Like it or not we are in for more self isolation and staying home but over the last few weeks we perhaps have got bored or have enough to do but people are taking up hobbies or just expanding on what they already do..
Picodi.com Analysis Team investigated Google search queries and created a ranking of the activities which gained the biggest popularity in the times of pandemic.
After evaluating statistics, it turned out that all activities that require leaving home have become less popular: theatre dropped by 81 per cent, cinema — 78 per cent, concerts — 71 per cent. Irish people also lost interest in foreign languages (decrease of 10 per cent). Probably it’s no longer such a sought-after ability in the world of closed borders.
The biggest increase of interest was noted in board games (338 per cent), workout (150 per cent), and online courses, such as Udemy (150 per cent).. There is a possibility that the uncertain situation in the labour market has made Internet users seek opportunities to gain additional qualifications. Various creative activities and crafts, like origami (79 per cent) or drawing (60 per cent) have also gained popularity. See the full report https://www.picodi.com/ie/bargain-hunting/how-have-the-hobbies-of-irish-people-changed-due-to-isolation
Nokia has today published its annual sustainability report, covering the company’s sustainability performance in 2019 and focusing on four priority areas: improving people’s lives with technology, climate, conducting business with integrity, and people.
The publication of Nokia’s People & Planet Report 2019 coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic. With entire countries in lockdown, and people asked to stop or minimize their physical interactions, network traffic has been spiking around the world, demonstrating the critical roles of networks and connectivity.
“Nokia’s People & Planet Report 2019 looks at how we can improve the lives of people – our employees, customers, and wider society – and better care for our environment at the same time. The context our report is being published in has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the fundamental issues remain the same, and, if anything, now have greater urgency because of the challenge the world faces,” said Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia, in a blog post.
“Trends and technologies that were already happening will speed up. So more remote working and video conferencing will increase the need for better connectivity. The power of 5G and lower latency times won’t be abstract terms for the majority of people, but suddenly critical for everything from digital health to financial trading, to virtual classrooms, to government and international diplomacy,” he continued.
“We are playing our part to keep the world connected through the pandemic. And we want to play our part in building a better world for everyone when this crisis is over,” Suri said.
Nokia’s sustainability achievements in 2019 included:
In 2019, the networks Nokia supplied to its customers supported 6.4 billion subscriptions worldwide
In October 2019, Nokia completed its first external human rights assessment for the Global Network Initiative (GNI). The GNI board found Nokia had made good faith efforts over time to implement the GNI Principles on freedom of expression and privacy.
As part of Nokia’s inclusion and diversity work in 2019, Nokia closed the unexplained pay gap based on pay equity analysis we conducted with Mercer.
In May 2019, Nokia launched its Helping Hands volunteering and engagement program for employees. Through Nokia’s community investment programs, the company has cumulatively improved the lives of 1,633,500 people globally since 2016 – a strong performance against its 2025 target of 2,000,000 people.
At the United Nations 2019 climate summit, Nokia joined a group of 87 companies in committing to recalibrate its existing science-based climate targets in line with the 1.5°C warming scenario.
Nokia delivered zero-emission products to over 150 customers globally.
46% less energy was used on average in the customer base-station sites Nokia modernized in 2019 compared to those where its customers did not modernize.
The People and Planet Report 2019 is prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative GRI Standards and is compliant with the UN Global Compact. The selected key sustainability indicators have been assured by the independent auditor of Nokia, PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy.
After providing communication support to medical staff on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus in the US and Japan, Pocketalk, a global leader in connecting conversations and removing language barriers, today announced it will be donating 500 units of its AI-powered translation device, Pocketalk W, to qualifying medical facilities, first aiders, testing sites and those in need of translation services. Pocketalk W devices, including those connected by the smart SIM card, V-Sim which will come with free connectivity donated by Vodafone, will be dispatched on a first come first-served basis, with a maximum of three units per organisation or NHS trust. Those interested can apply by filling out the form on the Pocketalk website.
