Focus Training comes to a venue near you
Focus Experimental Training are offering businesses the opportunity for the focus team to come out to you wherever and whoever you are, providing you and your managers off-site leadership development training to help you get the best out of your employees. And the team at Focus Training will do all the hard work for you, from organising a bespoke experimental training programme, organising the venue and conferencing, so at the end of the training you simply have to deal with one invoice and enjoy the experience of the jam-packed day.
Focus Experimental Training are dedicated to offering their customers top training services ranging from graduate training and outdoor team building to help you learn how to develop and train your staff.
And if you can’t get to us, then Focus Training will come straight to your business or another hotel or conference centre, providing the exact same training as they would back home in Ribble Valley, Lancashire.
Focus Training takes a unique approach to learning, and the key to their success is enabling the transfer of skills learnt back to the workplace. There are a wide range of training courses the team provides on and offsite which can help your team grow and develop.
If you are a new team and are just getting to know each other, then Focus Training can provide outdoor team building. You will be working together, communicating, sharing experiences and learning to trust one another. This form of team building allows you to build a professional relationship with your employees, further stretching your goals and targets as a team.
If there is a change in management in the office and you need extra training to help you learn how to manage others, Focus Training have specific skills which focus on change management.
Focus Training helps you to deal with a range of tasks, such as building your confidence in managing other people, how to delegate responsibility, improve productivity and motivate your team.
Their graduate training programme is a fantastic way to get your new trainees settled in to their working environment and how to be proactive in a working environment. The programme has been designed to fill the graduate with essential information over a short period of time which they won’t forget. The expert team at Focus has already helped graduates at companies such as Warburtons, Bovis, Autoglass and Arcadia.
With so much for you to choose from, you and your team will be well equipped to ensuring a focus filled environment in your workplace.
And to get a taster of just what is on offer this month at Focus Experimental Training, the team is inviting businesses to their free Taster Day on May 13th at their training centre in Bashall Eaves, Ribble Valley, Lancashire.
The Taster Day is primarily aimed at the HR or Learning and Development Managers and Directors of businesses who wish to engage in the opportunity to network with likeminded professionals. The day will provide managers with practical solutions in getting their team engaged and productive in the work place. The day will feature an array of training events such as unlocking motivation in people, empowering you as a team leader and performance in the workplace. The day will also include a range of outdoor experimental activities which are used within the workshops. To bring the learning to life, these are then reviewed and related back to the workplace by expert facilitators with strong industry backgrounds.
For more information about the Taster Day or any other training sessions on or off-site, contact Shelly Posthuma de Boer, Development Manager at shelly@focus-training.net or Fax 01254 826 015.
Notes to editors
Focus offers high-quality management training in a refreshingly different setting. We aim to get our delegates out of the classroom and into the countryside.
Our custom-built facilities at Clough Bottom are located within a working organic farm set amid 360 acres of delightful countryside.
Our three superb stone barns houses the latest hi-tech training and conference facilities, while the farm and its diverse activities weave their own spell on our clients.
In this peaceful valley, remote from the pressures of the workaday world, you and your team will find it surprisingly easy to recharge your thinking and develop valuable new skills. While the farm dates back to the 17th century, it follows best modern practice, combining organic beef production, with an ornamental tree and shrub business, holiday cottage hire and a horse and pony management service.
Focus Experimental Training Ltd
Bashall Eaves
Near Clitheroe
BB7 3NA
Tel: 01254 826222
FreeAgent Central secures funds for expansion
FreeAgent Central
FreeAgent Central has secured its first round of funding, positioning the company for rapid expansion as it embarks on an aggressive growth strategy.
The independent software company, pioneering online accounting specifically for small businesses and freelancers, has received an undisclosed amount of investment from private and angel investors including serial entrepreneur Christoph Janz, founder of Pageflakes and an early investor in Zendesk, another highly successful SaaS player. This comes after a hugely competitive start to the year with a sustained 40% increase in users every month during the first quarter.
Built for freelancers, by freelancers, FreeAgent has engaged with its users since its launch to ensure its software is simple in design, highly intuitive and usable. Most recently the company completed a wholesale redesign of the site's interface and implemented a number of improvements, many of which were suggested by its users.
"Anyone who's founded a startup will recognise the problem: it can be hard to get to grips with the accounting side of things," said Christoph Janz, who joins the board of directors at FreeAgent Central. "The team have created an easy-to-use solution to that problem which I believe will have a big impact on the success of its small business customers."
