Packt, a global leader in publishing technology and coding eBooks and videos,  are asking the technology community to ‘pay it forward’ by looking back at their career and paying their advice forward to support the next generation of technology leaders via a survey.  The aim is to rewrite the code on career development and find out what everyday life looks like for those in our community.

The Pay it Forward eBook that will be created, will provide tips and insights from the tech profession. Rather than giving off the shelf advice on how to better your career, Packt are asking everyday experts – the professionals across the globe who make the industry tick – for the insights and advice they would give from the good and the bad that they have seen.

The most insightful and useful responses to the survey will be published by Packt in a new eBook, which will be available for free in early 2019. 

Some of the questions Pay it Forward will seek answers to, include:          

• What is the biggest myth about working in tech?
• If you could give one career hack, what would it be?
• How do you keep on top of new developments and news?
• What are the common challenges you have seen or experienced in your profession?
• Who do you most admire and why?
• What is the best piece of advice you have received that has helped you in your career?
• What advice would you give to a student wishing to enter your profession?
• Have you actually broken the internet? We all make mistakes, how do you handle them?
• What do you love about what you do?

People can offer their responses here: http://payitforward.packtpub.com/

As as a thank you, survey respondents will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of 10 annual Packt subscriptions worth $300.

Commenting on Pay it Forward, Packt Publishing Ltd CEO and founder Dave Maclean, said, “Over time we all gain knowledge through our experiences. We’ve all failed and learned and found better ways to do things.  As we come into the New Year, we’re reflecting on what we have learnt and we’re calling on our community of everyday experts to share their knowledge with people who are new to the industry, to the next generation of changemakers.”

“For our part, Packt will produce a book that pulls together this advice and make it available for free to help those wishing to pursue a career within technology.”

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and is in complete confidence, with no disclosure of names or details, unless agreed. 

Specialist technology talent is in greater demand than ever as technology reaches into every aspect of the economy, according to the Reed Technology State of Skills research.

For its State of Skills interactive tool on stateofskills.reedglobal.com, Reed Technology analysed 10 years of data from Google and O*NET to find out more about the changing roles, skillsets and software driving the sector. It found that specialist roles and skills are essential to successful businesses and workers in this sector.

The research charted a rapid rise in interest over the past five years for roles such as devops engineer (986 per cent) and data scientist (428 per cent). This rise in specialist roles has seen interest in more general roles such as web developer fall – a 52 per cent drop from October 2008 to July 2018.

Problem solving skills were found to be paramount, with ‘deductive reasoning’ (solving problems with general rules) and ‘critical thinking’ (using logic and reasoning to identify the best way to approach a problem) ranked as the most valued skills. 

Interestingly, within one of the fastest growing roles – data scientist – an aptitude for ‘education and training’ is ranked most important behind ‘complex problem solving’ and ‘deductive reasoning’. This is likely due to the need to explain and inform others about what they do.

Aside from this, project manager – for which ‘customer and personal service’ is the most important skillset with ‘active listening’ (retaining information and asking appropriate, constructive questions) also integral – is another role within the sector that prioritises communication skills. 

Andrew Gardner, director at Reed Technology, says: “By its nature the technology sector is constantly evolving and as such employer requirements and candidate aspirations have to be kept under constant review. Companies want talent that keeps them ahead of the game and many are turning to niche specialists to achieve this. Candidates are always searching for the role that makes them indispensable for the next decade – as such, specialist roles are the way to go.” 

Tech professionals homing in on favoured tools

The State of Skills research conducted also investigated the tools favoured by technology professionals. The change of emphasis more towards tools that help to analyse and visualise is apparent, with data scientist interest in Power Bi showing continued growth with 600 per cent between October 2015 and July 2018.

For many of the roles in the technology sector there is high search interest for newer tools. This demonstrates the technology workers’ constant search for the best technology, so businesses need to keep up to date, evidenced by interest in AWS by develops engineers spiking by 2000 per cent in ten years between October 2008 and July 2018.

