IN ASSOCIATION WITH

For the record 6 May
06-05-2008
by Bryan Collins

Hewlett-Packard signs EUR5 million to deliver e-Schools Project | Challenge Science road show gets underway

Hewlett-Packard has signed a five-year contract, worth EUR5 million, with C2k to implement and support an IT business intelligence solution for Northern Ireland's schools. The HP technology, developed in partnership with Asidua, will process 720 million Northern Irish school records over the next five years. "The e-Schools project utilises business intelligence technology as a key measurement tool to provide faster delivery of information to the people who need it to make informed decisions. This will help prepare the education authorities to meet the challenges of setting and measuring education standards across Northern Ireland," said Martin Murphy, managing director of HP Ireland.

ESET an IT security company, has released SysInspector. The "deep dive" diagnostic tool allows support engineers to identify computers affected by malware and runs a risk assessment for users. It is available free of charge at www.eset.com/download. "SysInspector generates a very detailed, real-time snapshot of your current system -- down to processes and device drivers. That snapshot will save tech support, network administrators and other first responders a lot of time when diagnosing problems," said Richard Foley of ESET Ireland.

Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology is to offer a new MA and an MSc programme in digital media. The institute's post-graduate courses run over two years. Students will learn the digital media production techniques used in broadcasting, animation, games, publishing and so on. "The digital media sector is a major priority for the Irish economy -- that's why our government and others are pouring resources into this rapidly growing sector which needs highly skilled graduates to develop its creative indigenous companies," said Helen Doherty, programme coordinator at the institute.

The amount of people buying goods on auction sites like eBay has declined from 58 percent to 54 percent. Analyst company, Point Topic, found that between January 2007 and January 2008 the proportion of UK households saying they buy on eBay and other online auction sites dropped by 4 percent. The percentage of people who shopped online remained static at 69 percent for the same period. "It is easy to get carried along by the enthusiasm for a dynamic sales channel like the internet but it's important to take note of the limits of what is achievable. It appears that a ceiling has been reached under the current conditions and retailers will need to ensure their business models reflect this reality," said Pamela Varley, research analyst at Point Topic.

The demand for skilled IT workers is not being met by Irish workers, according to a recent survey, by Sigmar Recruitment. "In 2008, there is again a huge demand for software developers with Java, .Net and Web development experience and this void is being addressed by migrant workers coming mainly from Italy, Spain, Poland and Hungary among others," said Barry Rudden, associate director with Sigmar Recruitment. The survey also revealed Ireland is still attracting investment from multinationals and is seen as a good location for a European headquarters.

Challenge Science, Discover Science and Engineering's annual national road show, got underway in Waterford Institute of Technology this week. During the course of the event more than 120 business volunteers will assist the 750 students and involve 52 teachers and 26 schools in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. "We are delighted to be a part of such a fun and vibrant road-show that brings the excitement and creativity of science to students and allows them to see a future for themselves in this field," said Dr Thomas O'Toole, Head of the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology.