NEWS Letter to the Editor: Dear Editor, As Steve Jobs predicted, tablet use has grown exponentially in the last few years. Using a tablet has become part of a
user’s workflow due to the ease of use and the speed at which data can be accessed. The dominance of the tablet as a boardroom tool is the obvious successor to time consuming, expensive, and potentially unsecure, paper meeting packs. Paperless meetings are the way forward, and present so many benefits above and beyond removing physical paper. In that regard, it’s important to note that paperless doesn’t mean simply viewing email attachments or pdfs on a tablet; the technology available allows governance officers or company secretaries to share important meeting information, make annotations in real-time, search current and historic documents and keep an audit trail of actions and processes. This can all be done without the need to carry papers around either in the boardroom or when on the move. The question of usability for the prospective ‘older’ user is also one which should not be a concern. From our experience, age is no barrier to adoption. In fact, we work with a 90 year old board member who has been one of the quickest learners and savviest members when it comes to the technology.
Meeting management tools are designed to be simple to use, so that organisations can make the switch quickly and
easily. Many users often find it easier to review information on a tablet, than having to sort through 250-500 pages of paper in a board pack.
The issue of security is also a huge consideration. As stated, a tablet might be left on a train, however if data is encrypted and stored securely in the cloud, you might lose your tablet but you won’t have lost your confidential data. Paper cannot be encrypted and therefore runs the risk of being read by parties outside of your organinsation. The benefits or ‘help’ that tablets provide are clear – organisations can save money, improve governance and achieve more efficient and effective decision making.
Yours sincerely, Alister Esam
Managing Director eShare
A POWERFUL WIN FOR OCS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
O
CS Environmental Services has won a 12-month, multi-million pound contract to remove asbestos from Didcot A Power Station. The project will involve a team of
more than 80 workers. Didcot A, a coal-fired station which powered the nation for 42 years, was switched off in March 2013, bringing an end to its electricity production for the National Grid. In 2008 the station was opted-out of the Large Combustion Plant Directive, an EU directive, which meant it had to close by 2015 or after 20,000 hours of operation.
OCS Environmental Services was awarded the project by demolition contractor Coleman & Company, which has been employed by site owner RWE npower to complete the works including the explosive dismantling of the main plant and explosive demolition of cooling towers and the chimney stack. OCS will safely remove all asbestos from the station to a licensed site to enable the full demolition of the power station and its ancillary buildings. Graham Gilbert, Managing Director of OCS Environmental Services, said: “This is a significant achievement and involved a 15-month tender process against 10 other rival organisations. We are delighted to be working with Coleman & Company and RWE npower to deliver this important work.”
www.ocs.co.uk 4 PUBLIC SECTOR ESTATES MANAGEMENT • JULY/AUGUST 2014
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