In The Papers 28 November

28-11-2008

by Sylvia Leatham

HP on track to reduce energy consumption | Voluntary CERT organisation launches

The Irish Times reports that Dell Direct, a company that provides Dell's sales and support operation in Cherrywood, Co Dublin, delivered a pre-tax profit of EUR14.03 million in the year ended 1 February 2008, but has since that date made 182 staff redundant. Profits at the unit were down steeply from EUR42.93 million the previous year, due to the booking last year of a EUR27.1 million gain on the sale of Dell's old facility in Bray, Co Wicklow. For the 2008 financial year, Dell Direct revenues grew 7.5 percent to EUR161.5 million.

The paper also says that tech giant HP is on track to reduce its energy consumption to 25 percent below its 2005 levels by 2010. Consolidation is a key strategy in achieving the savings. Ian Brooks, HP's director for innovation and sustainable computing, said HP will consolidate from 84 data centres down to six, comprising three primary centres which are mirrored in the case of failure. In tandem, the company is slashing the number of applications that are in use from about 4,500 to about 2,200.

The paper also notes that a private company has established a national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to warn Irish businesses about online security threats. The Irish Reporting and Information Security Service (IRISS) has been established through sponsorship from US security training and certification organisation the Sans Institute and local firm BH Consulting and is manned by 15 volunteer computer security professionals. Since its launch on 10 November, over 100 Irish businesses have signed up to receive alerts from IRISS. "This is a service the community really needs," said Brian Honan of BH Consulting. "Think of it as an Irish neighbourhood watch for the net."

The paper also notes that SMS roaming charges are to be reduced following an agreement by EU ministers, as reported by ENN on Thursday.

The same paper says that LG Electronics has signed a deal with Formula One to become its global partner from January, as noted by ENN on Wednesday.

The paper also notes that the BlackBerry Storm, a highly anticipated touchscreen smartphone, hit Irish shops on Thursday. Currently only available on the Vodafone network, it retails for between EUR50 and EUR110. The Storm is widely viewed as Research in Motion's response to Apple's 3G iPhone.

Separately, the paper notes that Irish e-learning firm Intuition has won an award for delivering mobile learning on BlackBerry devices at the 2008 BlackBerry EMEA Alliance Summit.

The paper also says that a survey from ComputerJobs.ie has found that 61 percent of IT professionals expect their current employer to get through the downturn. The survey of over 9,000 IT professionals found that 84 percent would expect to have the same salary or get an increase in their salary if they moved jobs. When asked if they would stay in a job if they were unhappy, 62 percent said they wouldn't.

The Irish Independent reports that shares in bookmaker Paddy Power rose almost 4 percent on Thursday as the French government promised to open its market to online gaming. French Budget Minister Eric Woerth said a law authorising online gambling will probably be passed by the end of 2009.

The paper also says that US software firm Paraben has developed porn-detecting software that may be of interest to Irish employers, seeing as Ireland ranks top of the list for searches of the word 'porn' on Google. Under 'Google Trends' Ireland ranks No 1 on the list of searches for the word 'porn', ahead of New Zealand (No 2) and the UK (No 3). Paraben's software detects and analyses images that may cause offence.

The Irish Examiner reports that the Government is to drive ahead with delayed funding for third-level research as part of its economic recovery plan. Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe said that a call for proposals under the fifth cycle of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) will issue in the next few weeks. However, he would not say if the EUR450 million which had been expected will materialise.

The paper also notes that Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan has announced that contracts worth EUR40 million have been signed by Irish companies during a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates, as reported by ENN.

According to the Financial Times, Franco-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics has slashed its target for fourth-quarter sales and earnings, blaming a recent slowdown, just a week after reiterating its targets for the period. STMicro said it expects fourth quarter revenue to drop from the previous quarter by between 12.8 to 18.4 percent, compared with a previous target of a decline of up to 8 percent. The chipmaker blamed trends notably in the wireless, automotive and computer peripheral sectors. Revenue in the fourth quarter is now seen at USD2.2 billion to USD2.35 billion, down from USD2.7 billion in the third quarter.

The Wall Street Journal reports that electronics giant Panasonic has sharply lowered its profit outlook for the fiscal year and cut its capital-spending budget. The Japanese company said it now expects a net profit of JPY30 billion, or about USD315 million, for its fiscal year ending 31 March, a 90 percent fall from its earlier estimate of JPY310 billion and well below its year-earlier net profit of JPY281.88 billion. Panasonic attributed the lower estimate to the yen's strength against the US dollar, which crimps overseas profit when repatriated back into yen. It also cited restructuring costs and losses from its investments in stockholdings.

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