Although what we refer to now as “the cloud” has been around since the creation of the World Wide Web, it has only been over the last 5 years that it has truly gained any momentum. The technology has now reached a point where it can meet the needs and expectations of businesses.

Cloud computing, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), is a way to provide resources to consumers - anything from storage and bandwidth to an entire platform and products. The service is provided with minimal configuration from the end user and allows the customer to use as little or as much as required whilst paying a variable rate.

The gaming industry is already taking advantage of the benefits of the cloud, with Bet365 announcing that its new version of in-play betting will have dramatically reduced latency. IGT is also driving cloud services and empowering casinos to manage game content from one of the largest game libraries in the industry. Cloud gaming allows 3D gaming to be streamed to devices that could not create such sophisticated graphics on their own systems.

Security and stability are the key areas which will provide complex issues and will be watched closely. However, the major advantages to the cloud are having the ability to remove failed or compromised hardware, without taking the entire system offline and having the support of a dedicated security team.

Only time will tell how far the online gaming industry can develop products for cloud computing.

Mark Yates

iGaming Recruitment Consultant

Tel: (01202) 924924

Email: marky@arm.co.uk

We would like to congratulate ARM's Christmas competition winner, Gordon Foot, for auctioning his brand new Amazon Kindle and donating the proceeds to the RNLI.

Gordon successfully sold the kindle in an eBay auction this week.

This morning we were pleased to receive an email from Gordon with a picture of him handing over a check for £83 to Sean at Plymouth RNLI station. 

Here's to Gordon!

Advanced Resource Managers.

With the ICE expo taking place next week, the iGaming year starts with a bang. This premier event is now compulsory attendance for all the big players and each will be hoping their latest technological advance will win them a bigger slice of an ever expanding pie.

For the last few weeks my excitement (and must say ‘slight trepidation’) has been building, as this will be my first chance to attend such a prestigious event. It will be a fantastic opportunity for me and my fellow ARMers to meet and greet a huge variety of industry professionals, all together under one roof and all wanting to talk business. What a perfect time to discover news on upcoming acquisitions, product launches and future skills requirements, and, with a little help of some liquid refreshment, maybe even a few industry secrets.

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the latest advances in ‘Mobile Gaming’ which has become synonymous with the popularity of Smartphones, Tablets, and bespoke personal entertainment devices such as iPods. Mobile Gaming and other technologies now require a highly adaptive and versatile workforce with candidates demonstrating a wide range of skills such as statistical and financial modelling.

What I think is most important, is the fact that we are there in person to build new friendships, re-establish longstanding business relationships and understand people’s needs and wants for the near future. In some ways its daunting to think about the impact such events can have on a business sector, but at the same time, for those like me who are new to this event, it’s incredibly exciting, and I look forward to enjoying the whole experience.

For those of you who wish to meet with us on our stand, (which I have been told is looking pretty good this year) then by all means come along. We are located on the upper floor of Earls Court 1 next to the VIP area, Stand L1 445. We would be more than happy to meet with you and discuss how ARM can support your aims and aspirations. We are genuinely committed to getting the best people into the best jobs with the best companies and we always work hard to make sure we deliver on that commitment. If for any reason you would prefer to meet elsewhere then please name a preferred location and one of us will be there.

I hope that ICE will be a great success and we all gain something from the experience.

Jeremy Cook

iGaming Recruitment Consultant

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2012 seems to have come around very quickly so firstly a very Happy New Year to all!

From my conversations with online gaming operators before the Christmas break, it became very apparent that the need for marketing professionals with casino experience is at its peak. This need is necessary to support the dynamic marketing strategies of key iGaming brands for 2012.

Now is the time for iGaming companies and candidates from London, Gibraltar, Malta and further afield to embrace the market with new vigor for the year ahead.

If you are looking to kick start your Marketing career this New Year, get in touch with ARM’s iGaming recruitment team to discuss the exciting opportunities we have available with our extensive client base.

All the best and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Ben Phillips

Marketing Recruitment Specialist

Marketing jobs

Tel: 01202 924924

Email: benp@arm.co.uk

With eMarketer forecasting US online advertising spending to reach $31.3 billion this year, 2012 is set to be the biggest year to date for social media communications and campaigns. When it comes to generating leads and identifying prospects online, studies have shown that already 95% of US agencies use social media for identifying potential clients.

However, the results of this high level of commitment to social media were relatively modest in 2011, with most agencies attributing less than 10% of their business revenue to their social media outreach. This statistic underlines the necessity of social media campaigns to be targeted, concise and relevant in order to generate the desired outcomes. It also acts as a reminder that although social media is growing rapidly, it is still an immature form of online marketing. It still has huge potential for growing further and becoming more closely related to generating business revenue.

