Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest Issue No. 470
18-06-2009
by Deirdre McArdle
Laptops with customer data stolen, again | Mobile broadband is star performer
Tech sector jobs show promise
It was a relatively good week for tech sector jobs. On Monday, printing tool company Wetzel Holding, which is based in Clonee, Co Meath, announced that it would create 25 jobs at a new EUR5 million technology production operation over the next five years. The move forms part of the growth of a research and development initiative by the company. Meanwhile, in Dublin, Sophis Group said it is investing EUR1.7 million to expand its software research and development facility, Sophis Technology Ireland. The investment will create 13 high-calibre engineering positions. Sophis currently employs 58 people in Dublin. The R&D will involve the development of a new highly complex financial software product. Meanwhile, following on from its development of a new microchip, Limerick-based semiconductor manufacturer Powervation said it is poised to create 150 new jobs over the next two years. Powervation was established in 2006 in the Circuits and Systems Research Centre at the University of Limerick. Antoin Russell, Powervation chief executive, said the company was due to go into full production of the new microchip shortly. Powervation has offices in California, China and Cork and currently employs 35 people worldwide with 25 based in Limerick. Elsewhere, biotechnology company Randox, which is based in Antrim, announced plans to create 32 new high-value jobs as it continues its expansion.
Laptops with customer data stolen -- again
We got a strong sense of deja vu this week following the news that 15 computers were stolen from a Health Service Executive's (HSE) office in Roscommon. Although 13 of the computers were encrypted, two laptops weren't. One of those laptops reportedly contained sensitive personal financial data on people who have approached community welfare officers for assistance. The HSE has yet to reveal exactly what kind of information is on the laptops; in a statement on Tuesday night the executive said it is "awaiting the Incident Report about the stolen laptop that was not encrypted and which may or may not contain sensitive information". According to the HSE, the computers were stolen on Friday, 12 June. Deputy Data Protection Commissioner Gary Davis said the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) was not informed about the incident by the HSE, and had in fact learned of the theft via media reports on Tuesday. For its part, the HSE said it has now filled the ODPC in. This latest theft follows on from an incident last September when an non-encrypted laptop, BlackBerry and data disk were stolen from the HSE, and a separate theft also in September when a non-encrypted laptop was stolen from the home of a HSE employee. At that time the ODPC had urged the HSE to take measures to ensure that all devices containing data were encrypted. The HSE maintains it started that process in September last year. Then on Wednesday news broke that four laptops had been stolen from Bord Gais offices. One of the four laptops, which was not encrypted, contained details of 75,000 customers' bank accounts. Bord Gais claims that all of its laptops are now encrypted -- small comfort to the customers whose bank details are in the hands of persons unknown. The laptops were stolen on 5 June, almost two weeks ago.
Mobile broadband is star performer
Mobile broadband usage is rocketing, according to ComReg's latest report for the first quarter of 2009. The report reveals that mobile broadband subscriptions in the quarter amounted to 354,674, up 14.8 percent on the previous quarter and a whopping 90.6 percent increase on the year-ago period. DSL subscribers reached 679,578 in the first quarter, increasing just 3 percent from the previous quarter and up 15.8 percent on the first quarter of 2008. Fixed wireless access (116,461) is the third most popular broadband access technology, although it seems to be losing favour, dropping 1.7 percent on the previous quarter and down 4.4 percent year-on-year. Cable broadband (112,966) is making inroads, clocking up year-on-year growth of 27.4 percent. Overall, broadband subscribers grew 28.2 percent year-on-year, although if mobile broadband is taken out of the mix the growth rate slips to 13.9 percent. Elsewhere in the report, ComReg points to the first decline in mobile phone subscriptions in four years. For the first quarter mobile subscriptions (not including mobile broadband) came in at 4.9 million, down 2.4 percent since the previous quarter and 1.1 percent down from the year-ago quarter. Excluding mobile broadband, the mobile penetration rate stands at 111 percent, down from 115 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Mobile revenues dropped by approximately 10 percent from the previous quarter to EUR463 million, indicative, ComReg says, of the economic downturn.
Microsoft and the broswer saga
There was an interesting twist to the protracted 'Microsoft, the EU and Internet Explorer' battle this week. In a pre-emptive move against anti-trust action in Europe, Microsoft issued a unilateral statement saying that its Windows 7 operating system would be made available in Europe without the Internet Explorer browser included. According to Microsoft, the move was designed to reduce the legal uncertainties around the launch of Windows 7, expected in October in Europe, and "the risk of large fines". While the European Commission said it noted Microsoft's move "with interest", one official said that for consumers, "rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less". Some industry observers see the move as a clever one by the software behemoth, which should on the one hand be able to neutralise the threat of regulatory action from the EU, whilst also giving it a good shot of holding on to its dominant market position by effectively making the PC makers choose whether to pre-install a specific browser or to add the installable software of a number of browsers. If the PC makers decide to stick with what consumers are arguably most familiar with, IE, then it would be difficult for the EU to slap Microsoft with any anti-competitive charges. We suspect there's still a few more shots to be taken on this particular issue.
Millions vie for personalised webpage
Midnight on Friday, 12 June saw Facebook initiate a massive 'land grab' as millions of users of the social network grappled to secure their own personal web address. Within the first 12 hours of the launch some 3 million Facebook users had registered their very own web address -- www.facebook.com/name. For now, the offer is open to just Facebook members; however, from 28 June anyone can apply. Facebook says the new feature is designed to make it easier to find people. Users who have claimed their names can now direct friends to their personalised address. Previously, those addresses had strings of letters and numbers, making them difficult to remember. Here in Ireland, Sinn Fein was among the first to register for a personalised web address. Ryan Tubridy wasn't so lucky; his personalised address -- www.facebook.com/ryantubridy -- was registered by the website Nomadesk Ireland. As can be expected with this type of offer, many high-profile names and company brands are likely to fall prey to cybersquatters, who will snap up addresses and perhaps try to sell them back to the relevant parties at a later date for a princely sum. Solicitor firm Cruickshank has urged Irish companies to register company names on Facebook to avoid falling victim to such scams.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 