With just over a week to go until our annual event in Coventry - I thought I'd just give it a quick mention again.

Don't worry, I won't launch into a rant about it like I did last time.

It is not too late to register for the only independent IT channel-focused exhibition in the UK.

We have a brilliant line up of speakers as well with top names from Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu and Context to name a few.

And on top of that we have over 60 vendor exhibitors that are all ready and raring to meet with attendees and actually generate new business opportunities.

We are always told that networking is an important part of keeping a business fresh, and you don't get much better than this.

Registrations have really ramped up these past couple of weeks, but we are always keen for more!

To find out more about the event and to register - please click here.

A new breed of super efficient company is coming.

Apparently.

The one with hardly any employees because it is super automated, which apparently translates into 'minimal risk', 'unparalleled upside' and 'potentially accelerated revenue generation' for entrepreneurs.

These claims are being made by Magister Advisors - who are 'M&A advisors to the technology industry'.

Apparently every employee for Microsoft is worth $3m, and every Apple employee is worth $10m.

Compare this with employee-light firms such as Instagram and Facebook, whose 13 and 3,000 employees are each worth $77m and $33m respectively.

But wait a minute.

While it must be great to have no overheads and a company run by machines, firms can quickly become out of touch and classed as unresponsive. How does it tune into the emotions and feelings of its customers?

There is no substitute for relationship building within business, and if something goes wrong, it is only other people that can actually solve problems.

Human touch cannot be replicated by any machine.

You can definitely tell it is InfoSec week.

My inbox is groaning from the sheer level of security-based press releases flooding into it.

But I had to comment/pick on on this particular one from security vendor Faronics.

Apparently 71 per cent of those questioned are worred about the amount of personal information held online, but despite this, a 'significant proportion' would still share confidential information with people they didn't know.  Really? Do they need their heads examined?

Also almost a third of those (32 per cent), said they would send a password, bank account number or their mother's maiden name via email or a social networking website. That is truly worrying. Was the poll conducted with a bunch of pre-teens or professional business people?  (Apprentice candidates aside)

LinkedIn was seen as a particularly trustworthy site, with 33 per cent of respondents admitting they have accepted connection requests from people they don't know. Well that isn't difficult to be honest - I don't personally know all my LinkedIn connections.

Also just 20 per cent of those on LinkedIn control who can view the information on their profiles, compared with 46 per cent on Facebook.

Could this possibly be because most people (teenagers and people desperate for friends excepted) use Facebook as a personal tool that only their true friends are part of, and LinkedIn is a less personal business tool?

Quite often you want total strangers to contact you on LinkedIn, either offering you a job or a connection to a place that might have taken years to infiltrate. It is called contact building where I come from.

But Faronics believes that people feel LinkedIn is safer because it hasn't received the same amount of publicity over its security as Facebook has.

Despite this belief, sharing any kind of personal/sensitive information over either these mediums leaves me wondering how some people are able to safely get themselves to work and back every day.

But don't worry, because luckily Faronics is on hand to 'secure multi-user PC environments' and ensure these mistakes are avoided.

Sleep easy readers!

We would all like another £7,000 to feel happy, research has claimed.

Isn't that one of the most pointless claims ever? Of course we would all like some more money - no-one is exactly going to turn it down if they are offered it are they?

In other news, I have heard reports of a bear emptying its bowels in the woods recently and also that the Pope is Catholic.

But let me delve deeper into this wondrous piece of research - aptly named 'Times of our Lives' - by insurance giant Aviva - yes that firm with the irritating adverts of the non-singing variety. "Which one?" I hear you cry.

On average we all would like an extra £7,236 a year before tax to be really happy, the research claims, meaning most people face a monthly gap of £411 between their current income and what they feel would give them a more comfortable life.

Unsurprisingly the most cash-strapped age group are those aged between 25 and 34 who want an additional £12,003 a year (£627 a month) to live the life they dream of.

Next in the 'me, me, me' line are 35-44 year olds who would like around £600 extra a month - equal to £10,762 a year. This is because of increased debts such as mortgages, paying for children and other sundries most normal people incur.

Over 65s are a little more modest, settling for an extra £380 a year (£23 a month after tax). Bless.

But in the words of Sir Mick Jagger: "You can't always get what you want."

Most of us will be lucky to get a below inflation payrise this year. And the next. And the one after that.  It is called the 'real world'.

Remind me to film my boss' face and send the clip to Aviva when I sit down with him and demand an extra £10,762 this year.

Maybe my reader(s) will suggest where I can deposit said video clip.

We are very pleased to announce the first ever CRN Sales and Marketing Awards shortlist.

