Irish Tech News Audio Articles

A new White Paper prepared by Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), has today issued a number of recommendations on how the deployment of hydrogen across transport could propel Ireland's transition to net-zero in both transport and the wider economy. The publication follows the Government's decision to open a public consultation on the development of a national strategy for green hydrogen – a move which HMI has welcomed. Launched alongside an accompanying research paper on the benefits of green hydrogen as a renewable energy source, the White Paper demonstrates how the progress of other European countries can provide a useful template for Ireland, as it seeks to develop its own strategy for the deployment of green hydrogen across public and private transport. Hydrogen has been widely endorsed at EU level, with both France and Portugal allocating €7 billion to hydrogen production projects, while Germany has allocated €8 billion of funding as part of its own national hydrogen strategy. In addition, the UK has granted £30 million for the manufacturing of 124 fuel cell buses in Birmingham and has introduced an £11.2 million Government grant to develop low-cost hydrogen fuel cell technology for buses. HMI contends that an investment proportional to Ireland's size and commuter population will allow for 6,000 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on the road by 2030. Included among the key findings of the White Paper; Hydrogen has the capacity to fully eliminate CO2 emissions from heavy goods vehicles The production of green hydrogen will diversify Ireland's energy supply, providing enhanced security Thousands of secure, clean energy jobs can be created by producing hydrogen at scale The deployment of hydrogen across transport will reduce Ireland's carbon emissions by 2.6% by 2030 Development of hydrogen at scale will attract considerable Foreign Direct Investment and solidify the country's status as a hub for renewable energy While the White Paper offers medium and long-term recommendations to Government, it focuses largely on the pressing need to deploy a national hydrogen strategy – a point which has been recognised and acknowledged by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, owing to its decision to open a public consultation on the issue, earlier this month. Given that Ireland will be legally mandated to advance a network of hydrogen refuelling stations along its major motorways as per forthcoming EU legislation, the time for action and implementation is now. HMI has welcomed Government's proactivity, noting that the representative body is looking forward to working in tandem with its board members, industry partners and other stakeholders, to feed into the public consultation. Speaking today, Jonathan Hogan, Business Manager at Hydrogen Mobility Ireland, said: “I am pleased to be joined by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan T.D. to mark the launch of HMI's White Paper and policy paper on the benefits of hydrogen. The publication of our policy papers and the opening of the public consultation on a national hydrogen strategy serves as a noted example of how Government and industry can work in true partnership to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. HMI's policy papers show that the production of green hydrogen at scale, will facilitate Ireland in reducing its carbon emissions across transport and other industries; while creating significant opportunities for regional employment and boosting the green economy. In the context of ambitious sustainability targets outlined in both the Climate Action Plan 2021, and the EU's Fit-for-55 package, and in light of geopolitical considerations, the need to diversify and secure Ireland's energy supply has never been more apparent. The sooner that we implement a national hydrogen strategy, the sooner we will transition away from fossil fuels, toward a low-carbon economy. In this spirit, HMI looks forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders, to ensure th...

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today launched a €65 million fund to drive solutions to the green transition and to digital transformation. The National Challenge Fund consists of eight challenges, three in digital transformation and five in green transition. The first two challenges are now open for proposals: 2050 Challenge – To develop transformative, forward-looking solutions for Ireland to become climate neutral by 2050; and — Future Digital Challenge – To address the challenge from disruptive digital technologies. Announcing the National Challenge Fund, Minister Harris, said: “I am delighted to announce the €65m National Challenge Fund. “These areas are among the greatest challenges our country and our world face. This fund will help each and every one of us by navigating the best way forward. “When we launched our new strategy Impact 2030, I outlined the need to put research and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland's social, economic and environmental challenges. The National Challenge Fund is a tangible example of this strategy in action. “I encourage everyone to consider the 18,000 submissions put forward by the public as part of Creating Our Future as we want to respond to issues that matter to people. “Challenge teams will be interdisciplinary with scientists, engineers and researchers working together with government bodies to develop solutions to problems of national importance, partnering with stakeholders to develop, test and trial solutions.” The National Challenge Fund is an initiative under the Government's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, funded by the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility and managed by Science Foundation Ireland. Commenting on the new National Challenge Fund, Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director General, Science Foundation Ireland, said: “We are delighted to have this new funding made available under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. We look forward to working in partnership with government departments and agencies to define the challenges and help to build partnerships with the wider research community to develop research solutions to these challenges.” “This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for research teams to work in partnership with stakeholders to provide solutions to tangible problems that will benefit our society and economy.” Teams will be provided with additional opportunities to grow and scale their activities with opportunities for follow-on funding in future phases, ranging from €500k to €2 million for the most competitive teams. Each challenge incorporates four stages. The model of the competition means that researchers will receive increasing funding at each stage of the process. Research teams and ideas will be evaluated by an independent, international panel of experts. Awards for each phase will be made from 2022 to 2026.

Logicalis, an international IT solutions and managed services provider, has announced it has acquired Q Associates, one of the UK's leading providers of IT consultancy and advisory services around data management, data protection, compliance and information security. The acquisition adds complementary capabilities to Logicalis UKI's core expertise in digital infrastructure, networking & cloud, enabling a broader portfolio of best-in-class solutions and services for customers operating in the digital-enabled World. Q Associates provides technology solutions to UK Universities and Research Councils, Government Security Services and Home Office departments and commercial clients across major industry sectors, including finance, legal, transportation and energy. Q Associates holds advanced technical accreditations with many of the World's leading technology vendors, including Microsoft, NetApp, Oracle, IBM and Rubrik. The company is headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, with regional offices in London, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as a Microsoft technical delivery team in Zimbabwe. “The acquisition of Q Associates is fantastic news for all our customers and further strengthens our partnership portfolio. This announcement shows our commitment to being at the top table in the UKI partner market and customer landscape, especially around the Higher Education and Government Secured Services sectors, says Alex Louth, CEO of Logicalis UKI. “In addition, extending the reach and skills of Logicalis UKI shows our commitment to grow and provide increased value to customers across all sectors.” Commenting on the announcement, Andrew Griffiths, Business Development Director, Q Associates, adds: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of Q Associates with strong values around technical excellence and customer satisfaction. This acquisition is a natural fit for both organisations and will provide clear benefits to our customers through the extended capability and reach of Logicalis. I am very excited by this next stage in our evolution.” See more stories here.

Financial technology and business services company Fexco and digital services company, TEKenable have announced a strategic partnership to transform customers' digital experience, invest in new services and create 75 new jobs as a result of this partnership by 2025. The Fexco Managed Services and TEKenable partnership will see both organisations co-invest in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Products and Salesforce Cloud Solutions and Services aimed at improving their collective customers end-to-end experience across both Irish and UK markets. This partnership combines TEKenable's experience in providing Microsoft Dynamics 365 consultancy, development, and support services to their customers, with Fexco's experience of premium operational delivery, customer management and process optimisation experts. This partnership will also see the creation of 75 new jobs by 2025, with roles created within Digital Customer Experience, Predictive Customer Behaviour Analysis, and Automation & Operational Efficiency services. Martin Ryan, Managing Director of Fexco Managed Services & Advisory Services, “This partnership will help us build on our collective strengths, and deliver the perfect blend of premium operational expertise, support, and resources to maximise the potential of Microsoft Dynamics 365 in improving our customers' digital end to end experience. This will see us and TEKenable collaborate across multiple sectors and reinforce our position as trusted advisors who deliver transformative services for our clients.” Nick Connors, Managing Director, TEKenable “This partnership will see us work with Fexco Managed Services to bring solutions, products and services offerings that will fundamentally change the end-to-end experience of both our customers, and their customers,” said Nick Connors, Group Managing Director, TEKenable. “We predict that we will see growth from a combination of existing and new clients over the coming three years.” TEKenable was founded in 2002 by Nick Connors and Peter Rose is an innovative technology company focused on delivering digital services through Low Code platforms to medium and large-scale enterprises in Ireland, UK and EMEA. See more stories here.

Intro: Henry Fox from Irish Tech News interviews Bob Coggins, co-founder of the craft beer brewery, the White Hag. The White Hag is the first brewery in Sligo in over 100 years, who are hosting their annual Hagstravaganza craft beer festival this week. We discuss his business, the upcoming Hagstravaganza event, travel, and the culture and lifestyle in Sligo. Hagstravaganza, Brewery Festival, White Hag Brewery's Bob Coggins Bios: Bob Coggins is a co-founder of the White Hag Brewery. Bob originally got his start in marketing but changed career paths to get into the brewing business. Craft beers and brewing being a large part of his lifestyle, he wanted to bring this to others. Bob enjoys cycling and the laid-back lifestyle of Sligo, though he originally was based in Dublin. As we prepare to have 1500 of our closest friends, supporters, customers and community back in Ballymote for our birthday, we felt it is a good time to give you some insight into what we have been doing to progress our team and our culture here in The White Hag. A short 18 months ago a set of personal political opinions and views were interpreted as representing the views of the brewery and the wider team. What followed was a few months of reflection, discussion and rebuilding within our team. We realised that the inherent beliefs and values of the ownership team and the majority of staff were not apparent to our community in our communications or actions. With the assistance of many friends within the beer industry and in professional services who specialise in creating open, fair and welcoming workplaces, we have worked to address many issues which arose over those months. We spoke to many individuals and groups who were affected by the events, and took all feedback & input we received. We undertook a formal investigation by an external 3rd party, Edger HR, to ensure we dealt with any issues that may have arisen in the past, that had come to our attention through direct contact or by conversation online and elsewhere. The investigation pursued all issues and claims, and ultimately found we needed to focus on developing a culture of openness and inclusion across the brewery. While the investigation has concluded, we still welcome any input and feedback on the above process, via contact details below. Building on this, with the help of Under the Rainbow and Edger HR, we spoke to our current and past employees, and partners of the business. Our team focused on defining policies and workplace practices built on respect and understanding. We focused on understanding how we explore and advocate for openness, fairness and diversity in our recruitment, communications and our community. Over the intervening period there have been many changes to the team at the brewery. We are proud that we are recruiting new team members based on talent, ambition and potential. New team members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and culture, and bring a wealth of experiences. Training & education initiatives, support for flexible working arrangements that accommodate family commitments, and recognition of the positive input brought by those with unique experiences are just some of the practices we have introduced and supported. All staff and management have signed up to an agreed code of conduct defined as part of our employment contract, that was built by the team with help from professionals in this space. In addition we're trying damn hard to make it fun again – as Brian repeatedly says ‘It's beer, it's supposed to be fun!!' We aimed to fulfill a mission we set for ourselves last February when we committed that ‘We'll not rest until people of every persuasion can view The White Hag as a business and brewery you would feel comfortable working in, visiting and supporting'. We believe we're getting there, and we hope you feel that too. The work is not done, it is continuous and we hope you can support us and be part of the journey as we go. Over the Hagstravaganza weekend ...