This funding and future investment will all aid the development of new features including exciting developments in multi-currency accounting, internationalisation and predictive cashflow.
The company has also successfully forged partnerships with some of the UK's largest accounting practices. A leading provider of accountancy services to professional contractors and freelancers, London-based Blevins Franks will now be providing all its clients with a subscription to the FreeAgent service as part of its offering.
Providing FreeAgent software to practices means accountants spend less time number crunching, more time offering accounting advice and giving businesses a lot more transparency in their figures.
Phil Richards from Blevins Franks commented, "After 16 years helping Freelancers and Contractors run their Limited Companies FreeAgent have come up with something really special that enables a contractor to run their own company simply and easily. The last 12 months that we have worked with FreeAgent have been very exciting for us and we look forward to adapting our services as FreeAgent service itself develops more."
Ed Molyneux, CEO of FreeAgent Central comments: "During an economic crisis it is vital small businesses and freelancers have a clear picture of their finances and the ability to control their cashflow.
"With this investment we can continue to improve our service for those in need of easy-to-use financial management tools, and expand quickly to reach even more of those small businesses and freelancers that make up the engine room of the British economy. We're delighted to be welcome Christoph to the team and he's already been able to provide invaluable help."
Unlike accounting packages like Sage and Quickbooks, FreeAgent is web-based, requires no downloads or installation and is accessible from any computer with internet access. Uniquely, it is also able to provide a 'Tax Timeline' - a real-time forecast of tax liabilities and deadlines which help the business owner to avoid tax bill surprises and missed deadlines.
http://www.freeagentcentral.com
Ends
About Christoph Janz
Christoph is a serial entrepreneur with more than twelve years of experience in the software and Internet business. Back in 1997 he co-founded German Internet startup DealPilot, one of the first comparison shopping services, funded by Bertelsmann and later acquired by Shopping.com. In 2005 he co-founded Pageflakes (www.pageflakes.com), a leading personalizable homepage backed by Balderton Capital and recently acquired by LiveUniverse.
Contact Info: Chris Welton :: cat@hottinroof.co.uk :: 01312257880
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Shop Laptop Relaunches As UKs Leading Laptop Comparison Site
Shop Laptop Relaunches As UKs Leading Laptop Comparison Site
The relaunch has been developed through strong promotion and marketing strategies developed by their marketing team to ensure that Shop Laptop has a platform to give excellent customer service to potential clients.
Currently, the website hosts up to 350 individual laptops, many with a variation of deals to suit an array of different needs.
The foundations of Shop Laptop’s customer service, has provided a good stance for the marketing team to promote the excellent services the company provide. Shop Laptop pride themselves on holding an independent website committed to impartiality, allowing customers to browse at their leisure knowing they are being offered the best deals.
The promotion of laptop deals across one website allows customers the leisure of looking for the best deal without being hassled by sales assistants in larger technological stores, and the convenience of it all being in one location instead of a variation of websites.
Through this, Shop Laptop provides customers the opportunity to save time and money searching for a laptop to suit their requirements and needs.
Shop Laptop feature only the best laptop deals on the market. With laptop deals from the likes of Dell, Asus and Toshiba, Shop Laptop has the most comprehensive selection of laptops on the internet.
Customers can select from a variety of offers such as cheap laptops, mini laptops, and free laptops with mobile broadband.
Shop Laptop pride themselves on the ability that they do not list deals based on commissions or financial incentives and that all deals listed are purely for customer gain and satisfaction.
Advice and support is the key
Established in 2003, Shop Laptop provides unbiased and unrivalled advice on the best laptop deals on the market.
The site allows users to browse the website for free knowing that the advice they are receiving is unbiased and that the customer is being put first.
The website also offers a variety of articles and advice across a wide range of queries people have when buying a laptop. Advice about colour, style, makes and features make this site a valid port call when finding the best laptop deal.
Protouch As The Official Supplier Of Internet Kiosks At Screen Expo
Protouch is to be the official supplier of show internet kiosks at the 2009 Screen Expo Europe in London.
Held at the National Hall, Olympia, the event will see Protouch allow visitors full access to the internet over the two-day event, as well as being able to try out a wide range of its products including the award winning EPoS Xen X5 Kiosk.
Protouch’s Marketing Manager, Amanda Wallace said, “The idea behind the hub is to give visitors a greater show and product experience of instantly being able to apply what they’re doing to their own business needs.”
Protouch will be showcasing its products alongside its internet hub at stand, F11.
