London, 18th January 2010 - Baring Asset Management (Barings) today announces that its flagship institutional multi-asset offering, the Baring Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund (DAA Fund), has grown to over £1.7 billion[1] in the three years since it launched on 17 January 2007.

According to year-end performance figures the DAA Fund has produced a cumulative return of 23.7%[2] since its launch in January 2007. This compares to the FTSE All Share which has returned -3.89%[2] over the same period. 

Over 2009 the Fund has attracted 26 new mandates worth over £536 million[3]. This brings the total number of clients invested to over 50.  Pension funds invested in the fund include Fiat Common Investment Fund, Oxford University Press, Nuffield Health, Times Warner and MGM Pension Scheme.

London — 18 January, 2010 — Hitachi Consulting UK today announced that it has completed the delivery of a new fit-for-purpose payroll system for communications infrastructure and media services company, Arqiva. The new system standardises and streamlines the newly combined payroll operations system of Arqiva and the former National Grid Wireless (NGW), following the merger of the two companies in 2008. The best-of-breed payroll system will integrate with the existing financial and HR systems, and is built on Oracle R12 Payroll technology. The new system replaces previous legacy arrangements, and will support the company’s current operations as well as long-term business requirements.

Arqiva operates at the heart of the broadcast and mobile communications industry and is at the forefront of network solutions and services. The company provides much of the infrastructure behind television, radio and wireless communications in the UK and has a growing presence in Ireland, mainland Europe and the United States.

Steering your business through troubled waters...

Thursday 14th January 2010 – CTG – a division of ILX Group plc, the company that provides tailored training programmes to the financial community and corporates, today offered businesses practical tips when considering refinancing options to help steer them through another year of economic recovery.

Martin Mitchell, Head of Operations at CTG commented, “Having survived the worst of the recession, cash-strapped businesses are facing a new challenge – increasing demands for working capital as business activity recovers.  As announced at the 2009 December pre-budget report the recovery is likely to take longer than expected.  As a result businesses may turn to their existing bank for help, but previous recessions suggest that many will be reluctant to extend credit lines.  It will be equally difficult to secure new money from new lenders. 

Access points, switches and routers for end-to-end PCI DSS conformity

LONDON, UK, Wednesday 13th January 2010 —The IT infrastructure used by the retail industry for electronic payment (cash cards, credit cards) is subject to the strictest security requirements. Set down in the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), these requirements must be fulfilled by the systems as a whole and by their individual components.

A core requirement of the PCI DSS is for all devices to support the "Triple A" procedure of authentication, authorisation and accounting. This procedure ensures that only uniquely identified users have access to the components, that each user can be assigned with specific rights, and that all actions are logged, and can thus be tracked.