The energy crisis and your business

In energy terms, the UK and the rest of Europe is still facing deep uncertainty regards to price and supply.

This unsettling scenario is as a result of major current geopolitical events, a rebound from the economic slowdown created by COVID-19, and the long-term decision of many European countries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, while slowly transitioning to renewable energy sources.

While it’s true to say that each country within Europe has a unique profile in terms of reliance across the energy-mix, and different levels of energy supply resilience, the region is in a precarious position, where it cannot guarantee sufficient levels of energy to power itself. Bloomberg Europe recently reported that power outages are ‘the next threat for the continent’. Even as we move out of winter and into the warmer months, businesses still need to be sure of supply and cost.

The UK’s National Grid is talking about ‘three-hour power cuts ’, while Norway is ‘set to curb its electricity exports’ . So, with already stretched energy supplies and such uncertainty in the energy sector, it’s no wonder our region is bracing itself for volatility.

What does this mean for businesses that rely on IT resilience – for safety, comfort and business continuity to keep IT environments running? The impact of power outages is not to be understated, with power fluctuations resulting from an unstable power grid capable of causing disruption and even damage to office computing devices, and critical IT applications within small and large businesses.

A full power outage could cause disruption to critical smart home functionality for example, as well as
severely hamper critical IT applications that businesses rely on in their daily operations. Simply put, power quality and availability ensures comfort and safety for homes, and business continuity for businesses of all sizes.

What’s the solution?

Implementing an uninterruptable power supply strategy can underpin your business operations and give your customers, staff and shareholders the confidence of business uptime. Schneider Electric is a leading UPS manufacturer that gives IT professionals access to a broad portfolio of UPS solutions all designed to protect critical IT appliances and data in homes and across businesses. Customers can also benefit from Schneider’s Green Premium™ certification guarantee, meaning complete compliance, transparency and higher environmental performance.

Here’s a short introduction into how you can ensure clean, efficient power at all times, improve productivity and resilience, and pay less for your power.

Cybersecurity advice for SMBs

Cybersecurity can feel overwhelming for SMBs, for they have to manage issues related to data security and integrity, avoid breaches, and understand and implement the protection measures required to efficiently deal with cyber threats.

Sometimes, this responsibility falls on SMB owners, who often must fill several roles at once. Otherwise it falls on overstretched IT teams looking for support to manage issues related to data security and integrity, avoid breaches, and understand and implement the protection measures required to efficiently deal with cyber threats.

This whitepaper provides guidance on the latest cyber security dangers, defence strategies, and best practices, with a particular focus on prevention rather than remediation, that should be followed by SMB leaders and their employees from all over the world.

▶ Read more in this whitepaper from our partners Heimdal

Proud sponsors of the One in a Million charity lunch

Complete IT Systems were again proud to be partners of the ‘One in a Million’ charity lunch for its 7th year last week.

The event featured 165 local leaders and business people providing their insights into the future of Bradford, with Wayne Jacobs, Chief Executive and co-founder of One In A Million, opening the afternoon’s proceedings by welcoming guests, speakers and sponsors and giving an update on the charity and our quest to rebuild ‘The Arc’ community centre on Canterbury estate, where OIAM has been operating for over 17 years.

The lunch also featured updates on the Bradford City of Culture 2025 Bid and its impact on the local economy. The Bradford Chamber of Commerce, also presented. “We are proud to be long-time supporters of One in a Million, and the lunches are always a great day for charity and all involved”, said Ben Gregg, Sales Director of Complete IT Systems. The ‘Building for Success Bradford 2023’ is a theme is really in line with our own goals for the year, and we were proud to be part of the day as well as making some new connections at the heart of the community in Bradford”.

About One in a Million

The charity engages with children and young people, aged between 5-19 years old, living predominantly in disadvantaged communities of Bradford.

Through Sports, Arts and Enterprise themed programmes, they deliver formal and informal education to break cycles of deprivation over their young lives, valuing and celebrating their uniqueness, letting them know they are ‘one in a million’. Complete IT Systems are extremely proud to be a part of it!

Their vision is child-centric placing them at the heart of all that we do. And so are their core values; compassion, honesty, integrity and excellence – they are the DNA that runs throughout the charity shaping the culture and ethos. They believe that every child is unique and valued.

Read more about One in a Million on this link.