Pocketalk has been used as an emergency communications tool to break down communication barriers between two people when it matters most. First responders recently aboard the Diamond Princess cruise line quarantined in Yokohama, Japan used Pocketalk as a quick and accurate support to speak with potentially ill passengers in more than 50 languages. What is more, it removed the need for a human translator, preventing even more people being exposed to the virus. Furthermore, in the US, Pocketalk has also been used in healthcare organisations that need translation support.
Medical professionals having to communicate with patients during this global pandemic will benefit from the following features:
74 languages addressing 90% of the world’s population
Handheld translator designed for instant and accurate two-way communication at the touch of a button
Elimination of the need for a human translator, reducing both waiting time and potential exposure of others
“The health and safety of all people, especially first responders putting themselves at risk for others, is our number one priority when connecting the world through conversation,” said Noriyuki Matsuda, Founder and CEO of Pocketalk. “We hope that, through our donation, we are able to provide accessible translation services to those communities who need it most during this global health crisis.”
To apply for a donation of Pocketalk units, applicants must be employed by a healthcare organisation in Europe. Requests will be selected based on a first-come, first served basis for those most in need.
With our world shrinking and the majority of people now working from home, indoor air quality experts, Airthings, wanted to share some information on an issue that is easily fixed but often forgotten: humidity. Issues with humidity are a problem for everyone. It can cause mould growth, exacerbate eczema, bring on dust mite allergies, and has even been linked to asthma and respiratory illnesses. As if that wasn’t enough, the link between low humidity and infection has recently been investigated, and the results aren’t good. Since Airthings specialise in indoor air quality, they have generated a quick summary to demonstrate how healthy humidity levels impact everyone’s new temporary place of work; their homes.
The issue:
Researchers for the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that when humidity levels were at 23%, 70 to 77% of flu virus particles were still able to cause an infection an hour after coughing. Raising humidity levels to 43% reduced the percentage of infectious particles to just 14%.
New research:
Yale University recently unveiled ground-breaking research that discovered the link between low humidity and the increased risk of contracting the flu virus. The lead researcher found that the body’s natural defence mechanisms were hindered in fighting the flu virus in environments of low humidity.
Why should I care?
The CDC research shows that the flu virus survived for longer in low humidity. The Yale researcher found that low humidity also made it more difficult for the body to remove inhaled particles and therefore reduced the test subject’s natural defences and increased the chances of contracting flu.
The risk:
The tricky thing about humidity levels is that they fluctuate and vary depending on the home, daily activities, the seasons and much more. Excess humidity levels can result in mould growth on window panes and in the home whereas very low humidity levels can help the spread of the flu virus as shown in the research.
Correct humidity levels:
Healthy indoor humidity levels are between 30-50% according to Environmental Protection Agency recommendations. By keeping the home in between these recommended levels, it can reduce the risk that comes with poor indoor humidity.
How to maintain healthy humidity levels:
Humans find it hard to detect when humidity levels are changing, that is why we are so good at adapting to different environments. The problem is, we only notice when humidity levels are really bad, where we start scratching our skin or notice mould growth. The best solution is to monitor humidity, that way you can be alerted to when levels get too high or low. Airthings Wave Mini helps to monitor humidity, or by upgrading to Airthings Wave Plus, the device offers complete indoor air insights including humidity and radon gas.
In addition, Airthings have compiled their top tips to fix humidity in your home. The important thing to remember is that as long as humidity is monitored, it will show when is the right time to make these small changes to fix the issue before it becomes a bigger problem. With regards to the Coronavirus, the World Health Organisation warns that everyone can be at risk including those living in hot, humid conditions. For information and support on the Coronavirus, read what the WHO says here.
Want to find out more? Airthings take a further look into the research and the importance of healthy air when working from home, here.
The Coronavirus outbreak is expected to lead to a huge reduction in the production of smartphones, potentially falling by as much as 30% in the first half of 2020, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
“The ripples from China will be felt globally,” says David McQueen, 5G Devices Research Director at ABI Research. With China located at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, the resultant impact has been disastrous for the global mobile device market, which has subsequently witnessed mass disruption to its production lines and a stalling of related supply chains caused by labor shortages and inactive logistics. As China is also the world’s manufacturing center for most of these device types, and one of its biggest markets, the sector has been hit hardest by delayed shipments and a weakened development of next-generation products.
