ISO Quality Services December 2014 Newsletter

15 Dec, 2014

Welcome to the ISO Quality Services December 2014 newsletter, we hope that everyone’s ready for the upcoming festivities!

The past month has seen the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to its youngest ever recipient in the form of the brave education activist, Malala Yousafzai. In addition to this, the term ‘Weather Bomb’ has made the headlines as severe weather has cut the power to large areas of the UK as well as forcing many businesses, schools and the like to close. On a more happier note however,

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM EVERYONE AT ISO QUALITY SERVICES LTD!!

Congratulations to our Newly Certificated Clients

MyShred Limitied

A company formed earlier this year, MyShred Limited is based in Southampton and focuses on the domestic shredding market which has seen an increase in demand in recent times.

On Monday 3rd November 2014, MyShred Ltd were presented with their BS EN 15713 Certificate Secure Destruction of Confidential Information Management Standard Certificate.

Their scope reads, Secure Destruction of Confidential Data and Recycling Services.

Clearview Systems Limited

Client Logo1

Clearview Systems Limited were formed in 2003, are situated in Worcester and specialise in strategy planning and execution, performance management, business intelligence and customer engagement.

On Thursday 13th November 2014, Clearview Systems Limited were presented with their ISO 9001 Quality Management & ISO 27001 Information Security Management Standard Certificates.

Their scope reads, The Development, Provision and Support of Clearview Software, and the Provision of Associated Professional Services.

If you would like more information regarding the services the Clearview Systems Limited provide, please visit their website HERE or alternatively you can contact them on 0845 5197661.

IMG_1115Left to Right: Clearview Systems representatives Sarah Hill (Office Administrator) and Nicky Hawkins (Customer Services Director) being presented with their certificates by ISO Quality Services Ltd representatives Peter O’Neill (Lead Assessor and Auditor) and Jennifer Appleton (Operations Director).

 

Bristow and Sutorlogo

Established nearly 40 years ago, Bristow and Sutor are situated in Worcestershire and embrace a philosophy of continuous improvement, professional delivery and a commitment to quality service and results

On Wednesday 19th November 2014, Bristow and Sutor were presented with their ISO 27001 Information Security Management Standard Certificate.

Their scope reads, The Company Provides Enforcement Services to Local Authorities and Commercial Landlords for the Recovery of Revenues, Penalty Charges, Sundry Debts and Rent Arrears.

If you would like more information regarding the services provided by Bristow and Sutor, they are contactable either via their website HERE or by telephone on 01527 504036.

Push Professional Limitedhead_01

Berkshire company Push Professional Limited have over 10 years of experience in the translation services industry.

On Thursday 20th November 2014, Push Professional Limited were presented with their BS EN 15038 Translation Services Management Standard Certificate.

They are a Global Language Service Provider who deliver multilingual services which help companies and brands gain increased visibility and market share in overseas territories.

For more information regarding the services Push Professional Limited provide, please either visit their website HERE or give them a call on 0118 984 1931.

Push Professional Ltd - Presentation Photo 20-11-14Lead Assessor Rick Allard (left) presenting Ken Mealing (right), Director of Push Professional Limited, with their BS EN 15038 Translation Services Management System Certificate.

JSA and AwardsISO Quality Services Ltd named Apprenticeship Employer of the year

On a cold wintery Thursday evening ISO Quality Services Ltd scooped the Apprenticeship Employer of the Year – Small business AND the big prize of the night – Apprenticeship Employer of the Year 2014 at this year’s Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards.

Dedicated apprentices

The awards were a culmination of all the hard work by every single one of those who work for the company. First and foremost ISOQSL would not have been in the position to be nominated had it not been for the apprentices themselves.

Backed by senior management

2014-apprenticeship-small-of-the-year-awardWithout the backing of senior management the apprenticeship scheme would not have got off the ground. The commitment they have shown to the apprentices’ development has been unwavering. Jennifer Appleton (Operations Director) commented,

2014-apprenticeship-of-the-year-award“We’re delighted to be recognised for our commitment to helping young people gain the necessary experience and qualifications that they require in today’s business environment.”

Singing from the same hymn sheet

The patience and effort shown by every member of the team in the training of the apprentices, making them feel welcome and part of the family is incredibly important to the success of the apprenticeship scheme.

ISO Quality Services would like to say massive congratulations to every single company and individual that was nominated as part of the awards.

For the full article please click HERE.

The problems with letting ill employees come to work

Young woman having flu blowing her noseIn an annual Flu Survey conducted by a company in America, 60% of those who have had flu still went into work. Of those, 40% of employees felt that they were too busy to stay away from the office and a further 31% came in to work because they felt their boss would appreciate it. With that being said should managers allow their staff to work while feeling ill?

