This second part of ‘Why Use Outsourced IT Support?’ focuses on what kind of questions to ask when looking for your ideal outsourced IT support company.

10 Important Questions 

Here, we’ll focus on 10 important questions (although you may have others) and the reasons why you may want to ask them.

1. What specific services do you offer and how do they align with my business needs?

Understanding the specific services offered by an IT support company is crucial in determining whether they can meet your business needs. This will also help you understand the level of expertise and experience the company has in areas that are important to your business.

2. Can you provide references/testimonials or case studies of similar clients?

References/testimonials and case studies can provide valuable insight into the company’s past performance and the types of businesses they have worked with. This can give you a sense of the company’s level of expertise and their ability to deliver results.

3. How do you handle and prioritise service requests?

Knowing how the IT support company handles and prioritises service requests is important to ensure that critical issues are addressed promptly and that your business can continue to operate smoothly.

4. How do you ensure the security and privacy of my data?

With the prevalence of cybercrime and the potentially devastating consequences to the business and customers from breaches and hacks, the security and privacy of your data is now of the utmost importance. It is essential to understand the measures that the company takes to protect your data.

5. How do you handle communication and updates during an ongoing project or service?

Clear and consistent communication is vital to the success of any project or ongoing service. Understanding how the company handles updates and communicates with clients can help you gauge their level of responsiveness and customer service.

6. How do you handle and resolve conflicts or issues that may arise?

Issues and conflicts are very likely to arise during the course of a project or service, so it is important to understand how the company handles and resolves these situations.

7. How do you measure the success and effectiveness of your services?

Measuring the success and effectiveness of the services provided by an IT support company is essential to ensure that your business is getting the best value for its investment.

8. What are your availability and response times for support?

Knowing the availability and response times of the company’s support team is important to ensure that your business can get the help it needs when it needs it.

9. What is your pricing model and are there any additional costs?

It’s important to understand the pricing model used by the company and any additional costs that may be incurred. This can help you budget for the services and avoid any unexpected expenses.

10. What certifications and qualifications do your staff have?

Certification and qualifications of the staff are important to ensure that the company has skilled and experienced professionals on hand to handle your IT needs. This can help you have the confidence in their capabilities to provide the right solutions for your business.

Other Considerations 

Other things businesses may consider when looking for an outsourced IT support company could include:

– Proximity and Accessibility

Considering the location of the IT support company and how easily you can access them. It can be beneficial to have a local company that can quickly respond to on-site needs.

– Scalability

As your business grows and evolves, your IT needs will change. It’s important to consider if the company can accommodate those changes and if they can provide scalable solutions to match your business growth.

– Technical Expertise

Consider the technical expertise of the company and their ability to provide solutions for your specific industry or business type.

Service Level Agreement (SLA): An SLA is a contract that outlines the level of service and support that the company will provide. It’s important to understand the terms of the SLA and if it meets the needs of your business.

– Cloud-Based Services

Many businesses are continuing to move to cloud-based solutions for their IT needs. It’s important to consider whether the company provides cloud-based services and if they have experience in this area.

– Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Consider the company’s disaster recovery and business continuity plan in case of an emergency or major interruption.

– Compliance and Regulations

If your business is subject to certain regulations, it’s important to ensure that the company can provide solutions that are compliant with those regulations.

– Cost-Benefit Analysis

Carefully evaluate the cost of the services provided by the company and the benefits they bring to your business. Compare it with other providers to ensure you are getting the best value for your investment.

– Partnership and Partnership Model

Consider if the company is interested in building a long-term partnership with your business and if their business model supports that kind of relationship.

– On-Going Support and Maintenance

This is a critical consideration when looking for an outsourced IT support provider because it ensures that your business will receive the necessary support and maintenance to keep your IT systems running smoothly and efficiently. It includes regular updates, backups, security patches, and troubleshooting. This is important to ensure that your IT infrastructure is always up-to-date and secure, and that any issues are addressed promptly.

On-going support and maintenance also includes proactive monitoring and maintenance, to detect and resolve any potential issues before they become major problems. This can help to reduce downtime and increase the overall reliability and stability of your IT systems.

Additionally, on-going support and maintenance includes keeping your systems compliant with any industry regulations and standards and providing your business with the necessary support to manage changes, upgrades, and new technology adoption.