Congratulations to everyone who made the list - the standard of entry has been amazingly strong considering it is an inaugural event.

As you will notice some categories have longer lists than others and that is simply because we had so many quality entries in those categories, that it justified having slightly more entries.

The judges are now hard at work looking through the shortlists - winners will be announced on the evening of 21 June.

Make sure you are there to celebrate and enjoy the inevitable party afterwards.

Table sales are also now open.

To book a table and find out more about the venue, please click here.

I was perusing through Twitter over the Easter weekend when I saw a killjoy headline on Sky News about bank holiday breaks costing the UK economy billions.

According to the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) every bank holiday costs the UK economy £2.3bn in lost productivity, and it called for them to be more evenly spread throughout the year.

Granted, bank holidays do seem to be like buses - you wait weeks and weeks for one and then two come along at once - but the hard working UK population needs this breaks to recharge their batteries and get their heads back in working order.

Speaking to my valued contacts this year it appears everyone has been in the same boat. It has been absolutely non-stop this year since we returned from the Christmas break - and for many it has been the first proper break since then.

I know it has for me.

While it is great to be busy, and I wouldn't have it any other way - you need to get away from work every now and again for your own sanity.

Also what the CEBR seemingly failed to take into account was the fact that when it is a bank holiday, those on their well-earned breaks actually go out and spend money - therefore pumping it back into often struggling sectors - such as retail and tourism.

Surely that is no bad thing?

Although my experiences at the weekend, trying to spend a gift voucher purchased from Sainsbury's, was one I don't want to repeat in a hurry. Let's just say after an angry Tweet and follow-up phone call today I'm still not happy!

So in my humble opinion - if there are several bank holidays in a row, then so what?

Most office workers get everything done before going on their break anyway, often working twice as hard to ensure they are in a comfortable position when they return - so technically they are doing more work.

Of course you will always get a percentage of people who take advantage, but there is not a lot that can be done about them.

Overall a rested and happy workforce is far better than a stressed out, unproductive one, and I think it is something that the CEBR should bear in mind before releasing statements such as this one.

Rant over.

For now!

Reading through my emails this morning I started feeling incredulous at some of the content until I looked at the date - 1 April.

Sadly we missed out on trying to fool our audience with a ridiculous made up story this year because funnily enough none of us actually work on a Sunday as a rule. That would have been a joke too far!

Some of the top pranks I've found from yesterday include:

Google

Google proved itself to be a top fooler with an announcement that it was releasing a version of Google Maps for the 'long neglected' Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The graphics released were stunning, showing a heavily pixellated Buckingham Palace. Gaming geeks everywhere were in heaven.

ThinkGeek.com

Similarly ThinkGeek.com appealed to retro gaming fans by launching an iPad version of the childhood classic Hungry Hippos, which showed a set of the plastic hippos attached to the iPad. Personally I would have bought one of those - a bargain at $29.99.

Virgin

Richard Branson also got in on the April Fool's act by announcing that he was going to be taking people on trips to the centre of the Earth via his 'Virgin Volcanic' programme. He even said he had talked Hollywood actor Tom Hanks into taking part. Well, not everyone wants to go into space.

Occado.com

Retailer Occado.com had customers yearning for the good life after launching an offer to deliver live farm animals to their door for the freshest produce available. Chickens would be delivered for £25 and cows for up to £2,000. I wonder if they had any orders?

And closer to home:

UK Fast

The jokers at UK Fast revealed that they were set to turn their employees into 'exercise machines' to power their datacentres. By attaching specially designed battery packs to employees, the firm said it can plug the power generated back into the grid to keep things running. It even supplied pictures.

If I have missed a spectacular April Fool, please do let me know.

Isn't it amazing how time flies?

It doesn't seem like five minutes since we launched our brand new summer awards - known affectionately to us as the SMAs - but suddenly the entry deadline is almost upon us.

With categories specially tailored to suit individuals and teams with resellers, vendors and distributors, there is plenty of opportunity out there to bag a gong and shout about you and your team's success.

After a two-tier judging process, the event is culminating with a swanky awards evening at the Royal Garden Hotel in London, where all the winners will be announced.

It is going to be a typical channel party, celebrating success across the board.

Where else can vendors boast about their partner events, or resellers/distributors brag about their staff reward schemes?

Excellence in sales and marketing roles across the channel spectrum, will be recognised.

But there is less than a week to go. Don't miss out on your chance of glory.

If you are writing your entry now - best of luck with it. If you haven't started yet - please don't leave it too late.

To find out more about the SMAs, click here.