“Significantly, in the short term, there will be an adverse effect on 5G devices. No sooner had 5G smartphones started to gain some traction and break into the market in significant numbers, than the outbreak will now trigger a suppression of its near-term growth, pushing out the development and introduction of affordable 5G phones,” McQueen explains. This move to lower price tiers was expected to become a key driver for boosting 5G smartphone shipments in 2020, but the desired impact will now be lessened throughout the year due to the outbreak. Shipment volumes for 5G smartphones in 2020 will be much lower than previously expected, slowed by a stagnant supply chain and crippled demand. “Undoubtedly, the market will also be faced with numerous disruptions and delays, most notably the launch of Apple’s first 5G iPhones that are due to appear in September 2020.”
In the longer term, expectations are that the outbreak will gradually come under control by end of 2Q 2020, but it will take some time thereafter for consumer confidence to return and for the device sector to recover.“Importantly, with such a large proportion of the world’s mobile device market relying on China for manufacturing and component supply, which is contending with disruption on a massive scale, it has become clear that many in the chain were woefully unprepared to react quickly,” McQueen points out.
It is not clear what the full extent or lasting effect that COVID-19 will have on the mobile device ecosystem, but in the short- to medium-term, it will heavily impact the smartphone market. “Aside from taking its toll on both demand and the supply chain, it will particularly affect the industry’s eagerness to drive 5G to lower price points in 2020, seriously blunting its growth potential,” says McQueen.
McQueen recommends that “vendors and suppliers fully understand their exposure to all those along the chain, identifying and evaluating all risks related to issues like capacity management and market demand, enabling them to react accordingly and mitigate the impact of any future market disruptions.”
The Coronavirus outbreak and the worldwide reaction to the pandemic will force companies to radically rethink how they operate and embrace technological investment, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
“To effect change, there must be a stimulation of a magnitude that means companies cannot do anything but make bold decisions to survive. COVID-19 is that magnitude,” explains Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer at ABI Research.
Bold decisions and technological investments could lead to outcomes such as:
A more concerted and widespread move to lights-out manufacturing
Increased usage of autonomous materials handling and goods vehicles
A more integrated, diverse, and coordinated supply chain
Investment in smart cities to support community resilience
A move to virtual workspaces and practices
And so much more
“Before we feel this potential long-term impact, there will be some serious short-term implications. Contractions in consumer spending, disruptions to supply chains, and reduced availability of components will create a rough sea for all boats,” Carlaw says. “In the short-term, there will be a retrenchment in outlooks a reduced investment in modernization, as survival instincts trump the drive to prosperity.”
Over the last while I have been asking questions about how courier companies are dealing with the current COVID-19 issue but until recently DPD have issued on how they are dealing with the problem going forward and my concern was with handheld terminals and not only this the handling of freight via sorting hubs and staff internally. In most cases a handheld terminal is passed to the customer to sign but it is good see that some have stamped this out for the foreseeable future. An Post have also posted some information on their site despite the lack of listening to drivers and staffs requests in recent times they have information now posted HERE
DPD have this statement up on their site on how they are moving forward. Fastway have included this on their homepage. And DHL have guidelines listed
UPS however have just issued this statement.
I want to share an update on what UPS is doing to keep our customers and our people safe while continuing to deliver around the world.
UPS is following the guidance of global health experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We are reminding our employees about frequent hand washing, and we are regularly cleaning and disinfecting our facilities and equipment. Importantly, we are asking that our drivers, pilots, and other employees stay home from work if they feel sick.
Many people are asking the same question: is it safe to receive and handle a shipment? The WHO and CDC have stated that the likelihood of catching the COVID-19 virus by touching cardboard or other another shipping container is low.
From the outset, UPS has maintained delivery services except where limited by government restrictions. We have also worked in partnership with governments around the world to obtain exceptions that allow our shipments to continue in restricted areas.
UPS has long been a trusted partner in communities around the world. As with other global humanitarian crisis events, we are helping with relief related to COVID-19 and will continue to seek opportunities to assist our communities in need.