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has launched a €65 million fund to drive solutions to the green transition and to digital transformation. The National Challenge Fund consists of eight challenges, three in digital transformation and five in green transition. The first two challenges are now open for proposals: 2050 Challenge – To develop transformative, forward-looking solutions for Ireland to become climate neutral by 2050; and Future Digital Challenge – To address the challenge from disruptive digital technologies. Announcing the National Challenge Fund, Minister Harris, said: “I am delighted to announce the €65m National Challenge Fund. “These areas are among the greatest challenges our country and our world faces. This fund will help each and everyone us by navigating the best way forward. “When we launched our new strategy Impact 2030, I outlined the need to put research and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland's social, economic and environmental challenges. The National Challenge Fund is a tangible example of this strategy in action. “I encourage everyone to consider the 18,000 submissions put forward by the public as part of Creating Our Future as we want to respond to issues that matter to people. “Challenge teams will be interdisciplinary with scientists, engineers and researchers working together with government bodies to develop solutions to problems of national importance, partnering with stakeholders to develop, test and trial solutions.” The National Challenge Fund is an initiative under the Government's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, funded by the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility and managed by Science Foundation Ireland. Commenting on the new National Challenge Fund, Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director General, Science Foundation Ireland, said: “We are delighted to have this new funding made available under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. We look forward to working in partnership with government departments and agencies to define the challenges and help to build partnership with the wider research community to develop research solutions to these challenges.” “This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for research teams to work in partnership with stakeholders to provide solutions to tangible problems that will benefit our society and economy.” Teams will be provided with additional opportunities to grow and scale their activities with opportunities for follow on funding in future phases, ranging from €500k to €2 million for the most competitive teams. Each challenge incorporates four stages. The model of the competition means that researchers will receive increasing funding at each stage of the process. Research teams and ideas will be evaluated by an independent, international panel of experts. Awards for each phase will be made from 2022 to 2026. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

SilverCloud Health, the world's leading digital mental health platform has announced that it has provided behavioural and mental health services to more than one million users globally to date. In addition to reaching this milestone, the evidence-based digital mental health platform has also achieved a 93% satisfaction rate from more than 20,000,000 user hours spent on the platform and has supported more than 500 organizations across the globe with various mental and behavioral health initiatives. “The positive impact of SilverCloud for these one million active users is immense, and that impact is also felt by these one million active users' families, workplaces, and communities.” “This major milestone also demonstrates the incredible role truly effective digital mental health care platforms play in removing traditional barriers that prevent people from accessing mental health services, such as clinician availability, lack of transportation, life demands and stigma concerns,” said Ken Cahill, CEO of SilverCloud Health. “The demand for mental health services is now greater than ever; this milestone is just the beginning for us and reflects our passion and vision to democratize mental health care for all. We look forward to offering even more scalable and accessible solutions that provide care for patients in need and improve outcomes while ultimately driving healthcare costs down.” With nearly two decades of clinical research on effective digital delivery of mental and behavioral health interventions, SilverCloud Health provides an easy-to-use, measurable and modern platform to improve access and outcomes for patients in need. With up to 80% of users reporting decreased depression and anxiety symptoms and using SilverCloud Health, members can receive self-guided and coach-supported care, with the ability to be seamlessly referred into virtual therapy and psychiatry as needed. SilverCloud Health services a variety of key segments including health systems, health plans, employers and higher education for mental health needs including chronic health, wellbeing and substance abuse. SilverCloud Health was acquired by Amwell in 2021, and, later that year announced a partnership with the HSE to pilot their digital therapy solutions in Ireland. SilverCloud Health has more than 30 online mental health programmes available in Ireland which are aimed at covering a range of mental health issues from wellness, resilience and severe mental health. These are backed by more than 17 years of research and including partnerships with academic institutions. SilverCloud was founded in 2012 with a mission to break down barriers to mental health treatment and improve outcomes. The company spun out of the Technology Enhanced Therapy (TET) project, a three-year joint translational research project undertaken jointly by the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), Trinity College Dublin and Parents Plus, Mater University Hospital in Ireland. You've likely heard it a lot – SilverCloud is an evidence-based company – but were truly born from research and the extreme need for an effective and clinically validated digital product. About SilverCloud Health SilverCloud Health is the world's leading digital mental health company, enabling providers, health plans and employers to deliver clinically validated digital health/therapeutic care that improves outcomes, increases access and scale while reducing costs. The company's multi-award-winning digital mental health platform is a result of over 18 years of clinical research with leading academic institutions. Today, SilverCloud is being used by over 500 organizations globally to meet their populations' mental health needs. Global experts have deeply validated the platform through full randomized control trials and real-world data from over half a million SilverCloud users. The platform continues to lead the industry with its effectiveness, engagement and range of clinical programs that encompasses the spectru...

This week, Eoin Fitzgerald and Pete Townsend riff on Pete's trip to the US last month with the sheer ridiculousness of the 8 different combinations of point-of-sale authorizations he experienced with a single Revolut card, Starling Bank's re-prioritization of a presence in the Irish banking market, the hunt for crypto talent by EU regulators, Vitalik's view on giving people what they want in the Metaverse, fintech micro-lender Umba's deal for Daraja and Tomo Credit's big round to make credit scores obsolete. SUMMER SCHEDULE UPDATE – This is our mid-summer episode for August and we'll be back with our regular weekly cadence come September. This episode of MoneyNeverSleeps is sponsored by Philip Lee, one of Ireland's fastest-growing corporate law firms and expert advisors at the heart of the Dublin and London start-up, fintech and crypto communities. STORIES WE COVERED: Starling Bank pulls plans to offer services in Ireland (RTE News, 18-Jul-22) EBA warns talent shortage will hamstring crypto regulation (Finextra, 2-Aug-22) Vitalik: Metaverse ‘Is Going to Happen' but Meta's ‘Will Misfire' (Decrypt. 31-Jul-22) Apple Accused Of Potential Consumer Data Misuse With Its ‘Buy Now, Pay Later' Service (Forbes, 27-Jul-22) US-based fintech Umba buys majority stake in Kenya's Daraja microfinance bank (TechCrunch, 3-Aug-22) TomoCredit raises $22M at a $222M valuation toward its goal of making credit scores ‘obsolete' (TechCrunch, 21-Jul-22) Founder's Field Guide: David Velez (Nubank) – Building the Branchless Bank (Podcast, 8-Jul-21) Tim Ferriss Show: Balaji on the Difference between Nations, States and Nation States (YouTube, 9-Jul-22) LINKS: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | Podchaser Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Overcast Check out our MoneyNeverSleeps website Subscribe to our newsletter on Substack Follow MoneyNeverSleeps on Twitter Follow Eoin Fitzgerald on Twitter Follow Pete Townsend on Twitter Get in touch at info@moneyneversleeps.ie

We catch up with Dmitry Radkovskiy to learn more about his journey and the exciting new project he is working on as CTO of Marsbase. Dmitry Radkovskiy, Marsbase, Defi OTC Desk Dmitry Radkovskiy's brief biography CTO of dOTC Marsbase. Developer and engineering manager with 15+ years of experience, open source contributor. In DeFi since 2018, winner of multiple web3 hackathons, including 0x + Coinlist Hackathon and EOS Global Hackathon Hong Kong. The first decentralized OTC desk. Make large crypto transactions while skipping order books and decentralized liquidity pools with smart contacts of Marsbase We gather more and more useful content about Marsbase and the OTC market. Here we have made a list of articles that can help you dive deeper and learn more on the matter. Read, use and follow the advice in articles and guides -> See more podcasts here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Join us for the Irish Tech News Podcast where Henry Fox interviews mindfulness expert and the Father of Soft Leadership, Professor M.S. Rao in a talk about his work, what inspired him to work in mindfulness and gender equality, and the professor's advice for the younger generation. Soft Leadership in the Modern World, Professor M.S. Rao Bios: Professor M.S. Rao, PhD, is an international leadership consultant and leadership guru from India, known as the Father of Soft Leadership. His past work has been in a multitude of sectors, from teaching, consultancy, and philosophy to research and the military. He has written over 50 books, including the award-winning See the Light in You, with a foreword written by the Dalai Lama. Professor Rao has a vision of gender equality and soft leadership in business. He currently works as a C-Suite advisor and global keynote speaker, while also contributing to Entrepreneur Magazine, CEOWorld, and other publications. Professor Rao was recently ranked #1 Thought Leader and Influencer in Business Strategy globally by Thinkers360. Henry Fox is a freelance journalist and student at Coventry University in the UK, currently interning at Irish Tech News. Originally hailing from Limerick, Henry has a passion for all things nerdy, from emerging computer technology to cult movies. See more podcasts here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

CWSI, Ireland's most experienced mobile and cloud security specialist, is today announcing it has been named Microsoft Ireland's Partner of the Year 2022 for Security. CWSI was recognised for its continued growth across Microsoft solutions and services, including its Secure365 Managed Service, developed to enable businesses to take full advantage of the security and management capabilities within Microsoft's technologies. The proactive service reduces risk, improves return on investment, and enhances efficiencies for customers. The company previously received the accolade in 2020. CWSI launched its dedicated Microsoft Security and Endpoint Management practice in 2019 and since then, has invested more than €2.5 million in its ongoing development. Last year, it became the first Irish Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), to become a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA). MISA is an ecosystem of independent software vendors and managed security service providers that have integrated their solutions with Microsoft security products to better defend against a world of increasing threats. CWSI, a five-time Microsoft Gold Partner, is the only Microsoft Partner in Ireland to combine expertise in mobile operating systems with Microsoft technologies to provide a comprehensive mobile working solution that is secure by design. Ronan Murphy, CEO, CWSI: “We are delighted to be named Microsoft Ireland's Security Partner of the Year for 2022, building on our previous success in 2020. As well as sustained business growth in our Microsoft practice, the team demonstrated fantastic dedication and expertise across all client and partner engagements. “The focus on remote and hybrid working has led to increased demand for secure and efficient mobile working solutions and prompted organisations to re-think their approach to security. Fortunately, CWSI is perfectly positioned to help them on their journeys. We look forward to further growth and success as we continue to enhance our Microsoft capabilities.” Des Ryan, Director of Solutions, Microsoft Ireland: “I am delighted to see CWSI win the Security Partner of the Year Award again. Across all of our partners, they stand out in terms of the depth of their security capability and their focus on doing the right thing for our shared customers. “They join a strong peer network of Microsoft partners and this award is a fantastic recognition of the hard work and dedication their team has shown.” More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Acumen Aviation (“Acumen”), a leading global Asset Management Company and Augtual Reality Labs Private Limited, trading as Fabrik (“Fabrik”), is excited to announce a new Strategic Partnership Agreement. Acumen and Fabrik have formed a strategic partnership to bring 3D digital twin technology to the aviation Industry. Acumen, through its Digital Success Advisory (DSA) will execute digital transformation projects for aviation industry players seeking to harness the power of 3D digital twin within their organisational processes. This will be achieved through the provision of Acumen's key functional and technology expertise within the aviation domain. Acumen will be relied upon to provide business process understanding, sector knowledge, together with its implementation support capabilities, to aid Fabrik in advancing the exposure of 3D digital twin technology across the sector. Fabrik will support Acumen's in-house ERP platform SPARTA in bringing 3D digital twin to its Projects Management module, where the existing 2D imagery of aircraft will be replaced with more life-like 3D digital twin imagery. This will enhance the quality of the inspection reports, allowing inspectors and customers to disseminate information about the aircraft's physical condition as observed during the inspection with higher accuracy. Acumen's Chief Technical Officer Digital, Ameya Gore stated “Acumen is excited to have entered this realm of 3D Digital Twin technology with a capable and reliable partner in Fabrik. “We aim to catapult SPARTA capabilities for aircraft inspections to the next level by integrating this innovative technology to enhance the quality, accuracy as well as reliability of the information made available to our customers through SPARTA.” Fabrik Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Srinivas R. stated “MRO, operators and lessors require a system that provides Affordable, Accessible and Easy-to-Use digital platforms to inspect, maintain and manage aircraft. S “PARTA and FABRIK have come together to address this requirement by creating a digital twin in an integrated metaverse, thereby simplifying access to information about the aircraft's current health, repair schedule, and maintenance history.” See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Integrity360, Ireland and the UK's largest independent cybersecurity services specialist,today announces that it has formed an exclusive partnership in Ireland with Deep Instinct, the first company to apply end-to-end deep learning to cybersecurity. The partnership will enable Integrity360 to offer Deep Instinct's industry-first Prevention Platform to Irish mid-market and enterprise organisations to stop unknown and previously unseen malware and threats before they infect an organisation's environment. Supporting its security-first approach to making cybersecurity a business enabler, Integrity360 will provide Deep Instinct's platform in tandem with the complementary endpoint technologies from within its own portfolio. This will allow it to provide a multi-vendor solution from a single skilled service provider to its Irish mid-market and enterprise customers. The partnership with Integrity360 is one of the first under Deep Instinct's new Stratosphere partner programme. The programme, which supports Deep Instinct's 100% go-to-market strategy, flips the traditional channel model by eliminating the ‘tiering' approach and focus on volume bookings, and instead seeks to reward commitment and enables partners to earn loyalty points and benefit from a more predictable path to success. Richard Ford, CTO, Integrity360: “Being able to help empower organisations across Ireland and the UK to make informed decisions about their cybersecurity strategy is at the heart of our business. We work closely with our customers to understand their unique challenges and, as a result, they trust us to bring them the best and most innovative solutions and services, which will truly deliver business value. “Recently, the cybersecurity industry has been overly weighted towards detection and response, driven by machine learning, and less focused on the upfront prevention of threats. With prevention far better than cure, welcoming Deep Instinct into our portfolio greatly enhances our prevention capability and enables us to continue to support organisations redressing that imbalance with a platform to help make cyber threats a thing of the past. “The ability to prevent attacks from hitting the network or endpoint before they become a problem is a powerful proposition, and one that will make forward-thinking customers sit up and take notice. There is a great synergy between Integrity360 and Deep Instinct, and together we are confident that we can achieve our shared goals, delivering true prevention to customers across Ireland and the UK.” Sam Linford, VP Channel and MSSP EMEA, Deep Instinct: “Our partnership with Integrity360 is the next step in Deep Instinct's continued expansion in the European market. By working with Integrity360's experienced leadership team, we all recognise the need for a disruptive and fresh approach to securing mid-market and enterprise customers' endpoints and networks utilising an innovative technology such as Deep Learning. Our formal partnership solidifies a remarkable alliance within the cybersecurity industry, one that we are delighted to be part of and that will demonstrably assist organisations in stopping cyber threats within milliseconds before they can wreak havoc on a network.” See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Bolt has announced it will launch its second electric bike scheme in Kilkenny ahead of the Kilkenny Arts Festival starting on August 4th. The 80-bike pilot will kick off in the coming week and will trial new virtual parking solutions to provide both flexibility and ease of use for cyclists and ensure the scheme is mindful of pedestrians and other road users. This service will help to deliver on the Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021 – 2027, which prioritises sustainable transport and continued development of walking and cycling infrastructure in support of the 10-minute city concept. Caitriona Corr, Cycling Officer with Kilkenny County Council, said, “We are delighted that people will have another choice of transport in Kilkenny. It has been shown that e-bike users cycle further and more often so the benefit will be not just to our city but also people's wellbeing. e-bikes can be of great assistance to people with reduced mobility and can make more arduous journeys very enjoyable.” Bolt has continued to strengthen its Irish team with the recent appointment of John Buckley as Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland, who said, “Kilkenny is our second Irish market and one where we believe e-bikes can make a transformational difference to travel options and wellbeing. We are also conscious that Kilkenny is a medieval city and as such presents new challenges from an operational perspective. The learnings we will gather from Kilkenny will give Bolt a stronger understanding of the concerns some Local Authorities may have when it comes to introducing shared e-bike schemes into the public realm where space may be limited, and will leave Bolt as an experienced operator of such. Buckley added, “Electric bikes play an essential role in reducing the reliance on private vehicles when travelling short to medium distances. We are keen that our e-bikes provide sustainable and affordable solutions in regional towns and cities too — there is no reason that such services should only be available in the capital.” The launch marks Bolt's second e-bike launch after it launched in Sligo earlier this year. The Sligo pilot has proven highly successful in its first month with 14,633 kms travelled by electric bike in the town in the first month alone — the equivalent of cycling from Sligo to Australia. Bolt is a leading European mobility champion operating a range of services including e-bikes, eScooters, ride-hailing and car clubs for over 100 million people across 200 cities. The company currently operates ride-hailing taxi services in Dublin and Cork and is seeking to bring electric bikes, and in time, electric scooters to cities and towns across Ireland. The launch in Kilkenny comes as part of a wider push for Bolt to deploy 16,000 e-bikes across Europe in 2022, following recent fundraising. Bolt will commit up to €5m in its bid to roll out e-bike operations across Irish cities and towns. Up to 2000 bikes are available immediately following Bolt's recent fundraise and investment in micromobility with founder Markus Villig recently committing €150m to expand its light vehicle fleet across Europe. How to rent a Bolt e-bike To rent a Bolt e-bike, users need the Bolt app, available on app stores, and a payment card tied to an account. Follow these steps to start riding a Bolt e-bike: Open the app and tap on the e-bike icon to locate your closest bike; Scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it; Carefully read through the safety tips; When you're ready to roll, push off and go! Continuing Bolt's reputation of offering affordable micro-mobility service across continents, Bolt is the most affordable provider of shared electric bikes in Ireland, thanks to having low rates and no unlock fee. The per-minute rental price is the lowest on the market at just 0.15 EUR/minute during the launch campaign. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find h...

