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UK payroll software reports PAYE information automatically after each payroll, keeps track of changing labour laws, manages employee pension deductions, distributes end-of-year P60s and P45s, and is HMRC-compliant. But, the best payroll software layers on functionality, such as automation, employee self-service, and advanced payroll cadences like managing Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) returns. I’ve researched seven top UK payroll solutions and ranked them from best to worst according to an objective scoring rubric. 1 Paycor Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees) Micro, Small, Medium Features API, Check Printing, Document Management / Sharing, and more 2 Deel Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features 24/7 Customer Support, API, Document Management / Sharing, and more 3 Velocity Global Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Employee Database, Multi-Country Payroll, Onboarding, and more Top payroll software for UK businesses comparison Plans and pricing are up to date as of 17/02/2025.* Pricing excludes VAT.** Starting price is for Xero Grow, the cheapest plan that includes payroll. Sage Payroll: Best overall My rating: 4.25 out of 5 Image: Sage Payroll Sage Payroll is Sage’s starter payroll platform suitable for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). You have access to critical payroll features, including automatic Real Time Information (RTI) submissions to the HMRC for each payroll plus pension enrolments. Sage Payroll also includes basic HR features in every plan, like document, leave, and absence management, preventing you from integrating with a third-party human resources information system (HRIS) for this functionality. You can also combine Sage Payroll with other Sage products for additional HR and accounting capabilities. This allows you to manage people and finances in one centralised system for more streamlined processes. Pricing With a score of 4.13 out of 5 for pricing, Sage Payroll rates one of the highest in my roundup due to its transparent pricing, 30-day free trial, and cheapest starting price. It does get more expensive as you progress through its product tiers and gain access to HR features like org charts and scheduling. But if you’re concerned with affordability, I’d look to BrightPay instead for immediate cost savings. Plans:* Payroll Essentials: £10/mo. + 20% VAT Payroll Standard: £20/mo. + 20% VAT Payroll Premium: £30/mo. + 20% VAT * All plans include up to 5 employees. For six employees and more, you’ll need to pay an additional £2, £4, and £6 per month on the Essentials, Standard, or Premium plans, respectively. Note: Sage Payroll is currently running a three-month free promotion for new customers. Check out its website for the latest. Key features Access to HR and payroll support Employee self-service Basic scheduling capabilities in the Premium plan Custom automations for approvals in Standard plan and up Sage Payroll pros and cons Pros Cons Integrates with Sage Accounting and Sage HR HR features in all plans Easy-to-navigate Timesheet limited to Standard plan and up 150-employee cap Too simplistic for businesses with complex payroll cadences Why I chose Sage Payroll Sage Payroll is a great stepping-stone for new businesses that must balance compliant payroll processes with basic HR features to maintain a small workforce. It is the only platform in my lineup to offer both in all its product tiers while maintaining a transparent pricing structure. But one of the best reasons to go with Sage Payroll is its over 40 years of experience with UK companies and its enterprise-level selection of products to fit any business cadence. This means you can stay within the Sage family of products as your business evolves, reducing data migration headaches and new product learning curves. For example, once you exceed Sage Payroll’s 150-employee cap, you can upgrade to Sage 50 and access advanced payroll capabilities, such as departmental views of the organisation. This more granular look at business costs allows you to adapt quickly to financial headwinds and even aid in strategic workforce planning. View of Sage Payroll’s 4-step payroll process. (Source: Sage) Hire and pay people internationally? Check out the 5 Best Global Payroll Services. BrightPay: Best for affordability My rating: 4.03 out of 5 (if applicable) Image: BrightPay BrightPay is Bright’s payroll platform solution that recently released a cloud version of its desktop application. BrightPay is the only solution in my roundup to offer this, making it a more versatile option if you favour a more traditional software experience. Because BrightPay’s cloud application is so new, it still reserves several capabilities for its desktop version, such as some statutory payroll reports, document uploads, and even CIS support. In the case of the latter, Bright allows you to use the desktop version free of charge to facilitate CIS returns, while the others remain on the product’s 2025 roadmap. Interestingly, access to features like employer and employee portals is still only available in BrightPay’s desktop version with the BrightPay Connect add-on that provides automated data backup to the cloud. Pricing BrightPay offers all of its features to its customers in each plan. Its price depends first on whether you want a desktop or cloud version and then on how many employees you have. BrightPay desktop plans Up to 3 employees: £84/year + VAT Up to 10 employees: £149/year + VAT Up to 25 employees: £239/year + VAT Unlimited employees: £339/year + VAT BrightPay cloud example costs* 3 employees: £8.25/mo. + VAT or £84/year + VAT 10 employees: £22.95/mo. + VAT or £235.20/year + VAT 25 employees: £40.95/mo. + VAT or £415.20/year + VAT 50 employees: £68.55/mo. + VAT or £691.20/year + VAT 100 employees: £103.55/mo. + VAT or £1,051.20/year + VAT 250+ employees: Call for a quote. You can also add BrightPay Connect, BrightPay’s automated data cloud backup service, to the desktop version for an additional monthly fee. Plans are based on the number of employees you have, with some example costs

