The positives that comewith enhancing citizenaccess to governmentand environmental dataare limitless. Not only

does open data, or information that isfreely available for everyone to use,activate public transparency and en-able deeper citizen engagement, it po-tentially creates the means for a morecommunity-driven society. The ques-tion is: how are organisations and in-dividuals using this data to have thegreatest impact?

Just as big data analytics are onlyvaluable when they’re used to fix aspecific problem, open data servescommunities best when it’s analysedand then humanised through story-telling.

The Open Data Institute (ODI) inLondon works with digital and socialimpact experts to promote open datainnovation and incubate, mentor andcoach startups developing open datasolutions. As part of its initiative tocultivate the effective use of data, theinstitute offers a course for journalistson finding stories in open data. Whenyou’re crystal clear about the problemyou’re looking to solve, the stories

that unfold through exploringdatasets and creating summary sta-tistics are significantly more visible.Stories are the driving force of socialchange.

Take for example the ODI startupSpend Network, which analyses datato uncover government spendingtrends. This company revealed thatthe UK inefficiently spent £22 billion(€29.7 bn), which was originally in-tended to go to businesses and fuelthe economy.

The repercussions of governmentactions or lack thereof are just one sideof what open data can disclose. Opendata can also be used to predict the fu-ture. Through a partnership withTelefónica Dynamic Insights, ODI de-veloped tools to estimate the poten-tial impact of planned fire stationclosures in London. Maps that showthe possible effects of fire station clo-sures are generated using twodatasets, based on fire service atten-dance time to incidents and mobilephone activity in different locations.

It’s free and readily available.What are other advantages ofopen data? Liz Carolan, International Develop-ment Manager at the ODI, says achallenge for many organisations canbe the time and resources needed tocrunch large data sets.

“By opening up their data, the po-tential can be unlocked,” says Car-olan. “Take Medicare in the US, forinstance, which has a huge range of

data at its disposal. By making its dataopen, Medicare enabled anyone toaccess and analyse it. In 2012, theNew York Times undertook someanalysis and identified a number ofanomalies within the data includingwhat could appear to be abnormallyhigh Medicare claims. This analysisenabled not only the public to bemade aware of the potential existenceof such instances, but also for thatdata to be fed back into Medicare’ssystem so it can identify and exploresuch anomalies.”

How can open data be usedfor businesses?According to a McKinsey report,seven sectors could generate $3 mil-lion (€2.6m) thanks for open data.However, making open data an ac-tual business itself is proving to besomewhat tricky. Yodit Stanton,founder and CEO of the ODI incu-bated startup Opensenors.io, whichprocesses Internet of Things data,says that the biggest issue with opendata is that the industry hasn’t figuredout how to build a working businessmodel.

“It’s [open data’s] not like social net-works, where you can make moneywith advertising,” says Stanton.“While big data is good for advertis-ing companies, data from the Internetof Things would be good for insur-ance companies, but then you need tothink through what the implicationsare.”

The Opensensors.io platform al-

lows users to create open data proj-ects for free through information col-lected from sensors. “People connectto us and publish sensor information,so anyone can create open data proj-ects,”shares Stanton. “We want to en-courage people to have access tothings.”

Over 500 people currently useOpensensors.io. One of the projectsthe company is deploying involves aseries of parking sensors in 12 cities inthe UK. Stanton says that for this kindthe automated parking service to ma-

ture, the data needs to be available.That way a city manger can access it;a smartphone can plug into it.

The perspective of the ODI is that inorder to make a business case foropen data, organisations need to un-derstand the potential of the data theypossess, examine the data flowarrangements they have with othergroups, and determine which onescan be most affected through receiv-ing more or better quality data. Nomatter how free and open any data is,its value could be priceless for some.

The Malta Independent | Thursday 19 February 2015 1312 The Malta Independent | Thursday 19 February 2015

Being engaging onlinehas become really im-portant especially forsmall businesses. Theweb is the tool which

links current and potential cus-tomers to small businesses. Ac-cording to a new study, themajority of small businesses thatare using online engagementtools have reported an increase innew clients through their onlinechannels

Through open data, Govern-

ment information can be madefreely available for everyone withthe aim that it is used to solvechallenges in society andbusiness. It is also an opportu-nity to predict the future and useit to bring about social change.The Open Data Institute in Lon-don is doing its best to promoteopen data even by coaching start-ups on how to make the best useof it.

