Isle of Man

The Future is bright – The future is e-business!

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:45:51 -0600

In 2004, Government undertook an exercise to project how the Isle of Man economy would look, 10 years ahead in 2014. The exercise was called “2014 – the can do economy”. Basically this exercise looked at how the existing sectors of the Isle of Man economy would change over the next ten years looking at worst, average and best scenarios. The exercise also attempted to identify brand new sectors which could emerge during the next 10 years. Perhaps not surprisingly, e-business was identified as one of the sectors with the most growth potential. In fact, the 2014 report concluded that the e-business sector is “…likely to witness significant growth ( by 2014 ) to become potentially the second largest sector behind banking.” It also states that e-Business “…offers the greatest potential for the future” and that GDP growth within the sector is anticipated to increase “five – fold.”.

Isle of Man

World Fire Fighter Games

News — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:38:20 -0600

Based in an around Liverpool, the Games saw 3,500 firefighters representing 38 nations take part in 73 sports. There were 16 medals won by the Isle of Man team – eight gold, five silver and three bronze.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is pleased to have been able to support local firefighters at the 10th World Firefighter Games.

The Company provided travel for 30 Island firefighters to and from the event and would like to congratulate everyone who represented the Isle of Man during the ten days of competition.

The gold medal successes included Floyd Askin in light heavyweight judo and Neil Parsons, who was awarded seven in trap, skeet and sporting shooting.

Sub-officer Mark Caley, who came 14th in the mountain biking, said everyone involved had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Continues:-

Isle of Man

Third Thursday - August 2008

OwenCutajar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:30:15 -0600

Isle of Man

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Manx Electricity Price Increases of 16 Percent

News — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:23:56 -0600

The MEA has today released an update of electricity charges that will apply from 1 September 2008 for domestic and commercial customers.

As agreed in Tynwald in June 2005, an increase of 16.32% is now due to be applied to all unit charges which comprises of Inflation (as at June 2008) plus 2.0%, in addition to a fuel cost adjustment of 1p per unit.

Chairman, Quintin Gill MHK said, “No one can be surprised at the requirement to increase the tariffs during these unprecedented times of global fuel increases.

We are always mindful that we have a duty to provide electricity and we are very aware of the burden this price increase may place on our customers; we will continue with our work to maintain the most efficient service possible in the challenging times ahead.”

Isle of Man

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IOM Social Media Club - First Meeting

OwenCutajar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:15:29 -0600

Just got back from the IOM Social Media Club’s first meeting. Around 12 people came, including Leo, Sherrilynne and Jamie for the first meeting. Interesting mix of people too, from people working for mortgage lenders all the way to retired folk. We had some pretty interesting discussions about the state of social media today, different social networks and emerging technologies. It wasn’t purely a technical forum though, but also included some debate around how people use these networks and how corporates were getting more involved in social media.

Isle of Man

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IoM Social Media Club

OwenCutajar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:25:32 -0600

I’m going to lunch this Thursday with the Isle of Man Social Media Club. Well, it’s the first time the meeting is happening, so I’m not sure how many people are going to turn up, but it should be fun finding out. Just to make sure you all know about it:

Here’s the plan. Let’s all meet on the Third Thursday in July (the 17th) 12.30 -14.00 at Paparazzi in Douglas for some lunch. We can see how much interest there is forming a social media group, discuss potential speakers and subjects for future meetings and just generally get to know each other.

Isle of Man

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Dogs of Oar - Charity & Company Promotion

LeoCussons — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:37:55 -0600

Dogs of Oar - Charity & Company Promotion -
Having just participated in a charity event over the weekend. I can say there is no better way to raise your company profile and do some good for community. I was part of 4 man team that participated in a raft race to raise money for RNLI Most of the teams where made up by different companies on the Isle of Man. Here is a list of some of the companies that entered:

2e2

Paragon Recruitment

Isle of Man

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Managing SQL Server Sprawl with HP Polyserve

OwenCutajar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:28:34 -0600

I went to a really interesting presentation this morning given by Nick Coombs on behalf of ITEX, an IT Services company specialising in offshore jurisdictions. The breakfast talk was about a product called PolyServe which helps companies consolidate SQL Server instances onto a small number of machines, helping to reduce the Cost of Ownership of your SQL Server estate, while improving the manageability and availability of your SQL Server farm.

