NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 16 June
16-06-2009
by Emmet Ryan
Powervation creates 150 Limerick jobs | Firms warned of Facebook squatting
Powervation, a Limerick based semiconductor firm, is to create 150 new jobs in Limerick over the next two years following the development of a new microchip. The firm claims the technology will allow manufacturers to achieve up to 30 percent energy efficiency gains. Powervation, which has offices in California, China and Cork, currently employs 35 people worldwide with 25 based in Limerick.
NovaUCD has announced strong commercialisation results for 2008. The centre, which helps promotes start up IT business ideas, revealed that UCD researchers made 53 invention disclosures to NovaUCD during 2008. There were 38 patent applications, including 25 priority, six PCT (patent co-operation treaty) and seven national/regional applications filed by UCD during 2008. A total of 184 inventions have now been disclosed to NovaUCD during the five-year period to the end of 2008.
The Telecoms Industry Federation (TIF) has said outsourcing is critical for industry in order to survive the recession. "Outsourcing is increasingly a key survival strategy for businesses in this challenging economic climate," said Declan Ivory, chairman of the TIF Outsourcing Services Industry Group. He made the comments at a seminar in IBEC's headquarters in Dublin on Tuesday. The seminar was held to give an insight into market trends, in terms of what chief information officers are focused on from a cost management perspective.
Telecommunications firm AirSpeed Telecom has been awarded a contract to provide high bandwidth connectivity to the Vhi Healthcare contact centre in Bunbeg Business Park in Donegal. AirSpeed Telecom is providing Vhi Healthcare with a 10Mbps licensed wireless link to ensure a safe, secure and reliable method of transferring critical information.
Ian Cleverly has been named as the new chief financial officer at an expanded finance department at mobile and internet provider Three Ireland. Cleverly has already led the investment of more than EUR530 million in the Three network to date and is currently overseeing a EUR223 million investment into the network as part of the Government's National Broadband Scheme.
Solicitor firm Cruickshank has urged Irish companies to register company names on Facebook to avoid falling prey to cyber squatting. Facebook began allowing users to register personalised usernames from last Saturday and 3 million were registered in the first 12 hours. At present the offer is limited to just existing members of the social networking website but it will be open to anyone from 28 June. Cruickshank is advising businesses to act early to avoid falling foul of cyber squatters.
Dublin-based Norkom Technologies has been voted the world's top provider of anti-fraud solutions for the second time ever at the annual compliance software survey by the readers of industry publication OpRisk and Compliance. The study was conducted among leading financial institutions across North America, Europe and Asia.
Users of TomTom satellite navigation devices could soon be hearing a lot from Homer Simpson. The fictional character is being made available as an alternative to the typical voices heard on satellite navigation devices, often with middle of the road American accents deserving of a name like Lurleen. TomTom is working with Locutio Voice Technologies and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising to enable Homer to act as an alternative to these more traditional options.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 