NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 9 March
09-03-2009
by Bryan Collins
Enterprise Ireland helped 71 start-ups in '08 | Philips makes major NI investment
Enterprise Ireland supported the establishment of 71 new high-potential start-ups (HPSUs) in 2008. The Government believes the successful companies will create close to 1,000 new jobs over the next three years. The companies' total sales are expected to reach EUR615 million, with exports accounting for almost 75 percent of this figure. Minister for Trade and Commerce, John McGuinness made the announcement at Enterprise Ireland's annual High-Potential Start-up Showcase event. "The Government through Enterprise Ireland is investing EUR21.5 million in developing the businesses, which in turn will leverage a total investment of over EUR169 million," he said.
Philips Healthcare Informatics is making a major investment in its Northern Irish operation worth over STG1 million per year. The healthcare software provider is creating 30 new graduate-level jobs as part of the investment while Invest Northern Ireland is offering STG420,000 for the expansion. The announcement comes following a trade mission to Holland by the Northern Irish government, its biggest such mission to date. "This expansion project demonstrates the confidence that this blue-chip multinational group has in its Belfast operation and in the local skills base. ICT is a key growth sector for Northern Ireland," Northern Ireland's Trade Minister Arlene Foster said.
Magnet broadband customers can now watch MTV and 3e via their broadband connection. Magnet's TV service offers live full-screen television viewing over a PC and comes as part of a phone and broadband package which delivers broadband speeds up to 24Mbps. Other channels available as part of the service include RTE1, RTE2, TV3, TG4 and over 12 radio stations. "Over 45 percent of our existing residential customers have taken up our free TV service since it was launched last year, proving the popularity of watching TV on a PC," said Mark Kellett, CEO of Magnet Networks.
Data Electronics, an Irish managed services provider, is providing a new storage on-demand service in conjunction with Hitachi Data Systems. The Storage Area Network (SAN) solution will be delivered across Data Electronics' two primary data centres in Kilcarbery Park and Northwest Business Park. The pair says the solution can classify data and store it on the likes of Fibre Channel and SATA disks. "With IDC predicting that the global storage-as-a-service market will enjoy a 29 percent annual compound growth rate between 2007 to 2012, HDS and Data Electronics are well positioned to tap into this market potential," said Steve Murphy, vice president UK and Ireland for Hitachi Data Systems.
IT Training network Software Skillnet and IT services provider Sogeti are running a training course starting 23 March for IT professionals. The course, Advanced Test Analyst Qualification, will be accredited by the newly-formed Irish Software Testing Board (ISTB) and Software Skillnet is paying 50 percent of the cost for each trainee. The five day grant-aided course costs EUR800 plus a EUR200 exam fee. It runs from Monday, 23 March until Friday, 27 March at the Mount Herbert Hotel in Dublin and will be repeated on a quarterly basis. Those interested can book a place at www.isa-skillnet.com.
The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) wants more of an emphasis placed on reforming Ireland's education and training system. This was just one of the recommendations made in the NCC's Statement on Education and Training which said stakeholders need to recognise the fiscal realities facing government and respond flexibly. The NCC also wants an ICT strategy implemented for schools and more time in school dedicated to science and maths. "Our policy makers and educators must…continue to strive for the best outcomes for students. This is the only way to ensure that our children, young people and adult learners are equipped with the knowledge…necessary to support a socially inclusive society underpinned by economic development and high employment," said NCC council chairman Dr Don Thornhill.
On Tuesday Microsoft is going to release three major security patches. The releases will address issues in Server 2003, Server 2008, Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Microsoft has classified one of the patches as critical and the other two as important; the highest and second highest of its alert levels. The software company has not revealed details about which vulnerabilities are being addressed but did say that the critical patch addresses a risk across all versions of Windows products which, under the critical level criteria, could be exploited by attackers for remote code execution.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 