2015 is set to be the year inwhich CIOs emphasise more on

IT security. A new study showsthat during the coming months,the majority of CIOs will be tak-ing one or more measures to en-hance their IT security – the mostcommon of which is training em-ployees on IT security issues.

Would it ever cross your mindof making an important pur-chase, such as getting a loan orbuying a car, through your mo-bile? Not only is it possible, butmany are turning to theirfavourite mobile gadgets to make

such acquisitions.

All ICT Features are available onwww.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature

The Malta Independent ICT Feature

RoderickSpiteri

Roderick Spiteri is Marketing andCommunications Manager at

MITA and editor of MaltaIndependent ICT feature

Capturing the power of open data

Melissa Jun Rowley is a seasonedjournalist and social entrepreneurfocused on the intersection of tech-

nology and social impact. She iscurrently developing “Magic Mak-

ers,” a docu-series spotlightingteens using STEAM (Science,

Technology, Engineering, Art &Math) to advance humanity.

Melissa is also the Editorial Direc-tor of The Toolbox, a social change

platform which aggregates and pro-motes digital tools for activism. Onthe startup front, she is building anew social giving ecosystem calledGivvio, bringing together brands,

celebrities and everyday activists towork together in teams to amplify

their social good campaigns.

MelissaJun Rowley

New research trackingthe engagement habitsof small businesses re-vealed that onlineclient engagement is

the lifeblood of this business com-munity. The data shows that 67%of small businesses leveraging on-line engagement tools, such as on-line scheduling, payments anddocument sharing, reported an in-crease in obtaining new clienteledirectly through their website –versus only 34% from businessesthat did not have these tools inte-grated into their website.

The research surveyed nearly 200North American entrepreneurs,marketers, small business ownersand technology decision makersfrom a wide range of industries,with 75% of respondents repre-senting small businesses with fiveor fewer employees.

According to the survey, nearly40% of small businesses believethat the volume of new clients they

get online ‘needs improvement’.This means that the need for moreengagement opportunities is seenas critical. Online engagementtools enable small businesses tocommunicate and service clientsmore frequently, with respondentsciting a 10% increase in daily in-teractions with customers and con-

tact with them at least once perweek via their website.

These technologies save smallbusinesses time and money on of-fice tasks as well. In fact, half ofthe tech laggards (respondents notusing any form of client engage-ment technology) said they are lesslikely to automate backend office

tasks such as reminders, email, ap-pointment booking, billing andpayments. However, when askedwhich tasks they would automateif given the opportunity, the topthree included scheduling confir-mations and reminders, follow upemails and appointment booking.

Another area of opportunity forsmall businesses is mobile. Lessthan half (45%) of the respondentsare leveraging their mobile devicesto manage daily client interactionsand related day-to-day backendtasks. Of those mobile users, theyonly utilise it to manage less than10% of their daily activities. Withits rapid adoption amongsttoday’s millennial-influenced au-dience and a ubiquity that is un-matched, mobile is a key channelthat can provide small businessesa competitive edge without re-quiring them to be at a desk or tobe in front of a computer screen tohandle client engagement activi-ties. Additionally, with nearly 6

billion mobile devices worldwideit is a preferred channel thattoday’s consumer is beginning toprioritise when interacting with abusiness. This makes implement-ing mobile friendly websites a toptask that all small businessesshould be focusing on in 2015.

“Today, small businesses needevery advantage they can get tostay relevant and compete forbusiness against their larger coun-terparts, and having good clientcommunication and retention is ahuge aspect of accomplishing thistask,” said Itzik Levy, founder andCEO of vCita. “With a successfulonline client engagement strategy,small businesses can ensure theydrive new and repeat business andeasily streamline those interactionsand eliminate hours of adminis-trative work.”

The research was sponsored byvCita a company that works withand advises businesses aroundtheir online client engagement.

Chief information officers (CIOs)are taking a multipronged ap-proach to protecting sensitivecompany information, a new sur-vey by Robert Half Technology

shows. The majority of CIOs interviewedare currently taking or planning to takesteps in the next 12 months to improve in-formation technology (IT) security at theirfirms. The most common strategies includestrengthening employee training on secu-rity issues (53%), vetting firms that have ac-cess to company data more closely (31%)and contracting with third-party vendorsand adding security tools (31%).