As this situation is evolving rapidly, we have created a web page with information on how UPS is responding to COVID-19 and tools you can use during this time.
UPS’s network planning and operations teams are experienced with adapting to changing conditions, and are developing contingency plans to address potential sources of disruption in our air and ground networks.
Our teams are working to continue to serve the supply chain needs of businesses during this time, while keeping our employees and customers safe.Thank you for trusting us with your business.
David Abney
Chairman and CEO
UPS
Severe weather, natural disasters, and other conditions beyond our control can occasionally disrupt our services. If there is an active service disruption, it will appear below. A gold alert ribbon will also appear at the top of all ups.com pages. If there is no service alert information below, the UPS transportation network is operating normally. See UPS Ireland for updates HERE
Avaya Holdings Corp. a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, today announced that it will provide its Avaya Spaces collaboration software for free to education institutions, including colleges and universities, along with qualified non-profit organisations worldwide. Avaya Spaces is recognised for its ease of implementation and the significant impact it can have on organisational resilience and continuity. Since January, Avaya has seen a 200 percent increase in video collaboration traffic on this platform.
“Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting the lives of people around the globe and every day we hear new sobering stories about the very real health and safety implications of the spread of this virus,” said Jim Chirico, CEO of Avaya. “There is an especially immediate need in the education sector as school and university administrators consider the safety of their students while ensuring continuity of their classes, engagement with their students and delivering on their educational objectives. Avaya has four million UC and contact centre seats in the state, local government and education market worldwide – so we understand the demands of that sector and targeted our Avaya Spaces offer accordingly.”
Avaya Spaces provides a cloud meeting and team collaboration solution that enables people and organisations to connect and collaborate remotely – and goes beyond integrating chat, voice, video, online meetings and content sharing. It gives users an extensive set of meeting and team collaboration features, including voice and video conferencing for up to 200 participants. As a mobile-enabled solution, it gives users a simple, secure and effective way to track communications and manage tasks when travel and connectivity are limited.
As early as January, Avaya teams and partners were on the frontline in Wuhan, China to help in the initial stages of this epidemic. The company donated audio and video equipment and dispatched resources for speedy installation and deployment for hospitals in the region to help medical personnel perform remote consultation and video diagnostics as well as to enable patients to visit virtually with loved ones. Avaya continues to explore opportunities to help during this global challenge.
To learn how to sign-up for the free Avaya Spaces offer, eligible organisations are asked to visit this web page.
Many, if not most, organisations have already crossed the “working from home”, or at least the “working while on the road” bridge.
If you’re on the IT team, you’re probably used to preparing laptops for staff to use remotely, and setting up mobile phones with access to company data.
But global concerns over the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, and the need to keep at-risk staff away from the office, means that lots of companies may soon and suddenly end up with lots more staff working from home…
…and it’s vital not to let the precautions intended to protect the physical health of your staff turn into a threat to their cybersecurity health at the same time.
Importantly, if you have a colleague who needs to work from home specifically to stay away from the office then you can no longer use the tried-and-tested approach of getting them to come in once to collect their new laptop and phone, and to receive the on-site training that you hope will make them a safer teleworker.
You may end up needing to set remote users up from scratch, entirely remotely, and that might be something you’ve not done a lot of in the past.
So here are our five tips for working from home safely.
Make sure it’s easy for your users to get started
Look for security products that offer what’s called an SSP, short for Self-Service Portal.
What you are looking for is a service to which a remote user can connect, perhaps with a brand-new laptop they ordered themselves, and set it up safely and easily without needing to hand it over to the IT department first.
Many SSPs also allow the user to choose between different levels of access, so they can safely connect up either a personal device (albeit with less access to fewer company systems than they’d get with a dedicated device), or a device that will be used only for company work.
The three key things you want to be able to set up easily and correctly are: encryption, protection and patching.
Encryption means making sure that full-device encryption is turned on and activated, which protects any data on the device if it gets stolen; protection means that you start off with known security software, such as anti-virus, configured in the way you want; and patching means making sure that the user gets as many security updates as possible automatically, so they don’t get forgotten.