Having an IT support provider that offers on-going support and maintenance can provide peace of mind and allow your business to focus on its core operations, rather than worrying about the maintenance of IT systems.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The sheer number of companies now opting for outsourced IT support is a reminder of how important the benefits are, e.g. cost savings and improved efficiency, on-demand expertise, and being able to focus more on their core operations. IT now plays such a central role to businesses that choosing the right outsourced IT support company is an important decision that could have a serious impact on the business going forward. This is why, as with so many things, being able to ask the right questions can be the key to making the right decisions. The above questions, therefore, may prove particularly useful if your businesses is considering outsourcing IT support.

Following a recent case where a remote worker was fined for ‘time theft’, we look at what it is, the legal and ethical aspects, and how it relates to employee monitoring software.

What Is Time Theft? 

‘Time theft’ refers to any instance in which an employee is paid for time they did not actually work. This can include activities such as arriving late or leaving early, taking extended breaks, or using company time for personal activities. Additionally, employees who falsify time records, or who do not accurately report the time they have worked, can also be guilty of time theft. It’s important to note that these actions are not only unethical, but also illegal.

The penalties for time theft can vary depending on the company’s policies and the severity of the infraction and can range from verbal or written warnings to fines or termination of employment.

Recent Case In The News 

A recent case where a remote working employee was fined for ‘time theft’ following the use of staff monitoring software by their employers has sparked debate about the subject. Canadian, British Columbia-based accountant, Carlee Besse, who worked remotely for Reach CPA, was dismissed, and ordered by civil tribunal to pay Reach CPA £1,691 for a form of misconduct known as ‘time theft’. In Ms Besse’s case, it referred to 50 hours on her timesheets that she “did not appear to have spent on work-related tasks”. The discrepancy in the hours recorded and those worked were recorded by TimeCamp staff-tracking software that had been put on her work laptop following the commencement of weekly performance meetings with her manager.

Proportionate 

Miss Besse lost her case, despite claiming that:

– She had found the software difficult to use.

– She couldn’t make the software differentiate between work and personal use.

– She’d spent a great deal of time working with paper copies of client documents that weren’t captured by TimeCamp (which TimeCamp was able to disprove).

– Taking Reach CPA to court for wrongful termination seeking £3,066 compensation for unpaid wages and severance.

Claims Thrown Out And Fined 

The judge threw out her claims for wrongful termination and compensation and ordered that she pay the fine for ‘time theft’ in returned wages and part of a previous advance she had received. Tribunal member Megan Stewart was reported as finding that Reach (which was able to submit TimeCamp videos to back its case) had proved that Ms Besse had engaged in ‘time theft,’ describing it as “a very serious form of misconduct”. Megan Stewart is also reported as saying about the case: “Given that trust and honesty are essential to an employment relationship, particularly in a remote-work environment where direct supervision is absent, I find Miss Besse’s misconduct led to an irreparable breakdown in her employment relationship with Reach and that dismissal was proportionate in the circumstances.” 

What Does UK Law Say About ‘Time Theft’ Fines?

Although the example case shown above was in Canada, in the United Kingdom, fining employees for ‘time theft’ is also legal as long as it is done in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures, and with relevant employment laws.

The main employment law that relates to ‘time theft’ is the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR). The WTR sets out the rights of employees in relation to working time, including maximum working hours, rest breaks and annual leave. Under the worker safety aspects of WTR, employers have a legal duty to ensure that employees do not work more than 48 hours per week on average, which includes overtime. In order to do so, employers are also required to keep accurate records of the hours worked by their employees and to ensure that employees take the rest breaks to which they are entitled. Employers who fail to comply with these requirements may be subject to penalties, fines, or legal action.

However, in addition, an employer has a right to discipline an employee for misconduct, if the employee is not following the company’s rules and policies. This can include disciplinary action for ‘time theft’, as long as the employer can demonstrate that the employee has committed an offence, and the disciplinary action is proportionate and fair.

It is important to note that employees also have rights to appeal against any disciplinary action taken against them, and they can raise a grievance or make a claim to an employment tribunal if they believe that they have been treated unfairly, as Ms Besse argued in the recent case in Canada.

Is It Ethical And What Are The Issues?

The ethics of fining people for time theft can be a complex and nuanced issue. Some argue that fining employees for time theft is a necessary measure to ensure that employees are held accountable for their actions and that the company’s resources are being used effectively. Others argue that fining employees for time theft may be seen as too harsh a punishment, particularly if the infraction is relatively minor or if the employee had a valid reason for their actions. Other ethical issues around fining employees for time theft include:

– It can create a negative and adversarial relationship between employees and employers, which can lead to a toxic work environment. This can result in increased employee turnover, decreased productivity, and lower employee morale.