The Very Group, which operates Very in Ireland, has announced a new partnership with leading global product experience management (PXM) vendor Akeneo, as part of an ongoing tech transformation to optimise customer experience and modernise its tech stack. Using Akeneo's PXM platform, Very will provide customers with rich product information, such as digital media, technical specifications and enhanced product details, to create a better shopping experience. Customers will be supported in their buying decisions by tailored and category-specific product information, for example highlighting different features for beauty products than for electrical goods. The platform will allow new products to be added to site in less than a minute, increasing speed to market and allowing the Very team to focus on data quality, enrichment and consistency, while enabling suppliers' product information to be automatically uploaded to the Very site. The move is the latest milestone in Very's multi-year tech investment programme, and follows the ongoing transformation of its ecommerce platform through a partnership with commercetools, personalised size and fit guidance provided by working with True Fit and the creation of enriched, engaging content, like editorial pages and marketing content, by partnering with Amplience. Very will continue momentum with further technology and talent investments imminently, supporting the modernisation of its tech stack towards a microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native, and headless architecture (MACH). This will allow the retailer to deliver customer experience changes more frequently and faster than ever before. Rossa Butler, Managing Director for Ireland at Very said: “We have ambitious plans to grow the Very brand in Ireland and we will do this by continuing to offer the brands that our customers want and love, coupled with a seamless digital customer experience with data and technology at the core. Our partnership with Akeneo represents a key milestone in our innovation story and will enable us to deliver a best-in-class shopping experience for our customers in Ireland, with additional innovations and services to launch in early 2023.” Matt Grest, chief information officer at The Very Group, said: “Our tech transformation is already delivering fantastic results for our customers and our business, and we're excited to take another big step by partnering with Akeneo. Better, richer product content will help us continue taking customer experience to the next level, including tailoring the experience of shopping different categories, and help us drive efficiency by streamlining internal processes.” James Barlow, regional director UK & IRL at Akeneo, commented: “The Very Group has always been a future-forward retailer that puts customer-centricity front and centre. And its commitment to digitally transforming its business lies at the heart of delivering exceptional online shopping experiences for its customers. With unified product data and enriched product information, we're thrilled to have been able to support Very in its efforts to enhance customer experience, all while improving operational efficiencies and speed to market.” In March 2022, Akeneo became a certified member of the MACH Alliance, a group of independent tech companies which champion open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems. Very technology partners commercetools and Amplience are also accredited. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can ...

Clubforce, the Irish tech business making sport happen, has partnered with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to drive inclusivity in sport. The Rio Ferdinand Foundation is a youth and community development charity. Clubforce will be teaming up with the charity which works in the heart of the UK's most disadvantaged communities. The Rio Ferdinand Foundation was set up in 2012 by Rio Ferdinand OBE, an English former professional footballer, following issues of inequality he experienced in his own life. Since its inception, the Foundation is now working in communities across Ireland and the UK, with regional hubs in Belfast, Manchester, and London. The Foundation supports more than 10,000 youths, helping them to realise their potential. The Foundation empowers young people to tackle the inequalities they face. They do this by creating opportunities so they can achieve their personal potential and also so they can drive social change on a greater scale. The charity provides support under four strategic themes: safe spaces; health and wellbeing; strong, safe, and inclusive communities; and progression, skills, and employability. The partnership comes as both organisations' missions are so similarly aligned. Clubforce strives to encourage health and well-being through sport as well as inclusivity, diversity, and participation for all. Clubforce sees the value in sport as the big leveller where prejudices have always had to take a backseat. Sport can be used as a tool for good in that it brings people joy, impacting their mental and physical wellness positively, and connecting them with a community where they are supported through friendship. The Rio Ferdinand Foundation sees the potential in sport as a universal platform for inclusivity. The partnership will enable Clubforce and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to tackle inequality issues faced by young people and encourage everyone on and off the field to participate. In addition to positioning both organisations to achieve their mission, the partnership enables Clubforce to follow through on its plans to expand into the UK. Rio Ferdinand, Foundation Founder said of the partnership “We are delighted to collaborate with a community-focused software company developing technology to promote sports participation and make sport accessible to all. We are on the same journey.” Noel Murray, CEO, Clubforce commented “As we grow in the UK we are delighted to partner with Rio Ferdinand, Gary Stannett and his team, and support the excellent work they are doing on the ground.” Rachel Kavanagh CMO, Clubforce added “We are full of admiration for the work done by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, especially for girls. I'm especially excited to hear about programs such as GoGirl, building the confidence of young women and girls to achieve their potential. We're looking forward to contributing to the efforts made by the Foundation to drive inclusion and sports participation across genders in both geographies.” Clubforce is the only all-in-one sports club management platform that enables club volunteers to manage all aspects of their club on a single platform. Currently, the tech business is helping more than 2000 clubs to grow and thrive. The business has been operating in Ireland since 2009 and is proceeding with its plans to enter the UK market. Clubforce has seen massive development over the past year, entering strategic partnerships with numerous sports tech businesses and appointing a new CEO, Noel Murray. Clubforce is excited to enter the UK by partnering with an inspiring foundation that is helping so many youths to tackle the inequality issues they face on a daily basis. The team is thrilled to add to the Rio Ferdinand Foundation's current impressive efforts and build the bridge to make sport accessible to all. See more stories here.

Henry Fox from Irish Tech News speaks with Survival International‘s Sarah Shenker, a human rights campaigner and organiser about the work she does, what inspired her to join Survival International, and the progress still to be made in protecting indigenous lands. Protecting Indigenous Lands in a Rapidly Changing World, Sarah Shenker, Survival International Bios: Sarah Shenker is a British campaigner for Uncontacted Tribes with Survival International. Her work has spanned the world, from the Amazon to South East Asia. She has a passion for human rights and protecting indigenous lands. Survival International We're offering a rewarding opportunity for a highly skilled community fundraiser to join our team in London. If you're a creative self-starter with lots of energy and ideas, you have experience working in community fundraising or outreach for a non-profit, and do you want to work for an organisation that helps make the world a better place – apply now. Henry Fox is a freelance journalist and student at Coventry University in the UK, currently interning at Irish Tech News. Originally hailing from Limerick, Henry has a passion for all things nerdy, from emerging computer technology to cult movies. See more podcasts here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Home security company Ring announced today that it will hire its first Ireland-based employees, around 30 technical customer support roles with flexible hours and locations. Ring aims to recruit German and English-speaking technical customer support associates and team leaders by year-end. This initial investment in Ireland will support Ring's commitment to continue investing in Europe, as we hire top talent, support local communities, develop new technologies and services, and make neighbourhoods safer. The new Ireland roles, which complement existing global operations, will add expert talent to help customers across Europe with home security device setup and troubleshooting. “We're looking for people who can ensure our customers have the best possible experience, whether that's ahead of purchase or while getting set up with their devices,” said Andrew Pease, Ring's Director of Global Customer Support. New hires can work from home or in Amazon's Cork office, with flexibility on shift hours and options for part-time roles. These permanent roles come with Amazon's comprehensive benefits package, which includes private medical and dental insurance schemes, a retirement savings plan, eyecare vouchers, employee discounts, and an income protection and disability scheme. “Ring has seen great success since we launched in Europe in 2016, and this new team in Cork will play a critical role in supporting Ring's continued growth across Europe,” said Ian Semple, Ring's Senior Manager of Customer Support Operations in Ireland. To view open roles, visit this careers page. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Dogpatch Labs today unveiled the latest cohort of startups in the NDRC programme, Ireland's national startup accelerator. Six fast-growth technology companies have been selected from a pool of nearly 300 applicants to take part in the 6-month programme powered by the startup and innovation hub. Participating startups will receive an investment of €100,000 and will benefit from world class mentoring and scaling supports available via the Dogpatch network. This cohort reflects several wider trends within Irish innovation, with multiple participating founders having left successful careers in Google, Amazon & other tech leaders to spin up their companies. This shift towards entrepreneurship as a career path is a clear endorsement of the opportunities available within the Irish ecosystem and via programmes like NDRC. The selected startups also have a strong engineering skillset, with each founding team including a technical co-founder or embedded CTO. This cohort reflects the balanced nationwide distribution of Ireland's innovation talent, and includes startups from a range of industries & sectors from machine learning and computer vision, to supply chain and global logistics: Examfly: Limerick-founded EdTech transforming the learning experience for professional exams & training using interactive technologies. Examfly already counts PWC & Deloitte among its customers. Chopcast: Intelligent content repurposing platform founded by Google & Hubspot alumni. Media startup Chopcast helps users automatically turn long videos into clips for social media based on key moments. Tipple: Offaly-HQ'd commerce and logistics platform, enables brands to sell into new markets by handling the excise, VAT and fulfillment at point of sale. The ex-Amazon founding team are focused on eliminating friction in cross border transactions and increasing revenue for D2C brands. MoveAhead: First NDRC University spinout under Dogpatch Labs management. EdTech startup MoveAhead takes the first child-centred approach to motion-tracking and pose estimation, marrying children's movement with computer vision and data science. Tracworx: The Limerick-based leadership team previously founded the FarmEye agritech software, but switched focus during the pandemic to Supply Chain Tech. They developed Tracworx, the digital infrastructure for returnable packaging. Terrabyte: The engineer focused startup is a social platform where Developers show off projects and find work. Where Reddit meets GitHub, a space where developers connect with like-minded developers to show off projects, learn and hang out. The Full Stack has almost 10k users. The programme will be led by newly appointed Accelerator MD, entrepreneur & investor Ian Browne. Browne founded the successful My Surgery Website, growing it to over 4,000 customers and millions of users before it was acquired by Nasdaq-listed Stericycle. He has played a leading role in developing an Ireland-wide startup ecosystem through his work with Ignite NI over recent years helping indigineous founders raise over €75m in early stage funding. Speaking on his appointment as programme MD and commenting on the strength of this cohort, Ian Browne said: “I'm honoured to be taking on the role of accelerator MD & excited to work with the participating founders and the first-class Dogpatch team. The past two years of NDRC under the management of Dogpatch Labs has shown the strength of Ireland's startup ecosystem and I'm looking forward to playing a role in developing this further. The quality of applications for this cohort was remarkable, with high potential startups coming from across the regions, from FDIs, from large corporates and increasingly from forward looking universities. All of these founders are hoping to build the high growth companies of the future. It is clear that Ireland's talent pipeline is strong and growing, we aim to support and accelerate that talent as part of a vibrant startup ecosystem.” This is the second NDRC cohort ...

