‍ What is the secret to promoting a thriving democracy at the grassroots level? The answer lies in citizen engagement in local government. A 2022 survey by Rock Solid found that 62.8% of people reported being satisfied with their access to local governance. This indicates the need for a more significant level of engagement. It also underscores why encouraging citizen involvement in local governance has to be focused.

‍ Active citizen engagement enables the public to share their opinions on core government decisions with ease and security. This is why it serves as one of the key pillars of a functioning democracy. Additionally, by 2050, two-thirds of the global population will likely live in cities. So, the local governments will need to focus more on involving citizens to meet their needs and aspirations effectively.

‍ According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), countries with higher levels of citizen engagement tend to have more effective and responsive governments. This highlights the critical role engaged citizens play in enhancing governance. However, challenges like lack of awareness, communication barriers, and limited accessibility often restrain civic participation.

Fast Company recently covered NATO ACT’s partnership with us to create its NI2CE Messenger, an exploratory initiative to investigate the potential of a digitally sovereign messenger. For experimental use within NATO ACT, NI2CE (NATO Interoperable Instant Communication Environment) is a sovereign and secure messenger that aims to complement existing NATO communication solutions with a secure Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) style messenger for ‘non classified’ use.

Effective communication in the workplace is crucial; it’s the key to achieving goals and scaling your business with ease. Miscommunications can disrupt your operations and severely affect your productivity. Several factors may cause a lack of communication at work. You must identify these causes and take the necessary measures to improve communication. With better communication, you will improve collaboration and minimize the likelihood of your teams working in silos.

In this fast-paced digital world, businesses all around the world are going through significant changes to keep up. The landscape of B2B has changed drastically since the initiation of online marketplaces with streamlined operations. These online marketplaces have emerged as powerful tools of engagement. These marketplaces have introduced advanced and innovative ways to connect buyers and sellers together under a single roof.

ERP enables companies to centralize and optimize disparate business processes, including finance, inventory, CRM, and human resource management, thus helping improve business efficiency. However, companies using legacy ERP can find it more burdensome than helpful for their businesses over time. As ERP software grows outdated, it becomes more challenging to maintain and operate. Software performance, data security, and other issues can also arise.

The risk of cyber attacks is continually soaring. The number of data breaches between 2021 and 2023 grew by 72%, surpassing previous records. Communication platforms used by businesses for workplace communication are particularly at risk. Also, breaches of shared confidential data lead to substantial financial losses and damage to a company's reputation. ‍For instance, the global indicator 'Estimated Cost of Cybercrime' was forecast to increase by $ 6.4 trillion between 2024 and 2029.

Companies and company leaders often stress the importance of employee loyalty. However, are they doing enough to keep those employees within their ranks? According to WeWorkRemotely, 76% of workers choose to work for companies that provide additional training or skills improvement. Moreover, 70% of employees stated that they would leave their company for a position within an organization that invests in employee development. Have you noticed a rise in employee attrition?