Wonderful Wefinda weekly news (Week ended 15 October 2010)

Inflation stubbornly high
To no great surprise the inflation figures for September came out at 3.1%, still higher than the target of 2%. Key among the figures was an increase in the cost of basics such as clothes (up 6.4%) and food. With growth having slowed in the third quarter alongside house price falls there are renewed calls for the Bank of England to do more to stimulate the economy, despite the danger that this might lead to further inflation rises.

How secure is your e-mail
Moving your IT to the cloud makes great sense as it brings in added security alongside cost savings. However, a new warning has been issued by InfoSecurity to make sure that you always ask basic questions on topics such as data security, storage and retrieval before committing your data to the cloud. This is particularly important for e-mail which InfoSecurity warns can carry up to 80% of your intellectual property.

Get ready for those floods
In response to the major flooding seen in many parts of the country over the past few years, a major flood exercise is to take place across the country next March. Volunteers from business, local parish councils and individuals are wanted. This could be a great way of flood planning for your business. For more information check out the website http://exercisewatermark.co.uk/en/homepage.aspx

So, what do we have to look forward to?
Top of everyone’s list for the week ahead is the Public Spending Review. Although this is due to be formally announced on Wednesday, there are so many hints, tips and leaks flying around that it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the anticipation. Whatever it contains, this review will have a major impact for SMEs with supporting contracts in the supply chain and we await the formal announcement with great interest.

And finally
This was the week that Lord Young published his report on health & safety saying that far too many people use health & safety as an excuse and recommending that regulations should be simplified to bring back common sense. It was therefore ironic that the latest major art work at the Tate modern had to be closed to the public amid fears of excessive dust. The work consisting of 100 million ceramic sunflower seeds was supposed to be tactile with visitors expected to walk through and play in the exhibit.