Author: Jim O Brien/CEO

CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.

Viltrox Announces AF 135mm F1.8 LAB Z Lens: Redefines Z-Mount Flagship-Level Resolution

Viltrox is pleased to announce availability of the AF 135mm F1.8 LAB Z, this full-frame large aperture telephoto autofocus lens is now available in Z-mount. It delivers peak performance from optical excellence to operational design. Viltrox’s self-developed Quad HyperVCM motor technology ensures rapid, precise focusing. The lens achieves astonishing resolution at F1.8 full aperture to faithfully capture sharp, true-to-life detail, with the option of dreamy bokeh – creating stunning portrait photos. Ergonomic lens control buttons and customizable LCD startup animations enhance efficient control and visual personalization.

Viltrox patented HyperVCM motor: Fast, precise, quiet autofocus

Viltrox’s patented Quad HyperVCM motor technology significantly enhances thrust conversion efficiency, enabling faster, quieter and more stable autofocus in video and photo shooting. Compared to traditional STM autofocus motors, HyperVCM focuses 150% faster, and with micron-precision positioning – enabling 100ms switching between the closest and farthest focus points, for professional-grade performance. This lens is also equipped with a dual floating focus system, optimizes sharpness, and captures stunning close-ups at 0.72 meters with 0.25x magnification, for versatile close-up shooting.

Ultimate soft, dreamy bokeh

The superior optical design significantly reduces chromatic aberration in bokeh, eliminating onion ring bokeh, and creating a soft, delicate effect beyond the sharp and clear focal plane. The bokeh of this lens is beautiful and there is a smooth transition between in focus and out of focus. The eleven aperture blades ensure bokeh effects are smooth at the center, with minimal optical vignetting and without noticeable swirly bokeh. Even at wide-open F1.8 aperture, it produces creamy, professional-grade bokeh ideal for portraits, backed by efficient light transmission for crystal-clear low-light images. Even at maximum aperture, this lens creates exquisitely beautiful bokeh for portraiture and other photography. Efficient light transmission ensures clear, pure, and noise-free images, even in low-light shooting environments.

Comprehensive operation, seamless creativity

This lens offers intuitive on-the-fly parameter adjustments for instant, hassle-free shots. Features include a three-stage focus limiter, dual VCM motors for fast, silent focusing, customizable dual Fn buttons, A-B focus switching, remote app control, a multifunction ring/click switch (FE/Z), and seamless auto/manual focus (AF/MF) switching for versatile shooting.

Pricing and availability

Viltrox Official Store: https://geni.us/AF135LABZ_PR

Viltrox Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F17QZQ6F

MSRP: $899 / £829

More Viltrox news 

Vroom Digital, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum Wins Grand Prix at the 28th Spider Awards

The Spider Awards 2025, Ireland’s longest-running digital awards programme, proudly announces Vroom Digital as the recipient of the coveted Grand Prix Award for their outstanding ‘Love Story’ campaign for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. The agency also took home the award for Best in Storytelling. Other big winners include Kooba, named Large Agency of the Year, and GRANITE, which secured Best in UX & Customer Experience and Best Use of Disruptive Technology.
Since its inception in 1997, the Spider Awards—often referred to as Ireland’s ‘Digital Oscars’—have recognised exceptional achievements in digital marketing, social media campaigns, and technological innovation. This year’s awards, sponsored by One4all, brought together over 500 industry leaders and professionals for an unforgettable black-tie gala at The Mansion House, Dublin.
Commenting on this year’s winners, Tracey Carney, Managing Director of Business & Finance, said: “The calibre of this year’s winners reflects the incredible innovation, creativity, and ambition driving Ireland’s digital sector forward. From sustainability-focused initiatives to AI-driven marketing solutions, these companies are not only excelling but setting new standards in their respective fields. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and look forward to seeing how they continue to shape the future of digital in Ireland.”
Terry Spence, Director of B2B Sales at One4all, added: “At One4all, we are thrilled to support the Spider Awards, recognising the best in digital innovation and excellence. This year’s winners showcase the incredible talent and ingenuity within Ireland’s digital community, proving that businesses here are not just keeping pace but leading the charge in global digital transformation.”
Spider Awards Winners 2025:
 
