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DDoS Attack on NATO Websites Affects Turkey-Syria Rescue Efforts

On the 12th of February 2023, some of NATO’s websites were temporarily disrupted due to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The group that claimed responsibility for carrying out these attacks is Killnet, a Russian hacktivist group.

Apparently, the group had announced its intention to carry out such an attack in its encrypted channel on messaging service Telegram. It also appears to have been soliciting donations in the form of cryptocurrency to fund its activities.

According to the report by Computer Weekly, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg assured reporters that the alliance had put together additional defence measures. 

He also said, “The majority of Nato [sic] websites are functioning as normal. Some Nato websites are still experiencing availability issues, but our technical teams are working to restore full access.”

Since it appears that NATO’s classified networks were not affected, it’s likely that the attack was to disrupt the search and rescue mission in Syria and Turkey. That’s because reports suggest the networks affected are used by NATO’s strategic airlift capabilities (SAC).

SAC found that, during one of its search and rescue missions in south-eastern Turkey, it was unable to communicate with one of the C-17s in flight due to the disruption in service. Fortunately, it managed to stay in contact throughout even though communications were down.

A Well-Timed Cyber Attack

This is not Killnet’s first attack. It has been responsible for other DDoS attacks, with healthcare taking a lot of damage.

It is interesting to note that the DDoS attack on the NATO websites took place on a Sunday. Weekend and holiday attacks have become a trend, with cybercriminals relying on the skeleton security crew and lack of staff to hide the breach for longer.

DigitalXRAID discussed this phenomenon in a recent article about its 24/7 SOC service. From delivery companies (Yodel) to insurance companies (AON), no one is safe from weekend-timed attacks.

The reason why cybercriminals attack over the weekend or during holidays is, as I said earlier, due to the lack of personnel. 

The later an attack is detected, the more time the threat actors have to go deeper into the network. They can gather more information and, potentially use the information found to carry out more attacks.

For that reason, quick detection is imperative. Note that the NATO websites attack was detected really quickly and they still had some availability issues. If they hadn’t detected the attack quickly enough, the recovery time could potentially have been longer.

Ongoing Detection for Better Protection

According to DigitalXRAID, having a 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) can make all the difference when threat actors attack. Your SOC would constantly monitor for any suspicious activity, catching cyberattacks before they become cyber incidents.

However, the problem is that most companies can’t afford to hire an in-house SOC team. In fact, if (ISC)2 is to be believed, the cybersecurity profession needs to grow by 3.4 million people in order to close the workforce gap.

In that case, it might be worth outsourcing your cybersecurity to experts who have the expertise and resources to give you better security from cyber threats.

Companies like DigitalXRAID could help keep your business safe from online threats, whether it is your ongoing services or cloud migration.

Have a think. See if you want to invest in ongoing cybersecurity for your business.

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Business Energy & Environment Lifestyle Living U.K

First British Interior Design Collective Achieves B Corp Certification

Accouter Group of Companies, home to Accouter, has recently been announced as Britain’s first B Corp certified interior design collective, reported Elliman Insider. 

AGC believes that the team’s commitment to meeting the “highest standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency” on a spectrum of social and environmental issues has brought the company this prestigious recognition.

“We are proud to be the first British Interior Design Collective to join this community of change-makers, alongside a global movement of people using their business as a force for good,” said Stella Gittins, cofounder of Accouter Group of Companies. “B Corp is a holistic approach for us. It shapes our culture and encourages us to acknowledge our business impact and act. Most importantly, it gives us a framework for continuous improvement, so that every day, we become a little bit prouder of what we do.”

What Is B Corp Certification?

B Corp is a private certification awarded to for-profit companies that can demonstrate their deep commitment to using business as a ‘force for good’—whether via community outreach, taking sustainability initiatives, or implementing equitable economic practices.

Since 2007, this highly prestigious certification has been awarded by B Lab to enterprises that meet the ‘social and environmental performance’ standards. 

B Lab is a non-profit organisation helping to build a sustainable global economy that will benefit people, the environment, and the world. 

AGC Hails B Corp Status

AGC achieved the highly coveted B Corp status in early 2023.