A cash management account, or CMA, is a personal or business cash account that combines the services of checking, savings, and investment accounts. It’s not held by a bank but rather by a brokerage, investment firm, fintech, robo advisor, or nonbank financial institution (NBFI). It complements an investment account and offers high-interest yields (like a savings account) and deposits, withdrawals, debit card use, and bill pay (like a checking account). The main difference between a cash management account and other accounts is the US federal tax liability. Depending on the source of the funds, withdrawals, interest earned, and dividends may be subject to federal taxes. Benefits of a cash management account Drawbacks of a cash management account Funds can be insured by the FDIC? and the SIPC Securities Investor Protection Corporation . It includes a debit card and has check-writing capabilities. It streamlines financial management. Most accounts earn interest. It can be nested with stocks, bonds, mutual funds, retirement accounts, sweep accounts, and business accounts under one online banking login. Withdrawal limits may apply. Limits may be placed on withdrawals. Customer service is generally not face-to-face. Most accounts have minimum balance requirements and monthly fees. It is difficult to deposit cash with no in-person service locations. How a cash management account works It is designed to be a holding or storage hub for business working capital or personal funds. It allows your money to remain accessible while still having the options of earning interest along with getting the security of FDIC and SIPC coverage. Many account holders and business owners use it to build up savings or emergency funds, while others treat it as a regular deposit account. FDIC and SIPC rules, limits, and security The FDIC provides coverage to protect deposited funds up to $250,000 at participating institutions. This limit can be increased by the following methods: Opening accounts at multiple banks that are members of the FDIC Adding a joint owner to an individual account Creating a payable on death account; maximum coverage is $1,250,000 for up to five beneficiaries Opening an account at a fintech that partners with multiple banks and can make deposits at additional financial institutions on your behalf Partnering with a financial institution with access to the IntraFi network Meanwhile, the SIPC protects investors from failed brokerage firms for amounts up to $250,000 for cash and up to $500,000 for securities. With SIPC, each account type receives separate coverage (instead of combined totals like FDIC coverage). Here are the account types covered: Individual accounts Joint accounts Corporate accounts Trust accounts IRAs Individual Retirement Accounts Roth IRAs Executor held accounts Guardian held accounts Multiple accounts of the same type are insured up to $500,000 at the same brokerage, even if the deposit amount exceeds $500,000. To ensure all funds are covered, some funds would need to be moved to a different brokerage or a different account type. Fees influencing cash management account pricing Some business bank account fees commonly charged for a cash management account influence the account’s pricing. These include the following: Monthly maintenance fees Account management fees Overdraft fees Wire fees ACH fees Bill pay access fees Foreign transaction fees Advisory investing fees ATM fees Transaction limit fees How to open a cash management account Since there are two types of cash management accounts, personal and business, you will need to follow the steps based on the type that best fits your needs. Personal accounts will only need your personal information, whereas business accounts will need to go through the following process: Step 1: Select a fintech, brokerage, or investment firm that offers a cash management account. Step 2: Once you pick a provider, access its website to start the process of opening the account. Step 3: Fill out all the fields with your business information, including Full legal business name Physical address of the business Phone number of the business EIN Employee Identification Number Business type Beneficial ownership of the business Any member with 25% or more ownership Personal information for each beneficial owner. Full legal name SSN Social Security Number Physical address Phone number Step 4: Select the type of account that works best for your business. Step 5: Review the terms and conditions, ensuring you understand minimum balance requirements, withdrawal limits, fees, and interest-earning capabilities. Step 6: Fund your account to activate it. Step 7: Order a debit card. Step 8: Set up online banking; link any other accounts you need to see — like IRAs, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and investments. Step 9: Determine if multiple accounts of different types need to be opened to cover all funds following the FDIC and SIPC guidelines. Step 10: Request additional features such as automatic sweeps or investment transfers. Opening a cash management account generally requires the same legal and personal documentation required to open a business bank account at a traditional bank. Popular business cash management account providers If you are looking for a business cash management account, consider the following: Rho Rho is a fintech company, not a bank or an FDIC-insured depository