The survey was developed and con-ducted by Robert Half Technology, a lead-ing provider of IT professionals on aproject and full-time basis, and includes re-sponses from more than 270 CIOs from arandom sample of Canadian companieswith 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, “Which, if any, of thefollowing measures is your company cur-rently taking, or planning to take withinthe next 12 months to enhance IT security?”Their responses:Currently taking ANY of the followingmeasures 69%Enhance employee training on IT securityissues 53%Enhance vetting of firms with access tocompany data

31%Contract with third-party vendors or addtools to enhance security 31%Add IT security personnel 22%Implement multifactor authenticationprocesses 21%Other measures 1%Not currently or planning to take any of themeasures identified 31%* Multiple responses were allowed.

“Companies that effectively prioritisetheir IT protection, understand that it’s anongoing commitment that requires contin-ual enhancements,” said Deborah Bot-tineau, senior regional manager of RobertHalf Technology. “Sound security strate-gies consist of staying in the forefront ofbest-practice standards, conducting fre-quent risk assessments, and implementingadequate employee training and aware-ness.”

Bottineau added, “Having the right peo-ple in place to implement these securitychanges is essential.”

A strong organisational communicationsplan and sound relationships with vendorswill help improve security measures, but itall begins with the team responsible formanaging those efforts. Robert Half Tech-nology offers the top three attributes of ef-fective security employees and what to askthem when hiring:

Future FocusedIt’s important to ensure candidates will bean asset to your security efforts, bringing abroad range of experiences that will allowthem to identify vulnerabilities in your net-work. Use this opportunity to discuss theiruse of proven methodologies, best prac-tices and risk intelligence in previous rolesand try to assess how they would apply

them in your company. Ask candidates:“How would you create a security-con-scious culture in our business?”

Security CertificationsA well-rounded security professional willnot only take steps to protect the organisa-tion, but also to stay ahead in the industry.With so many widely recognised certifica-tions available - like CISSP (Certified Infor-mation Systems Security Professional),CISM (Certified Information Security Man-ager) and CompTIA certifications - it’s notuncommon for candidates to have these ontheir resumes. While certifications show aninvestment and commitment to growingtheir knowledge base, it’s important to as-sess applicants’ real-world experience, too.Ask candidates: “How have your securitycertifications prepared you for this role?”

Soft SkillsIT security professionalsshould have impeccablecommunication skills. Exter-nally, they should be build-ing solid relationships withfirms and vendors that haveaccess to company data ormay be brought on to helpwith security efforts. Inter-nally, they should be able toraise awareness to potentialthreats and explain securitymeasures in a way that willhelp guide employee behav-iours. The prevalence ofbring your own device(BYOD) policies, for exam-ple, is just one of the manytrends that make clear com-munication skills vital to en-suring companywidecompliance. It’s essential forsecurity team members tobuild partnerships across theorganization to help increasevigilance throughout. Askcandidates: “What would beyour communications ap-proach around security, po-tential threats and bestpractices to senior leadershipand employees company-wide?”

Consumers are slowly becomingmore comfortable with theirmobile purchasing habits. Ac-cording to a new study byBankrate.com, half of mobile

internet users have used a mobile deviceto make a major financial purchase, suchas getting a mortgage, buying a car or in-vesting in stocks.

Consumers who most likely have madea large transaction on their mobile devicewere between the ages of 30 and 49 (58%have done so). Despite their tech-savvyreputation, only 46% of millennials (18-29 year-olds) have purchased major itemson a mobile device. That’s only slightlymore than people age 50 and older.

“There’s evidence that Americans aregrowing more comfortable with usingmobile devices to make purchases eitheronline or at the checkout,” says MikeCetera, mobile finance analyst forBankrate.com. “But we were curiouswhether people are using their phones todo more than buy a cup of coffee. Thissurvey shows there are people willing tomake major financial commitments overtheir phone or tablet.”

Although mobile purchases are grow-ing, Americans are moving cautiously.The survey found that only 12% “al-ways” or “often” use a phone or tablet forlarger purchases. Seniors appear to bethe most reluctant to make large mobiletransactions; over 6 in 10 have nevermade a big-ticket purchase this way.

Data security was named as the biggestconcern among those who don’t regu-larly use mobile devices for financialtransactions. Older people were far morelikely to cite security fears as their pri-mary reason not to use a mobile device toconduct major financial transactions.53% of respondents 65 and older ex-pressed this concern, while just 34% ofmillennials said this was the main reasonto avoid large mobile transactions.

The survey was conducted by PrincetonSurvey Research Associates International.

Online client engagement is key to small business success

Half of mobileinternet usershave used amobile device to make a majorpurchase

Surge in IT securitymeasures anticipated in 2015