– It may disproportionately affect low-income employees or those who are struggling financially. This can result in a situation where employees are less likely to report time theft, for fear of being fined or losing their job.

– It can also be seen as a symptom of a larger problem, such as a lack of trust or communication between employees and employers, or a lack of clear policies and procedures. In these cases, addressing the underlying problem may be a more effective solution than fining employees for time theft.

Each Case Is Different 

It’s important to remember that each case is different and that the action taken, including fining, should be proportionate to the offence and considerate of the employee’s personal circumstances. Employers should also explore all possible options before taking disciplinary action and consider the potential consequences of the action.

Staff Monitoring Software 

In this case, it was the use of TimeCamp monitoring software that enabled Reach CPA to gather the evidence and to sack and fine the employee, and protect the company from her compensation claim. The use of staff/employee surveillance/monitoring software had a huge boost during the pandemic as a way of tracking productivity, attendance, and compliance with company policies.

Monitoring Up 

Back in November 2021, a Prospect trade union poll revealed that 32 per cent of UK workers were being remotely monitored and tracked by employers. The poll (conducted by Opinium on behalf of Prospect) showed that young workers (18 to 34) are particularly at risk of a higher rate of monitoring. The poll showed that 48 per cent of younger workers reported being monitored at work, including 20 per cent being monitored using cameras. The poll also showed that the number of employees under remote surveillance had risen by 8 per cent (from 24 per cent) in just 6 months and that there’d been a doubling of the usage of camera monitoring in people’s homes.

It is thought that half of large corporations now use staff monitoring software although this varies depending on the industry and size of the company. It is, however, becoming more common as technology has advanced and it becomes more affordable for companies to implement. It’s not uncommon anyway to see monitoring software used in call centres, financial institutions, retail, and other industries where productivity and compliance are important.

What’s Being Monitored? 

The kinds of metrics and details that employee monitoring software can highlight are:

– Taking sample screenshots/recording screens.

– Whether employees are active/inactive during working hours.

– How much time is spent on the Internet, plus whether games are being played or social media accessed too much.

– Whether employees are using work devices for work or private purposes.

Is Employee Monitoring Legal? 

Data protection (the data gathered about individual employees), and privacy are the key concerns where there is currently legal protection related to monitoring employees with software and cameras. Relevant laws include Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights whereby individuals have a non-absolute right to respect for their private and family life and correspondence, and (UK) GDPR. Under GDPR, data needs to be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently as well as being collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a way incompatible with those purposes. Also, monitoring data must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for those purposes.

The guidance from ACAS is that although employers can monitor employees, workers are entitled to some privacy at work and employers must tell employees about any monitoring arrangements and the reason for it. Employers should have procedures in place setting out what is and what isn’t allowed, plus these procedures should be made clear and understood by all workers before monitoring begins. Generally, employers must have a genuine reason to conduct covert monitoring such as criminal activities or malpractice, and any monitoring should be limited, targeted and within certain times, and employers should also have regard for private communications.

Is It Ethical To Use Employee Monitoring Software? 

There are several ethical concerns about using employee monitoring software. Some of the main concerns include:

– Privacy. Monitoring software can track and record employee’s actions, including emails, chats, and keystrokes, which can be seen as an invasion of privacy.

– Trust. Employees may feel that their employer doesn’t trust them if they are being constantly monitored. This can lead to low morale and decreased job satisfaction.

– Discrimination. Monitoring software could be used to discriminate against certain employees, such as those who take more breaks or have different working styles.

– Productivity. Over-monitoring employees can lead to burnout and decreased productivity as employees feel like they are constantly being watched and judged.

What Does This Mean Your Business? 

The remote working of the pandemic and the fact that employee monitoring software is now widely available, generally affordable, and relatively reliable have boosted demand and usage by employers. Many workplaces are monitored anyway by other means, e.g. cameras. The key points of this particular case are that companies can legitimately and legally use employee monitoring software as long as reasons, policies, and procedures for its use are made clear and understood by all workers before monitoring begins. In this case, the reason was for monthly productivity meetings. This case also highlights the importance of two-way trust in the work relationship, and that there are ethical, legal, and cultural aspects to employee monitoring, not least privacy, that employers and employees need to be aware of.

It may be interesting for many people to discover that there is an area of misconduct called ‘time theft’ that can result in dismissal and fines but that it depends very much on the situation and the business how this issue is addressed. This story also highlights how many serious aspects of our lives can now be governed by software, e.g. AI being used for employment application screening or, as in this case, gathering evidence for reward or punishment by employers. This is a trend that is only set to continue although transparency, clarity (from the outset), good old-fashioned management skills and striking the right balance are also important in creating the right working conditions where employee satisfaction and productivity are maximised.