institution. Checking account and card services are provided by Webster Bank N.A., member FDIC. Savings account services are provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks. International and foreign currency payments services are provided by Wise US Inc. is a business platform built for startups and growth-stage businesses, though it also serves world-class enterprises. It offers expense management, A/P automation, and accounting integrations. Ramp Ramp is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured depository institution. Banking services are provided by First Internet Bank (FIB), member FDIC. Subject to the terms of the applicable ICS Deposit Placement Agreement, FIB will place deposits at FDIC-insured institutions through IntraFi’s ICS service. serves businesses of all sizes. With the Ramp Treasury account, you have access to the financial operations platform and built-in cash management tools to make automatic investments and optimize cash flow. If a personal cash management account is what you need, look into the following:

If you’re a business owner exploring business banking options, credit unions can offer competitive products with lower fees and higher interest rates than traditional banks. However, membership requirements can be more restrictive, which is an important factor to consider when choosing the best credit unions for business accounts. I review the six best credit unions and compare key features, fees, and pros and cons to help you find the best fit for your company’s needs. Best overall credit union for business accounts: Affinity Plus FCU Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best for social entrepreneurs seeking flexible financing: Self-Help FCU Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best for military-affiliated business owners: Navy Federal Credit Union Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best for membership flexibility and scalable checking accounts: Credit Union 1 Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best for business insurance services: First Tech Federal Credit Union Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best for interest-earning business accounts: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Best credit union for business accounts comparison Below, I summed up the top features I considered for the six credit unions for business accounts. Here is our list of the best credit union business accounts. Image: Affinity Plus FCU Affinity Plus FCU: best overall credit union for business accounts My rating: 4.17 out of 5 Why I chose it Affinity Plus is my overall best credit union for business accounts because of its comprehensive range of services, including competitive savings options and reward-earning debit cards. With access to a broad ATM network and cash and coin services, Affinity Plus is an excellent choice for businesses that value both digital and in-person banking (as long as a branch is located nearby). Membership qualifications Eligibility: To become a member, you must live, work, study, or worship in certain eligible regions or have a family or employer affiliation. You can also join by donating a one-time $25 to the Affinity Plus Foundation. See Affinity Plus FCU’s eligibility criteria. Business Membership: For sole proprietors or LLCs, the business owner must open the membership. Review the business document checklist for your business type, submit the required documents, and send a membership interest form online. Fees Monthly service fees: None Check clearing fees and monthly deposit fees: 20 cents per check after the 50 limit Monthly service fees: $15 Check clearing fees and monthly deposit fees: 20 cents per check after the 250 limit Features Over 60,000 ATMs nationwide via the MoneyPass, Co-op, and SUM networks High-yield money market accounts (MMAs) and certificates of deposit (CDs) No annual fee business credit card Business vehicle loans and equipment loans Business lines of credit and real estate loans Cash and coin services with reduced rates for business members Pros and cons Pros Cons Multiple options to qualify for membership Rewards for debit card purchases Many savings and lending products Limited branch locations Low yields for business checking and savings accounts Image: Self-Help FCU Self-Help FCU: best for social entrepreneurs seeking flexible financing My rating: 4.15 out of 5 Why I chose it I consider Self-Help FCU one of the top credit unions for social entrepreneurs looking for flexible financing. I appreciate how it focuses on supporting underserved communities. With small business loans starting at $15,000 in Illinois and North Carolina, with the option to apply for lower loan amounts and waived collateral requirements, Self-Help FCU is a great provider for businesses that need a little extra flexibility. Additionally, its business accounts have waivable monthly fees, which helps reduce business costs. Membership qualifications Eligibility: Membership is available to individuals living, working, studying, or worshipping in eligible communities in California, Illinois, and Wisconsin. You can also qualify by having a family or employer affiliation or paying a one-time $5 fee to support their community mission. Business Membership: Available for businesses in these states and with the proper documentation. For more info, contact 877-369-2828. Complete the online membership application and submit it by mail or at your nearest branch. Monthly Fees Business Checking: $15; waivable with a combined average daily balance (ADB) of $25,000 across your business accounts under a single member number. Features 100 free monthly transactions Interest-earning checking account Savings, MMAs, and CDs Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, nonprofit