NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 20 January
20-01-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Xerox buys Cork firm IBS | ComReg notifies Three of non-compliance
Cork-headquartered Irish Business Systems has been acquired by printing giant Xerox for around USD31 million (EUR21 million). IBS, with eight offices around Ireland, is a managed print services provider and a supplier of digital imaging and printing solutions. IBS currently sells products from another supplier and will start selling Xerox document management products immediately. IBS will maintain its name and keep its headquarters in Cork, and employees will continue to operate as part of IBS. The acquisition, Xerox’s eighth in the last two years, is an all-cash transaction.
Telecoms regulator ComReg has notified mobile operator Three Ireland of a finding of non-compliance. ComReg said in a statement that an investigation into Three's compliance with regulatory obligations showed that Three has failed "to achieve the target blended maximum Mobile Termination Rate of 12.43 cents per minute" and therefore is "not compliant with its price control obligation". Three has one month to either make representations in relation to this notification or to remedy non-compliance, ComReg said.
Hundreds of rare items from the National Library of Ireland's collections can now be viewed in close-up detail by visitors thanks to Microsoft's Silverlight and Surface technology. The 'Discover Your National Library' exhibition allows visitors to examine objects from the Library's collections in the kind of detail that has hitherto been possible for only a limited number of researchers, academics and other specialists. The exhibition was developed for the National Library by Martello Media in partnership with Microsoft Ireland. "We hope that by digitising this collection, and by helping to bring it online, we will encourage more people to explore and research the extensive range of treasures housed in the Library," said Paul Rellis, MD of Microsoft Ireland, speaking at the launch of the exhibition.
Irish software firm pTools has announced the completion of a deployment of its Content Management Software for the new Pensions Board online learning service. Available to pension scheme trustees and anyone working in the pensions industry, the service provides training free of charge in a user-friendly, self-managed environment. The new initiative was designed to respond to new legislation which, from 1 February, requires all pension scheme trustees to undertake training at least once every two years.
Dublin and Belfast-based Rainbow Telecom has engaged software and services company Mamut Ireland to replace its database software and accounts package. Rainbow has over 5,000 business customers throughout Ireland and the UK. The telco said it needed to replace its old IT systems due to major growth in its market share over the last 18 months. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Business software firm CA has installed its Mainframe 2.0 management software for Irish Life & Permanent. CA says the software will boost the performance of Irish Life & Permanent's in-house mainframe infrastructure, which handles applications critical to the smooth running of business operations. The value of the deal is not known.
Engineers Ireland has announced that rugby player Malcolm O'Kelly will be involved in its 'Volunteers Day', during the upcoming Engineers Week 2010. On 11 February, volunteer engineers will go to schools around the country in an effort to drum up student interest in maths. O'Kelly holds an Engineering degree and a Masters degree in Mathematics. Engineers Week, an annual campaign to promote engineering as a career, will run from 8-13 February. For more information visit www.engineersweek.ie.
RTE has launched a free iPhone application called RTE News Now. The app allows iPhone or iPod touch users to watch RTE News Now, the 24-hour live and looped RTE News channel, and to keep up-to-date with the news, business, sport and entertainment stories from RTE.ie.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 