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Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for IT specialists. In this issue:
• Employment regulation: what it means for contractors
• Tech View ? The rise and rise of Linux
• Specialist profile - this month, Allan Slaughter
• Real Skills. Real People - a profile of one of the B & M team
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Employment regulation: what it means for contractors
Jerry Smart, MD of B & M explains why contractors must not put off deciding whether to opt in or out of Employment Business Regulations
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In
April 2004, the Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses
Regulations 2003 came into force, with the intention of protecting
?work seekers? from unscrupulous employment agencies. In spite of
lobbying and representations made by many respected business
authorities, IT contractors offering their services through limited
companies were also included in the regulations.
Many
contractors are nonplussed by this legislation and would rather just
carry on as before. Unfortunately, the new regulations place a legal
obligation on B & M and others in our industry to comply with
the law - no matter what our opinion on the acts of government. This
legislation even extends to contractors living and working
abroad.
To give you an idea of feelings in the contracting
community, B & M contacted all the specialists with whom we are
doing or wish to do business back in April last year about the new
regulations. Only 15% have given us a decision about what they wish
to do so far, with 86% of these deciding to opt out of the
legislation.
While most specialists are fully aware of their
obligations, others appear to be taking the view that they will
?worry about it when the time comes?. Well, that time is now. You
need to let B & M know of your decision so that there is no
delay in proposing you to a customer (with your agreement, of
course) when a work opportunity arises. After all, timing can make
all the difference in such a competitive industry
For further
information on this or to register your preference, please contact
Melanie
Thompson.
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Tech View ? The rise and rise of Linux
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M, explains why specialists should seriously consider adding Linux to their skill sets
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In 1991, a student at Helsinki University, one Linus
Torvalds, developed and released his version of Unix, calling it
?Linux?. In conjunction with GNU Software (GNU is Not Unix), Linux
was made freely available to the world.
Linux has since
enjoyed a meteoric rise, particularly in the area of Internet
servers. It now accounts for around at least 35% of all available
?Unix? systems supporting the Internet. Windows based (Internet)
servers in comparison have a meagre 10%.
Linux leapt forward
commercially when IBM started to promote it, having identified three
major factors which make it a potent platform:
1. Series can
run Linux native giving it access to 64-bit platform
architecture.
2. Of the five Linux vendors, SuSE and
RedHat have produced 64-bit versions of Linux, which gives it
the ability to compete head on with Solaris.
3. IBM is
investing $1billion in Linux.
| IBM markets Tivoli, DB2,
Rational, Lotus and WebSphere for the Linux platform. Additionally
within the IBM z990 series there are hardware features explicitly
aimed at Linux.
It will be very interesting to see where Linux
goes from here, bearing in mind that it is effectively competing
with IBM?s z/OS.e (Unix based) operating
system.
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Specialist profile
Each issue of B & M Bulletin provides an insight into the lives of some of our leading specialists. This month, we profile Allan Slaughter, a senior security specialist based in Brussels
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Allan Slaughter has spent 30 years working in IT, with over
20 of those years spent in security, latterly specialising in RACF
strategy and implementation. During his career, he has worked in a
wide variety of sectors from telecoms to PR and has worked on
contract for six years. He is currently on a contract to
propose, test and implement resolutions to audit issues on SecureWay
Security Server (RACF) for a large financial institution based in
Brussels.
But what is it about working as a contract
specialist that Allan finds so rewarding? As he explains, 'I became
a contractor because I was fed up with working in environments where
constant changes in management practices got in the way of me doing
my job. Working on contract means that I know exactly what is
expected from me and when each day ends, I know that I have actually
achieved what I was paid to do'.
Allan has also embraced the
Belgian way of life - so much so, that he is now based in Brussels
full time. He enjoys the fact that it enables him to travel all over
Europe, including frequent trips to Paris and Amsterdam. Allan has
also found that he has developed a group of friends from England,
The Netherlands, France and Belgium.
To find out about work
opportunities in Continental Europe, the UK or Eire, go to www.bmeurope.com/vacancies.html
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Real Skills. Real People
Get to know some of the people at B & M and find out how their expertise helps ensure that specialists find exactly the right opportunities
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MELANIE THOMPSON ? HR Manager
It may seem a long
way from running a restaurant to human resources, but for B & M
HR Manager Melanie Thompson, it has been a logical progression.
As she explains, "I spent 2 years training as a chef and
running a restaurant in Cornwall, but realised that I preferred the
area of business operations more and embarked on a BA in Business
Administration to develop my knowledge of how businesses
worked".
Melanie began her HR career as an HR Officer for
Manpower which employed the frontline call centre staff dedicated to
ITV Digital, where she introduced operational and personnel
procedures and implemented new policies and procedures which cut
absenteeism and attrition.
After the collapse of ITV
Digital, Melanie spent the following two years as an HR contractor
for a variety of high-profile public and private enterprises. At the
National Health Service, she was involved with the recruitment and
selection of medical staff, including international nurses. In the
private sector, she advised telecoms giant NTL on employment law
issues and at Personal Pension Management, she registered approved
staff with the Financial Services Authority.
Melanie joined B
& M as HR Manager in January 2004 where her main goal is to use
her skills to help specialists succeed in the right assignments. "My
main focus here is to continue to improve
B & M?s professional
services and to provide assistance and support to our growing number
of specialists ?using the best practice approach that is key to how
we do business".
When she?s not in the office, Melanie still
puts her culinary skills to good use by entertaining friends. And if
she?s not in the kitchen, you may find her drawing in oil pastels,
reading or cycling (providing it isn?t
raining!).
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B & M has specialised in delivering skilled ICT specialists to meet the needs of leading organisations throughout Europe since 1992. We focus exclusively on providing consultancy, technical services and support for z/OS, UNIX and Linux enterprise systems, including third-party systems software, open systems and networking connectivity. We add real value for HR and IT professionals by taking the time to understand their needs and applying best practice methods to deliver results. To find out more about our approach to providing the best skills for each business, go to www.bmeurope.com B & M Europe Limited
www.bmeurope.com
+44 (0)118 981 1880
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