The survey suggested that an ill person coming into work has more of a negative impact upon productivity than if they stayed at home. Reasons for which include:

  • The ill employee will suffer a reduction in productivity due to the illness,
  • Fellow employees productivity will be affected as they offer to help them,
  • Fellow employees are at risk from getting infected themselves,
  • An ill employee not resting and focusing on getting better, therefore they could take longer to get better.

So in future it may be prudent to insist that those employees falling ill over the winter months stay at home and focus on getting better.

Source: TLNT

Breaking the barriers surrounding disability

DisabilityWith over a billion disabled people in the world it is very important that everybody feels part of society and the ISO standards can play their part. Technology has enabled a reduction in the barriers that are hindering disabled people entering the workplace in a big way in terms of improved communication and mobility etc.

With this in mind the ISO standards as a vehicle to ensure manufacturers, designers and policy makers have guidelines regarding how to design products that are accessible to all. Examples of which can be found within aspects of the standards such as the physical environment and the mobility of devices and equipment.

A little known fact is that the developers of new standards at the International Organization for Standardization have to guarantee that the needs of all are taken into account when they are being produced. This is yet another illustration of how the implementation of the ISO Standards can help drive not only an individual organisation’s growth but that of the economy as a wider choice within the workforce can only be a good thing.

Source: ISO

Small businesses boost confirmed in Autumn Statement

money

The Treasury has pledged £400m to extend government-backed funds which invest in SMEs, called Enterprise Capital Funds. On top of this, the Funding for lending scheme has been extended for a further year and will guarantee up to £500m to SME’s in the form of new bank lending.

The schemes will be provided by the British Business Bank, which was set up last year.

The £500m of new bank lending will be allocated under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme which was set up by the former Labour government to encourage more bank lending to SMEs.

As part of the scheme, the government guarantees 75% of an SME’s bank loan, with the bank covering the remaining amount.

Both of these schemes are part of the government’s plans to unlock £10bn of finance for SMEs by 2017/2018.

Additional boost for apprenticeships

At present, businesses who employ apprentices are charged National Insurance but as part of the statement, this will no longer be the case.

“When a business is giving a young person a chance in life we’re going to support them not tax them.” Mr Osborne commented

Since 2010, almost two million people had taken up an apprenticeship, and Mr Osborne targeting the creation of a further three million in the next parliament should the conservatives be elected.

Source: BBC

Risks of shopping via public Wi-Fi this Christmas

downloadMany people neglect to consider the implications of using Wi-Fi – especially public Wi-Fi which in this festive season could mean many people being at risk of multiple forms of fraud. This fraud could come in the form of identity theft or even stolen credit card details.

The facts:

  • 52% of online shoppers used their phone to make purchases during the 2013 christmas holidays.
  • 88% acknowledge the threats that using public Wi-Fi can bring but at the same time 39% have used public Wi-Fi to access sensitive information. On top of this, a further 25% have used public Wi-Fi to access their bank accounts.

Tips for cyber secure shopping:

  1. Get savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots. Only connect to Wi-Fi hotspots that you recognise.
  2. Throw spam away! If it looks too good to be true then it probably is so don’t click on any suspicious links and definitely don’t part with sensitive information.
  3. Is it really you? If you have the option, adjust your settings to two-step verification or multi-factor authentication when possible as this will make accounts more secure.
  4. Create a better password. Many of the passwords used are easy to guess, make it harder by incorporating numbers, symbols and a mixture of upper and lower case letters into your password.

Source: Huffington Post

UK start-ups plan for growth in 2015

shutterstock_93304129-830x1024A report published by the British Business Bank has found that almost half (46%) of UK small businesses are taking steps to expand in the coming year.

The report also highlighted an apparent lack of awareness in terms of the different kinds of finance that was available to fledgling businesses. Although 68% were confident of getting funding, many had not heard of methods such as crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, export and import finance and mezzanine finance.

The findings do suggest that the government should do more to promote the different kinds of fundingthat is available to small businesses escpecially as most were unaware of even the funding that was available from the government.

What may be particularly concerning is that credit cards were the most popular form of finance with over 95% saying that they have used this method.

Source: Start-Ups

ISO Training Services Update

ISO Training Services

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT!

New Year – New Courses!

We are pleased to offer the following new courses for 2015:

iso27001banA

ISO 27001: INFORMATION SECURITY TRAINING

Dates: 28th/29th January 2015 (2 day course)
Cost: £450 + VAT per delegate

Why attend this course?

No information security management system can achieve its potential unless the underlying principles are understood, supported by management and become part of a company’s normal operating procedure.

This course will address the main principles and elements involved when adopting the ISO 27001 standard and provide a foundation for companies who are interested in using the standard as the mainstay for their information security approach.