IT

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Friends Provident - Celebrate 30th Anniversary

News — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:28:32 -0600

Castletown-based life company, Friends Provident International Limited (FPIL), is this year celebrating 30 years in the Isle of Man; a virtually unrivalled track record within the Island’s life assurance sector.

Since its humble beginnings in 1978, the company has operated under four different names, has occupied six offices - all in the south of the Island - and has provided investment solutions for over 100,000 policyholders worldwide.

FPIL has seen changes in tax rules, changes in parent groups, the development from hanging files to the internet revolution and the launches of products, funds and successful relationships. It has seen the Isle of Man rise to the status of a premier financial centre, as well as a range of global shifts, crises and triumphs.

Finance

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DTI Launches New, Improved JobCentre

News — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:16:04 -0600

A new look, improved services and an increasing number of jobs being advertised – and all with the same high level of dedication to helping each individual find the job that is right for them. That is the message from The JobCentre, which will be officially re-launched at a ceremony on Monday 30 June.

The refurbishment of The JobCentre on Prospect Hill, Douglas, brings with it a more professional and user-friendly service for both clients and employers.

Isle of Man

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Itex Breakfast Briefings Begin

News — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:46:13 -0600

Isle of Man, World class IT services group, Itex, which launched a full service division of the company in the Isle of Man in March, is due to hold its first quarterly breakfast briefing on 26th June at the Sefton Hotel, which is aimed specifically at Technology decision makers and Solution Providers.

The breakfast briefing called ‘Managing SQL Sprawl with HP Polyserve’ is being taken by Nick Coombs, of Hewlett Packard, who is being brought to the Island by Itex for the event, which will include a product demonstration and discussion on how HP’s Polyserve software can reduce server sprawl and improve efficiency through consolidation.

Nick Coombs began his career as a consultant for Hewlett Packard where he worked for six years before becoming the UK Based Systems Integrator at Morse for eight years. He then joined Veritas as a key member of the financial services team before becoming the Sales Manager for PolyServe.

Isle of Man

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Samantha Barks KIDNAPPED!

OwenCutajar — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:08:11 -0600

Samantha Barks KIDNAPPED! -
Just saw a newsflash that Sam Barks, Manx girl taking part in the BBC show “I’ll do anything” has been kidnapped. Watch here:

Ok, it’s another Long Tale TV Viral video, but as usual, it’s flawless executed, extremely topical (at least here in the Isle of Man) and exactly the sort of thing people will send around to one another. Great work Brain Grenade

Isle of Man

Isle of Man TT Webcams page updated

OwenCutajar — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:41:16 -0600

Isle of Man TT Webcams page updated - I’ve just updated the Manx TT Webcams page I had on this blog with a new version as someone pointed out that one of the webcams wasn’t working. I’ve also increased the refresh rate to 15 seconds, alhough if the source for the webcam doesn’t update, then you won’t see much difference. I wish there streaming webcams around, but I can’t seem to find any available ones.

Isle of Man

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Colas Group Sponsors Finch Hill Cricket Club

News — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:08:14 -0600

The Colas Group has renewed its sponsorship of Finch Hill Cricket Club in a partnership that stretches back more than a decade.

Colas has been a keen supporter of developing local sporting talent in recent years and part of the sponsorship will be used to fund junior development at the cricket club, which plays its matches at Union Mills Football Club.

Roy Corlett, Finch Hill’s coach and junior development manager, explained: “I think that, for many people who are familiar with the media coverage that cricket receives, the words ‘Colas Finch Hill’ seem to go together so well.

Isle of Man

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Microgaming organises Executive Club Charity Poker Tournament

News — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:47:07 -0600

Microgaming organises Executive Club Charity Poker Tournament and donates £10,000 to
Charity in the process

Microgaming, the world's leading software provider for online gaming, recently
invited the Island's business leaders, who are members of the Executive Club and
invited guests, to enjoy an exciting and entertaining night of charity poker.
£10,000 was donated by Microgaming to the winners of the event for the benefit of
local charities.