Andrew Gardner continues: “The constant evolution of tools to support technology workers means that keeping up to date with these tools is essential to giving employees the best chance of excelling in their role.  Data collection, visualisation, storage and interrogation will only increase in importance as digitalisation gathers pace.

“Data is now viewed by companies as the new ‘oil’, and businesses want to be able to harvest the benefits it can deliver.  Organisations will be on the hunt for technology specialists who can translate data into commercial gain.”

To find out more about Reed Technology, please visit www.reedglobal.com/technology

FCA regulated institutional broker, Global Markets Index Ltd (GMI UK) has partnered with Gold-i to make its multi-asset liquidity accessible to Gold-i’s global client base.

GMI’s integration with Gold-i enables Gold-i’s clients to access GMI’s FX and CFD liquidity. 

According to Ashraf Ebid, CEO, GMI, “Gold-i has reliable, market leading technology and a worldwide client base. They are an ideal partner for GMI as we continue to evolve our business, expand globally and make our liquidity accessible to a wider audience. This latest development follows a major growth period for our business which has included significant investment in our technology, a number of new offices and a series of senior hires.”

Tom Higgins, CEO, Gold-i adds, “We are delighted that we are now able to provide GMI liquidity through Gold-i technology. GMI’s multi-asset liquidity will be welcomed by our clients worldwide, particularly in Asia where GMI has a reputation for excellence and has built a strong brand from its local offices in the region.”

The GMI brand was established in 2009 and provides institutional FX and CFD liquidity. It offers highly customised and sophisticated technology and liquidity solutions to fit the varied complex needs of its institutional clients around the world such as banks, hedge funds, family offices, brokers and high net-worth professional clients.

The company has experienced tremendous growth in the past two years under the leadership of Ashfraf Ebid. Since 2016, the GMI brand has expanded from 2 offices to 15 offices around the world and has increased its trading volume by more than 20 times. Recently, the firm announced a number of significant hires including two senior members from FXCM, Chris Hossain-Nelson, former Head of FXCM Pro and Aaron Brown, former Head of IB Partnerships, as well as Richard Bartlett, former Head of Sales at PrimeXM. Iain Rogers, former Managing Director at Pepperstone UK, has been appointed COO at GMI UK.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, Gold-i is experiencing similar significant growth, having recently opened an office in Sydney, Australia. Gold-i’s Matrix suite of products, which enable clients to access and manage multi-asset liquidity or distribute liquidity to clients globally, are increasingly in demand by brokers worldwide. Gold-i’s Matrix Insights provides analysis and reporting capabilities that can help brokers to respond to clients’ queries, satisfy regulatory requirements and maximise profitability. For further information, please visit www.gold-i.com. 

The TALL Group of Companies, the UK’s leading provider of secure electronic and paper payments solutions, has partnered with DIA Europe, providers of the Kappa cheque fraud prevention platform used by many leading banks, to create a new tool that is designed to strengthen the cheque industry’s protection against payment fraud. UCN Plus ® - patents pending - will help to ensure that counterfeit, forged and fraudulently altered cheques are robustly and automatically trapped and rejected wherever possible.

UCN Plus ® enables the variable payment data – payee name, amount, date, etc – to be encrypted and hidden within a QR code printed on the face of all cheques issued by the TALL Group on behalf of its cheque bureau customers. Once the recipient has deposited the cheque, Kappa’s profiling and matching tool alerts the issuing bank to any mismatch, and customers can review the item before committing to pay, and still remain within the new two-day clearing cycle.

This reduced clearing cycle forms part of the Image Clearing System (ICS), which was officially introduced across the UK last October. As part of ICS, cheques are now digitised at the point of deposit, and are no longer be transported during the clearing process. The paper document has no legal value once imaged and that image transmitted into the infrastructure, so the integrity of the digital image becomes fundamental to its use as the ‘instrument’ to achieve the funds transfer.