Ireland's first-ever ‘Digital First' Day will take place on November 16th 2022 with the goal of putting the power of digital to work in communities across the country, by creating a national conversation about the benefits of digital growth to people, organisations and communities in towns and villages across Ireland. Driven by a new collaboration, Digital Ireland Network, Ireland's 262 ConnectedHubs will be encouraged to host seminars, meetups or workshops for their locality around the theme of the benefits of digital growth. The wider vision is to develop a national network of ‘Digital First Communities' – a new approach to empowering rural localities to collaborate to use digital growth to attract investment, remote workers, home buyers, shoppers and visitors to their community, thus advancing sustainable regional development and quality of life. Speaking about the initiative, Heather Humphreys, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development said “This is a vitally important initiative that brings together key components of a number of significant Government policies, not least my own Department's National Social Enterprise Policy and Our Rural Future. The role of digital development to support balanced regional development cannot be overstated. Central to this is the need to close the digital divide, both at an individual level and in collective terms. Communities must be supported to leverage new technologies and new ways of doing things to ensure growth. This is why my department is driving forward the connectedhubs.ie platform and has invested more than €100m into the hub sector in recent years. There will be approximately 300 hubs on the connectedhubs.ie network by the end of this year and at least 400 in 2024. This is a national resource that has endless potential to support innovations such as Digital First Day. I want vibrant, bustling towns and villages and this initiative will certainly contribute to that ambition.” Hubs of all types and sizes, associations, groups or volunteers are all welcome to run an event on 16th November around the theme of the benefits of digital growth. A full pack will be provided to event hosts to support the success of their event including guides, marketing and digital activation resources. Applications to register your interest in holding an event will open today, 2nd August on www.digital-ireland.ie. The ‘Digital First' Day initiative is part funded through the Department of Rural & Community Development ARISE fund. Tomás Ó'Síocháin CEO Western Development Commission said “The pandemic has led to huge changes in the way we work and live. Research by the WDC has shown that people have moved in significant numbers to rural and regional areas. To sustain that, we need to build on those changes and support individuals, communities and SMEs to meet the digital challenges, and opportunities ahead. We believe that the new ‘Digital First' Day, delivered by the Digital Ireland Network, can help achieve this by fostering the growth of ‘Digital First Communities'. We are delighted to be a founding member of the Digital Ireland Network, a network of ‘Digital First Communities' operating out of local Connected Hubs. We hope that over time Digital Ireland's ‘Digital First' Day will help to sustain and develop the transition to more balanced regional development and equality of opportunity for all. ” Eoin Costello, DigitalHQ clg, said “ ‘Digital First' Day will bring the community into their local Connected Hub while digital will bring the impact of the hub out into the local community! It's a win/win.” A dedicated website for the network has been created at www.digital-ireland.ie where ConnectedHubs members, organisations and members of the public can register their interest in staging an event for ‘Digital First' Day. The choice of event is up to the host however a range of topics will be supported through materials and resources by Digital Ireland Network incl...

The impact of Brexit on the governance ecosystem is significant. The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the most important countries in the European Union (EU) and its departure will have major implications for how the EU functions. The UK has been a key player in shaping EU policy and its leaving will create a power vacuum that other countries will be eager to fill. There are a number of key areas where the impact of Brexit on governance will be felt. One is the impact on the Single Market. The UK is a major contributor to the EU's budget and its departure will leave a hole in the finances of the bloc. This could lead to austerity measures being imposed on other member states or a reduction in the overall budget. Another area where Brexit will have an impact is on security. The UK is a key member of NATO and its departure could lead to the weakening of the alliance. This could have serious implications for the security of Europe as a whole. Finally, Brexit will also have an impact on the EU's ability to negotiate trade deals. The UK is one of the largest economies in the EU and its departure will make it harder for the bloc to reach agreements with other countries. How the UK Is Taking Advantage of Leaving the EU The UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU by negotiating its own trade deals, striking new partnerships, and attracting investment from around the world. The UK has already secured trade deals with a number of countries, including Canada, Japan, and South Korea. These deals are worth billions of pounds and will create thousands of jobs. The UK is also in the process of negotiating a trade deal with the United States, which is expected to be worth over £100 billion. The UK has also used its newfound freedom to strike new partnerships with countries outside of the EU. For example, the UK has joined forces with Australia and New Zealand to create a new trading bloc called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. In addition to trade, the UK is also attracting investment from around the world. In 2018, the UK received a record £6.9 billion of investment from China. This is a significant increase from the £1.2 billion that was invested in 2017. The UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU and is cementing its place as a global leader in trade and investment. With its strong economy and world-class universities, the UK is an attractive destination for businesses and investors alike. What Is the State of the Governance Ecosystem in the UK Post Brexit? The UK's departure from the EU has given rise to a number of questions about the future of governance in the UK. There is no doubt that Brexit will have significant implications for the UK's domestic and international affairs, and this will in turn impact the governance landscape. There are a number of key issues that will need to be addressed in the coming months and years, including the UK's relationship with the EU, the impact of Brexit on devolution, and the future of financial services regulation. In addition, there will be a need to consider how the UK's exit from the EU will impact its role in international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The UK Governance Ecosystem The UK has a highly developed system of governance, which includes a number of institutions, laws, and practices. The following overview provides a brief introduction to some of the key elements of the UK's governance ecosystem. The Constitution The UK does not have a codified constitution, but rather a set of constitutional conventions and principles that have been developed over time. The key document that sets out the constitutional framework of the UK is the Act of Union 1800, which established the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Constitution of the United Kingdom is based on the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, which means that the UK Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the country. The Parlia...

Ian Foley is an executive with over 20 years' experience in sales and finance in Silicon Valley. He is currently the Chief Business Officer at Arweave, a Web3 company with an innovative business model for decentralized cloud storage for ever (permenanty). Ian has been the CEO/founder or head of sales for 4 startups, which resulted in 3x M&A and 1x IPO. He has also been a venture investor in 8 companies, which resulted in 4x acquisitions and 6x return. His industry experience is in FinTech, Marketing Tech, Cyber Security and Telecoms. He started his career in investment banking, strategy consulting and journalism. Tech trends via Cartoons – Laugh and Learn, Ian Foley #fintech #tech #SiliconValley Ian`s monthly cartoons in Fortune Magazine – Ian Foley Twitter – Ian Foley`s Linkedin –/ Ian`s Cartoons –/ Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter. Join her on the social platforms Listen to more podcasts here.

Guest post by Chris Collins, Country President for Ireland, Schneider Electric In 2019, Ireland's Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation laid out its Industry 4.0 Strategy: a vision that by 2025 Ireland will be a ‘competitive, innovation-driven manufacturing hub at the frontier of the fourth industrial revolution and the forefront of Industry 4.0 development and adoption.' The intervening years have proven challenging for the industry worldwide, with manufacturers and life sciences suppliers struggling to augment production levels to meet a growing and shifting demand. The realisation of the strategy within such tight timelines seems daunting. Alongside macroeconomic challenges, industry is also grappling with the imperative to reduce carbon emissions and meet the government's commitment to a 51% reduction in emissions by the end of this decade, and net zero emissions by no later than 2050. Achieving net zero cannot be separated from the aims of Industry 4.0, which promises a digital revolution in industry, transformed through technology-enabled efficiency, automation and connectivity. To flourish, there must be a digital relationship between manufacturing businesses and their supply chain, partners, and customers, as well as site-specific innovation. All this can only be fuelled by clean, green electricity that empowers industrial innovation without compromising emissions targets. Achieving Industry 4.0 will require a simultaneous revolution in energy. Electricity 4.0 is our vision of a new industrial era. Put together, they will ensure Ireland maintains its position as a competitive manufacturing hub while also setting the standard for green innovation through clean, digitally enabled energy efficiency. Electricity 4.0 – the Future of a Net Zero Ireland Across the world, smart technologies are helping manufacturers improve productivity. Internet of Things connected devices and cloud infrastructure transform inefficient production lines into next-generation smart factories. Industry 4.0 technologies now facilitate communication between devices, control systems and cloud data systems to ensure the best decisions are made at every step of production, based on rich data and powered by automation. The application of smart factory analytics helps manufacturers optimise their production processes, reduce efficiencies and promote greater productivity. The same principles apply to Electricity 4.0. It is already accepted that electricity is the fastest route to cleaner, smarter, more efficient energy, the best vector for decarbonisation. Electricity 4.0 describes the convergence of digital and electric at scale, driving innovations and efficiency, a fundamental shift in how we use, save and distribute energy. When electricity meets digital, it becomes controlled, visible, connected, and smarter – delivering more and wasting less. Global management consultancy McKinsey estimates we can reduce about 85% of the emissions we need to cut to reach net zero in Europe using existing technologies. In our experience, energy costs can typically be reduced by between 10% and 30% and maintenance costs between 30% and 50% across smart factories and smart distribution centres. Despite being one of the fastest ways to reduce consumption, energy efficiency is often overlooked but is vital to improving productivity and decarbonisation. To capitalise on efficiency, manufacturers must be able to quickly and easily measure and track energy use to drive proactive reduction strategies. However, our research suggests that just 29% of organisations have started measuring energy use and identifying energy waste. Just a third have mapped their current carbon footprint, while one in six has not started mapping carbon emissions. Reducing the amount of energy waste in production lines, buildings, and transportation through digitisation must be part of the Net Zero energy strategy. The cleanest watt is the one that never needs to be generated. The dec...