business loans, and commercial loans Provides financial services to underserved communities Member of the national Co-op shared branching network Pros and cons Pros Cons Easy membership requirements No minimum opening balance for a business checking account No monthly fee for a business savings account Higher loan amount (over $500,000) requirement outside Illinois and North Carolina No lines of credit Image: Navy Federal Credit Union Navy Federal Credit Union: best for military-affiliated business owners My rating: 3.80 out of 5 Why I chose it In my opinion, the Navy Federal Credit Union is an outstanding choice for military-connected entrepreneurs seeking a reliable credit union for their business checking needs. It offers some of the best credit union business checking accounts with fee-free or waivable fee options. As the largest credit union in terms of assets and membership, with branches in over 30 states, Navy Federal’s strong presence and extensive services set it apart from other credit unions. Membership qualifications Eligibility: Restricted to US military service members, veterans, Department of Defense (DoD) personnel, and their families. See Navy FCU’s membership eligibility page. Business Membership: A $250 deposit is required for sole proprietorships and $255 for other legal entities. All business owners must be Navy FCU members. You can apply for membership online. Monthly Fees Business Checking: None Business Plus Checking: $8; not waivable Business Premium Checking: $20; waivable if ADB is $5,000 or more Features Debit card with zero liability for unauthorized transactions Competitive APY for business checking and savings Business savings, MMAs, and CDs Merchant services, payroll processing, and business insurance Business credit cards Commercial real estate (CRE) loans, lines of credit, and

Logs and event data are becoming too labor-intensive to analyze manually due to the growing cyber threat landscape. As a result, organizations now rely on Security Information and Event Management, commonly known as SIEM tools, to collect and analyze these data types to gain actionable security insights. LogRhythm and Splunk are two prominent players in the SIEM market, and many organizations deploy them to monitor and manage security events, detect threats, and ensure a robust security posture. But what distinguishes one from the other? This article comprehensively compares LogRhythm and Splunk, examining their features, pricing, pros, and cons. LogRhythm: Best for an all-in-one SIEM, with User and Entity Behavior Analytics and centralized log management. Splunk: Best for customizability, powerful log analytics capabilities, and advanced threat detection. ManageEngine Log360 Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Activity Monitoring, Blacklisting, Dashboard, and more Graylog Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Activity Monitoring, Dashboard, Notifications LogRhythm vs Splunk: Comparison table The following table outlines the key features found in LogRhythm and Splunk. LogRhythm Splunk Real-time monitoring Yes Yes Advanced threat detection Yes Yes Centralized management dashboards Yes Yes Easy of deployment Easier to deploy Difficult Customizable dashboard Yes Has more customizable features Threat remediation features Yes Yes User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) Yes Yes LogRhythm vs Splunk: Pricing LogRhythm pricing LogRhythm operates a flexible pricing and licensing structure that comes with unlimited log resources and users. Prices are also offered on a perpetual, subscription, and unlimited data basis. For more details on LogRhythm’s pricing, contact their sales team for a proper quotation. Splunk pricing Similar to LogRhythm, Splunk operates a flexible pricing model, which is captured below. Workload: Customers are charged based on the types of workload they run with the Splunk Platform. Ingest: Here, customers pay based on the amount of data they bring into the Splunk Platform. Entity: This plan is based on the number of hosts using Splunk. Activity-based: This is based on activities being monitored by Splunk. Apart from the above pricing options, Splunk users also have the option to get an estimate of what they will be charged if they use Splunk. LogRhythm vs Splunk: Feature comparison Below is a head-to-head comparison between LogRhythm and Splunk. Deployment options LogRhythm users have flexible deployment options to match varying needs and goals. The deployment choices available to customers include self-hosting, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), or engagement with a managed security service provider. There is also a cloud deployment option with LogRhythm Cloud, which presents a software-as-a-service (SaaS) choice. On the other hand, Splunk users can deploy the solution in a distributed search or single instance deployment. In addition, the software is available in cloud, on-premise, or multi-cloud formats. Data analysis When it comes to data analysis, LogRhythm’s Machine Data Intelligence (MDI) functionality helps users to make sense of their data. This functionality contextualizes and enriches data at the time of ingestion. It also helps to translate complex data into digestible chunks of information to enhance the accuracy of data analysis. Splunk also has a data analytic engine designed to gather, index, and manage large volumes of data, regardless of its format. Splunk’s data analytics can analyze data in real-time and dynamically generate schemas. This eliminates the need for users to deeply understand the underlying data structure, as they can easily query and explore the data without any prior knowledge. Customizable dashboard LogRhythm allows users to customize their dashboards in ways that suit them. For