Ian Gehm

Something I've been pondering for a number of years and finally got irritated enough to post... How have IT suppliers, especially SAAS providers, managed to remove the concept of a resolution time from their service contracts? Clients pay them to deliver a service and yet, retain all the risk for the supplier not delivering, even when suffering significant service impact. The only material element that is offered is what they pass off directly down to the Cloud suppliers, Availability, retaining no risk themselves for the pain that they can inflict through bad management of services delivered by them. Surely it is within the supplier's gift to restore services to the last known working configuration within a decent timeframe so clients can manage the expectations of their customers? I get, with shared code bases, that actual fixes can be difficult to estimate and guarantee, but restoration should be manageable and actually represent a supplier's confidence in the ability to deliver its services to its clients. Time to push back against this?

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It's been frantic at today's Retail Technology Show - in a good way - so busy - only just had time now to film and post this video - you still have time until 6pm today and from 9am until 4:30pm to come and chat with us - I look forward to meeting with you to talk #retail #solutions from #Lenovo :-) #Lenovo #Retail #Technology #Show #RetailTechnologyShow #Event #RTS2024 #WeAreLenovo #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Edge #EdgeComputing #CustomerExperience #CX #Optimisation #Efficiencies #Dynamic #Signage #ColdChainManagement #ColdChain #Marketing #Advertising #Shrinkage #Secure #Security #PoS #PointOfSale #Warehouse #Warehousing #Inventory

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Something something something the importance of proper software testing™ something something something https://lnkd.in/eAEYQnUb

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As a leading IT recruiter in the North West, I can't help but ponder on the implications of the 2024 Spring Budget on the UK's tech industry.📈 What do you think this means for us and the future of tech talent? For more insights, check out this article: What the 2024 Spring Budget means for the UK's tech industry. https://lnkd.in/ezZbbV6n

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So work’s been a bit full on recently and despite the fact that I have a week off to unwind, I’ve been struggling to fully switch off. Power BI is such a huge passion of mine that I couldn’t keep still for long. I’ve been reflecting and it’s such a shame that I’ve not started a personal project in such a long time so today I got stuck in! Stockport County are another passion of mine, and seeing as we have just won the League (Champions again ole ole) this seemed like the perfect theme. When I’m not watching the team, I thoroughly enjoy a game called Football Manager where I can put myself in the manager’s very difficult shoes of looking after the team in a simulated world. Football is very data driven nowadays and Sports Interactive have made it extremely easy to export a snapshot of data. With this in mind, I present to you: My Demo Dashboard! Taaa daaaah. I exported, transformed and imported the data into PBI in a matter of hours this afternoon (With a lovely Kentish Rosé too I might add) and I’m pretty chuffed with how it came out. I previously started this project a couple of years ago, but put it down due to complexities with cleaning and transforming the data. I’m happy to report that I have learn a hell of a lot these last 2 years and so this activity was now a doddle. I like to think that I’ve improved on my presentation skills too. The dataset is rather basic but when interrogated can be quite powerful. Less is more. (Caveat with this dataset is that it's the 22-23 squad) The user (gamer) can see a financial snapshot on the first slide, a drill down into attributes at player level on the second slide and an overall team average on the final page. This allows the user to see top and bottom performers, the costs involved, as well as the ability to zoom out and find weakness areas in the team as a whole. The action then is to scout out and find players that can cover those weaknesses and get them in the team! The best bit? Even if the squad changes this can be updated (Yes this can work for a completely different team too!!!) If Mr Stott were to offer me a role at the County I’m not sure if I could refuse!!!! 🤣 I think I need to get out more….. Anyhoo. Have a lovely week 😊 Stockport County FC #PowerBI #StockportCounty #PersonalDevelopment

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Always great to get comments like this from people I have worked with before. Rupert Baddeley is a great transformation lead. As a BA, I have worked on digital web projects, EDI integrations and transformation projects where it is all about people, process and technology. Transformation projects are the hardest projects but also the most rewarding #transformation #tom #businessanalyst

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With HMRC advertising for 5000 new Tax Compliance Officers to fill the tax black hole that Labour say they have inherited why are we still reading stories of large tech companies paying considerably less UK tax on their profits than they should be due to 'financial chicanery'. HMRC are pushing the narrative that tax avoidance is the same as tax evasion yet do nothing to ensure compliance from the biggest companies in the world. Will the new Tax Compliance officers be dealing with this? I'm sure they would pay if, like Brazil has done with X (formally Twitter), they were blocked from the internet in the UK. The loss of £27 Billion in revenue would soon have them backing down. As an aside, if they won't pay the proper tax then they should not be granted taxpayer funded contracts.