This new system requires the use of Image Survivable Features (ISF), such as UCN Plus ®, to protect against fraud. Overall payments fraud fell by 5% in 2017 compared to the previous year, however the total figure still stood at £731.8m. This is despite £2 in every £3 unauthorised fraud being stopped that year.

Commenting on the launch of the UCN Plus®, Martin Ruda, Group Managing Director at the TALL Group of Companies, said: “As an organisation committed to the safety, security and integrity of the cheque payments system, the collaboration with Kappa has enabled us to deliver a further and critical layer of fraud prevention to the UK’s corporate cheque users. The benefits of the new Image Clearing System will underpin the continuing effectiveness of the cheque as a payment tool, and the TALL Group will strive to ensure the UK payments systems stay one step ahead of the fraudster.”

Path Solutions is proud to announce that it has topped the bobsguide Software Rankings 2018 in the Islamic Banking category - in an industry benchmark list that was revealed on the 11th of December. 

The inaugural bobsguide Software Rankings 2018 features a comprehensive number of technology companies from all around the world regardless of size or location. Market participants were invited to vote online or by email for their top financial software providers of the year based on multiple criteria such as business model, cutting-edge technology, ease of use, industry knowledge and commitment.

The bobsguide Software Rankings 2018 voting system was inundated with votes from financial institutions familiar with the platforms. A number of categories came down to a handful of votes, while in others there was clear daylight between some stand-out firms. 

bobsguide Editor, Michael McCaw said, “I am pleased to inform you that you are a winner of the Islamic Banking category in our inaugural bobsguide Software Rankings. The 2018 winners have been voted for and nominated by the bobsguide audience who were asked to rank service providers across a number of categories based on their experience using criteria such as reliability, value for money and ease of use. Congratulations on winning the Islamic Banking category! This is a marvelous achievement. You must havereally impressed your clients”.

Path Solutions is a global leader in next-generation Sharia-based software development and implementation, consulting, support, training, and outsourcing services. The company enables clients in more than 39 countries to stay a step ahead of emerging industry trends and outperform the competition. It helps them transform and thrive in a fast-changing world by implementing bespoke and breakthrough solutions including digital and mobility that combine strategic insights and business capabilities enabling data-driven decisions that are crucial to propel their business forward.

“To be voted first in Islamic Banking in bobsguide Software Rankings 2018 is a great source of pride for everyone at Path Solutions”, commented the company’s Group Chairman & CEO, Mohammed Kateeb. “Investing to maintain a leading position in the Islamic financial services sector requires developing relevant technologies and expanding skills and capabilities. Thus, success in our field is never an accident”, he added, stating that “everyone enjoys getting some well-deserved praise, but this is only achieved by those who strive constantly for improvement, with a relentless pursuit of excellence, innovation and deep industry commitment”.

On the same list, Path Solutions was recognized first runner-up in Modelling, first runner-up in Customer Support Services and first runner-up in Ease of Use of the system.

LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, the global information solutions provider, warns that the UK is at risk of becoming complacent in its fight against money laundering. Whilst significant efforts are being made across the financial and professional services sectors, financial criminals remain one step ahead. Huge investments are being made by business to fight these crimes, but London still represents the money laundering capital of the world.  Collectively, the country needs to do more to detect and prevent it.

This warning from LexisNexis® Risk Solutions comes just days after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published its Mutual Evaluation Report into the current state of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures in the UK. The FATF declared that the UK has a ‘well-developed and robust regime to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing.’ As a result, LexisNexis Risk Solutions fears that the UK may believe its current measures are sufficient when it comes to detecting, preventing and deterring financial crime. But the problem is getting worse.

Senior money laundering experts agree; more needs to be done to dissuade criminals from undertaking illicit activities in the UK. The current regime of sanctions and penalties is seen merely as a cost of doing business, and as stated by a senior Economic Crime expert from law enforcement, there is strong desire to see “more criminals in prison and more assets denied and seized from those criminals,” effectively hitting them where it hurts.