A new AI feature for Nvidia’s Broadcast client will overlay your eyes with some deepfake ones which are always looking at the camera.

Eye Contact Feature 

The ‘Eye Contact’ feature has been designed to make users/content creators look more engaged while video conferencing or during a live stream. The feature may make it easier for users to stay looking fully engaged and directly at their audience even while reading their notes or avoiding having to stare directly at the camera.

Harnessing The Power Of AI 

The feature uses AI to check whether a user’s eyes are looking at the camera, and if not, it will overlay them with a new pair of deepfake ‘eyes’ that are looking directly at the camera. Nvidia says the feature “moves the eyes of the speaker to simulate eye contact with the camera”. 

Natural Eye Colour And Blinks Retained 

Nvidia says that the feature is achieved by estimating and aligning the user’s gaze and that “The eyes retain their natural colour and blinks, and there’s even a disconnect feature in case you look too far away, to transition smoothly between simulated and real eyes.”   

The company also says that “There are millions of eye colours and lighting combinations” to make the feature appear more realistic.

Similar To FaceTime’s ‘Attention Correction’  

Although ‘Eye Contact’ is a new feature in the world of videoconferencing, it is similar to FaceTime’s ‘Attention Correction’ feature which was introduced at the same time as iOS 13. Attention Correction creates a map/position of the user’s face, and adjusts the eyes accordingly so that users establish eye contact even when they’re looking at the screen instead of the camera.

Help Nvidia Test And Improve It 

Nvidia has set up a page where you can try out the new (Beta) ‘Eye Contact’ feature and help Nvidia improve it by recording a quick video with the feature turned on. You can try ‘Eye Contact’ here.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Maintaining eye contact is important in human communication because it indicates attention, interest, and engagement in the conversation. It also helps to establish trust and can make the other person feel valued and heard, can aid in nonverbal communication, and can help to convey certain emotions, such as confidence or sincerity. All of these things are likely to be important for video content creators or anyone in an important work video conference to display. One particularly helpful aspect of the ‘Eye Contact’ feature is that a user can be looking at their notes but still appear to be looking at the camera, which could help present a more professional image. However, some studies have shown that maintaining too much constant eye contact with viewers can make them feel uncomfortable and it remains to be seen whether the feature, still in beta, is as realistic as Nvidia says or whether it looks strange and distracting or even a little creepy.

Consumer champion Which? says that high-end smart products may lose features and functionality, or become a hacking risk, after as little as two years because manufacturers may stop tech updates.

Stopping The Smart Updates Limits Lifespan 

Which? says it discovered the risk after analysing smart appliances in six key household product areas – washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, smartphones, printers, and smartwatches/fitness trackers. Following the analysis, it was found that hardly any brands even came close to matching expected lifespans with their smart update policies.

Also, Which? found that many brands don’t give any guarantees, meaning that consumers don’t know exactly how long an appliance will remain safe to use.

Survey 

Which? reached is conclusion about the risk to smart appliance lifespans after a survey of 119 product brands behind hundreds of smart devices about their update support policies. Analysis of the November 2022 survey results enabled Which? to estimate the average time a product is expected to last before it breaks down or deteriorates significantly. Which? called this estimate this the “estimated lifetime (ELT)”.   

Key Findings 

The key findings for ELT relating to specific brands include:

– LG dishwashers, smart TVs and washing machines are all only guaranteed support for two years from when the product is launched, not when it was bought. The ELT for LG televisions is 6.8 years, washing machines may last 11 years and dishwashers 13 years.

– Sony also only guarantees updates for its TVs two years after launch and Samsung only guarantees updates for its TVs three years.

– Even though the estimated lifetime for inkjet printers is 13 years, HP only guarantees support for its smart printers for just three years (although it does at least have a policy).

– Some companies do provide product support for longer. E.g., Hisense supports its smart TVs for 10 years, and Miele supports smart dishwashers and washing machines for 10 years.

Transparency 

Which? criticised big smart appliance brands for not being transparent about how long their product support will actually last. For example, only half (49 per cent) actually replied with clear information on minimum support periods and some who did reply only gave vague commitments and confusing policies.

New Legislation Could Help 

The recently passed Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act could help because it will require makers of smartphones, washing machines, televisions, and other products to state minimum guarantee periods for updates when someone makes their purchase.