The company has been evaluated rigorously based on the B Impact assessment criteria. The company scored 83.3, whereas the median score for a business to pass the assessment process is 50.9. 

When more than 22 million pieces of furniture are disposed of in the UK each year, AGC is unwaveringly committed to balancing purpose with profit by championing environment-friendly materials and long-lasting manufacturing processes.

“We know there is cynicism around the topic of sustainability for businesses, which is why it was important for us to achieve our B Corp. B Corp separates the green-washers from the good-doers. It shows people that those that really want to make a change, are making a change and that they are willing to operate in a way that puts people and the planet first, and profit second. For companies like us, the priority is to meet the highest social and environmental standards, and do so with authenticity, transparency, and full accountability,” said Alec Watt, CEO of Accouter Group of Companies.

As part of its effort to better demonstrate its adherence to B Corp standards, the company has formed an internal team headed by a dedicated B-keeper. The team is responsible for ensuring that the improvement goals of the company closely align with its working culture. 

“Our enthusiastic B Corp team worked together to identify all our processes to ensure we are practising what we preach when it comes to responsible business practices. We now have a village of internal people rooting for change, which makes us a powerful force towards achieving better things as a business. We wanted to come together and step up, and we’re proud to have done exactly that,” stated Gittins.

Partnering with Walpole, AGC helps the British luxury industry lower its carbon footprint and environmental impact for a more sustainable future.

What’s Next?

Joining the B Corp force is only the beginning, according to AGC. AGC is committed to ensuring their improvements are ever-evolving by helping build a more inclusive, sustainable economy. 

With B Corp certification, the company is aiming to build a global movement for ensuring sustainable development, curbing inequality, and concocting job opportunities with purpose and dignity.

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Computers & Software Marketing & Sales Technology U.K U.S

A Sneak Peek at the Digital Marketing Trends of 2023

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I came across this article on Top Marketing Trends in 2023 by CMSWire. As an SEO content writer, I was definitely interested in what it said. I was even more curious as I’d seen another article in Forbes on the same topic.

The Geek in me wanted to compare the trends these two articles thought would be strong in 2023.

The writer in me wanted to arm myself with industry knowledge—be a more effective content writer and all that.

The me-the-person will read anything and this was as good reading material as any, so…

Anyway, here’s the information, distilled for you by intelligence that is not artificial.

Top Marketing Trends 2023

According to the article, here are the top trends of 2023:

Social Media and Influencer Marketing to Grow

According to HubSpot’s Marketing Strategy and Trends Report, around 25% of marketers use influencer marketing. This form of marketing currently seems to have the highest ROI. 

So much so, it’s expected to grow in 2023, with 17% of marketers planning to try it out for the first time this year. And, of the marketers who are already using this form of marketing, 89% are expected to increase their budgets!

Of course, not everyone agrees with this. Some marketers believe that it’s not influencer marketing that sells but social media marketing. And, influencers are simply harnessing the power of social media.

According to them, content creators who focus on social media will achieve growth, rather than influencers specifically.

Local Search Still Dominates

With the rise of mobile device use, search is slowly becoming more local. If I’m driving and want to grab a bite to eat, it’s easier to look for places in the vicinity. 

With more people browsing the interwebz on their phones instead of a desktop, it’s only logical for local search to become more important in 2023.

So, if you want your technology and software business to be found locally, get yourself an IT marketing company (like Geeky Tech) to help you.

AI-Generated Content to Invade Webpages

I know I have been going on and on about ChatGPT—how it is being used to create malware and how it is going to change SEO—but it’s hard not to. It’s the hot news of the year.

However, it’s not the only AI content generation tool—it’s just the most popular. And, for better or worse, it seems like AI-generated content is here to stay. 

Content generation is a huge part of digital marketing. With AI writing or creating images and videos, marketers will be able to generate vast quantities of content really quickly.

This will mean that, with robotic content saturating the world wide web, original content might find it difficult to stand out.

At the same time, it will create a demand for content marketers who can harness the power of AI to create top-quality content.

Audio-Visual Content Consumption Rises

Social media marketers already knew that posts with images or videos get more engagement. However, now digital marketers are also noticing a rise in the demand for audio and video content.