Ian Foley is an executive with over 20 years' experience in sales and finance in Silicon Valley. Tech trends via Cartoons – Laugh and Learn, Ian Foley He is currently the Chief Business Officer at Arweave, a Web3 company with an innovative business model for decentralized cloud storage for ever (permenanty). Ian has been the CEO/founder or head of sales for 4 startups, which resulted in 3x M&A and 1x IPO. He has also been a venture investor in 8 companies, which resulted in 4x acquisitions and 6x return. His industry experience is in FinTech, Marketing Tech, Cyber Security and Telecoms. He started his career in investment banking, strategy consulting and journalism. #fintech #tech #SiliconValley Ian`s monthly cartoons in Fortune Magazine – Ian Foley Twitter – Ian Foley`s Linkedin –/ Ian`s Cartoons –/ Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter. Join her on the social platforms Listen to more podcasts here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

By David Higgins, Senior Director, Field Technology Office at CyberArk who looks at Workstations and the best way to secure them. Hybrid employees still 42% of “remote capable” workers As the world of hybrid work becomes our new normal, companies globally have widely accepted that location doesn't impact the productivity and potential of their employees. According to Gallup, 42% of ‘remote-capable' employees continue to work in a hybrid fashion today. Let's unpack the term ‘remote-capable' a bit further. To you, it may mean someone who is able to do their job anywhere. To me, it means someone who is able to do this securely. Security though, has become more difficult in the hybrid world. 6 Ways to Secure Remote Employee Workstations Hybrid working has put employees and their workstations far beyond the ‘walls' of traditional corporate networks. This has made workstations incredibly easy endpoint targets for attackers, and one of the simplest places for hackers to hijack identities, conduct ransomware attacks, use privileged credentials, advance toward key IT systems, and steal private information. During an attack – usually by the time incident response specialists are called in – the environment has already become overrun by threat actors. There is, though, a way to harden endpoints in such a way that recovery efforts are accelerated. It has been discovered time and time again that organisations can speed up their recovery efforts by putting the following fundamental Identity Security rules in place at the endpoint. These safeguards include: Creating policies for application control: The endpoint must be able to defend against ransomware and other attacks in addition to being able to allow and deny known applications. To lessen the risk of ransomware, organisations must be able to; “greylist” apps, such as sandboxing an unidentified application and allowing it to run without access to the internet; and implement advanced control policies so workers can use trusted applications safely. Secure Local admin Accounts: Administrator accounts are used to install and update workstation software, set up system preferences, and manage user accounts. Attackers target these privileged accounts to run ransomware and other malicious software, disable antivirus software, and block disaster recovery tools. The quickest and most straightforward method for securing employee workstations is to move local admin powers away from normal users and into a secure digital vault with credential rotation. Doing sosignificantly reduces an adversary's ability to move through a network while also lessening the effects of unintended (but unavoidable) employee mistakes, such as clicking on phishing links. Remove Admin Rights and Enforce least privilege: Employees frequently have a valid reason to carry out an action requiring administrative privileges. Just-in-time privileged access enables employees to carry out certain tasks in accordance with policy, at the appropriate time, and for the appropriate cause, without end-user or help-desk interaction or without the user having to be given local administrative rights, that could be abused by an attacker. Keeping cached credentials secure: The greatest risk to organisations today is credential theft. Credentials can be saved in memory by many common business apps, and many web browsers and password managers store application and website credentials locally. An essential endpoint security layer is the capability to automatically detect and deny credential harvesting attempts. This is because threat actors can frequently get cached credentials without ever requiring admin capabilities. Setting up traps: While we're on the subject of detection, endpoint protection technologies that supportprivilege deception functionality, such as the capability to generate phoney “honeypot” privileged accounts, can help identify potential attackers right away. Tracking privileged activities: Attackers frequently sneak up on ta...

Have you ever driven past a wind farm on a wild day and wondered why the turbines are turned off? Well, this may be ‘dispatch downtime,' where operators are required to stop producing renewable energy, due to curtailments or limitations with broad power systems and local networks. In the COSTORE project, funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the International Energy Research Centre (IERC) at Tyndall National Institute, based at UCC, has started innovative new research to reduce this downtime by examining the full potential of solar PV power plants and battery energy storage systems (BESS) working side by side. Amarenco Solar Limited, one of the largest PV plant developers in Ireland, has teamed up here with IERC to develop novel solutions to increase energy storage so PV plants can reduce their dispatch downtimes to zero. The benefit is that Ireland can then produce additional renewable energy and it will also ensure PV can participate in ancillary grid (DS3) services, which are helping to deliver a secure, sustainable electricity system in Ireland. The proposed multi-services provision (MSP) will encourage further participation of PV-ESS plant in Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auctions. Combining technical and economic analysis, COSTORE will draw on pilot experiments in a real-time simulation environment. COSTORE will also address business model, barriers, and recommendations for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and public bodies for further deployment of these systems. Professor Brian Norton, the Head of Energy Research at Tyndall National Institute, noted that “the rising levels of dispatch down compromise Ireland's power system ability to reach its renewable energy targets, increase the financial risk for renewable energy-based power plant owners. This increases the cost of renewable electricity for electricity consumers. It is, therefore, a priority to maintain dispatch downtimes at their minimum possible level. COSTORE will analyse the techno-economical challenges and develop innovative solutions to achieve the optimal contributions from solar PV power plant in Ireland with the support of energy storage and artificial intelligence.” Dr Shafi Khadem, PI of COSTORE, and Lead, “Intelligent Grid” Research Team in IERC, explained, “We will present a bottom-up analysis of both PV plants and energy storage systems operating side-by-side starting from the selection, sizing, integration of ESS and PV plant, to the control and management for providing multiple services. We will look at the best possible combination of system structures to achieve zero dispatch downtime. We will also look at why plants have to stop producing energy at certain times, for instance because of limitations on the power system, over frequency, etc. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques will play a vital role in delivering these innovative solutions.” A design guideline for the different system components will be developed, aimed at minimising investment cost while maximising system flexibility and the whole system financial output supported by the business model solution. Policy and regulatory recommendations will also be made. In supporting the project, John Mullins, CEO of Amarenco Solar Limited, expressed that, “As decarbonisation progresses and renewable penetration in Ireland and elsewhere increases, the interaction between renewables and storage is critical to get to Net Zero. In addition, the European security of supply crisis is embellishing the need for optimisation of storage on our grid as it interacts with Solar PV and other technologies. Our collaboration with the IERC on COSTORE is a research project that will assist the optimisation of energy on our grid going forward.” The project is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and is led by IERC in collaboration with Amarenco Solar Limited. See more stories here.

Furthr VC, previously DBIC Ventures has announced its new name and that its latest fund has grown to €32M, up from €23M. The growth comes from additional funding from existing investors, as well as the addition of 20 new investors to the fund. Furthr VC launched its latest fund in October 2019 with the aim of investing in up to 30 globally scalable software and medical device companies. Since then, it has invested in 15 companies, including IVR testing SaaS company, Klearcom; construction computer vision company, Evercam; and diabetes medical device company, Bluedrop Medical. Initially backed by an investment from Enterprise Ireland as well as 15 technology entrepreneurs, business leaders and private investors, the fund now has 35 private backers. The additional funding will enable Furthr VC to continue to seek and close deals with Ireland's new generation of leading early-stage Irish tech companies. It can make initial investments of up to €650K in a business and as a result of the growth, it can now invest up to a total of €3M through subsequent follow-on investment rounds. Furthr VC changed its name in line with the rebrand of Dublin BIC to Furthr. By forming close, active partnerships with founders, Furthr VC plays a significant role in supporting the innovative entrepreneurs and businesses it backs, while also maximising returns for investors. Through its current and previous funds, Furthr VC has invested in more than 75 early-stage Irish tech companies including digital health company, SilverCloud Health; smart grid company Grid Beyond; and taxi dispatch platform, iCabbi. Richard Watson, Managing Partner, Furthr VC, commented: “We are highly active with our current fund and have completed seven new investments to date in 2022. We are continuously on the lookout for new software and MedTech start-ups as investment opportunities for the fund. “This is our fourth fund, having launched the first seed fund in Ireland in the 1990s. By working closely with investee companies, we help them to navigate the scaling journey and in doing so, create significant shareholder value. We are proud to have the backing of so many top Irish tech entrepreneurs and business leaders, as well as Enterprise Ireland.” Colm O'Sullivan, Partner, Furthr VC, said: “The growth of this fund is testament to the quality of the portfolio we are building and the companies in our pipeline, as well as our strong track record and deep network that includes many of Ireland's leading technology entrepreneurs and business leaders. At Furthr VC, we have a founder-friendly approach, enabling us to form close partnerships with start-ups and provide them with key strategic input to help drive success, which in turn ensures that we are generating strong returns for our investors. “Our new name reflects the ambitious plans that we have for our investors and the start-ups that we are investing in. We are backing companies from seed to Series A stage, with a strong ability to follow on in subsequent rounds, ensuring that we are a vital part of businesses' success stories and Ireland's economic future.” See more stories here.

As diversity has become a major part of working life, it's great to see an increase of women in senior management positions in Ireland. Anne Keogh is the CFO of Ambisense, and the perfect role model for women in business. Ronan talks to Anne about women in c-suite management role and more. Anne talks about her background, what Ambisense does, why choices are good, women in c-suite management roles, mentors, and quotas at work. Anne also talks about being impressive, willing to learn from mistakes, what Michael Smurfit taught her, the art of the possible, work environments and having respect and manners. More about Anne Keogh: Anne is the CFO of Irish start-up and environmental analytics company Ambisense, an IoT and AI analytics business focussed on monitoring environmental risks including risks from climate change and Covid 19. Prior to this, Anne was the CFO and COO of Pharmapod, an innovative cloud-based software developed by pharmacists for pharmacists to maximise patient safety across the global healthcare system. Anne also has 7 years experience in being a woman of the c-suite. See more podcasts here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Hot off the press, to coincide with the launch of the Google Pixel 6a, the Google Pixel Buds Pro have been launched too, to offer you a new earphone to use with the new phone potentially. You can see more on their store here. Google Pixel Buds Pro review Previous iterations of the pixel buds have been popular with our testers, so there was some intense debate about who would get to trial this pair when it arrived in the office. One initial observation from one of our testers was disappointment that it no longer had the small hook that enabled it to latch onto the outside of your ear. This was a feature on previous iterations that our testers liked, and also felt that it differentiated this product from others. They felt that it helps to stop the buds from falling out of your ear as easily too. Maybe there is a design reason for this, or maybe they just felt that it was a feature that was not valued. Perhaps it is also horses for course and some may love it too. The battery power is pretty good and hopefully this new version will do the same. Previous versions started out well in this regard, if not perhaps giving you a whole days charge, but subsequently not quite reaching those heights with repeated use. With this one, as with the Pixel 6a too, it is then an open question about, while being great from the box, how they will be performing in 12 – 18 months down the line. Noise cancelling works well, the ability to navigate tracks and tunes also work well. Overall our testers like the gear, felt the container was compact but worked well. They were slightly on the fence about if the removal of the outer clip was a retrograde step, but overall it still remains a hot piece of gear within the office, with a three way battle between different testers in regard to who will continue to keep ‘testing' it going forwards. Google Pixel Buds Pro product specs Sweat and water resistant: IPX4 Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 Audio: Each earbud: Custom-designed 11 mm dynamic speaker driver Active Noise Cancellation Transparency mode Volume EQ Active in-ear pressure relief Voice: Each earbud: Three microphones Voice accelerometer Wind-blocking mesh covers Battery: 11 hours without ANC 7 hours with ANC 31 hours with case without ANC Charging: USB-C charging port Wireless charging Sensors: Each earbud: Capacitive touch (tap and swipe) sensors for music, calls, and Assistant controls IR proximity sensor for in-ear detection to play and pause automatically Motion-detecting accelerometer and gyroscope Case: Hall Effect sensor for case open and close detection Colors: Charcoal Fog Coral Lemongrass Premium Active Noise Cancellation adapts to you. Active Noise Cancellation uses Silent Seal™ to adapt to your ear and block outside sounds. It creates a quiet foundation so your music can shine. Sounds amazing at any volume. Volume EQ adjusts the tuning as you turn the volume up or down, so highs, mids, and lows consistently sound balanced at any level.1 Small buds. Big sound. Custom-designed 11 mm speaker drivers make music sound powerful, yet nuanced. A full 5-band EQ lets you customise the sound to your preferences. See more reviews here.