Overall, agencies have room to improve how they approach and initiate conversations with potential clients. With social media still an emerging marketing practice, the emphasis is now for agencies to increase the quality of their social media communications to deliver what marketers want through multiple marketing touch points.

James Day

Social Media Recruitment Consultant

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Thank you to everyone who entered this years ARM Christmas competition for a chance to win the new Amazon Kindle. We had over 200 entries across Twitter and LinkedIn, plus lots of fun reading your messages.

Alas there can only be one winner. One entry stood out to us from Gordon Foot via LinkedIn:

Please Santa wish all those working over Christmas safe seas, safe watch and safe passage home to their families. If I win a Kindle please auction it with proceeds to the RNLI

This entry came close to our hearts reflecting on our own focus to support two charities (Macmillin cancer support and Make A Wish Foundation) for this financial year.

We would like to thank Gordon Foot for his submission and announce him as the winner of this year’s competition. The prize is now in the post to Gordon who is going to auction it off and transfer the proceeds to the RNLI. Check back here to hear how much is raised over the coming weeks.

Update: Auction now live

10.01.12: The auction for the Amazon Kindle is now live on Ebay.

Sam Hill

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Advanced Resource Managers

So here we are in 2012! The race for superiority in the Danish iGaming market has started and it will be interesting to see who the ‘big players’ will be after the initial mad rush of the first 6 months subsides.

I already have my own predictions having spoken to Danish eGaming marketing experts over the past few months, though I will keep these to myself and wait and see if they materialise! Please feel free to note your opinions in the comments.

I certainly look forward to the rebranding of the Danish SAS Ligaen with Betsafe’s name and hopefully see the effect on the market that this will bring.

As I looked through the Danish eGaming license list I was surprisingly taken aback. I had to re-read several times to check that I hadn’t missed certain names on the list, especially the noticeable absence of PAF and Paddy Power.

Another interesting addition to Denmark’s license system was the additional ‘income-restricted license’. I hope this will give smaller start-up operators a chance to challenge on a smaller scale and create their own exciting USPs to offer to the Danish public.

There have been some massive pre-market regulation hires at the top of some of the biggest brands including Richard Funchs’ move back to Ladbrokes from the Betsson Group, Tony Brandenborg joining the Betsson Group from RoxyPalace and Henrik Greve Jensen taking his expertise from Sportingbet to Bet24.

We can expect further strengthening of the majority of the operators that are focused on Denmark across all levels of marketing, operations and technology in 2012 should the public react positively to the legalisation of our exciting industry.

Andrew Wiseman

iGaming Recruitment Consultant

iGaming Jobs

On behalf of all of us here at ARM, we wish all of you a wonderful break and a prosperous and successful new year.

And so that time of year is upon us in the I.T Contract Market.

It is December, and traditionally this is the time of year where opportunities in the contract market are few and far between.

But not everything is doom and gloom! I believe that December is the perfect time to be thinking of your next contract opportunity.

It is a time for reflection. A time to look at that old CV and update it with new skills and experiences that you have developed that will help you secure that new role in the new year.

The market generally picks up the first week in January, and whilst others are busy feasting on that Christmas Turkey and over endulging, if you use this period wisely you can generally get ahead of the game.

We have had a fantastc year here in the I.T Contracts team, with ARM securing a variety of new clients, whilst sucessfully placing quality candidates with our already existing portfolio of clients. We hope that next year will be just as successful, and by our candidates providing us with quality, up to date CV's upon our return to work on the 3rd January, we can all hit the ground running and together have a sucessful 2012.

Have a very merry Christmas.

Jonathan Tranter

IT Contractor Recruitment Consultant

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I have always enjoyed a decent social night, but the nights out in Aberdeen with the Oil & Gas contractors are always guaranteed good fun. Since 2003 I have been involved in inviting and attending Xmas drinks with current contractors in Aberdeen, and 2011 was no exception.

As this was ARM’s first contractor Xmas night out in Aberdeen, we wanted to make sure that we put on a decent show and didn’t want to disappoint. So having invited our contractor list and their guests and armed with an entertainment budget, myself and two ARM colleagues flew up to Aberdeen to host our party and get a couple of client meetings in for good measure!

We hired the back part of the bar at The Soul Bar in Union Street with the festivities starting early in the evening. Good fun was had by all (some more than others I might add!) and with 40 contractors and guests out at the height of the evening it was a very good turn out. The entire entertainment budget was drunk by 11.30ish, by which point a few people were more than ready to head home! Some of the heartier attendees headed onto other establishments but the majority finished up and staggered back to their abodes!

The flight back home the following day was certainly interesting especially with the strong gales that hit Scotland that week – but I think I will save that story for another blog!

We received emails after the drinks evening thanking us for the invitation and some said that they must have had a good night as they couldn’t remember getting home!!

I look forward to the next social night!

David James

Oil & Gas Recruitment Section Manager

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