human resources Automatic enrolment
made easy We are now already eight months into automatic enrolment (AE) and all businesses with 59 or more employees will have to auto-enrol eligible employees by the end of 2014, writes Dion Prideaux-Reynolds, employee benefits manager of Griffins
Initially only a handful of large employers staged but we are fast approaching the time when there will be a significant increase in the number of employers registering with the Pensions Regulator. In July 2014 this will hit 12,700, which is only the tip of the iceberg. In July 2016 the figure is 54,500 and in July 2017 a staggering 124,400 employers will register in that month alone.
Most small to medium employers (SMEs) do not have dedicated in-house HR, pension or payroll resources to deal with the complexity of automatic enrolment. It is clear from the conversations we have had with clients that they want one solution with everything taken off their desk. Although they cannot delegate their legal duties they can make the process simpler and efficient. They are busy people running businesses and do not have the time to allocate to automatic enrolment on top of the additional time required for issues such as Real Time Information (RTI).
Employers need to:
• Review their existing pension arrangements or put in place a suitable qualifying work place pension scheme. They will have to ensure that their chosen scheme or schemes have appropriate default investment funds in-line with the Pensions Regulator’s and the Department for Work and Pensions guidance.
• Review contracts of employment and if any changes proposed the employer will need to factor into their timeline the statutory consultation process.
• Check their payroll provider or in-house software to ensure that it can handle the initial and on-going compliance requirements. What functionality and support does your software provide? What provision is there for on-going reporting facilities and in what format?
• Ensure that they have robust process in place before and after
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2013
www.businessmag.co.uk
technology 19
New generation of IT security risks
There is a common misconception that perimeter IT security controls will protect your organisation against all forms of Internet borne malware threats, writes Martin Collins, networking and security business manager at Ultima Business Solutions.
their staging date with access to the appropriate support, monitoring and reviews when required, such as periodic reviews of the pension provider and default investment fund.
The answer is one simple proposition that provides a comprehensive, professional and efficient solution including:
• Independent pension consultancy – review and implementation both up to their staging date and beyond.
• HR consultancy – including reviewing and updating contracts of employment with on-going access to help, as and when required.
• Integrated payroll service.
• On-going telephone and email support.
• Full AE administration, compliance and reporting online (middleware).
With everything in one place and integrated it avoids the employer having to co-ordinate a number of different providers. It can save time, reduce cost and increase efficiency.
Griffins provides this service in one complete package or selected individually.
Details: Dion Prideaux-Reynolds 01635-551333
dion@griffins.co.uk www.griffins.co.uk
Whilst this may have been the case in years gone by, it is no longer any guarantee of security. Collins suggests you think of your network as being one large attack surface. The larger and more geographically dispersed it gets, the easier it is to penetrate. He points out that, several networking trends are causing organisations’ network attack surfaces to increase.
Social media
Popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ introduce risks that IT departments must evaluate and mitigate. Social media sites continue to be conduits for malware. A well intentioned user may check a Facebook page during lunch, click a link and infect the computer with malware.
Virtualisation
Nearly every large organisation now leverages virtualisation (such as VirtualBox, VMware, and Xen) to host mission- critical applications in the data centre. Virtualisation, however, poses some risks that don’t apply to physical hosts eg IT can’t natively inspect traffic between virtual machines(VMs) without the use of a specialised tool. Many VMs go unprotected because IT hasn’t yet budgeted for
virtual security protection. New virtual hosts are frequently pushed into production without the knowledge of IT security – a problem commonly known as VM sprawl.
Cloud computing
Whether applications are deployed via a public cloud, a private cloud, or a hybrid, data can be breached just as easily through a cloud architecture as it can through a traditional computer network unless proper security measures are taken.
Mobile devices
Many people consider mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to be the next frontier for cyber attacks. This trend coupled with the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device [to work]) movement causes immense concerns for IT. It is getting increasingly more difficult to secure privately owned devices connected to the network. As a result, attacks on mobile devices – especially those targeting the Android and iOS operating systems – are growing rapidly in number and sophistication.
Details: Martin Collins 0118-9027242
Martin.Collins@
ultimabusiness.com
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