We look at the Google Pixel 6a, the latest release to follow the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. See more about the device on their website here also. Google Pixel 6a, reviewed As you may have come to notice with previous iterations of the Pixel series, not too long after the lead device comes out, a stripped down version, the a, follows. Generally this has most of the software and good stuff released in the flagship version, but at a more midrange price, often with slightly lower hardware specs, processing power, and usually not all of the bells and whistles from the single number feature. The Pixel 6a does exactly all of this and so any consideration is couched in your awareness of these trade offs. The Pixel 6a does not support wireless charging. As previous iterations of the phone become trickier to charge with various cables. This could well become a draw back in 6 to 18 months time, when, as you still like your phone, but it gets more temperamental about being charge by x or y cable. We are walking this scenario through because, much as we have had positive experiences with the 4 and 4a, we are finding it harder to keep them charged via cables, as, yes, they seem to get more finicky in terms of which ones they will take power from. Overall, and we accept that there are many reasons for deciding which aspects of the tech to leave in or leave out, it might be strategic to enable wireless charging to remain as a feature. In other ways the phone performs very well, and, as it is of course born of google technology, if you like all the associated gizmos that being in the google ecosystem, then this is a good positive factor for going with this device. This section of the market is very competitive in terms of midrange priced phones that do quite a few things well. The camera is still pretty good, especially as, while not all of the tech in it is like for like with the 6 or 6 pro, it has been used in previous iterations of the Pixels. Which means it is proven technology and does the job well. You might weigh up if this the right phone for you based on a wider range of considerations, and your own particular use cases, but if you are familiar with Pixels, then you will like it. Similarly, if you want a phone that packs a bit more power and better photography chops than you current or previous, lower price range phone, then you would be happy with this offering too. There is no headphone jack either, so that is something to keep in mind also, depending on how you plan to use your phone. In terms of the impressive voice to text option and other similar, google led options, these all perform well and are an attractive option to consider. This is a good phone, and, if your own personal use-cases align with these factors mentioned above, then this could be a good purchase for you. Even if you have less need of those specific types of functionality, it is a good phone, and one that you won't regret purchasing. The one caveat is how it will perform 18 months to 2 years down the line, and there you might feel that wireless charging would have been a useful element to have in the package. More information about the phone Pixel 6a is specifically designed for users seeking a high-quality smartphone without breaking the bank. Pixel 6a shares many core similarities with Pixel 6, including the Google Tensor chip and outstanding security with Titan M2. Pixel 6a also has all day battery life, an excellent dual rear camera system, a 60 Hz display refresh rate, and an under-display fingerprint sensor system. Audio Stereo Speakers 2 microphones Battery & Charging Up to 72 hour battery with Extreme Battery Saver Adaptive & all day battery designed to last over 24 hours USB-C charging port Camera Dual Rear Camera Main: 12MP IMX363 DP + OIS UW: 12MP IMX386 Front Wide Angle Camera 8MP IMX355 84°FOV Fixed Focus Face Deblur Magic Eraser Real Tone Display SDC 6.1” gOLED FHD+ 20:9 Center HIAA 60 Hz Dimensions/Bezels 71.8 x 152 .16x 8.85 mm 1.08 mm camera bu...

Navigating the Metaverse: A Guide to Limitless Possibilities in a Web 3.0 World by Cathy Hackl, Dirk Lueth, and Tommaso Di Bartolo Edited by John Arkontaky ISBN: 9781119898993 Published June 2022 by Wiley in hardcover and ebook, priced £20.99 Navigating the Metaverse serves as a primer on the Metaverse and shares an essential breakdown in the future of online business to get readers past confusion around the new technology, and help them find ways to innovate and spark new customer connections and online revenue streams. From understanding metaverse basics to commercial strategy and even launching your first metaverse project, readers will find practical and hands-on insight into this cutting-edge technology. Navigating the Metaverse In the book, the authors – Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer of the Futures Intelligence Group, Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Upland, one of the fastest-growing metaverses mapped to the real world and based on blockchain technology, and Tommaso Di Bartolo, UC Berkeley scholar – offer foundational knowledge about the metaverse, metaverse economy, Web 3.0. technology, and more, for people new to the subject. They also discuss the essential connection between metaverse environments, businesses, communities, and digital products that make the metaverse economy such a potent force. Containing deep dives on topics like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and how to make the most of them, as well as frameworks to help find, nurture, measure, and monetise new innovations in the metaverse, Navigating the Metaverse provides readers – whether entrepreneurs, executives, or innovators seeking a place at the front of the line in a new age of online business – with an analysis of the future of electronic commerce and a technology that looks likely to become as impactful as the Web. About the authors: Cathy Hackl is a globally renowned tech futurist and executive with extensive experience working with HTC VIVE, Magic Leap, and Amazon Web Services. She is the CEO of the Futures Intelligence Group. Dirk Lueth is a serial entrepreneur and early adopter of blockchain technology as the co-founder and co-CEO of Upland. He has also co-founded European and US-based companies in the fintech and digital media spaces, including Financial Times Deutschland and Forbatec. Tommaso Di Bartolo is a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits under his belt. He is a faculty member at UC Berkeley where he lectures about entrepreneurship and innovation. He is the author of How to Growth Hack Your Startup. John Arkontaky is a content creator and strategist. He has covered the technology industry as a writer, editor, and journalist. He works alongside industry leaders, managing thought leadership programs for leading tech companies. See more book reviews here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Today sees the launch of a £50,000 investment to support British agriculture in achieving its ambition to be net zero. The Journey to Net Zero competition has been launched by the School of Sustainable Food and Farming (SSFF) and is supported by Bradford Estates, Harper Adams University, McDonald's, Morrisons, the NFU and Trinity Ag Tech and Trinity Global Farm Pioneers. With a total prize fund of £50,000, the competition will award cash prizes of between £5,000 and £20,000 to fund scalable systems or processes which will help farmers to manage their businesses in a sustainable way. The winners will be announced at the end of this year and their progress will then be tracked and publicised by Farmers Guardian throughout 2023 to spread their learning across the industry. Announcing the competition, Prof Michael Lee, vice-chancellor of Harper Adams University, said: “SSFF at Harper Adams University is delighted to launch this competition to help our farming community realise this vital transition. “Harper Adams University, working through our new SSFF and supported by our industry partners, is committed to deliver training and research needed for a just transition to support all UK agriculture, be that through reducing methane emissions of ruminant livestock, improving soil health, or realising biodiversity improvement in mixed cropping systems. “We are working with some of the UK's brightest and most innovative farmers and we really look forward to expanding this network through the competition. We realise that the greatest take up of technology and interventions is through seeing these implemented on real farms, hence the excitement around this competition.” Harriet Wilson, agriculture and sustainable sourcing manager for McDonald's, said: “Farmers are well known for being entrepreneurial inventors, often driven by the need to adapt to situations on-farm. “Net zero and the climate challenge is probably the biggest driver of necessity to change that we will face over the next 10 years and the inventive farming mind is well placed to come up with some of the solutions.” For more information about the competition and to enter, please visit: www.fginsight.com/NetZeroCompetition See more stories here.

Free intensive courses for women in cybertech and security Minister for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy Ossian Smyth today launched Smarttech247's next intake for its Women in Cybersecurity Academy. The Irish firm is offering sixty places for a free intensive course which helps develop skills for a future in cybertech and security. It's the second time the leading managed security service provider has run the course, as it plays its part in addressing the diversity and skills challenge in the cyber industry. 60 Free Places for Women in Cybersecurity Academy Women are extremely underrepresented in the fields of computer science and cyber security, and this initiative seeks to increase the number of women choosing to take this career path. Women make up only about 15% of computer science graduates, and many leave the field in their early career – feeling unwelcome in the heavily male-dominated workplace culture. The Women in Cybersecurity Academy aims to combat this. Fighting cyberattacks at home and abroad The Academy curriculum has been developed by Smarttech247 experts to cover the knowledge and skills required to tackle the ever-growing range of cyber attacks that threaten individuals and organisations around the world. Once an end-of-term assessment has been completed, a number of the best performing students will be offered placements at one of Smarttech247's bases in Ireland or abroad. Organisers are particularly keen to raise awareness of the programme among Ireland's growing Ukrainian community, members of which may have valuable skills to transfer here. Engaging the Ukrainian community Announcing the opening of applications today, Minister Smyth said it's important all talent resources are utilised when it comes to defending against online attacks: “The Irish government takes cybersecurity extremely seriously, and the industry here needs the best talent to stay at the cutting edge internationally. We know women are underrepresented in cybersecurity around the world and I'm delighted to see an Irish leader like Smarttech247 taking the initiative to address the balance, particularly as they look to engage the Ukrainian community”. Chief Executive of Smarttech247 Raluca Saceanu says Ukraine's tech industry has been thriving in recent years: “We know from our business that Ukraine has built a really high level of expertise among its tech workforce, and the value of the country's IT exports was more than $5bn in 2020. As Ireland welcomes thousands of people from Ukraine to live in this country, we believe many of these could be fantastic candidates for the Academy and for the wider cybersecurity scene in Ireland. We're keen to get the word out that we have real opportunities for the right people”. Raluca says some previous Academy students have gone on to secure jobs in leading tech and consultancy firms, including Smarttech247: “There are thousands of openings in cybersecurity companies around the world at any one time, and yet, research in Ireland last year showed 27% of companies have difficulty retaining females in their cybersecurity team. Programmes like our Women in Cybersecurity Academy are vital to help address the industry's gender divide and secure its future talent pipeline”. A six week bootcamp Over a 6-week term using remote and on-site learning, students of the Smarttech247 Women in Cybersecurity Academy will have: Access to expert level knowledge In-depth industry experience Experience using the latest sophisticated technologies The chance to work alongside some of the best analysts, pentesters and threat hunters in the industry Smarttech247 is seeking applications from women who have, or who are on track to receive at least an undergraduate degree in computer science. The firm is keen to draw on as wide a talent pool as possible, including women looking to return to the workforce and those already working in cybersecurity who want to refine their skills. Assessment will be based on a...

Caroline Hughes is the CEO and co-founder of Lifetise, a Web 3 consumer fintech in the metaverse where people can plan and visualize their goals. She is a Tech lawyer by training. She an activator in SheEO, a global community of radically generous women transforming the way we fund, support and celebrate women-led Ventures working on purposeful business ventures. She is also included in the Crypto Goddess and God community (CG) of 1,000 thought leaders across finance, fintech and web3 featured in 1 of 1 rare portrait NFTs. Making waves in Web3 and the metaverse, Caroline Hughes Caroline Hughes –/ Lifetise –/ SheEO –/ CG Pantheon NFT: Caroline Hughes Goddess NFT :-%23162 Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter. Join her on the social platforms Listen to more podcasts here.

Henry from Irish Tech News speaks with Professor Wulf Kaal about his experience with DAOs, horizontal governance, equity online,and his own project, Menagerie. How does this counter big companies' data farming? How can this upgrade level 1 governance? We speak about all this and more. A More Equal Internet? Insights with DAO Expert Wulf Kaal Bios: Wulf Kaal is a professor, lawyer, and economist. Originally hailing from Germany, he immigrated to the United States as a young adult, where he worked with top US firms, such as Goldman Sachs and Swain & Moore. He has taught at several universities across the globe, and is the co-founder of Menagerie.is, an internet tool that helps anyone begin their own decentralized community online. Wulf's vision is to decentralise the internet in a way that will lead to more equity among users – this includes employing the use of DAOs and combatting data farming by large corporations. He is currently working at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minnesota, the United States. Henry Fox is a freelance journalist and student at Coventry University in the UK, currently interning at Irish Tech News. Originally hailing from Limerick, Henry has a passion for all things nerdy, from emerging computer technology to cult movies. See more podcasts here

Fitbit Premium Sleep Profiles became available to Fitbit Premium users from July. A good night's sleep can help you feel rested and recharged, while also playing a critical role in your overall health and well-being. Since the introduction of Fitbit's sleep features in 2009, sleep tracking has been incredibly popular – making information previously only available through a sleep lab accessible to users via their wrist. To date, we've analyzed 22 billion hours of sleep data, equivalent to the lifespan of over 5,000 tortoises. (Fun facts: a tortoise lives for up to 500 years and there are 60,000 giant tortoises in the world.) Fitbit Premium Sleep Profile We know our users are motivated to gather even more insight into their sleep, which is why today we're introducing Sleep Profile. This new Fitbit Premium feature offers a new longitudinal analysis of your sleep patterns. It also makes your sleep data even easier to interpret with fun animal characters, so you can take steps to improve your sleep quality and, in turn, your overall health. Fitbit's newest feature, Sleep Profile, allows Premium members to garner more insight into their sleep habits via their associated sleep animal and discover long-term trends in their habits so they may take steps to improve their sleep. What does your Sleep Profile analyze? Sleep guidance isn't as simple as getting 7-8 hours rest (everyone is different!) and we have the data to show it through an analysis of 1.87 million sleep logs by a neurologist, sleep experts and research scientists. Supported by sleep science, Sleep Profile analyzes your sleep across 10 key metrics each month, calculates trends and compares them to what's typical for your age and gender, so you can discover where you have room to improve. Our research team studied 1,000 different sleep features during its analysis before distilling it down to the key metrics we include in your profile. Ranging from new metrics, including sleep schedule variability, time before sound sleep and disrupted sleep, to previously tracked metrics such as sleep duration, restfulness and REM sleep, these data points portray a holistic month-long view of your sleep patterns and quality. You'll also be provided with ideal ranges for each metric – and where you fall within each range – so you can consider where to focus your efforts for improvement. These metrics are shown on a monthly aggregate view for the first time (something that's nearly impossible to replicate in a sleep lab). What sleeper type are you? These critical data points gathered from your sleep analysis inform your designated Sleep Animal, providing a fun way to understand your sleeping style. Our extensive research and testing found six animal archetypes, each chosen for their distinct trends that correlate each animal's behavior with common user sleeping behaviors and patterns. How does it work? Wear your Fitbit device to sleep for at least 14 nights per calendar month to receive an assessment. The more you wear the device to sleep, the more precise the evaluation. Sleep can vary significantly from night to night, so it's helpful to analyze your sleep data over a longer period from your own sleep environment to uncover more insights into your habits and how you can improve. As a Premium member you will see your Sleep Profile, including your sleep animal and monthly sleep analysis, on the first day of every month. Animals can change from month to month, and data collected throughout the month will inform the next animal you receive the following month. There is no “ideal” animal – each one can be used to better understand your sleep patterns and how you can improve your sleep quality. Based on your sleeper type's behavior, you will see where your sleep patterns compare to others like you – whether it's setting a more consistent sleep schedule or creating a bedtime routine like trying the mindfulness content found within the Fitbit app to help you fall asleep faster. Getting quality ...