Manufacturers Should Be Proactive 

Which? believes that rather than waiting for legislation to enforce transparency, manufacturers should proactively extend the minimum lengths of time they support smart products.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Which?’s own survey of 1,051 members (Oct 2022) showed that 9 out of 10 consumers think that security updates are an important factor when buying a smart product, although many people may simply buy a smart product without giving much or any thought to how long the smart updates will last. In this respect, publishing these Which? results may be helpful in highlighting an important issue and raising awareness among buyers.

It does seem unfair for manufacturers to sell expensive products that buyers would expect to last for many years and then just abandon them. This could mean that a product could lose the features that justified the high price tag, while the lack of updates could create a security risk. Replacing the essentially obsolete smart product could also be bad for the environment because it’s added to the growing e-waste mountain. As highlighted by Which?, smart appliance manufacturers are facing legislation anyway, and could face further intervention such as a minimum number of years that products have to be supported unless they up their game and become more proactive and more transparent about the length of time that products will be supported with updates.

Scientists from Kyung Hee University in Seoul have developed a clear window film that can cool the inside of building, thereby reducing the energy consumption from air conditioning in hot cities.

Why? 

Cooling buildings in hot countries e.g., using electric-powered air conditioning units accounts for around 15 per cent of global energy consumption and air conditioning accounts one fifth of the total electricity used in buildings around the world. This figure looks set to rise as temperatures increase because of global warming.  Alternative, eco-friendly cooling technologies are, therefore, urgently needed to reduce the use of refrigerants that waste electricity and contribute to atmospheric pollution.

Deflects UV and Near-Infrared Rays 

The transparent film deflects ultraviolet and near-infrared rays in sunlight, the main factors that increase the indoor temperature, away from the window while still transmitting visible light into the room.

The resulting benefits of the film’s selective reflecting properties are:

– Through preventing warm air from entering a building through the windows in the first place, the film reduces the energy used to cool indoor spaces (using electric air conditioning units) by 31 per cent without requiring a single watt of energy itself. This not only has the potential to save money but also help reduce carbon emissions thereby helping to reduce global warming and meet environmental targets.

– The super-thin layers which make up the film are made from common materials, thereby reducing the cost and the environmental impact of its manufacture, and making it possible to manufacture on a large scale for practical applications.

Quantum Computing Used To Design It 

The university researchers developed a machine learning-quantum computing algorithm to design the transparent radiative film structure. The algorithm extracted information for quantum computing from a database of simulations related to optical properties. The resulting information was used to decide which materials would work best for each layer and how thick each layer should be, thereby creating an optimised film structure. The finished film design was found to be able to beat the performance of conventionally designed TRCs and one of the best commercial heat-reduction glasses on the market.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

With traditional electric-powered air conditioning producing so many greenhouse gasses, and with rising global temperatures set to increase demand for cooling, exacerbating the situation, it’s clear to see why there’s such a need for alternative, more eco-friendly cooling systems. This could provide many new business opportunities, even in the UK where demand for air con looks alike rising due to recent heatwave summers. One particularly interesting aspect of the design of this film is how the use of quantum computing was able to save time in its development and create a very effective product. As well as introducing quantum computing to optics, it shows how it could be applied to many other industries to quickly create effective, innovative, and potentially important solutions to many challenges that have proven too difficult to date and would take much longer to tackle without the help of some serious computing power.

Users of Zoho ManageEngine are being urged to patch their instances against a critical security vulnerability prior to the release of a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code.

Zoho recently released a security advisory about multiple ManageEngine products saying it relates to “an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability reported and patched” that is in many “ManageEngine products due to the usage of an outdated third-party dependency, Apache Santuario”.

The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated adversary to execute arbitrary code when the above SAML SSO criteria is met. Zoho says the issue has been fixed by updating the third-party module to the recent version. More details about ManageEngine can be found via their website https://www.manageengine.com/products/desktop-central/about-manageengine.html.

If you need to research competitors (for example) and look at similar websites, or you need relevant search information about something but may not know the exact words to type in, here are two small Google tips that could be a big help:

Searching for similar websites:

– To search for a similar website to it (e.g. youtube.com) :

– In the Google search box, type: related:youtube.com

– Press return and Google lists all related websites.

To search for synonyms, for instance how to (still) search for relevant results where you may not know the exact words to look for:

– Using affordable fitness bands as an example, in the Google search box, type: ~affordable fitness bands

– Press return and Google will then list all the sites with different but relevant and similar terms, e.g. cheap fitness trackers or budget fitness tracker