As well as the winning EPoS Xen X5 kiosk products include Full HD large format screens and the newly released Xen X4 which is the wall version of the Xen X5 and the new sales buddy.
Our award winning X5 is the star of the Xen kiosks after winning the Retail Systems Awards 2008 EPoS innovation of the year. Its smart blend of form, function and price has provided a leader for the EPoS market and shows the way for evolving retail environments.
Designed for easy upgrading and available with a number of additional options it doesn’t stop as an EPoS unit though; many additional features can be added to the X5 to turn it into a ticket collection, customer loyalty or a home delivery system. And, with its extended back the internal parts can be fitted without it losing its slim profile.
Its steel, strong body and vandal resistant powder coat finish are scratch resistant and easy to clean. It can be branded with a customised vinyl logo or full colour graphic covering front and/or back and additionally finished to specific RAL colour. And, if the kiosk has no permanent location you can use its custom-made flight case to transport to its next spot.
The Xen X4 is a wall mountable version of the award winning Xen X5 kiosk.
The design of the Xen X4 fits conveniently against an indoor wall or can be neatly mounted onto a custom made floor stand.
The Xen X4 can be manipulated for all business matters, including adding chip and pin and receipt printer making it ideal for busy retail environments such as cinemas or train stations. Alternatively, it can also be used as an information point either wall or floor mounted to maintain a uniform feel within a client’s environment.
The Sales buddy is a convenient and reliable information tool for retail and hospitality environments that delivers outstanding performance at a greener and cheaper price.
Acting as an interactive information point it can offer extra guidance to both staff and customers seeking advice on products and can be located anywhere via its flexible stand or a wall mount arm. It can also enhance in-store service further by adding accessories to transform it into an EPoS point.
HD Infra-red touch screen
This touch screen device is outstanding as an interactive public display for a variety of information, imagery and pictures across a wide range of business sectors.
Its 50” high definition plasma monitor, with an infra-red, super clear touch screen allows clients to show off their products at their best.
With high brightness and contrast ratio, the screen imagery looks stunning used in retail, museums, galleries and corporate receptions
The event
The Screen Expo event will take place on the 7th-8th April, and is expected to see around 130 exhibitors, over 4000 visitors from over 50 countries.
The event will also focus on other variations of the digital age such as hardware, software, measurement systems, such as audience tracking devices, technology solutions, self service systems, network owners and content professionals.
The show will benefit a variety of business sectors including retailers, leisure and hospitality businesses, consumer brand advertisers, public sector etc.
Protouch’s stand is open to all who are interested in making use of the growing advantages of interaction through touch screens and kiosks. This event is one of the best ways for people to interact and meet a variety of people across the industry.
The Smallest And Greenest Server Monitoring Solution From ServersCheck
ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance is the smallest and greenest device on the market
ServersCheck, which specialises in sensors, hardware and software for server room monitoring, launches a unique concept with the Monitoring Appliance. This device isn’t only the smallest solution for server monitoring on the market, due to its extremely low power consumption it also monitors servers more cheaply than a classic server or PC that runs with Open Source or free software.
Every monitoring solution involves three costs: hardware (server), software and electricity. Those who use Open Source software have low or no software costs, but they do have hardware costs (purchase, electricity and cooling). The major advantage of the ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance is its electricity costs. A traditional server uses 438 W or more, while the ServersCheck solution is almost 30 times more efficient and uses less than 15 W.
A cost comparison example*:
Traditional server monitoring
Hardware: Not included
Software : Open Source or payable software
Purchase value: free or payable
Electricity costs for hardware and cooling for 5 years: 2066 $
Total cost over 5 years: at least 2066 $
ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance
Hardware: Is included
Software : ServersCheck Monitoring Software
Purchase value: 1699 $
Electricity costs for hardware and cooling for 5 years: 71 $
Total cost over 5 years: 1770 $
The greenest solution
The ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance uses almost 30 times less power and that’s very good for the environment. The ecological footprint of this apparatus is minimal. A traditional server discharges more than 2300 kg of CO2 annually**. For the Monitoring Appliance this is limited to barely 79 kg, once again almost 30 times less!
Maarten Van Laere, CEO of ServersCheck, is extraordinarily proud of this innovative product: “We were able to develop a complete solution for server monitoring that requires little space, a small budget and very little power. Our successful Monitoring Software is used by small and medium-sized companies as well as civil and military authorities, universities and large companies like Yahoo, Facebook, HP, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Yahoo, BT Ericsson and Philips. This solution was made to make monitoring accessible for smaller budgets but we see that larger organisations also choose our solution. We already have indications that the Monitoring Appliance will be just as successful as our Monitoring Software.”