You will gain an understanding of:
• categorising and mitigating risk
• scoping and maintaining an Information Security Management System
• asset management
• setting up security governance and associated roles involved

Course Content

• Principles and elements of ISO 27001
• Role of the information security management representative
• How to establish information security governance within your organisation
• Asset management – how to complete an inventory
• Completion of risk assessments
• Statement of applicability
• Document requirements
There will also be a chance for a questions and answers at the end of each session with a recap at the end of the day.

**SPECIAL EARLY BIRD OFFER***

For course bookings made before 25th December 2014, you will only pay £395 + VAT per delegate. This price includes all course materials and refreshments throughout the day.

TENDERING PROCESS TRAININGtendering-banner

Date: March 2015 (Date TBC)
Cost: £350 + VAT per delegate

Why attend this course?

With an increasing number of opportunities being awarded through a tender process, having the right knowledge and skills and making sure you are “fit to bid” has never been so important. So, how do you ensure that the process works for you and that you can put together a compelling bid and win more business?
This engaging one-day course has been developed to provide you with that knowledge, to help you build an effective bidding plan. It enables delegates to gain a thorough understanding of the tender process and in so doing to help them to make headway in removing much of the pain and chance commonly felt amongst organisations when they compete for business via a tender.

Key topics covered

• Who uses the tender process and why – a public and private sector buyer perspective
• How does the public procurement process work
• Expectations of the buyer at the various stages of the process and the implications on the bidder
• Mandatory, desirable and functional elements to be included in a bid
• Avoiding pitfalls and risks when selling via a tender process
• Proactive tender submissions
• Win or lose, what next?
• Public procurement terminology

These are both BRAND NEW courses to ISO Quality Services!

Sounds interesting? Want to know more? For further details of each course and others that we offer, we have a dedicated training website www.isotrainingservicesltd.com where all of our training information, courses and dates will be available, along with case studies, news articles and Meet the Trainer!

Please take the time to visit us!

To book your place please call 01905 670303 or email our Training Co-ordinator debbie@isoqsltd.com

REMEMBER IF YOU ARE A CURRENT CLIENT OF ISO QUALITY SERVICES YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A DISCOUNT ON ALL OUR COURSES…PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE DETAILS

Be part of our LinkedIn communityLinkedIn

If you haven’t joined already – what are you waiting for?

ISO news, training updates and offers, meet the ISO QSL team and connect with other like-minded individuals

Visit us at:  ISO QSL LinkedIn Company page

Networking events and seminars we are attending in December 2014 – January 2015

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce – How to make the most of your membership (In association with ISO Quality Services)Chamber Logo - Birmingham

Date of Event 13/01/15

Cost: FREE to members (£10 to non members)

Time: 9.30am – 11.30am

Venue: Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, 75 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3DH

Website: Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Event Description

Being a Chamber member provides you with lots of opportunity to network, raise your business profile and help you gain greater knowledge and skills which can give your business differentiation and a real advantage. This event gives delegates the chance to understand more about the products, services and benefits membership can bring your business and how to use these effectively to help develop and grow your business.

Whether you are a prospective member, have recently joined, or simply wish to refresh your knowledge about what is available in order to get the greatest return on your investment, this event is designed for you.

Director of Events, Henrik Court is the key speaker at this event. Henrik has more than seven years experience of working for the Chamber and will help you to create an action plan to take back to your business for future implementation. Premier Member Relationship Manager, Howard Blow, will also be speaking about the features and benefits of membership. Shishu Ali will also be speaking about how Chamber membership has benefitted the business he works for – Total Gas and Power.

There is an opportunity to network with other delegates from a range of business sectors and Chamber staff, so bring plenty of business cards with you.

Limited to two delegates places per company.

Complimentary parking is available on-site from 9am – 12pm.

 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce – Maximise your membership (In association with ISO Quality Services)Cherington-HR_117120_image

Date of Event 16/01/15

Cost: FREE
Time: 08.30am

Venue: Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Worcester WR2 4QQ

Website: Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Event Description

All members are invited to join us for a Maximise Your Membership Event in their first three months. This FREE event is sponsored by ISO Quality Services Ltd and offers members the opportunity to meet the Chamber team and find out some of the many ways to make the most of their membership. Attendees will hear from members of the Chamber membership team and the Chief Executive about their experiences of membership and how they get maximum return from their investment. There will also be plenty of tips for networking effectively.

Are you a client of ours? Would you recommend our services to your clients / suppliers…why not refer a friend?Win a case of wine worth £1,000

Receive a free case of wine or a £50 Marks & Spencer’s Voucher…..the choice is yours!

(To qualify for this you must refer a successful lead).

To offer your referrals please contact – admin@isoqsltd.com or call 01905 670 303

 

ISO Quality Services Ltd are proud to specialise in the implementation and certification of the Internationally recognised ISO and BS EN Management Standards.

Do you want to get ahead of your competition? Win more tenders or save time and money on reoccurring issues? Contact us today on 0330 058 5551 or email info@isoqsltd.com.

Alternatively, you can request a quote by filling out our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

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