And, it’s not just audio clips and short videos that are being voraciously viewed. Audiences are also devouring live-streamed content and podcasts.

Another point to note, people no longer want perfectly produced videos. TikTok seems to have created a demand for user-created videos that aren’t professionally edited.

Social Accountability Is a Factor Now

It’s been a growing trend but will continue to play a role for marketers in 2023. Consumers want to align with brands that share the same values as them. In fact, 50% of Gen-Zers and nearly 41% of millennials prefer to patronise businesses that support social causes.

Gamification Wins

Audiences visiting websites are more likely to stay if there are interactive elements to keep them engaged.

Plus, it makes a great talking point, which helps in word-of-mouth marketing!

So, there you have it; the marketing of 2023. These are points you’d need to keep in mind when planning the marketing strategy for your IT company.

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Business Finance Financial Market Technology U.S

Kroger and Albertsons Zero in on Store Divestitures Amid Deal Review

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The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Companies Inc are still on track to divest 250 to 300 stores as part of their effort to dispel antitrust issues regarding their proposed merger plan.

The stores slated for sale are valued at USD 1B or above, and are located all across different regions of the US—such as Chicago, Phoenix, Southern California, and the Pacific Northwest—reported Reuters, citing unnamed sources.

Kroger-Albertsons Cos. Merger Deal

In a move to reshape the U.S. supermarket landscape, Kroger and Albertsons Cos.—The US’s two biggest grocery store chains—announced plans to join forces in mid-October.

The retailers hope that this merger, if approved by regulators, would help create a corporate behemoth generating around $200 billion in sales per year.

Combined, Kroger and Albertsons Cos. would operate around 5,000 stores across the country.

Reasons Behind the Divestiture

The retailers have decided to prepare for the store divestiture as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reassessing Kroger’s proposed USD $24.6B investment in Albertsons Cos. 

Since the retailers declared the merger strategy, there has been a flurry of movements from American consumer advocates and lawmakers against it. 

They are pressuring the FTC to hit the brakes on the deal, or at least hold it for some time, over concerns that this merger, if executed, could cause significant hikes in grocery prices amid the current spiralling inflation rates.

While declaring their merger, the retailers stated that the plan was to sell around 100 to 375 stores to win regulatory approval faster. However, Kroger mentioned that up to 650 stores could be divested.

As per the agreement, if the deal falls apart over antitrust issues, Kroger would be required to pay Albertsons Cos. $600M as a breakup fee to walk away from the contract.

The retailers are trying to sound out long-sought buyers for their stores and address the antitrust issue of FTC over their merging. 

Both Kroger and Albertsons Cos. expect these stores to be spun off into a subsidiary dubbed SpinCo by Albertsons Cos. or directly acquired by competitor supermarkets trying to extend their footprint in the USA. 

FTC to Monitor the Financial Viability of the Stores Divested

FTC will closely monitor any sale of the stores coming from this divestment, reported Reuters, citing antitrust experts at FTC. 

The current FTC chair Lina Khan marked the failed AlbertsonsCos./Safeway settlement behind FTC’s scepticism about the Kroger-Albertsons deal. 

The result: The agency is strictly scrutinising the potential impact of the Kroger–Albertsons merger deal.

Navigating Divestiture Challenges to Success

Brian Concklin, an antitrust expert and partner at global law firm Clifford Chance has advised Kroger and Albertsons Cos. to ensure that the stores they have decided to divest can act as formidable players in the industry. Thus the retailers can keep the FTC from blocking their merger deal.

“The Albertsons-Safeway deal will loom large over how these assets are viewed and how the FTC evaluates whether these divestiture packages being offered are viable,” commented Brian Concklin.

As a complex process, divestiture requires a coordinated effort to be successful.

For any dynamic enterprise looking to maximise the transaction value while divesting its business, investing in a consulting service like Fission Consulting is a sensible decision.

Such a high-end service streamlines the process while significantly reducing business disruptions.

Wrapping up

Kroger and Albertsons Cos. hope their plan to spin off the stores as part of the merger deal will help overcome challenges while paving the way to get FTC approval. 

“We believe we have a clear path to achieve regulatory approval with divestitures,” said Gary Millerchip, Chief Financial Officer at Kroger in a Bloomberg news.