AWARD CATEGORY
COMPANY
AGENCY
  1. Best UX & Customer Experience
Safe Events Global
GRANITE (Cork)
  1. Best Collaboration
Balls Media
Virgin Media (Dublin)
  1. AI-Powered Marketing Excellence
AI-Institute
AI-Institute (Athlone)
  1. Best in E-Commerce
Camps for Clubs
Square1 (Dublin 8)
  1. Best in Storytelling
EPIC- The Irish Emigration Museum
Vroom Digital (Dublin)
  1. Digital for Good Award
The Marie Keating Foundation
The Brill Building x Snapchat (Dublin 2)
  1. Best App
Marketplace
Musgrave (Cork)
  1. Digital Team of the Year
EY Ireland
EY Ireland (Dublin 2)
  1. Best Consumer Campaign
The Very Group
The Very Group (Dublin 15)
  1.  Best in Universal Design
SETU
Kooba (Dublin 8)
  1.  Best Influencer Led Campaign
Musgrave MarketPlace
Musgrave MarketPlace (Dublin 11)
  1.  Sustainability Impact Award
Global Action Plan
Global Action Plan (Dublin)
  1.  Best Use of Disruptive Technology
Supermac’s
GRANITE (Cork)
  1. Cultural Driver Award
Sport Ireland- Her Moves
TITAN Experience
  1.  Best Brand
JOE
JOE Media Group (Dublin 8)
  1.  Small Agency of the Year
hello humans
hello humans (Dublin 14)
  1.  Best Integrated Media Campaign
Redclick
RedClick (Dublin 15)
  1.  Best in Social Media
Fáilte Ireland
Forsman & Bodenfors (Dublin)
  1.  Best Website – SME
Delphi Resorts
hello humans (Dublin 14)
  1.  Best Website – Large Company
Aviva
Aviva (Dublin)
  1.  Large Agency of the Year
Kooba
Kooba (Dublin 8)
Grand Prix Award:
EPIC- The Irish Emigration Museum
Vroom Digital (Dublin 2)
A Standout Campaign: EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum & Vroom Digital
Vroom Digital’s ‘Love Story’ campaign for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum captivated judges with its exceptional storytelling, creative execution, and cultural resonance. Titled ‘The Love Story Before Love Story’, the campaign cleverly connected history with modern pop culture by tracing the untold love story of Taylor Swift’s Irish ancestors. Launched ahead of her Dublin concerts, the campaign reached over 13 million people globally, secured 230+ media features, and drove a 16% increase in website traffic to EPIC’s site.
It was a masterclass in how digital storytelling can bridge the past and present, making it a well-deserved winner of Best in Storytelling and the Grand Prix Award.
The 2025 Spider Awards not only honours digital innovation but also provides a platform for networking, knowledge-sharing, and celebrating the people behind the success stories. With a nod to the iconic 80s, the event fused nostalgia with cutting-edge technology, creating an unforgettable evening of recognition and inspiration.

Majority launches the Majority Landbeach Portable Bluetooth Water-Resistant DAB+ Radio

Majority, the Cambridge-based consumer electronics brand known for its innovative products at an enticing price, is proud to introduce its latest audio solution, the Landbeach Portable Bluetooth Water Resistant Worksite DAB+ Radio. Designed for durability and versatility, this radio is perfect for both work and leisure, delivering high-quality audio wherever you go.

“We’re excited to introduce the Landbeach, our most rugged and versatile radio yet. It’s designed to be the perfect audio companion for any environment, whether you’re on a worksite, camping, or simply enjoying music at home.” Eddie Latham, Co-Founder & Director, Majority Audio

The Majority Landbeach combines robust construction with a wide array of features, including:

  • DAB/DAB+ and FM Radio: Enjoy a vast selection of digital and analogue radio stations with crystal-clear sound quality. The radio features automatic scanning to quickly find available stations and 40 preset slots for saving your favourites in both DAB and FM modes.
  • 5.0 Bluetooth Connectivity: Seamlessly stream audio from your smartphone, tablet, or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
  • Portable and Durable Design: The Landbeach is built to withstand tough conditions, making it ideal for worksites, outdoor adventures, and more.
  • Water Resistance: This radio is designed to resist water, adding to its durability and making it suitable for various environments.
  • Long Battery Life: Enjoy 28 hours of uninterrupted listening thanks to the long-lasting battery. The radio requires a full charging cycle of approximately five to six hours and can be charged while in use or when powered off.
  • USB Charging Port: The USB Type-C charging port (5V/1A) can be used to charge your phone.
  • AUX Input: Connect external audio devices via the AUX input port for even more listening options.
  • Additional Features: The Landbeach also includes a headphone jack for private listening, a sleep timer, snooze function, and a reset function.

The Landbeach is available on Amazon for £69.95.