Dairy drones on the horizon Irish dairy farmers could soon be using hi-tech ‘dairy drone' imagery and a form of artificial intelligence to help them decide which fields to let their cows graze. Researchers at Teagasc, UCD and DCU, funded by the VistaMilk SFI Research Centre based in Teagasc, Moorepark, Co Cork, are currently testing the accuracy of physical and lab-based observations of grass growth against new image-analysing, machine-learning models based on photos captured by drones and static cameras. The aim is to produce predictive data of the yield and composition of grass growth on pastures. This innovation is designed to help farmers determine the best time and which areas to allow their cows feed, which can improve dairy production and promote the well-being of cattle. To date, the predictive models based on a simple photograph are resulting in 95% accuracy rates when compared to physical observations. Deirdre Hennessy, VistaMilk Funded Investigator and Senior Teagasc Research Officer, said that grass and pasture management is vitally important for the success of Ireland's €5bn dairy industry. Providing farmers with information easily and quickly Ms Hennessy said: “It's not as simple as letting the cows out to eat where and when they want. Farmers are constantly walking their fields monitoring grass growth, paying particular attention to its yield, composition, and its grazing suitability. They must determine when there are adequate quantities available to feed their animals while making sure they avoid having too much grass, leading to waste and poor quality or potentially under grazing”. “This is very labour intensive and time-consuming, and the research that VistaMilk is funding is designed to provide them with that information more easily and quickly”, Ms Hennessy continued. Farmers who use PastureBase Ireland are already reducing the need to purchase supplemental food to feed their cattle, improving the cows' wellbeing. It is estimated that every tonne of extra grass grazed is worth in the region of €172 to a farm, which adds up to a substantial amount of money over the course of approximately 300 days of grazing each year. “Image-analysing, machine-learning algorithms will work with pictures captured by drones – and even satellites in the future. The potential of what we can do in will only be limited by our imaginations. We can theoretically look at sending out drone swarms that will return their information to a base in a matter of minutes, giving farmers in a whole county the results that will allow them to make better business decisions while farming more sustainably”, said Ms Hennessy. “I personally think that would be some achievement and a sight to see, if and when it becomes viable. For now, we will continue to prove that our drone captured imaging algorithms work and will leave the scaling up to the next generation of researchers that are following closely behind.” Irish dairy some of the best in the world The quality of Irish dairy is, in large part, due to the fact that Irish cows are grass-fed. Currently 5,000 Irish farmers are using a grassland management app called PastureBase Ireland to input their physical observations of grass growth and get results by the time they are finished walking their land. However, there are many factors that can skew the outcomes, including, for example, the subjectivity of observations made by different people. Ms Hennessy added: “Knowledge of how your grass is growing and what else is in your paddock, such as clover, can make a huge difference to a farm's profitability and sustainability. The imaging analysis work that is ongoing in VistaMilk and with our partners will make the process more accurate and automated, thereby making it easier for the farmer to make timely and correct decisions on how to manage their fields.” The improved understanding of the mix of grasses and other plants like white and red clover are reducing the requirement for artificial fertilis...

Techies Go Green, a movement of IT and tech-oriented companies committed to decarbonising their businesses, has announced the launch of its Go Green Ambassador Programme. These Go Green Ambassadors will be responsible for inspiring and enabling a culture of sustainability among the movement's signatory community – now more than 250 members – as the world moves towards a carbon neutral future. This group will raise awareness of sustainability by delivering environmental education through articles and virtual events, while motivating others to be more energy efficient through the adoption of environmentally friendly lifestyles and renewable energy resources. They will also lead projects and develop initiatives to help reduce signatories' environmental impact both at work and home, thus enabling and supporting a ‘think green, live green' approach. The Go Green Ambassadors include: Membership Ambassador – Michael O'Hara, Group Managing Director, DataSolutions Programmes Ambassador – Roberta McCrossan, Group Marketing Director, DataSolutions Sustainable Technology Ambassador – Francis O'Haire, Group Technology Director, DataSolutions Sustainability Communications Ambassador – Allan Chapman, Managing Director, Comit PR Sponsorship Ambassador – Dermott Reilly, CEO, IngeniaTouch Circular Computing Ambassador – David Dorling, Chief Sales Officer, Prime Computer Sustainable Energy Ambassador – Conor Daly, Customer Solutions Product Manager, ESB Ireland Sustainability Measurement Ambassador – John Gladstone, Sustainability Lead, Softcat Techies Go Green also has a partnership programme which encourages greater engagement and collaboration among the community by allowing member organisations to promote their own sustainability services and products. These organisations are listed in a directory of Go Green partners which provide solutions to aid greater sustainability and green business practices. They are also promoted via the Techies Go Green website, newsletter and webinar series. Michael O'Hara said: “Our aim at Techies Go Green is to encourage and enable as many organisations as possible to create a sustainable future, not just for their own business but the wider community and the world as a whole. “The key to bringing about real change is collective action, driven by verifiably sustainable business practices and lifestyles. However, in order to act, people need to know where to start and that's where the education piece is so crucial. “Techies Go Green – led by our Go Green Ambassadors and Go Green Partners – plugs this gap, providing companies with the knowledge and direction around how they can be more environmentally friendly. Together, we can share experience, lead change and drive impact.” See more stories here.

Future of Motoring There's no doubt electric vehicles are the future of motoring. With the government banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, many of us have come to realise adopting an EV can be a great way to save money, whilst being incredibly convenient for our daily journeys. A great start to a likely future trend, as many want alternatives to jetting between locations, but how easy is it to take an electric vehicle on a European road trip? To find out, DS Automobiles have uncovered the most EV-friendly road trips in Europe and the UK. They have done this by analysing several factors: The number of charging points per mile of the route. The number of accommodation spots with electric charging stations per mile. The number of attractions and restaurants per mile, to find out how much there is to see and do on the trip and whilst the electric vehicle charges. Discover how EV-friendly Europe's road trips are below. Basse Corniche, France Nice – Villefranche-sur-mer – Beaulieu-sur-mer – Eze – Cap-d'ail – Monaco – Menton The Basse Corniche route across the beautiful French Riviera is Europe's most friendly EV road trip. The route scored highest for the number of accommodation spots with EV charging points per mile at 0.41. That's 0.13 more EV friendly accommodation per mile than the second-best route – the Netherlands to Belgium. This stunning coastal road scored highest for the number of attractions and restaurants, at 48.16 per mile and 105.53 per mile. Perfect for EV drivers wanting to get a bite to eat or see the sights whilst their EV charges. So, what kind of attractions can you expect to see on this adventurous road trip? Well, for starters the route itself is filled with beautiful sights of the Mediterranean Sea and the cliffs between Nice and Monaco. You could wander in time through Old Town's cobbled streets in Nice, or the fortified medieval village of Eze. Monaco has a plethora of top-rated attractions, such as the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, or the opulent Prince's Palace. From Ireland or the UK you can catch a ferry to Calais, Brittany or Le Havre and then make your way south to Nice. The Netherlands to Belgium Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Bruges The second most EV-friendly road trip in Europe is the cross-country route of the Netherlands to Belgium. This cultured road trip starts in Amsterdam, through to one of Europe's hottest destinations – Rotterdam. Then stop off at Antwerp, Belgium's hip city, before finishing at Bruges. This trip scored the highest out of all the road trips analysed for the number of charging stations at 18.73 per mile. In total there are a whopping 3,159 charging stations across the route. The road trip scored second-highest for EV-friendly accommodation spots, with 48 hotels equipped with an EV charger – that's 0.28 per mile. It's super easy to get to the Netherlands, catch a ferry from Harwich, Hull or Newcastle. Brits could even take the Eurostar to France and extend your driving holiday from Calais. Irish drivers can spend some extra time seeing the sights by travelling through the UK or France. Rhine Valley, Germany Dusseldorf – Cologne – Bonn – Remagen – Koblenz – Braubach – Boppard – St Goar – Loreley – Kaub – Bacharach – Rudesheim – Mainz Europe's third most friendly EV road trip is the idyllic Rhine Valley in Germany, scoring 60 out of 82. The route scored highly thanks to its number of charging stations with 459 in total, that's 1.42 charging points per mile. You'll be well-fed on this epic trip, there are 5,303 top-rated restaurants, which works out at 16.44 restaurants for every mile! There are plenty of cultural delights the Rhine Valley is well-known for, such as Himmel und Erde, a dish comprising of potatoes, apple sauce, and bacon. Or, satisfy your sweet tooth with waffles or Spekulatius – a German spiced biscuit. Atlantic Highway, England Eastover – Dunster – Selworthy – Clovelly – Bude – Camelford – Fistral Beach – Penzance – Sennen – Land's E...

A New industry report, including research conducted among 300 Irish construction companies, found labour shortage and access to talent will impact Ireland's ability to achieve housing ambitions. 85% of Irish construction firms say that the rising cost of materials and sheer level of demand are major challenges facing the construction industry. Upskilling the construction sector Irish construction companies have highlighted access to a skilled workforce as a significant barrier to meeting the surge in demand for building new houses and achieving construction targets, according to a new research report published today (Wednesday). The ‘Construction in Ireland 2022: Building a Workforce for the Future' research report, conducted by Core Research among 300 construction firms in Ireland and commissioned by Autodesk Construction Cloud, a member of the design and make company, found that two fifths of companies are actively recruiting but skills shortages are proving a headache for businesses of all sizes. The report, exploring the current state of the construction sector, found that two out of three (63%) companies find it hard to recruit talent, owing to a lack of career options and negative perceptions about working in the industry. One in three construction firms believe young talent is emigrating from Ireland. Overall, the mood of the industry is positive for this year, even in the face of economic headwinds pushing up the cost of materials, with 38% of companies expecting revenues to increase, while only one in ten expects to see a decrease. But there are warning signs for the future when it comes to hiring a skilled workforce, which require targeted measures to strengthen the position of the industry and ensure it reaches its full potential, according to the report. Industry outlook amid inflation backdrop 85% identified the rising cost of materials and sheer scale of demand as the other defining challenges for the Irish construction industry, along with builders stalling one-off projects as a result (81%). Combined with the labour force blockage, present market conditions have caused some doubts about the achievability of Government's Housing for All and retrofitting target ambition and timeline. The research found four in five professionals are concerned about the sector's ability to meet the housing policy target and requirement of 33,000 homes built per year by 2030. Only 20% of professionals think the housing targets can be reached with the current workforce, while seven in ten professionals (70%) believe the industry will need a bigger workforce to meet the ambitions. Some 54% pointed to a lack of people with the necessary skills and expertise required to meet the demand of the National Retrofit Plan. Recruitment in focus 63%, two in three of every construction company, are finding it hard to recruit the talent they need, with 59% putting recruitment challenges down to a shortage in the availability of skilled labour in general. It's a situation that many professionals believe will worsen over the next decade, particularly when it comes to traditional trade skills. Nearly half of those surveyed are concerned about the rarity of trade skills like brick laying and plastering (46%) and carpenters (31%). Signs of a significant industry image problem were also signalled as an ongoing concern for companies, with professionals saying the industry is less attractive than other sectors (25%), there's limited awareness of career options (16%) or it's seen as a career of last choice (15%). There is also a mismatch between the skills available and the skills needed. According to construction companies, the most challenging roles to fill are fire or health and safety officers (41%), engineers (32%) and bricklayers and carpenters (each 31%). Construction firms report far fewer challenges recruiting digitally skilled candidates, suggesting businesses might not be hiring these roles at all. Fewer businesses report struggling to recru...