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Computers & Software Technology

Why Data Strategy and Management Is the Most Important Step Toward Automation With AI

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been in the news a lot recently. ChatGPT, the chatbot, has become part of many conversations. 

And, it might seem like a gimmick—AI that has been “fed” data to see how it responds. However, real-time AI has many more uses than just answering questions.

One of the uses that you might have heard about is self-driving cars. The AI is programmed to monitor the road and propel the vehicle safely. To do so, it takes in information from sensors that monitor the road, speed limit, location, and more. 

It, then, uses this information to make split-second decisions to navigate the car through the traffic.

Similarly, AI can be used to improve safety and operational efficiency in airports, detect fraud in online banking transactions, provide patients with better care in hospitals and much more. 

According to this article about Unlocking the Power of AI With a Real-Time Data Strategy on CIO.com, AI can do all that and more.

However, to do so, ”data ecosystems need to excel at handling fast-moving streams of events, operational data, and machine learning models to leverage insights and automate decision-making.”

The Importance of Real-Time Data

In order for AI to make real-time decisions, it needs real-time data. Using the example of AI in self-driving vehicles again, the computer has to constantly get a flow of information for it to make decisions.

A person needs to have all the evidence before they can make an informed decision. AI is no different. 

Like a person, AI needs some input to determine the output.

Unlike a person, however, AI can handle vast quantities of input in a second and still be able to process it quickly. That, in turn, means that AI can be used to detect fraudulent transactions, make product recommendations, and optimise just-in-time business processes in real-time.

Automation Is the Driving Force

Businesses are looking to leverage AI and enable automation. We are living in a world where data capturing is the easy part. Our phones are gathering information about us and our lives. We can have medical information tracked through wearables. Every online interaction we have is providing someone with some information about us.

Data gathering is not the problem here.

The problem is ensuring data quality so that AI can make better real-time decisions—because high-quality data can help Machine Learning (ML) models deliver better outcomes.

So, if we wanted to accelerate automation, we’d need to look at data management and strategy differently.

In order to be more data-driven, you would need to develop a holistic vision for your business. Information cannot be siloed within various ecosystems. It needs to be integrated so it can be analysed. Only then will it be able to help you make a change.

Instead of trying to fit new methodologies into your legacy software applications, you need to invest in “data and model governance, discovery, observability, and profiling.”

Powering Functional ML Models With Data

So, what’s a machine learning model?

An ML model is a software program within which the AI goes through relevant datasets to identify patterns. It will then use this information to train itself to make decisions. 

Once the model is trained, it can be deployed to determine the best course of action based on data input.

As you can see, since the model uses pre-existing data to teach itself, it’s important that the ML processes and data are integrated to get the most out of them.

And, ML models use data for everything—from building to training to deploying. You could say that data is the fuel required to power ML models. The two need to be aligned for you to get the maximum benefit from either of them.

Managing Data Strategy and Storage For AI Consumption

For AI to make real-time decisions, it needs the parallel support of ML process flow and data flow. Real-time AI needs the following from its data ecosystem:

  • A real-time data ingestion platform
  • A real-time operational data store
  • The ingestion platform and data store working together to reduce the data complexity
  • Change Data Capture (CDC) that returns high-velocity events back into the data stream or analytics platforms
  • An enterprise data ecosystem that optimises data flow in both directions

In order for AI to make real-time decisions quickly and accurately, you need ML models that exchange data at high speeds. It’s difficult to build such an ecosystem within your organisation, so a cloud-native approach might be best for you.

Cloud-native is great for scaling your operations, is reliable, and helps portability across deployments.

Of course, you would need a data strategy that would help you optimise your data and how you use it. Fortunately, experts like Agile Solutions should be able to help you prioritise and plan a data strategy that meets your business’s objectives.

A strong strategy would be able to help you automate your processes with the help of AI.

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Energy & Environment Technology Transportation & Logistics Travel World

Emirates Operates Milestone Demonstration Flight Powered by 100% SAF

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Emirates Airlines—a subsidiary of The Emirates Group—has successfully tested its first demo flight in which one of the Boeing 777-300ER’s two engines was powered by 100% drop-in sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.