Key Features of the Majority Landbeach Portable Bluetooth Water Resistant Worksite DAB+ Radio:

  • DAB: 174 – 240 MHz
  • FM: 87.5-108 MHz
  • 5.0 Bluetooth Connectivity
  • Water Resistant
  • USB Charging Port
  • 40 Radio Presets
  • Dimensions: 16.7 x 23 x 14.4 cm
  • Weight: 1.52kg

 See our majority audio reviews 

 

Majority Landbeach Portable Bluetooth Water Resistant Worksite DAB+ Radio

Power Input 12.0V 2.0A
Weight 1.52kg
Dimensions 16.7 x 23 x 14.4 cm
Bluetooth 5.0
DAB Frequency Range 174 – 240 MHz
FM Frequency Range 87.5-108 MHz
Presets 40
External Charging USB Type A output charging port 5V/1A
Charging USB Type C Charging Port
Speaker Mono
Channel 1.0
Aerial Type Telescopic
Battery Type Lithium-ion Rechargeable Cell
Battery Model SZWATEC-18650-2550-4S1P
Battery Life 28 Hours
Battery 10000mAh
AUX 3.5mm
Equaliser 6 Presets

 

 

 

 

 

The Rise of Independent Online Platforms in the UK

The way we consume content, find services, and interact with businesses in the UK is shifting. More and more, people are turning to independent platforms that offer alternatives to the usual big names. Whether it’s media, marketing, or entertainment, users are seeking out options that better align with their needs—without the restrictions that often come with major corporate platforms.

This shift isn’t just about choice; it’s about control. People want more transparency, fairer policies, and platforms that put users first rather than advertisers or shareholders. From digital news outlets to independent marketing agencies, a wave of platforms is proving that bigger isn’t always better.

The Role of Independent Entertainment Platforms

Entertainment is another industry where independent platforms are making waves. From alternative streaming services to gaming sites that operate outside traditional regulatory frameworks, there’s a growing demand for platforms that provide more choice and fewer restrictions. A great example is how non GamStop casinos UK players can register with offer gaming experiences without being tied to the UK’s self-exclusion scheme. iGaming expert Robert Blake outlines how these platforms cater to players looking for more freedom, whether in game selection, bonuses, or deposit methods. While responsible gaming is always important, these independent platforms give users more control over their choices—just like independent media and marketing services do in their respective fields.

This push for alternatives isn’t just about gaming. It reflects a broader movement towards independent platforms that allow users to engage on their own terms, rather than being boxed into corporate policies that may not fit their preferences.

As more people turn to independent platforms, it’s clear that this trend isn’t just a passing phase. The desire for greater control, flexibility, and personalization is here to stay. This shift allows consumers to choose platforms that align more closely with their interests, values, and needs. Whether it’s seeking out alternative entertainment options or finding more tailored marketing strategies, independent platforms are increasingly becoming the go-to choice. The future looks bright for smaller players who are ready to innovate and offer the kinds of services that truly put the user first.

Breaking Away from Traditional Media

One of the clearest signs of this trend is how traditional media has adapted—or struggled—to keep up. Take The Independent, for example. It became the first UK national newspaper to go fully digital, a move that seemed risky at the time but ultimately paid off. The site now attracts around 70 million unique visitors each month, proving that independent journalism still has a strong audience—just in a different format.

Independent media outlets can focus on high-quality reporting without the overhead costs of print production. They’re also able to adapt faster, using digital strategies to reach audiences through SEO, social media, and direct subscriptions. This flexibility is why smaller news platforms are thriving while traditional print newspapers are shrinking.

Independent Services Are Taking Over

It’s not just media that’s experiencing this shift. Digital marketing has seen a similar change, with independent agencies like Rise Online offering SEO, PPC, and social media services in a more flexible way. Rather than relying on massive agency networks, businesses are turning to niche experts who provide tailored strategies with measurable results.

The same goes for financial services, e-commerce, and even entertainment. More people are looking for services that aren’t tied to the big corporate systems, whether it’s independent fintech solutions or non-mainstream entertainment options.

Regulation vs. Competition

Of course, with the rise of independent platforms, regulation has become a hot topic. The UK government has already introduced new measures to ensure fair competition in digital markets. The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) is working to prevent dominant platforms like Google and Facebook from monopolizing the industry.

This means more opportunities for independent platforms to compete fairly. By addressing market power abuses and increasing data interoperability, these regulations are creating space for smaller players to thrive.

But it’s a fine balance—regulation is meant to protect consumers, yet too many restrictions can stifle innovation. That’s why independent platforms often operate in ways that allow them to provide better, more flexible services while still maintaining ethical standards.