A long history at SAP Today German software company SAP SE celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Irish operation. To mark the occasion, Clas Neumann, Global Head of the SAP Labs Network joined Liam Ryan, Managing Director, SAP Ireland in welcoming Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton and IDA Ireland to its Galway office. Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton said: “I'm hugely impressed with the achievements of SAP since they located in Ireland 25 years ago. SAP makes a significant contribution to the local economy both here in Galway and in Dublin. I would like thank SAP for their continued commitment to Ireland and to wish the team well for many more years to come.” Diversity wins A long-standing commitment to ongoing innovation has seen SAP Ireland transform from its origins as a 30-strong company based on the single floor of an office in East Point Business Park, Dublin. The company, which expanded to Ireland in 1997, is now an Irish powerhouse, employing 2,300 people in over 55 lines of business in both Dublin and Galway. It has a multicultural workforce with employees hailing from all four corners of the world, from almost 60 countries and speaking 47 languages. At SAP Ireland, they believe a truly diverse organisation is an inclusive organisation, one that harnesses and celebrates the power of diversity. One of SAP's flagship diversity programs, Autism at Work, which supports autistic and neurodivergent employees and fosters their unique talents, was launched in SAP Ireland in 2013 and has seen huge success over them years. A range of services SAP's teams in both Dublin and Galway are responsible for the delivery of services and support for its EMEA and Americas customer base and the company is engaged in Research & Development for planning and analytics on the SAP Business Technology Platform. SAP also offers a variety of careers in sales, partner services, financial shared Services, cloud services, technical writing, e-learning, translations, and license auditing. Liam Ryan, Managing Director, SAP Labs Ireland, said: “On the occasion of SAP celebrating 25 years in Ireland I would like to thank the Ireland Leadership team and all SAP Ireland employees in Dublin and Galway for their expertise, flexibility, motivation and exceptional customer focus. Over the past 25 years we have helped guide customers and partners on their transformation journeys and as SAP celebrates its 50th anniversary globally we look forward to helping even more customers run better and improving people's lives. “ 25 years and into the future SAP is supported by IDA Ireland; Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland, said: “I want to congratulate SAP on this really important milestone of 25 years in Ireland. SAP has played an important role in the development of Ireland's tech ecosystem. As one of Ireland's largest and most-established tech companies, SAP's investment in Ireland over the years and ongoing education initiatives have greatly enhanced our reputation as a tech hub in Europe. I wish Liam and the entire team continued success” In 2022, SAP has been named as one of LinkedIn's 25 Best Workplaces in Ireland. SAP in Ireland has recently embarked on a Pledge to Flexible hybrid working model which has transformed its offices in both Dublin and Galway to create a new ‘flex work' environment. These new inspiring office designs are tailored for communication, collaboration, community and focused work, enabling employees to find the right space for every task. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to f...

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of scam call centers in India. These call centers typically target westerners, often pretending to be from a legitimate company or government agency. They may try to trick people into giving them personal information or money. Scam call centers have become a major problem in India, and the government has been working to crack down on them. In 2017, the Indian authorities arrested more than 70 people in connection with a scam call center that had allegedly defrauded US citizens out of millions of dollars. If you receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from India, do not give them any personal information or money. Hang up immediately and report the call to the proper authorities. The Indian government has been cracking down on scams originating from call centers in the country, but the problem persists. In 2017, the Indian government received nearly 1.5 million complaints about scam phone calls, with victims losing a total of Rs 10,000 crore (roughly $1.5 billion). Most of these scams target people in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The callers typically pose as representatives of businesses or government agencies and trick victims into giving away personal information or money. While the Indian government has taken steps to crack down on these scams, they continue to occur. What Tech Do They Use? India has been known to be a major hub for scam call centers. These call centers typically use technology to impersonate representatives from well-known companies in order to defraud people out of their money. Some of the most common technologies that these call centers use include VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and auto-dialers. VoIP allows scammers to make calls using the internet instead of a traditional phone line, which makes it easy to spoof the number and very difficult to trace the call back to its source. Auto-dialers are used to automatically dial large numbers of phone numbers, often using a computerized list of numbers. This makes it very easy for scammers to reach a large number of potential victims. These call centers often use very high-pressure tactics to try to get people to give them money. They may claim that you owe them money or that there is some sort of emergency and you need to send them money right away. They may also threaten to arrest you or take legal action if you do not comply with their demands. If you receive a call from a scam call center, it is important that you do not give them any personal information or send them any money. Hang up immediately and report the call to the proper authorities. You can also visit the Federal Trade Commission's website for more information on how to protect yourself from scam calls. The Indian government has recently taken steps to crack down on scam call centers that have been targeting victims in the West. These call centers typically use VoIP technology to make their calls, and they often spoof the caller ID information to make it appear as if they are calling from a legitimate organization or business. In many cases, the scammers will claim to be representatives of a government agency or a well-known company, and they will try to trick victims into giving them personal information or money. The Indian government has set up a special task force to investigate these scam call centers, and it is working with law enforcement agencies in the United States and other countries to identify and prosecute the people behind them. In the meantime, there are some things you can do to protect yourself from these scammers. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a government agency or a well-known company, do not give them any personal information. Hang up and call the customer service number for the organization they claim to represent. Do not call any numbers that the caller gives you, as these are likely to be fake. If you are unsure whether a call is legitimate, you can also contact ...

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a new digital map of the growing volume of Dublin street art that is dotted throughout the city and county. The street art is part of Dublin Canvas, an inclusive public art initiative that adds a flash of colour and creativity to the traffic control boxes that are highly visible at traffic junctions throughout Dublin. Currently, there are over 600 pieces of artwork spread throughout the county, and it is expected that there will be over 750 pieces completed by the end of Autumn this year. Using Esri's ArcGIS system, the interactive digital map pinpoints exactly where each box is located and provides an image of each piece. A simple click on the image provides information about the art, along with the background story of the artist. The art is painted by exceptionally creative and talented amateur and professional artists residing in Dublin. They come from all walks of life and range from students to retirees, barristers to baristas, and engineers to editors. Be it the artwork of squirrels in Stepaside, beasts in Blackrock or fishermen on Fitzwilliam Street, the map can be used to discover inventive artwork nearby. There's a varying mix of themes to suit everyone, to brighten up the wait time at a red light or to get inspired on a summer stroll. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

1971 was the first time Earth Overshoot Day was calculated. It signified the day on which human consumption of raw materials can no longer be covered by the formation of new resources. In other words: every day after it, we incur ecological debt. When calculated in 1971 this date fell on 25 December – i.e. humanity consumed more resources than were available for only six calendar days – in just over 50 years, this date now falls on 28 July; 150 days earlier. In 2006, the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign was launched together with the Global Footprint Network, and since 2007 the WWF, the world's largest nature conservation organisation, has been involved. “This year, from the 29th of July onwards, we will already be ecologically in debt to our children and grandchildren,” says Peter Windischhofer, CEO and Co-Founder of refurbed. “For 156 days this year, we will consume resources that do not belong to us. This is like my salary being used up on the 17th of the month and living on credit for the remainder,” says the founder of the green tech scale-up and online marketplace for sustainable consumption. “ The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted humanity's ecological impact Since 2018, Earth Overshoot Day has been a regular visitor in the month of July with the exception of 2020 when it occurred on August 22nd. This was due to global lockdowns. “2020 showed how much influence we could have as a society and how it is possible to move the date back again,” says Windischhofer. “Now we have to learn to find ways to move the date further back, even without COVID-19.” Ireland's 2022 Overshoot Day was worryingly on April 21st, much earlier than the world average According to the Central Statistics Office, in 2018 alone, Ireland had the 3rd worst emissions per capita in Europe, with 53% higher emissions per person than the EU average (12.6 tonnes vs. 8.2 tonnes). “If everyone in the world lived the way we Irish do, we would have celebrated Earth Overshoot Day on the 21st of April this year,” says Pádraig Power, Ireland's marketing manager for refurbed, about the unpleasant date. “This concrete figure will hopefully help us recognise Ireland's exuberant consumer behaviour, and help us realise that now is the time to put the steps in place for a greener future. Change has to be easy, otherwise it is not long-term” “It is simply not true that the individual can do nothing,” Founder Windischhofer knows from his own experience. “Everything we do has effects – some stop eating meat, others switch from the car to the train. The pandemic has shown that remote working is possible across the board and that many kilometres in our everyday lives are also simply superfluous,” the committed entrepreneur is convinced. “It is important that we make changes in behaviour easy, pleasant and attainable, only then will they be permanent. Our consumer behaviour is changing. The concept of ‘reuse – recycle – repair' is slowly catching on in people's minds, but every person is different, every person can save CO2 somewhere else. The Earth doesn't care where we save, it only cares that we do it.” Refurbed is a CO2 negative and an environmentally positive organisation – for every product sold, refurbed plants a tree to offset carbon emissions created during the refurbishing process. The trees are planted in countries such as Haiti, Madagascar, Kenya, Indonesia and Mozambique or Nepal through their partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects. The company also plants native trees in woodlands across Ireland as part of their partnership with Reforest Nation. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a...

Macmarts, Ireland's leading provider of enterprise cloud applications, has announced its launch into the Irish and European markets. Macmarts core product ‘SpendBooks' allows corporate-wide teams to track and control spending in real-time. Trusted by procurement, finance, engineering and project management teams, because it helps them perform their work more efficiently, releasing them from spreadsheets to control their OpEx and CapEx budgets in real-time. The Limerick based company is also launching ‘ProjectBooks', a cloud based project resource management application empowering teams in manufacturing organisations to manage project resources and control project spending in ‘real-time'. ‘ProjectBooks' is the only project resource management software built specifically for manufacturing organisations to deliver projects on time and on budget with real time visibility of all project spend and resources. Macmarts' unified cloud based SaaS software system products are currently in operation within leading multinational companies in the healthcare industry. The software is a perfect solution for manufacturing companies in heavily regulated industries such as healthcare, pharma, medtech and food, to control their spend in real-time and see what spend is committed to against what has been actually spent to date. The company's objective is to be the go-to spend and project resource optimisation system for companies operating in heavily regulated industries. The system has the ability to reclaim up to 75% of resource time spent on procurement-related activities. As Macmarts expands its reach into new markets, the business is also expanding its team. Keith Doran has been appointed Chief Technology Officer of Macmarts. Keith has over 25 years of experience in delivering enterprise software across a broad range of sectors. Speaking on his appointment, Keith Doran, Macmarts CTO said, “I am delighted to be welcomed into the Macmarts team. The system will be a game-changer for manufacturing companies and I look forward to playing my part in enabling its users to optimise their spending and resource efficiency.” Along with this, Macmarts hopes to continue expanding its service by creating 40 new jobs in Limerick. The company recently moved into a new office space at the heart of the National Technology Park and located adjacent to the University of Limerick campus. Macmarts HQ aptly named ‘Innovation House' is a dedicated 12,000 square feet software facility. The company will begin the process of building a team that will deliver this service in Ireland and beyond. The new positions will cover a range of roles including product management, software engineering, sales, marketing and customer success. Speaking on the announcement today, Tony Frawley, Macmarts CEO said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of Macmarts into the Irish and wider European markets. Companies in heavily regulated industries can now use our technology to lessen the time that goes into managing multi million-euro budgets. Our software is a game changer and we believe will become the go-to solution for teams across the world as they seek to control their budgets in real time. “As businesses navigate industry 4.0, companies must have the resources available to survive and thrive. The Macmarts system enables these companies on their digital transformation journey to focus on real inputs and outputs such as resource efficiency, cost-saving, connectivity and data analysis. “Finally, I would like to warmly welcome Keith to our leadership team. Keith brings a wealth of experience and knowledge with him and we look forward to working with and learning from him as we continue on this journey. We are also excited to be announcing the growth of our team in Limerick to help us continue to drive our goal of being the global leaders in spend and project resource optimisation software.” See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Onlin...