instance, users can decide to customize the report template, create custom log detail reports, restore the default logo to a report, schedule and manage scheduled reports, rename a custom dashboard, and decide which dashboard to make public or private. LogRhythm dashboard. Image: LogRhythm Splunk also offers a highly customizable dashboard. Users can choose from various charts and other virtualizations to act on their data. For instance, users can integrate reports, charts, and reusable panels to derive more insight from their data. In addition, there is also the option to tailor data for different use cases and users, such as business, security analysts, auditors, developers, and operations teams — to facilitate their operations. Splunk data virtualization dashboard. Image: Splunk More cloud security coverage Centralized log and incident management LogRhythm offers centralized log and incident management that helps users collect, store, and analyze logs/events from various sources for auditing, compliance, and forensic purposes. There are also case management and playbooks, which offer incident management functionalities to facilitate log and incident management processes. Similarly, Splunk also provides a central log management feature that allows users to collect and store logs from various sources in centralized storage. Users can also encrypt the logs collected to prevent unauthorized access. Advanced threat detection Both LogRhythm and Splunk provide users with advanced threat detection capabilities. LogRhythm does this by combining machine analytics and search analytics. These functionalities offer users a risk-based monitoring strategy that automatically identifies and prioritizes attacks and threats. Splunk also rides on the power of machine learning to detect advanced threats and other 1790+ out-of-the-box detections for frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, NIST, CIS 20, and Kill Chain. Splunk executed playbook & actions. Image: Splunk SEE: Securing Linux Policy (TechRepublic Premium) LogRhythm pros and cons Below are the key takeaways from the LogRhythm SIEM solution. Pros Users can map their security and IT operations to existing frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK and NIST. Offers real-time visibility across environments for easy identification and prioritization of potential threats. Centralized log management support. Offers User and Entity Behavior Analytics capabilities (UEBA). Offers free training videos. Cons Complicated pricing plans. The customization feature is not broad. No free trial. Splunk pros and cons The pros and cons of Splunk are highlighted below. Pros

In response to a U.K. government inquiry about access to data sequestered on Apple devices, Cupertino has removed access to the Advanced Data Protection encryption feature from U.K.-held devices. “We have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will,” an anonymous Apple representative wrote in a statement emailed to TechRepublic. Must-read Apple coverage UK wants law enforcement to be able to access data on individual devices, sources claim In early February, the Home Office invoked the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 to request a way to access the encrypted data held under Apple’s Advanced Data Protection. The Washington Post broke the news based on anonymous sources, saying the information was discussed in secret. The Investigatory Powers Act gives law enforcement and intelligence personnel provisions for harvesting data. The U.K. government has not issued a statement confirming or denying the situation. Stating that the government has invoked the act is itself a criminal offense. SEE: Apps without contact information for their developers have been pulled by Apple from the EU App Store to comply with the Digital Services Act. According to the BBC, the government would have to follow a legal process to access such data, and would likely use it to target individuals already under investigation instead of wide swaths of the population. Advanced Data Protection is Apple’s most rigorous privacy measure Data stored under Apple’s Advanced Data Protection offers the highest level of protection the company provides, keeping information hidden even from Apple itself. Users have to sign up for Advanced Data Protection as an extra step on top of Apple’s default security measures. According to The Washington Post’s initial article, “most” Apple device users don’t sign up for Advanced Data Protection. If a U.K. user has not already signed up for Advanced Data Protection, they will not be able to as of February 21, Apple said. Instead, those users will see a message: “Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users.” Apple said existing users will need to disable the feature manually to continue using iCloud. More guidance for those users is forthcoming. Other end-to-end encrypted applications and services from Apple, such as iCloud Keychain, Health, iMessage, and FaceTime, will not change. source