The aim was to examine the safety and reliability of the synthetically derived SAF when used as a jet fuel at a higher percentage.

Piloted by Captain Khalid Nasser Akram and Captain Fali Vajifdar, this was the first-ever demo flight in the MENA region that was supplied with 100% sustainable fuel. 

Currently, SAF can be mixed at up to 50% with traditional jet fuel for flying aircraft.

The flight departed from Dubai International Airport at around 11:39 pm on January 30 and was flown for more than one hour over Dubai’s coastline.

The test was part of the Emirate’s effort to help hit the Net Zero target by 2050, as the aviation industry is casting about for cleaner fuel solutions like SAF, reported GLOBETRENDER™.

SAF Can Curb Carbon Emission

SAF—a biofuel derived from renewable biomass and waste products—holds the potential to deliver the efficiency of petroleum-based conventional aircraft fuel but with only a fraction of its carbon footprint.

Case in point: Based on the method and feedstock used for production, SAF can curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80% over the fuel lifecycle, offering the aviation industry solid footing for significantly decoupling GHG emissions from flights.

Since 2011, over 4,50,000 commercial flights have been taken to the skies using SAF globally. 

Even though SAF has capabilities to significantly limit carbon emissions in aviation, global SAF production accounts for only 0.03% of total fuel use (based on pre-pandemic reports).

World leaders are working relentlessly to devise thought-out strategies for scaling up new processes and facilitating the production of commercially usable SAF.

As a result, the production of drop-in SAF has more than tripled in 2022, compared to 2021, according to IATA.

To date, the approved bio-jet fuel production routes include co-processing, hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), hydro-deoxygenated synthetic aromatic kerosene (HDO-SAK), Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene (FT-SPK), and more.

However, with the increasing bio-content in aviation fuels exacerbating microbial contamination, controlling its effects has become a major concern.

That said, leveraging kits like FUELSTAT® for periodic testing of SAF and blended SAF is critical. Thus contamination can be detected at the earliest stages and before severe safety/operational disruptions occur.

More Insights into Emirates Flight Using Biofuel

Emirates partnered with Boeing, GE Aerospace, Neste, Honeywell, and Virent to produce and buy a SAF blend closely identical to the efficacy and properties of traditional aircraft fuel.

“At each blend ratio, various chemical and physical fuel property measurements were carried out,” explained an Emirates spokesperson. “After multiple lab tests and rigorous trials, [we] arrived at a blending ratio that mirrored the qualities of jet fuel.“

A total of 18T of drop-in SAF blend, made up of 50% HDO-SAK and 50% HEFA-SPK, was used for the test flight. This 100% SAF powered one General Electric GE90 engine of the aircraft, whereas; the other GE90 was supplied with petroleum-based jet fuel.

Emirates hopes the data and success of the flight will act as a step-change in facilitating the future adoption and acceptance of 100% SAF blend as a cleaner alternative to conventional fuel—well over the present limit of 50% drop-in SAF blend.

“This flight is a milestone moment for Emirates and a positive step for our industry as we work collectively to address one of our biggest challenges – reducing our carbon footprint. It has been a long journey to finally see this demonstration 100% SAF flight take off,” said Adel Al Redha, chief operating officer at Emirates Airlines. 

Al Redha goes on to explain, “Such initiatives are critical contributors to industry knowledge on SAF and provide data to demonstrate the use of higher blends of SAF for future regulatory approvals. We hope that landmark demonstration flights like this one will help open the door to scale up the SAF supply chain and make it more available and accessible across geographies, and most importantly, affordable for broader industry adoption in the future.”

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Computers & Software Professional Services Technology U.S

Microsoft Is Predicted to Equip Excel with AI

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Microsoft Excel is poised to get a deep AI boost, however, this software giant isn’t going to tap into ChatGPT or OpenAI.

According to a new paper, in order to equip Excel with artificial intelligence, the in-house research team at Microsoft is working on bringing out an assistive AI system called FLAME, reported TechRadar.  

Calling it a “T5-based model,” the authors stated that FLAME has the capabilities to make the automation on the Excel app more efficient. 