Remember that if you do suffer a data breach, such as a lost laptop, you may well need to disclose the fact to the data protection regulator.
If you want to be able to claim that you took the right precautions, and thus that the breach can be disregarded, you’ll need to produce evidence – the regulator won’t just take your word for it!
Make sure your users can do what they need
If users genuinely can’t do their job without access to server X or to system Y, then there’s no point in sending them off to work from home without access to X and Y.
Make sure you have got your chosen remote access solution working reliably first – force it on yourself! – before expecting your users to adopt it.
If there are any differences between what they might be used to and what they are going to get, explain the difference clearly – for example, if the emails they receive on their phone will be stripped of attachments, don’t leave them to find that out on their own.
They’ll not only be annoyed but will probably also try to make up their own tricks for bypassing the problem, such as asking colleagues to upload the files to private accounts instead.
If you’re the user, try to be understanding if there are things you used to be able do in the office that you have to manage without at home.
Make sure you can see what your users are doing
Don’t just leave your users to their own devices (literally or figuratively).
If you’ve set up automatic updating for them, make sure you also have a way to check that it’s working, and be prepared to spend time online helping them fix things if they go wrong.
If their security software produces warnings that you know they will have seen, make sure you review those warnings too, and let your users know what they mean and what you expect them to do about any issues that may arise.
Don’t patronise your users, because no one likes that; but don’t leave them to fend for themselves, either – show them a bit of cybersecurity love and you are very likely to find that they repay it.
Make sure they have somewhere to report security issues
If you haven’t already, set up an easily remembered email address, such as security911 @ yourcompany DOT example, where users can report security issues quickly and easily.
Remember that a lot of cyberattacks succeed because the crooks try over and over again until one user makes an innocent mistake – so if the first person to see a new threat has somewhere to report it where they know they won’t be judged or criticised (or, worse still, ignored), they’ll end up helping everyone else.
Teach your users – in fact, this goes for office-based staff as well as teleworkers – only to reach out to you for cybersecurity assistance by using the email address or phone number you gave them. (Consider snail-mailing them a card or a sticker with the details printed on it.)
If they never make contact using links or phone numbers supplied by email, they they are very much less likely to get scammed or phished.
Make sure you know about “shadow IT” solutions
Shadow IT is where non-IT staff find their own ways of solving technical problems, for convenience or speed.
If you have a bunch of colleagues who are used to working together in the office, but who end up flung apart and unable to meet up, it’s quite likely that they might come up with their own ways of collaborating online – using tools they’ve never tried before.
Sometimes, you might even be happy for them to do this, if it’s a cheap and happy way of boosting team dynamics.
For example, they might open an account with an online whiteboarding service – perhaps even one you trust perfectly well – on their own credit card and plan to claim it back later.
The first risk everyone thinks about in cases like this is, “What if they make a security blunder or leak data they shouldn’t?”
But there’s another problem that lots of companies forget about, namely: what if, instead of being a security disaster, it’s a conspicuous success?
A temporary solution put in place to deal with a public health issue might turn into a vibrant and important part of the company’s online presence.
So, make sure you know whose credit card it’s charged to, and make sure you can get access to the account if the person who originally created it forgets the password, or cancels their card.
So-called “shadow IT” isn’t just a risk if it goes wrong – it can turn into a complicated liability if it goes right!
Most of all…
Most of all, if you and your users suddenly need to get into teleworking, be prepared to meet each other halfway.
For example, if you’re the user, and your IT team suddenly insists that you start using a password manager and 2FA (those second-factor login codes you have to type in every time)…
…then just say “Sure,” even if you hate 2FA and have avoided it in your personal life because you find it inconvenient.
And if you’re the sysadmin, don’t ignore your users, even if they ask questions you think they should know the answer to by now, or if they ask for something you’ve already said “No” to…
…because it might very well be that they’re asking because you didn’t explain clearly the first time, or because the feature they need really is important to doing their job properly.
We’re living in tricky times, so try not to let matters of public health cause the sort of friction that gets in the way of doing cybersecurity properly!