What Are Employee Benefits Employee benefits are non-wage compensations you provide to your employees alongside their regular salaries or wages. These perks are designed to support their well-being, boost job satisfaction, and position your company as a desirable workplace. Benefits can be mandatory, as required by law, or voluntary, offered by you to gain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent. Employees can pay a small portion of the cost, with you as their employer covering the rest. Offered on a monthly basis, the four main categories of employee benefits are: Insurance plans, such as life or health insurance Retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans Additional compensation plans, such as bonuses Time off policies, such as paid vacation or sick days Most benefits are subject to income tax withholding and employment taxes because the IRS considers them part of the employee’s gross income for services rendered. When factoring in mandatory and extra benefits, they can account for up to 9% of your total compensation costs per employee, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 1 BambooHR Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees) Micro, Small, Medium Features Applicant Tracking, Benefits Administration, Onboarding, and more 2 Rippling Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features 360 Degree Feedback, Applicant Tracking, Benefits Administration, and more Why Are Employee Benefits Important Employee benefits contribute to both your employees’ well-being and your company’s success. For example, offering generous employee benefits packages can help you manage a positive employee lifecycle by attracting and recruiting top talent, improving employee health and job satisfaction, and retaining top talent. These benefits enhance your company’s competitive edge and productivity. Let’s take a look at each of these advantages. Attracting Top Talent Up to 34% of employees see benefits as the second biggest motivator to look for another job. Clearly, employers who offer competitive benefits packages are more likely to draw in jobseekers, lending to their overall competitive edge in their industries. Enhancing Employee Satisfaction In a 2022 study conducted by LIMRA, 63% of employees said their benefits packages contribute to their decision to stay with a company. This means the benefits you offer your employees directly correlate to whether they are satisfied enough with their jobs. In addition, the number of benefits you offer may contribute to higher on-the-job satisfaction. In the same study, two-thirds of employees said they were satisfied with six or more benefits compared to only three out of 10 saying they were satisfied with one to three benefits. Improving Employee Health Health insurance is mandatory under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for companies with more than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees. It also benefits businesses by ensuring healthier, more productive teams. Employees not worrying about a sick child or other dependent at home are often more focused at work. Many health plans come with preventative care that can hinder the development of serious personal or familial illnesses. These plans may reduce underproductivity and minimize excessive time off, saving your company from financial and productivity loss. Strengthening Employee Retention Employees who can plan their retirements with your company are incentivized to stay long-term. You can encourage this kind of loyalty by offering pension and 401(k) retirement plans, among others. A pension plan could offer employees a retirement income, while a 401(k) plan offers an employer contribution to an employee retirement savings plan. Employee Benefits Types Employee benefits are divided into four categories.  Below is an overview of each, followed by a table listing benefit options for each category. Insurance Benefits Insurance benefits may include health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. But to stand out in a competitive job market, you can also include these additional benefits: Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policies: These plans are often add-ons to health or life insurance policies. They cover expenses related to the policyholders’ accidental deaths or dismemberments, such as if the holder loses a limb, vision, hearing, or speech in an accident. Short-term disability policies: These policies help employees keep afloat if they experience a sudden but transitory disability, such as a non-work illness, injury, or other medical condition. Flexible spending accounts (FSAs): These accounts are often part of healthcare plans and allow employees to set aside part of their pre-tax salary for healthcare expenses and co-pays, self-care expenses, and even child care. Long-term care insurance: This policy pays employees who need long-term care. It can cover assistance with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating; adult day care services; transportation; or a place in an assisted living or nursing home. Retirement Plans For companies of a certain size, retirement plans are part of the legally mandated offering. However, even smaller companies that are not required to provide them often do so to drive employee satisfaction and retention. Some examples of retirement plans you can offer as employee benefits include: 401(k) plans: Employees contribute a portion of each paycheck to save for retirement. You may also match these contributions, provide a partial matching program, or offer profit sharing. These 401(k) plans often come with employer tax benefits. SIMPLE IRA plans:  Similar to 401(k) plans, these plans are usually offered by smaller employers. Employees can contribute funds from their paychecks, while your company can agree to match their contributions. Funds are contributed on a pre-tax basis, and employers also enjoy tax benefits from offering SIMPLE IRA plans. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs): These plans award employees ownership of the company in the form of stocks at retirement. In doing so, they incentivize active employees to work toward the company’s profitability and stay with the company until retirement. Additional Compensation Plans While employee benefits are often interchangeably referred to as “fringe benefits,” the latter are offered outside of the company’s standard or legally mandated benefits package. Even though some of these benefits are not provided in monetary form,