Price and availability
The ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance with its preinstalled Monitoring Software and a GSM modem costs 1699 $ and is available at www.serverscheck.com/store
A test version of ServersCheck Monitoring Software, the award-winning software by ServersCheck, is available at www.serverscheck.com/download
ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance highlights:
• The ServersCheck Monitoring Appliance is a complete browser and SMS based solution to monitor server rooms. This small, power efficient, cost friendly device can monitor up to 100 items.
• Small: it fits in the palm of your hand.
• Green: it uses less than 15W to operate. That's is 30 times less compared to a traditional PC. It's also silent: no fan.
• Browser based: just point your web browser to the appliance to manage the monitoring platform.
• SMS based: the device sends out text messages to your phone over the cell phone network using the included modem. This ensures that you will still receive alerts even when your complete network is down. Two-way traffic is also possible via SMS: the user can send an SMS to the device and then receive the network status from the device via SMS.
• Plug and Play: everything is installed so that the device is ready to go.
Contact Info: maarten.vanlaere
maarten.vanlaere@fides-management.com
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RMScart TILE from LAN Services
RMScart TILE from LAN Services
View and modify lists of Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System product information quickly and easily!
Changing items in RMS can be laborious. Selecting items one by one, making minor alterations, saving them and repeating this process takes up a lot time and effort that could be better utilised elsewhere! With TILE (The Item List Editor), you can manage your product file just like operating a spreadsheet!
Review all or a range of products
Select columns to view
Sort by any column
Save your view to carry on working later
Highlight rows to change and intelligently fill them with new information or enter information a row at a time
Changes only take affect when you want them to
Drag and drop images directly onto product pages
Tile has been designed to complement Dynamics RMS seamlessly. One simple download, just select the RMS database you want to attach TILE to; and away you go!
Samuel from World of Cables was impressed with TILE. “It's great! I have been using RMS for over 3 years now and I can't believe that this tool hadn't been thought of before. Well done LAN Services!”
Contact Info: LAN Services, LLC
Dominic Frazer
dominic.frazer@lanservices.com
CA
USA
Tel: 1-408-687-4728
http://www.lanservices.com/rms.htm
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DAYDREAM
Daydream
Daydream (www.daydream.co.uk) leading digital asset management (DAM) specialists, have launched a suite of media management components to compliment their FocusOPEN Digital Asset Manager platform. Each Open Studio component offers enhanced features devoted to the management of a particular digital media type: video management, print management and image management.
“Although FocusOPEN supports a wide range of media, we recognised that many organisations need more in-depth features to manage specific types of digital assets” explains Ralph Windsor, Managing Director of Daydream. “The Open Studio Media Suite provides specialist facilities and services for managing either video, print or image files. Each Open Studio component can be connected seamlessly into FocusOPEN’s flexible architecture to provide our clients with far better tools for the job in hand.”
The Open Studio Media Suite is the latest upgrade to the FocusOPEN Digital Asset Manager platform and can be configured in any combination to meet unique needs. The Video Open Studio provides a suite of web-based video asset management tools, including advanced playback, time-code accurate logging and timeline cataloguing, which, when combined with Daydream’s ultra-high volume content delivery network, are ideal for organisations that need to deliver high-demand video library services.
The Print Open Studio is designed for organisations who need to distribute press-ready print media files, which users can customise in their web browsers, such as regional brochures, adverts or personal stationery. The Image Open Studio delivers a suite of sophisticated web-based image management tools for capture, conversion, editing and manipulation, perfect for all organisations who use or preserve high volumes of photos or illustrations.
“We are confident that the Open Studio Media Suite will greatly enhance our FocusOPEN digital asset management platform and will provide the very exhaustive and specific media management features that our clients and prospects are looking for.” Windsor concludes.
About Daydream
Established in 1995, Daydream is the leading UK vendor of Digital Asset Management and Media Asset Management systems. Over the last 10 years, their FocusOPEN DAM technologies have been implemented by over 30 global organisations including Major League Baseball, WS Atkins, Shell and BNP Paribas. For more information, visit Daydream at www.daydream.co.uk
Contact Info: Emma Tappenden
Daydream, Linton House 164-180 Union St, London, SE1 0LH * press@daydream.co.uk
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