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Some exciting news from the Digital team at Barkers - Procurement & Commercial Practitioners – today we’re launching a service that accelerates the integration of Coupa Software with a client’s existing ERP system, leveraging proven technology that speeds up the process and facilitates integration confidence. Take a look #ERPIntegration #DigitalProcurement #IntegrationMadeEasy 

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Musings on the morning commute… On my train ride this morning (LinkedIn spamming to follow), I saw someone with all the right security tools—lanyard full of security devices, screen filter, encrypted login—leave their laptop, work pass and bag unattended on a busy Bath to Paddington train. All the safeguards in the world are meaningless if basic security practices aren’t followed. At Nisbets, we’re hiring an IT Security Manager to ensure our security culture is about ACTION. If you’re passionate about proactive security, check out our vacancy in my recent post. Security isn’t just about the tools you have; it’s about how you act.

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If you were thinking is that Lou and her colleagues in The Finance & Business Guide in today’s Daily Telegraph, you’d be absolutely right 😆🗞️ Check GEOLYTIX out, in the newspaper!📰 Over a decade at this company and I’m still pretty sure not many of my friends quite know exactly what I do, well here is a brilliant summary of location planning in all its glory. #LocationPlanning #Data #Team

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I've had some fascinating discussions this week.... all with a common theme sitting at the heart. 💥 Continual conflict between tech teams and "the business" 💥 Duplication of strategy and change efforts. 💥 Conflicting change efforts, pulling the company in different directions. 💥 Priority and direction misalignment between IT and ops. 💥 Opportunities escaping without anything happening. 💥 Avoiding key discussions on important topics such as sustainability. What's the common theme here? Misalignment and siloed working through a lack of strategic vision, or tangible understanding of that vision. Do these sound similar to the challenges that you're facing? If so, it would be great to have a discussion to get your take on it all. Message me and let's talk. #retail #retailtransformation

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It's surprising how many companies missed the memo on the recent IR35 changes... or aren't savvy enough to change their recruitment strategy. Mainstay Consulting predict that companies that persist with a blanket inside IR35 strategy will find it increasingly difficult to attract the best contract resource or pay 30%+ more for their contracting bill. Schedule a call to see how you can reduce costs and attract the best talent: https://lnkd.in/eqPJqFZu

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COMPUTER WEEKLY: Decade-long IR35 dispute between IT contractor and HMRC prompts calls for off-payroll revamp Reporting by Caroline Donnelly on the recent upper-tier tribunal decision that has seen the decision in RALC Consulting set aside, and returned back to the first-tier tribunal, for a fresh hearing - 14 years after the engagements under the spotlight were executed. Richard Alcock was just a guy, trying to make a living, and wanted to start his own consultancy, and did. He later hired people. He was going for it. He was planting a business seed - just like other business founders. But, the litigation by HMRC killed his entreprenurial dream. In my view, it's not right small businesses lose to HMRC, simply because HMRC litigators have unlimited access to the public purse and appear to have adopted a "purse at all costs" strategy. We've seen how they chased Kaye Adams through four tribunals, and fielded three barristers at the final hearing, along with the lawyers and inspectors to try and win. We are in David & Goliath territory, and the individuals who enter appeals proceedings face unlimited legal firepower by the state. And, when they don't make the mistakes (the judges do), the taxpayer is the one suffering financial loss. How is that treating taxpayers fairly? I assisted with the case, and was at the original FTT for all 3 days, and I heard everything that was said. The judge got it. RALC Consulting was not just some PSC stuck between two parties to save tax. It was a real business, and the relationship was a business-to-business one. HMRC were there too. They must have got it. But, the decision write up was open to attack, so in the HMRC lawyers went again, pursuing the taxpayer, at all costs. It has an air of Post Office about it. #ir35 #offpayroll

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Thanks Tim Roedel for a most enjoyable conversation re composable architectures for mid-market companies, and their growing need to hire better capabilities. If you enjoy the podcast then please read my article below - "The Composable Conundrum" in my other post which expands on my thoughts on the subject. https://lnkd.in/er8VRDyj

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For all the talk of Ai in this article, the biggest change to the customer journey will be not having to wait for an assistant to come over and authorise a transaction. The relatively low tech solution of putting a button / pop up on a tablet will save the day, it is always simple logical solutions that make the biggest difference.

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Retailer John Lewis is reinstating its "never knowingly undersold" price pledge, now extending to online sales for the first time and using AI to match prices with 25 top retailers. The revival of this policy aims to regain customer trust amidst a challenging period that led to job cuts and store closures. This move follows the High Street's struggles with the pandemic's impact and the shift towards online shopping, resulting in a net loss of 5,000 stores last year. Rival Marks & Spencer is also undergoing a significant restructuring, while Debenhams has transitioned to an online-only brand. This trend of collapsed retailers re-emerging as online platforms continues to evolve, with Asos recently announcing plans to sell a majority stake in Topshop.

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