Organizations including Qualcomm and Wiliot have announced the formation of the Ambient IoT Alliance, a multi-standard ecosystem of ambient IoT manufacturers, suppliers, integrators, operators, users, and customers. Ambient IoT is an ecosystem for devices that draw energy from ambient radio waves, light, motion, heat, or any other widely available, pervasive source. Bluetooth, 5G Advanced, and 802.11bp could help support this class of devices, which offers high scalability and, potentially, lower costs than non-ambient versions, the alliance said. The term ambient IoT could apply to a wide variety of  “battery-less things,” such as sensors for location, temperature, and humidity. In the press release, the Ambient IoT Alliance said their ecosystem is not meant to replace any other standardization activities; instead, the group will promote ambient IoT and contribute documentation, support, and use cases to standardization efforts where appropriate. Must-read IoT coverage Who are the founding members of the Ambient IoT Alliance? Founding members of the Ambient IoT Alliance include: Atmosic. Infineon Technologies AG. Intel. PepsiCo. Qualcomm. VusionGroup. Wiliot. The group’s founders hope businesses, telcos, technology vendors, and standards bodies will join to speed up the formal, global standardization of ambient IoT already in progress among the IEEE (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth SIG, and 3GPP (5G Advanced). What will the Ambient IoT Alliance enable? The Alliance’s vision is to connect the wireless radios in mobile devices and appliances to more IoT-networked devices. The Ambient IoT Alliance sees this method being used in “supply chains, retail channels, and healthcare delivery services.” The method is also a chance to gather the large sets of data artificial intelligence can sort through. Ambient IoT could realize the ROI potential of AI and revolutionize supply chains or customer experiences, the group proposed. “Today, artificial intelligence is running out of reliable data to train on,” said Steve Statler, spokesperson for the Ambient IoT Alliance. “This is a danger – the technology can end up eating itself by training itself on the output from AI. The data coming from the ambient IoT offers orders of magnitude more quantity and also an increasing quality, because it’s coming from real items.” Ambient IoT potentially offers options for energy reduction As batteryless devices, ambient IoT components offer a way to reduce energy use and, at best, minimize maintenance time. “Ambient IoT is well aligned with Infineon’s strategic focus on IoT and Energy leadership and our motto of driving digitalization and decarbonization,” said Dr. Kamesh Medapalli, senior vice president, Connected Secure Systems, Infineon Technologies. Specifically, proponents of ambient IoT say it can “rearchitect” the way wireless tracking devices use energy. “Ambient IoT is the key to sustainable IoT adoption,” said Atmosic co-founder David Su. “It allows us to rearchitect wireless tracking solutions to either use very little power or harvested energy, so everything can remain connected continuously and companies can operate at maximum efficiency.” “Eliminating batteries and eliminating cabling brings down the cost, and because this is a new generation of IoT Ambient IoT, tags can cost as little as ten cents with the technology being produced in 2025,” said Statler. source

Around the globe, business leaders are exploring AI’s potential to help them operate more efficiently and drive better business outcomes. But not all businesses are on a fast path to achieving impactful AI results. According to 2025 IBM research, for example, 77% of executives say they need to adopt gen AI quickly to keep up with competitors — but only 25% strongly agree that their organisation’s IT infrastructure can support scaling AI across the enterprise. AI progress in Australia is advancing, but still limited. In the 2024 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking by the International Institute for Management Development, which measures countries on their digital knowledge, technology, and future readiness, Australia placed 15th of 67 countries — up just one slot from 16th in 2023. One of the challenges holding back Australian businesses is a lack of the functional capability and confidence required to break out of the experimentation phases of AI projects. “When an organisation is working with any unknown technology, the natural position will be to isolate it and put it in a sandbox, because of its perceived riskiness,” says John Hanna, Neudesic Australia.  “This is not solely a reflection of technology, but one of organisational capability. [It takes both] organisational capability and technical talent to work with AI technologies effectively.” Developing the functional capability to manage AI projects, and operationalise them once completed, is an especially tough challenge for Australia’s mid market organisations — which are competing against larger companies, across global markets, for small pools of skilled AI talent. Working with a trusted integrator, with deep AI experience and credentials, can help mid market organisations fill the capability gaps that can keep them from moving beyond the sandbox to leveraging AI for impact. The right integrator partner will ensure the following efforts are central to Australian mid market organisations’ AI journeys, helping drive up their AI confidence and accelerate their success. Define the outcomes AI will deliver Organisations need to determine their AI objectives, and align them to their business priorities, before taking other steps. Having clear AI objectives and use cases, and identifying metrics for assessing improvements in the areas where AI is ultimately applied, makes securing buy-in and