The vast majority of UK businesses who fall victim to fraud are eligible to reclaim lost funds through their banks- but few firms are aware of the opportunity, according to a fraud recovery law firm. Since October 7, last year, banks are obliged to pay back any ‘microenterprises’ that may have lost money to fraud though Authorised Push Payments or CHAPS payments. But National Fraud Helpline solicitors, a trading name of Richardson Hartley Law, says very few businesses are aware of the new mandatory reimbursement scheme which requires payment service providers (PSPs), including banks, to pay back up to £85,000…
Author: sme-admin
When you want to check your internet connection is working, most people’s natural reflex is to check Google. We assume it always operates an uninterrupted service — and Google engineers work hard to achieve that perception. All software products need constant improvements to resolve bugs, improve user experience and more, but how do developers achieve this while consistently providing a reliable service? Here Craig Cook, chief engineer at software engineering expert Catapult, explains the importance of adopting a site reliability approach from the outset. Originating at Google in the early 2000s, site reliability engineering (SRE) is a discipline that incorporates…
UK takeaways are failing hygiene inspections at an alarming rate, with one in twenty scoring low in 2024. According to data from the Food Standards Agency, 200 takeaways scored zero and 3,630 failed their latest inspection in 2024. Worryingly, in Birmingham,167 takeaways scored a rating between zero and two. Phil Meyers, CEO of mpro5, explores the root causes of these failures, from outdated council inspection methods to the reliance on manual processes by takeaway chains. He outlines how process compliance platforms can help revolutionise hygiene management, preventing another major food poisoning outbreak in the UK. Whether large or small UK takeaway…
Leadership today demands more than meeting current quarterly goals—it requires shaping the future of both the business and its people against the backdrop of an often challenging environment. Yet, there are striking gaps between the skills that leaders need, and the development organisations are providing. Leaders feel ill-quipped to deal with the demands of their role face while facing an increasingly challenging environment as highlighted in DDI’s Europe Leadership Report 2025, a comprehensive research study from leadership consultancy DDI, based on insights from 428 leaders and 250 HR professionals, across 18+ countries. Eighty percent of HR organisations in Europe are predicting a surge in…
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) arrived on 17th January 2025. DORA is a regulation introduced by the European Union to strengthen the digital resilience of the financial sector. It is part of the EU’s broader efforts to enhance the stability and security of financial markets, aims to ensure that financial institutions can withstand and recover from ICT (Information and Communication Technology) disruptions. This regulation focuses on enhancing the ability of financial entities to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyberattacks, system failures, and other technology-related disruptions. As organisations adjust to these new requirements, industry experts have weighed in on the…
Every business starts with a vision – an idea that grows into a name and eventually, a logo. But beyond the design lies a critical decision many start-ups underestimate: choosing the right brand colours. These hues will define your business’s identity, give longevity, and resonate with customers for years. Once chosen, brand colours often become a permanent fixture of an organisation’s identity. Changing them later can be expensive and disruptive, requiring website updates, signage, packaging, vehicle graphics, and more. Yet, it is more than just a practical decision – it’s an emotional and psychological tool that reflects a brand’s energy,…
Vitality has found in a new report, titled ‘10 years of Britain’s Healthiest Workplace: The changing face of the UK at work’, that one of the biggest challenges to the health of the UK workforce is the growth of unhealthy living. While the business reveals certain negative lifestyle factors have decreased, including drinking to excess, which declined by approximately 27% over the last decade, obesity rates have increased by 51% during this period. Furthermore, in 2023 37% of employees were physically inactive, and more than half (56%) didn’t have a healthy diet. Increase in obesity While previously common drivers for…
With the recent news from GCHQ that the UK is facing a “widening gap” in its ability to fight cyber threats, 2025 looks to be an increasingly tough year for cybersecurity experts. Today, cybersecurity solutions provider ramsac share their top trends for 2025 and what to expect from the world of cybersecurity over the next 12 months. AI – a growing force It’s no surprise that AI is a feature here. As the response quality and data sets grow and become more accurate and comprehensive, AI will continue to play a huge role in cyber attacks and response. AI tools can detect and react…
A new Appreciation Index study from Reward Gateway | Edenred finds Brits lag behind in workplace appreciation, with the UK reporting the lowest Appreciation Index scores (61.8 out of 100) against the U.S. and Australia, and below the global average of 65. In comparison, the U.S. scored 66.3, and Australia scored 66.8 in the survey conducted on nationally representative samples in the UK, the U.S., and Australia. In the UK, men felt more appreciated in their workplace than women (80% of men vs 70% of women), while their Australian and American counterparts reported less significant differences between gender. This suggests there is…
According to the World Economic Forum, misinformation and disinformation are the most pressing risks in 2025. But how can we constrain this practice? Vaidotas Sedys, Head of Risk Management at Oxylabs, outlines how web scraping can be utilised to limit misinformation online. Spreading online misinformation can be beneficial for various bad actors. Predatory states use it to destabilise foreign countries. Unscrupulous politicians utilise it to gain support and win elections. Finally, many people will share whatever attracts social media engagement without considering whether it is accurate or the damage false information can do. It is also very easy to create and spread fake news. The…