The annual event was sponsored and organised by Microgaming on behalf of the
Executive Club, and was attended by around 100 Executive Club members, invited
guests and Microgaming representatives. The evening was a great opportunity for
light hearted networking for Microgaming and the Executive Club, although
competitors took their poker very seriously during the evening especially as there
was £10,000 at stake for their chosen charities.

Isle of Man

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Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company Offers Assistance After Closure Of Euromanx

News — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:48:57 -0600

In light of the difficulties being experienced by air passengers following the announcement that Isle of Man-based EuroManx has ceased operations, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is advising those who are unable to source alternative air travel that it has excess capacity on its twice daily return services to Liverpool and Heysham.

Chief Executive Mark Woodward explained: “We appreciate that some passengers who had booked with EuroManx may be experiencing problems in arranging alternative travel. Hopefully, the tremendous efforts by everyone at Isle of Man Airport and the other airlines, who stepped in to help fill the void left by EuroManx ceasing operations, will address the situation.

Isle of Man

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Euromanx Cease Flying

News — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:03:16 -0600

Isle of Man-based EuroManx Limited has, this morning, announced that it has ceased all flying operations and the company has been placed in the hands of the official receiver.

EuroManx has been operating from the Island since 2002 and carried over 266,000 passengers from and to the Isle of Man in 2007. It has most recently been flying four scheduled service routes linking the Island with London City, Liverpool, Manchester and Belfast City.

Isle of Man

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Isle of Man BCS: Windows 2008 - A feature overview

OwenCutajar — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:52:23 -0600

Isle of Man BCS: Windows 2008 - A feature overview -
Sherrilynne’s beaten me to getting this online, but here’s the final speaking event for from this year’s BCS calendar:

Topic: Microsoft Vista Windows Server 2008 - A Feature Overview
Speaker: Huw Turvey
Venue: The Claremont Hotel, Douglas
Date: Tuesday 13th May 2008
Time: AGM at 18:00 - Talk starts at 18:30

Isle of Man

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More Visitors by Joining Communities.

LeoCussons — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:34:34 -0600

More Visitors by Joining Communities. -

Over the weekend I was updating some of accounts that I have on certain networking site likes like, propeller, Marktd, WorkConnexions.

I have just taken a look at the stats for the last couple of days and I have had more that 150 percent increase in traffic. The main reason for participating in community is that you can engage a group of readers with similar interests.

Isle of Man

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Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander 2008 International Manx Classic

Wcx — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:21:26 -0600

Corkill reigns supreme at the Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander 2008 International Manx Classic

Former rally driver Ian Corkill rolled back the years to secure victory in the Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander 2008 International Manx Classic.

Driving a 1979 Ford Escort rally car, Ian saw off the challenge of 90 vintage, post-historics, modern and classic cars over the three-day event on the Isle of Man.

The Classic was re-launched in 2006 by the Manx Motor Racing Club and this year competitors tackled three challenging hill climbs – Bray Hill, The Sloc in the south of the Island, and Lhergy Frissell, which is part of the TT course climbing out of Ramsey in the north.

Isle of Man

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Isle of Man eBusiness News

OwenCutajar — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:11:45 -0600

Isle of Man eBusiness News -
Just came across a video created by the Isle of Man eBusiness Division which showcases some of the business benefits of operating from the Isle of Man. It’s a longish video (around 15 minutes), but quite interesting both for people who operate from the Isle of Man and also for interested parties considering the move.

Isle of Man

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Learn about Risk Management With Sure

Wcx — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:28:16 -0600

One of the world’s leading experts on Information Security and Cyber-Terrorism is being brought to the island later this month by Sure, to give a day of presentations on ‘Danger Money: the challenge of risk management.

Richard Starnes, past UK President of the International Systems Security Association, is an internationally recognised expert in information security, incident response, computer crime investigation and cyber terrorism. He will be discussing how technology can provide practical benefits to businesses of all sizes here in the Isle of Man.

The event is the second in Sure’s ‘Technology Unplugged’ series, and is designed to help companies here with what is now considered to be an essential function in protecting assets. Risk management is a core business process, but many people are unaware of things like the level of protection and money required, and what is the best way to install information security procedures.