An AI specially designed for Excel-specific tasks, FLAME ensures competitive performance and is more precise than other multipurpose AIs.

Purpose of FLAME

Written by eight of Microsoft’s in-house software developers, the paper highlights Excel as a popular spreadsheet platform that enables users to efficiently organise, format, and calculate data. 

With FLAME, Microsoft is committed to helping users with spreadsheet formulas providing autocomplete suggestions. 

Even better, FLAME can be leveraged to fix buggy and malformed formulas in the future Excel spreadsheet environment when plugged into the software.

“We curate a training dataset using sketch deduplication, introduce an Excel-specific formula tokenizer for our model, and use domain-specific versions of masked span prediction and noisy auto-encoding as pre-training objectives, ” explained the authors. “We evaluate FLAME on formula repair, formula auto-completion, and a novel task called syntax reconstruction.”

The new AI assistant—being a smaller model with 60M parameters and two orders of magnitude less training data—can outshine other larger language models—such as CodeT5 (220M), codex-Cushman (12B) and Codex-Da Vinci (175B).

The result: FLAME is anticipated to be more efficacious and cost-efficient to train or deploy compared with other AI tools.

However, when FLAME will be released or whether it will be free-of-cost for mass use is yet to be revealed.

Microsoft Excel Charts

Even while Microsoft experts contemplate giving Excel an AI boost, the built-in Excel charts are still overwhelming to deal with.

One of the best ways to make large datasets easily discernible is to recapitulate them in visual form. 

Excel’s built-in charts are the go-to option for many when it comes to explaining trends efficiently; deriving actionable insights from massive troves of data; evaluating key values effortlessly, and much more. 

However, for some types of Excel charts, the built-in formatting functionalities are limited, which makes it difficult to create professional-looking PowerPoint presentations. For example, with Excel waterfall charts, users cannot reference cells for titling, change the format (e.g. colour) of the connector lines, etc. 

Again, some charts are not natively available in Excel, requiring users to take the manual approach.

For professionals frequently required to create great-looking PowerPoint presentations with stunning charts, leveraging a high-end add-in like think-cell is a sensible decision. With fewer clicks and less formatting, PowerPoint add-ins streamline the process while significantly saving working hours. 

Microsoft Is Making Incredible Strides with AI

In a move to amplify its offerings in Azure OpenAI service, the software giant has extended its multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI this year. 

Even though Microsoft refused to comment on the deal’s specifics, an investment of around $10 billion is anticipated, with Microsoft getting a 75% of OpenAI’s returns until it recoups the investment. After recouping, Microsoft would hold a 49 % stake in OpenAI.

On top of that, Microsoft has recently demonstrated its plans to integrate the AI engine behind ChatGPT into its Edge web browser and Bing search engine. With Bing’s AI reboot, the company expects to shake up the search business, taking on the search engine giant Google. 

Wrapping Up

Microsoft expects FLAME to boost the process of creating and maintaining Excel formulas, especially for users who need to deal with large spreadsheets with tons of formulas.

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Computers & Software Professional Services Technology

Atlassian’s New Jira Products Will Align Business and Engineering Teams

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The leading provider of productivity software, Atlassian Corporation Plc, has recently unveiled its three new Jira platform advancements—Jira Product Discovery, Jira Work Management, and new Jira workflow templates.

With this new and advanced Jira tools suite, the company is committed to accelerating and supporting each stage of the software development lifecycle—from ideation and delivery to facilitating operations.

The announcement was made by the Australian tech giant during its very first Agile and DevOps event—Unleash—held in Berlin on February 8.

Key Atlassian Product Announcements

Let’s go through the new Jira advancements that’ll help world-class businesses build products faster and more effectively.

Jira Product Discovery

Jira Product Discovery is a dynamic, collaborative, and data-driven solution that aims to democratise product discovery.

With Jira Product Discovery, Atlassian is committed to helping product managers collect, prioritise, and organise product inputs and feedback and make data-driven decisions efficiently. 

Developed by the Point A team, the tool is now available in Beta and will hopefully be available in early 2023.

With this new tool, product managers can connect their entire workflow effortlessly and bring technical and business teams at the same table before the developers start coding. 