The ‘Money Laundering Exposed’ report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions examines the current state of anti-money laundering compliance according to senior money laundering experts across the public and private sectors. The report contains the opinions of a broad range of representatives from some of the UK’s leading banks, from both financial and professional services firms, as well as a senior financial crime director from law enforcement and a former regulator.

Financial crime is a national issue, affecting all regulated industries, the Government, and the average person on the street. However, some aspects of the regulatory framework, such as the regulator’s need for transparency, are preventing the roll out of useful tools, including analytics and artificial intelligence. According to one senior global financial crime executive at a leading UK bank, these tools could represent “a real breakthrough,” in the UK’s fight against money laundering. Separately, she stresses the need to “join the dots across different areas” to adequately fight financial crime.

Michael Harris, Director, Financial Crime Compliance and Regulatory Risk at LexisNexis® Risk Solutions comments:

“It’s fair to say that the UK has come a long way in strengthening its defences against financial crime in recent years. However, it would be disastrous for us to halt progress now or become complacent in our approach. Financial crime is on the rise - it pernicious, pervasive and present – and the only way to truly combat it is to work together, armed with the latest technologies and the power to hit criminals where it hurts. The UK needs to send a clear message to criminals - that the UK is not a money laundering hub but instead a force to be reckoned with.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) will be the source of more data breaches, as we see mass adoption and rapid growth in the number of connected devices, both in consumer products and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This is according to business continuity and disaster recovery firm, Databarracks.

The scale of vulnerability of IoT was recently highlighted by Trend Micro, which found flaws in two of the most popular IoT protocols with hundreds of thousands of exposed public-facing IPs uncovered by the study. Additionally, recent research by Databarracks found that 57 per cent of organisations are concerned about the security of IoT.

The government has been proactive in addressing IoT security risks publishing the Secure by Design report in March of 2018 and introducing a Code of Practice for consumer IoT security. Peter Groucutt, managing director of Databarracks, argues that while the introduction of a Code of Practice is a positive step, it is not enough to sufficiently address the issue of IoT security:

“The content, guidelines and recommendations in the Code of Practice are excellent. It addresses the most fundamental cyber security practices in order of criticality and importance. But the scheme doesn’t prohibit non-compliance. We should take inspiration from countries such as the US and Thailand in seeking to make these requirements legally enforceable.

“Expert estimates vary in total quantity, but agree we’re now seeing sharp, hockey-stick growth in the number of connected devices. A lack of diligence and care now will lead to trouble later.

“Our lack of regulation means we see instances as serious as insecure children’s smartwatches. The Code of Practice will be adhered to by the diligent parties in the IoT supply chain, but it won’t prevent less committed companies favouring profit over security and pushing insecure products to market. The same company that produced these smartwatches was also found to be making insecure video baby monitors earlier this year.”

Groucutt continues, “We often talk about digitalisation and digital transformation in business.  From banking to healthcare, more of our lives are digital and online. There is a real difference between the relationship we used to have with technology and the world of IoT. As users, we were more involved with our desktop computer, installing antivirus software and making decisions about how we use it. With IoT devices, we are far less involved, we have less control over settings and we have many more devices to manage. Changes must be made to make the makers of these devices more responsible. 

“The Code of Practice is currently only for consumer devices such as health trackers, smart home assistants and children’s toys and monitors. We recommend extending this reach.

“IoT devices aren’t just found in the consumer world. They are used on corporate networks which are only as strong as their weakest links. For example, earlier this year it was revealed that a casino was hacked via a thermometer in a fish tank. We advocate making the Code legally enforceable which is thankfully something the government is already considering and is an approach supported by several cyber experts.

“There is the argument that government interference might limit the UK’s ability to compete with other less regulated markets. But device security is now so fundamental that better regulation could be a competitive advantage and differentiation point for our manufacturers, service providers, developers and retailers.” concludes Groucutt.