Isle of Man

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New Terminal Manager Appointed

Wcx — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:07:17 -0600

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has appointed Wayne Lisy as Terminal Manager.

Local man Wayne has worked for the Company for almost 15 years, since leaving Castle Rushen High School, and has worked his way up from his first role as Travel Consultant.

As Terminal Manager, his responsibilities include overseeing all Douglas Terminal operations. This combines Isle of Man Steam Packet Holidays, the Ferry Travel Shop front desk and Call Centre Reservations into one customer focused department.

Commercial Director John Watt said: “Wayne is a fine example of the Manx work ethic. He has truly worked his way up from the bottom rung of this career ladder and is now a key member of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s management team. He is a credit to this company, approaching his responsibilities with enthusiasm and energy.”

Isle of Man

Center of Excellence

LeoCussons — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:30:55 -0600

Center of Excellence -

The Isle of Man is doing well. Part of the success that we enjoy is that we have our own hospital. A hospital that costs a million pounds a day to run. For only 80,000 people it does not represent value for money. With any small community one has to build a reputation for certain skills sets. The Isle of Man has established a financial reputation in the world market. We are also working on becoming e-gaming center. But we are lagging behind at the moment. Today’s thought is how to make our hospital more cost effective so that it could become a center of excellence in a specific medical area. As certain hospitals are known for heart surgery, children etc. Maybe the Isle of Man could become an expert in the field of dermatology?

Isle of Man

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Chief Minister Tony Brown Future Thoughts on the Isle of Man

Wcx — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:04:58 -0600

What future development that you consider inevitable, do you look forward to with the most anticipation? Increasing global opportunities for international businesses based in the Isle of Man, stimulating our economy, providing opportunities and quality employment, improving living standards and improving the quality of life for all. It is therefore vital that we provide the right environment for IOM business to compete and win in the global economy.

Q. What future development that you consider inevitable fills you with the most fear?

The changing world due to increased terrorism that is affecting our personal freedoms arising from the necessary increase in security against global terror. The changes are slowly eroding much of the freedoms we have previously taken for granted and unfortunately there seems to be no alternative.

Isle of Man

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Local Archery Ace Thanks Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

News — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:42:45 -0600

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is sponsoring local archery champion, Rusty Kneale-Barrow, by giving her free ferry travel for her weekly training sessions.

Rusty, of St Johns, has been travelling to the UK every Friday since September to train in the paralympic village at Stoke Mandeville, and returning here every Monday. In November, Rusty approached the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to sponsor her expenses for one event, but when Chief Executive Mark Woodward discovered her rigorous travel schedule, he offered to sponsor all Rusty’s ferry expenses.

This support has been invaluable to Rusty and the progression of her archery career, as it would have otherwise been almost impossible to accomplish her training goals.

Isle of Man

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BCS Talk: Field Service Management Technologies - A case study

Wcx — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:12:17 -0600

BCS Talk: Field Service Management Technologies - A case studyThe Isle of Man Section of the BCS is holding a talk tomorrow on Field Service Management. Here’s the blurb:

Field Service Management, the discipline of deploying service engineers and customer service representatives most effectively to resolve problems encountered in the field, is one of the least understood and exploited business disciplines. Despite the deep penetration of information technology systems into most common business disciplines, the majority of organisations undertaking Field Service still use cumbersome manual processes and systems which are more labour intensive and less efficient than they need be, leading to sub-optimal field-based workforce efficiency and poor customer satisfaction.

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Work Connexions blogger releases book

Wcx — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:45:23 -0600

Work Connexions blogger Lewis Green’s fifth book was just released by HRD Press, Inc. Called Lead With Your Heart, the book calls for businesses to adopt a model that will result in business success as well as create a better world in which to do business, to work and to live. Lewis green a relative new blogger to the Work Connexions social networking platform. Had this to say “as Social Media grows in importance, especially blogs as used by businesses, sites such as Work Connexions are important to all of us wanting to communicate and to share with our community of readers.”

Isle of Man

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Isle of Man Group Created

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:17:47 -0600

Welcome to the Isle of Man WorkConnexions groups

Isle of Man