approval easier. Common areas where businesses aim to harness AI for impact include increasing productivity, improving quality of work, or pursuing wider business value initiatives — such as improving customer service or bringing new products to market faster. An integrator partner that offers data and AI strategy services, such as longtime Microsoft partner Neudesic, can help Australian mid market organisations pinpoint the applications in which AI can drive meaningful, measurable benefits. Build a data foundation underpinned by expertise Working with AI introduces new challenges and constraints to the ways organisations manage their data, and maintain the quality and security of that data. Organisations need to have clear policies on the classification of data that can be used for AI based projects, for example, as well as policies on the usage of external data (that may have copyright or licensing requirements). Organisations also need clarity on who is responsible for their datasets — especially those created for the sole purpose of AI usage — among many other security, storage, and compliance considerations. With AI skill sets in Australia still highly limited, an integrator partner with experience building data foundations for leading multinational firms can be invaluable to mid market organisations. “Having a trusted partner can help businesses avoid common [data and technology] pitfalls or mistakes, resulting in less investment remorse and creating business confidence in the technology at a faster pace than would otherwise be possible,” says Hanna. Empower data-driven decision making No matter the scale or size of their businesses, all organisations’ AI needs to be enterprise-grade in order to be capable of scaling over time, and providing the insights necessary to help organisations navigate an uncertain future. Applying tried and tested technology solutions to targeted problem and opportunity areas is the fastest path to both driving impactful outcomes, and cultivating valuable insights to support data-informed decisions and strategies. “Ultimately the breadth of data businesses need to deal with is vast, disparate and unstructured, often pushing existing systems, processes and teams that rely on analysing known patterns, beyond their capabilities,” says Hanna. “Adoption of AI provides a solution to analyse this information at scale and speed.” Advance AI with confidence and capability Having the right people, approach, and technology behind their AI initiatives helps organisations move projects forward with confidence. Making progress on AI as an organisational priority — rather than staying in the experimentation phase — takes a level of functional capability that’s challenging for Australian companies to achieve on their own. Neudesic, an IBM Company and award-winning Microsoft pure-play partner, brings enterprise-grade IP and world-class experience and partnerships to the Australian market to help companies realise impact from their AI investments. To find out more about Neudesic, go to https://www.neudesic.com/. source

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Its only limit to being any slimmer than it is now is the charging port, which is separated from the case by a small slither of metal, according to product manager Zhou Yibao. Oppo is careful not to claim the Find N5 as the thinnest foldable smartphone, as Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate, measuring just 3.6 mm thick when unfolded, pips it to the title. However, as Huawei’s is a tri-fold device, the Find N5 can safely claim to be the thinnest bi-folding, or book-style, smartphone at a rumoured 4.2 mm thick. In pictures shared on Weibo, Yibao compared the device to an iPhone 16 Pro Max and two Chinese yuan coins to demonstrate its thinness. Oppo Find N5 next to an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Image: Oppo/Weibo Oppo Find N5 next to two Chinese yuan coins. Image: Oppo/Weibo What are key features of the Oppo Find N5? Yibao has revealed a number of features we can expect from the device, including its IPX6, IPX8, and IPX9 full-level water resistance certifications, meaning it can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature jets of water as well as submersion. He said it is the “only folding flagship on the market” to offer all three. The Find series head also announced that the Find N5 will come with DeepSeek-R1 integrations, such as with the voice assistant, online search, and the local file system, so chats can be saved to the device. Oppo Find N5 will support ColorOS, the company’s custom Android-based operating system with multitasking features like the split screen. According to Digital Camera World, which was sent a handset ahead of the launch, it also has a triple camera setup from Swedish camera-maker Hasselblad, and the crease down the middle of the display is visible but “almost impossible to feel with your finger.” The device will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, according to an image shared by Yibao, and can be charged both with a cable and wirelessly, marking an upgrade from its predecessor. There are three colours available: black, white, and purple. All three will be available in China, with the official names Satin Black, Jade White, and Dusk Purple. Only the black and white versions will be sold in Europe, under Cosmic Black and Misty White. The Oppo Find N5 is the successor to Oppo Find N3 released in 2023; the name N4 was not used in the latest version due to the number’s association with death in China. The N3 was sold as OnePlus Open in the U.S., and was also launched in the U.S. later than elsewhere. It is therefore likely that the device will make its way to the States later this time around, too, and be named OnePlus Open 2. source