No more tabs and spreadsheets to prioritise, deliver and collaborate with teams on product ideas. Business teams—from marketing to sales—can collaborate on a single project, create and manage insights, and prioritise ideas with voting to transform them into active deliverables.

Jira Work Management

In a move to empower organisations with cross-departmental collaboration, Atlassian has made Jira Work Management natively available with all commensurate Jira software licence tiers until March 2024.

The tool is specially developed to facilitate status tracking of all activities regarded as Work. Work can include document creation, handling approval processes, running projects, executing daily repetitive tasks, and more.

It means that organisations no longer have to break the bank by investing in a high-end project management tool. Jira Work Management makes collaboration effortless, allowing business teams to accomplish work faster.

With features such as a kanban-like Boards view, Calendar view, Timeline view, smart links, and sub-tasks, this collaborative system allows teams to manage projects and processes with ease—no matter the complexity.

Atlassian marks Jira Work Management as the most customisable platform that lets an organisation standardise the way it operates, leveraging global configuration workflows, settings, permissions, and rich APIs. 

Jira Workflow & Toolchain Templates

Atlassian has also announced the release of 23 templates that span panning teams, categories and departments, and categories. Carefully curated by experts, these new templates come with automation rules, permissions, workflows, and third-party integration by default.

Even better, these pre-made templates are available natively and for free with the Jira tools suite—Jira Product Discover, Jira Work Management, Jira Software, and Jira Service Management.

Wrapping Up

By leveraging Atlassian products, teams can bolster their productivity while driving business agility. However, for a business using the Atlassian stack for its agility, collaboration, and project management, investing in a managed service provider is a sensible decision. 

With a high-quality Atlassian managed service provider like Automation Consultants, teams can keep their Atlassian solutions performing at their best while slashing the total cost of ownership and minimising the risk of downtime. 

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Financial Market Living Professional Services Real Estate U.K

London’s Luxury Residential Market Booms Defying UK’s Home Sales Slowdown

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Even though the UK is now seeing the steepest slump in property prices since the 2008 financial crisis, London’s luxury residences are managing to defy Britain’s housing market downturn, reported The Business Times.

Fifteen homes in Central London valued at £5 million or higher were registered as sold in the fourth quarter of 2022—which is 63% higher than the pre-pandemic average, according to researcher LonRes. “It’s not surprising, therefore, that it tempted would-be sellers to put their homes onto the market,” said Anthony Payne, managing director at LonRes.

UK Housing Market Poised for Disruption

The UK’s housing market is facing a ‘perfect’ storm as it tries to eke out growth while coping with the surging cost of living, hiking mortgage and inflation rates, and the risk of recession. 

The result: rapid cooling in property demand and sales activities leading to a selloff in the UK’s housing market.

Let’s look at how much the British housing market and buyer demand have been impacted by current economic setbacks:

  • British home prices slid in December 2022 by the most in 13 years and are predicted to slip by a whopping 20% in 2023 if the UK’s base rate continues to hike, according to The Guardian.
  • The Bank of England has been raising the base since the beginning of 2022 as part of its effort to return inflation to its 2% target level. The bank rate has gone up to an annual rate of 4.0% in February 2023—a jump of 0.5% from 3.5% in December 2022. 
  • On the other hand, surveyors registered a net balance of -47% for new buyer inquiries in January 2023, plunging from -40% in December 2022.

In such a circumstance, analysts have unanimously agreed that the UK’s property market is facing more turbulence this year.

Wealthy Buyers Are Snapping Up London’s Luxury Property

Despite the present economic upset throughout Britain, luxury sales in London are skyrocketing, outshining the UK’s housing market. 

But why?

First off, even though the interest rate and mortgage rate have hit an all-time high this year, millionaires and elites are less likely to get affected by the impacts of the increase, as they’re less dependent on borrowing. 

Secondly, Britain’s pound continues to tumble sharply against the US dollar, dropping a full cent to around $1.20.

Part of the weakness of the pound sterling is the increase in power of the US dollar which is attracting more international investors and wealthy buyers to flock to London’s priciest homes.

Case in point: In the first half of 2022, overseas buyers purchased 48% of the total luxury home purchases in Prime London—a jump from 13% from 2021.

