For the record 12 February

12-02-2008

by Stephen Errity

Trintech acquires Movaris for USD5 million | ChannelAdvisor creates 15 jobs for Limerick

Financial solutions group Trintech announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement to acquire the risk and compliance solutions provider Movaris. for USD5 million. The sale is expected to be finalised later this month. California-based Movaris has over 80 enterprise customers for its products, which aid companies in turning aggregated financial and operational information into public financial statements.

E-commerce channel management solutions provider ChannelAdvisor has announced the creation of 15 jobs in Limerick. The positions will be based at the company's new European Product Development and Business Support Centre, which will be responsible for software development, localisation, quality, systems, accounts, customer support, the redevelopment of existing European products and the creation of a common platform for US and European products. Further jobs are expected to be created there in the coming years.

O2 Ireland has launched a dedicated child protection website to tie-in with European Safer Internet Day. The site, located at www.o2.ie/childprotection, aims to promote the safer use of mobile phones by children and young teenagers. It gives details of existing safety features offered by O2, including how to control web access and become an authorised contact on a child's mobile phone account, as well as providing useful tips on preventing bullying and controlling unwanted or spam text messages.

A Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) research project into ultra-wideband (UWB) radar detection systems has received the backing of Enterprise Ireland. The DIT team is working as part of the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (CTVR) research group to develop new antenna designs that increase the accuracy of UWB radar systems. The technology has a number of commercial applications, including the location of persons buried underground in emergency situations, the provision of accurate data on patients under ongoing medical supervision, as well as vehicular anti-collision systems.

Yahoo has announced the acquisition of online video platform provider Maven Networks. The search giant says it will use the acquired technology to 'expand state-of-the-art consumer video and advertising experiences' on its websites, while continuing to grow Maven's business providing video solutions to publishers. Under the terms of the agreement, Yahoo acquired Maven for approximately USD160 million.

An organised criminal network is behind a massive rise in the sophistication of attacks on computers worldwide, according to a new security report from IBM's 'X-Force' security team. The report says that cybercriminals are now stealing the identities and controlling the computers of consumers at a rate never before seen on the internet, as well as using sophisticated camouflaging software to cover their tracks. The team also reported an all-time high in the delivery of malware during 2007, as well as a drop-off in the size of spam e-mails due to a decline in the use of image-based spam.

There was a significant increase in the number of Irish motorists shopping online for their car parts in 2007, according to online car parts retailer, MicksGarage.ie. Car lights (22 percent), wing mirrors (17 percent) and body panels (15 percent) were the most common car parts purchased through the site during 2007 and an analysis of website traffic for 2007 versus 2006 revealed an increase of 103 percent. The analysis also showed that 62 percent of internet car part shoppers in 2007 were male and 65 percent of shoppers bought more than one item.

Gavan Plunkett has been appointed as the new Head of Managed Services at Colt Telecom. His responsibilities in the new position include growing the Irish arm of Colt's Pan-European Data Centre and Managed Services business and ensuring Colt's continued status as a supplier of communications solutions to SME, corporate and government businesses in Ireland. Prior to joining Colt Telecom, Plunkett held a variety of senior sales positions within the communications industry.