cloud is so important.

Business buyers have gone through decades of technology transitions, buying the latest and fastest hardware, trying to integrate it into their existing platforms. Companies have to buy over capacity in their networks to cope with spikes in traffic to websites that may never occur. Wasted capital expenditure. Today you can scale up or down in your network in seconds, and only pay for what you use, when you use it.

Companies are now willing to trust the likes of Amazon with their business critical applications. InterContinental Hotels now run their global booking system, for 4,500 hotels, on Amazon’s cloud network. Starbucks and Kraft have invested in applications sitting with Microsoft’s offering ranging from simple email solutions to more complex supply chain management programmes.

Old school technology companies such as HP, IBM and Cisco have tried to dismiss the cloud as a fad, in a similar way that Microsoft ignored the importance of search engines, allowing Google to gain global dominance. They tout the view that businesses would be mad to put all of their “crown jewels” in the hands of a nameless, faceless network. But the issue is these are no Johnny-come-latelys. You cannot get bigger names on the internet than Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

It will be difficult for some companies with hundreds/thousands of applications to migrate fully to a cloud solution, but some standard programmes can be used today. But many will try, and as long as the core networks remain stable, the cloud will eventually envelope us all.

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In the past few months, the saga around Wikileaks has become front page news. Whilst the whole story seemed to be politically motivated, it took a cyber turn in late 2010 when a group called Anonymous started targeting a number of major institutions under something called a DoS attack. Confused? Webuser magazine helped explain the mystery recently:-

What is a DDoS Attack?
A Distributed Denial of Service attack is a malicious attempt to bring down a website or a web server by overloading its bandwidth. Hackers can launch attacks by remotely instructing a group of infected (zombie) computers, known as botnets, to repeatedly contact a website or a server. This sudden surge in web traffic can cause a website to work slowly or shut down completely. Hackers can use malware and Trojan viruses to bring PCs into the botnet. Many people have no idea that their computer has been sabotaged in this way, though they may notice it doesn’t work as well as it used to.

Is there a difference between DDoS and DoS attacks?
Yes. The important word is “distributed”, which describes large attacks that use thousands of infected PCs. Lacking this scale of attack, small strikes from a single host computer are classified as DoS attacks. Hackers use thousands of PCs for the simple reason that the amount of traffic aimed at one website will be increased by manipulating more machines. Some botnets are massive – for example Bredolabs and Conficker have millions of PCs in them, most of the owners of which are completely unaware.

What can websites do to protect themselves?
Once a botnet launches a DDoS attack, there’s not a lot that the targeted website can do to protect itself. A website can limit the amount of traffic allowed on its server, but this will also restrict the legitimate visits. If the origin of the attack can be identified, then the website can contact its ISP and ask it to filter the traffic, but this isn’t easy because many infected computers disguise their IP address.

Who launches the attacks?
Most DDoS attacks come from cybercriminal gangs, rogue hackers or countries’ secret services. The headline-grabbing DDoS especially effective for activists (or “hacktivists”) who want to raise awareness of a particular issue. Attacks have become increasingly politically motivated, such as the campaign to cripple the Estonian Government and news websites in 2007, for which the pro-Russian youth group The Nashi claimed responsibility, although many security experts believe it received help from the Russian government. Russian secret services were also suspected of launching devastating attacks on Georgian websites in the build-up to the South Ossetia war in 2008. More recently, political hackers have attacked websites run by The Iranian, South Korean and American governments.

What are some more examples of DDoS attacks?
Recently we have seen a number of high profile attacks all based around the Wikileaks situation. Last year a hacker called “jester” claimed responsibility for the first attack on the Wikileaks site in November. Wikileaks then moved to Amazon but after pressure from the US Government this arrangement lasted less than 24 hours.

In Operation Payback in December a group called Anonymous attempted to bring down websites that withdrew support from Wikileaks targeting Paypal, Visa and Mastercard who had stopped taking donation payments for the organization. Anonymous encouraged people to download LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon) an application that was especially designed to be used by people without advanced hacking skills.

There is some confusion/mystery as to whether an attack was made on Amazon.com. Some experts claim that they tried to launch an DDoS attack but it was aborted when it was seen to have little impact. However, Anonymous’s view was that it would have been in “bad taste” to target a site in the run up to Christmas where people were buying gifts for their loved ones.

Another high profile attack happened in August 2009 when mystery hackers targeted Facebook, Twitter and Google in the space of a couple of days. Twitter went down for a number of hours, whilst Facebook users lost some functionality. However, due to the distributed nature of their network, Google remain unscathed.

What are the punishments for DDoS attacks?
In the UK, under The Computer Misuse Act, anyone convicted of a DDoS attack faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to £5,000.

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