That said, the demand for luxury property management services offered by agencies like The London Management Company is getting a push, with ultra-high-net-worth buyers investing in upscale properties in Central London.

Offering bespoke services—from maintenance to upkeep and housekeeping—a class-leading agency ensures a client’s luxury property is well-managed, squeaky clean, and always ready for their arrival.

However, in the final quarter of last year, home sale activities decreased in Greater London due to climbing mortgage rates, soaring inflation, and high base rates.

“The final quarter of the year saw a change of direction,” stated the managing director at LonRes. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on how the market unfolds in the months ahead.”

Wrapping Up

Outperforming Britain’s housing market, London’s luxury houses are seeing substantial growth this year.

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Dental Industry Leader Laura Nelson To Launch Groundbreaking Podcast Series “Dear Laura”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE​

The “Ask Laura” Show Podcast from Front Office Rocks is a must-listen for dental professionals.​

​Coronado (Calif.)​

​“Ask Laura” is a new podcast from Front Office Rocks founder Laura Nelson. A well-known dental practice management expert and the nation’s foremost expert on virtual front office training for dental practices, Laura will offer insightful tips, advice, and tactics for dental professionals looking to enhance their practices and provide patients with the highest quality of patient care and service.​

Eagerly anticipated by those in the dental industry, The “Ask Laura” podcast, which will be accessible on all major podcasting platforms, is scheduled to debut the first week of February. Listeners are encouraged to submit questions to Laura, who will answer directly on the show.​​

According to Laura, “I am thrilled to launch this new podcast and give dental practitioners a useful tool to help them improve their practices.”​

Laura will explore several diverse subjects on her show, including brand awareness, customer service, and the expansion of practices. “My mission is to equip dental professionals with the tools they need to flourish and give patients the greatest experience possible.”​

Additional topics which will be covered on the “Ask Laura” show include dental practice management, virtual dental training, dental customer service, dental team training, dental office efficiency, dental practice growth, dental practice marketing, dental practice scheduling, dental practice insurance, dental office culture, dental assistant development, dental hygienist training, dental practice software, dental practice hiring and employee management, dental practice re-care and retention, and dental practice communications to name a few.​

The “Ask Laura” podcast will also feature interviews with industry thought leaders and professionals in addition to expert advice, giving listeners access to a variety of viewpoints and knowledge.​

“I’m ecstatic to bring my decades of experience and expertise to the ‘Ask Laura’ show and offer dental professionals practical tips and tactics they can put into practice,” said Nelson. “I think I can help dental professionals achieve unbelievable results in their clinics and give patients the finest experience possible by sharing my expertise and experience.”​

​For dentists striving to enhance their practices and offer the finest patient experience, the “Ask Laura” show is a must-listen. Watch the first episode the first week of February and subscribe to the program on all popular podcasting websites.​

Visit the Front Office Rocks website or email Laura Nelson at laura@frontofficerocks.com for more information on the “Ask Laura” show.​

​About Front Office Rocks:​

Dental professionals will learn the skills they need to advance their practices and give patients the best possible experience with Front Office Rocks, an online training resource. The business provides several online learning opportunities, including coaching, live seminars, and on-demand video sessions. Dedicated to empowering dental professionals to flourish in their roles and achieve unheard-of results in their practices, Front Office Rocks is led by Laura Nelson, a renowned dental practice management specialist.​

​About Laura Nelson:​

Laura Nelson BS, MS, FAADOM, is the founder of Front Office Rocks and a renowned dental office management specialist. She has devoted time to researching how to lead and develop her team members, drawing on her years of expertise in the dental industry to achieve unprecedented growth. Along with coaching hundreds of dentists and dental team members, she has also given dentists and office managers the tools they need to flourish at performance-based hiring. Her objective is to impart her knowledge and skills to dental professionals so they may enhance their procedures and give patients the best experience possible.​

The “Ask Laura” program is a terrific resource for dentists who want to enhance their practices and give patients the finest possible care. Anyone working in the dental field ought to listen to this program because it contains professional guidance, practical techniques, and a variety of viewpoints. Watch the first episode the first week of February and subscribe to the program on all popular podcasting websites.