Business News Round Up (03/06/2021)
Four in 10 Scottish firms are not prepared for a cyber attack
Nearly four out of 10 (38%) Scottish businesses do not feel prepared for a cyber-attack, according to new research. This comes despite two thirds of businesses believing that the impact of a cyber-attack has become more important for their business over the past year. The findings come one year after the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) relaunched Cyber Essentials, a government-backed scheme to help organisations become better protected against cyber-attacks. Businesses which become Cyber Essentials-certified can prevent or limit the fallout from up to 80% of common cyber-attacks, increasing trust among their customers, according to the centre. More than 250 Scottish businesses were surveyed as part of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) commissioned research. Of those, 78% were aware of Cyber Essentials, but just more than half (54%) were aware of the benefits it can bring to an organisation.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/four-10-scottish-firms-not-24235446
Bruntwood SciTech to partner university on £1.5bn ID Manchester development
Bruntwood SciTech has been confirmed as the preferred joint venture partner for the £1.5bn ID Manchester development ahead of the final agreement being signed in the autumn. The University of Manchester officially announced the property giant today after its board of governors approved the selection last month. The university and Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal&General, will now form a new joint venture to “enhance, develop and deliver the vision” to establish ID Manchester as a new “innovation district, home to a global community that will play a vital role in the future of the UK science and technology sector”, with the potential to create over 10,000 new jobs in the next 10-15 years. When complete, ID Manchester will provide over 4m sq ft, including 2.6m sq ft of new commercial workspace and a £28m investment in the public realm.
Good Coffee and Social Bite: New partnership caters to the post-lockdown office era
A Scottish company that creates and runs cafes within corporate offices has linked up with Social Bite as it prepares to re-emerge from more than a year in lockdown. Previously known as Business Coffee Solutions, the firm is now trading as the Good Coffee Company following an extensive re-branding undertaken during the depths of the pandemic. This includes the tie-up with Social Bite, the independent Scottish sandwich shop chain dedicated to ending homelessness. The agreement will see Social Bite providing snacks and food from its industrial kitchen in Livingston, which provides employment opportunities to the homeless, to the workplace cafes run by the Good Coffee Company. In return, Social Bite will receive approximately 10 per cent of the profits from all food and drink sales.
Agenda: Making the workplace a pleasure to return to
The phrase “an office job” has always carried some negative connotations, suggesting a lack of stimulation or excitement. Given that working from home suddenly became a necessity last year though, I wonder how many of us who work in offices now find them a much more appealing place to be? Over the last 30 years I have seen many changes in working environments but none so dramatic as those brought about by the pandemic. We all found new ways to work, and quickly: using our laptops on our kitchen table, or balancing them on our knees, became an everyday reality, as did video calls. For many, the lack of a commute, comfort of home and access to the kettle was refreshing – initially. However, as the months rolled by, I have spoken to an increasing number of people who have felt isolated, in spite of technology, and are eager for the physical connection with colleagues again. There is no doubt that the virtual world cannot compensate for real interaction.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19339765.agenda-making-workplace-pleasure-return/