The Future of Independent Platforms

The success of independent platforms in the UK comes down to one key factor: choice. Whether it’s independent media, marketing services, financial platforms, or entertainment sites, users want alternatives that better suit their needs.

As digital behavior continues to shift, these platforms will only become more relevant. With traffic numbers showing that users actively seek out independent content it’s clear that people want options beyond the mainstream.

At the end of the day, independent platforms offer a level of personalization and flexibility that major players struggle to match. As more industries embrace this shift, we’re likely to see even greater innovation in the years ahead.

 

Dublin aviation analytics solutions company Aerlytix secures grant of €455,000

Dublin based aviation analytics solutions company Aerlytix has announced that it has secured a grant of €455,000 through Enterprise Ireland’s Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) fund. This will directly support the development of new products and services to optimise the airline industry’s analytical capabilities around fleet planning and financing.

The company, which was founded in 2020, has also announced that it plans to create 23 new jobs by 2027 focusing mainly on technical and software development roles.  Eight of these new roles have already been filled in recent months.

This R&D project aims to create analytics software, designed with airlines, that drives fleet optimisation and enables better financial risk management. This will support the sector to resolve technical challenges, increase employment in Irish aviation companies and drive international business growth.

Speaking at the announcement at Aerlytix’s Dublin HQ, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke T.D said, “I wish to commend the team at Aerlytix on its recent success. Aviation is a key driver of our economy, supporting both direct and indirect employment, and provides crucial connectivity for tourism and business. Ireland is a world leader in aviation leasing whereby more than 65% of the world’s aircraft are leased here.

Aerlytix continues to make significant inroads into critical segments of the aircraft leasing industry. By providing tangible solutions through innovative analytics technologies, the company is helping to reduce inefficiencies for the sector and accelerate digital transformation across individual organisations. Aerlytix has significant growth plans to further enhance its offering and scale its talented team here in Dublin and I wish the company the very best.”

Commenting on the announcement, Aerlytix Finance Director, Órla Kearney said: ‘The grant funding from Enterprise Ireland’s RD&I Programme accelerates development and delivery of our next generation technology project for customers.  This investment program is propelling Irish-based technology companies forward. We are excited to extend and scale our aviation technology solutions to a broader set of international clients.”

Speaking on the RD&I fund, Kevin Sherry, Interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland said: Driving substantially increased investment in Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) by Irish businesses is a key priority in Enterprise Ireland’s new five-year strategy, ‘Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally’. That increased investment in innovation is a key driver in the success of Enterprise Ireland’s client base both in Ireland and in international markets.

Research shows that businesses that invest in innovation have 2.5 times higher turnover and 4.7 times greater exports than companies not investing in RD&I. Aerlytix has made great progress in a short space of time to develop innovative proprietary analytics solutions for the aviation sector, an area where Ireland leads the way globally in aircraft leasing. We are delighted to support Aerlytix growth plans with significant RD&I funding targeted at supporting the company to deliver accelerated growth across global markets, develop key R&D projects, and create highly skilled new jobs in Ireland.”

Verkada Alternatives for Scalable Security: Solutions for Growing Businesses

In a fast-moving business world, businesses looking for future growth need a scalable and robust security infrastructure. Verkada offers an all-inclusive surveillance system, but businesses that want more flexibility, a cost-effective approach or better customization may want other options. Below, we present some of the best Verkada alternatives that enable seamless scalability, centralized control, and remote access for growing businesses.

1. Coram.ai

Coram.ai is an innovative and AI-powered safety service for organizations that want advanced security processes without binding to proprietary technology. Coram.ai software works with any IP camera system, making it exceptionally flexible and scalable. 

  • AI-Based Video Analytics: Coram.ai utilization of artificial intelligence to deliver near real-time notifications of significant events, including unauthorized access, unusual behavior, and slip-and-fall accidents. 
  • Natural Language Search: Natural language search makes it possible for users to quickly and simply search through recorded video for specific footage using ordinary natural language search terms, making the investigation and reporting process far easier.
  • Scalability: As businesses grow, it is easy to add additional cameras and locations for business activities and do this without extensive changes to infrastructure.

2. Cisco Meraki MV

Cisco Meraki MV is a cloud-based video surveillance solution that makes installation, monitoring, and management easy for organizations with changing security needs. 

  • Cloud-Based Centralized Management: All cameras can be managed from one Meraki dashboard, making it easy to scale across multiple chargeable locations.
  • Edge Storage Technology: Each camera has storage built into the device which leads to low bandwidth usage and allows for continuous recording even if the network goes down.
  • AI Security Features: Meraki MV has an analytics feature that enables a company to monitor for possible suspicious activity without the need for additional hardware or software.

3. Avigilon (Motorola Solutions)

Avigilon, a subsidiary of Motorola Solutions, provides enterprise video surveillance solutions with an AI-enhanced analytics engine and a scalable system architecture.  

  • Avigilon’s High Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology reduces the amount of bandwidth and storage required for high-quality video streams by adapting compression in real-time rather than burdening the network. 
  • The self-learning video analytics can recognize and learn from activity patterns, and provide more sophisticated threat detection and response. 
  • Avigilon’s open-platform software also allows businesses to integrate their existing security systems and customize it to their needs.

4. Rhombus Systems

Rhombus Systems provides a cloud-enabled, smart security solution purpose-built for companies seeking a system that can easily scale. 

  • Plug-and-Play Installation : Rhombus cameras are built for speedy installation allowing companies to grow and scale a surveillance ecosystem without having to involve IT. 
  • AI-Driven Threat Detection : When combined with features that enable facial recognition, license plate recognition, or behavioral analysis, AI takes the monitoring process to the next level. 
  • Remote Access: Users can securely access live and recorded video from anywhere using the Rhombus cloud platform.

5. Genetec Security Center

Genetec offers an integrated security system comprised of video surveillance, access control, and license plate recognition, which makes it a single infrastructure solution for organizations that need a complete security system. 

  • Security Center Platform: Organizations can manage all security functions from a single user interface, so expanding security coverage is easy and adding on to existing installations is straightforward.
  • Deployment Options: Genetec offers cloud deployment, on-premises deployment, or a hybrid deployment (cloud-on-premises) to suit the needs of the organization.
  • Advanced Security Analytics: Genetec has incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into video analytics, verbal recognition of license plates, and intrusion detection to improve overall security efficiency.

Key Takeaways

Adaptability is a requirement: It does not matter how big or small the business, but when evaluating security systems, ensure you choose a system that is adaptable and that can change and grow with your needs, as your business continues to expand.

Cloud vs. On-Prem: Businesses may want to utilize a cloud system for simple scalability and management while away, and an on-prem system gives you a little more control. Artificial Intelligence & Automation: AI-enabled threat detection and automated alerts, to help improve response times and mitigate security risks.

Conclusion

Although Verkada offers a singular security solution, organizations wanting more flexibility, better data analytics, and inherent scalability look to alternatives. The unique security needs of your organization may offer solutions ranging from Coram.ai with it’s AI-powered capabilities, to Cisco Meraki with it’s cloud managed video security platforms, to Avigilon’s powerful enterprise-grade capabilities. Investing in a future-proof and scalable video surveillance solution will lead to excellent protection for any organization as it grows.

Eight in Ten 18-34 year olds in Ireland have seen or experienced online bullying

According to latest research conducted by LADbible, 8 in 10 (81%) of Irish 18-34 year olds have seen or experienced bullying online. Currently, Irish citizens haven’t got anything legally sufficient to protect them from it. Leprechauns, however, were given a special protected status in 2009 under EU Law.
Dublin-based creative agency Folk VML have teamed up with digital youth platform LADbible for a bold new campaign highlighting the lack of online protections for Irish citizens by drawing comparison to the country’s most famous mythical creatures, leprechauns. ‘The Leprechaun Law’ calls on the people of Ireland to change their identities and identify as leprechauns to benefit from greater legal protections.
Although the stunt may sound as fantastical as the mischievous “little people” themselves, it is rooted in legal reality. Under the EU Habitats Directive, leprechauns are designated as a “protected” species alongside other flora and fauna in Ireland’s Sliabh Foy Loop area, giving them the right to live ‘undisturbed’ in their habitat.
LADbible’s research also found that 1 in 10 18-34 year olds in Ireland have personally experienced online bullying at least once a month (11%), and 63% of 18-34 year olds in Ireland believe online bullying has worsened over the past five years. The most common reasons stated for this is the growth in social media followed by anonymity online leading to worse behaviours.
Ireland currently does not have any specific laws concerning hate speech, making the country an outlier in the European Union.  Ireland hasn’t updated its hate speech laws since 1989, although there has been an ongoing effort to update them since the Dublin riots in 2023 – but so far this has not been successful.
Sylvia Julius, solicitor, said: “Ireland’s hate speech laws, which pre-date the internet, are not fit for the digital age, and lag well behind those of other EU member states in protecting citizens from online hate – in stark contrast to the rights and protections afforded to leprechauns under EU legislation that grants them heritage status. The government must step up to ensure that people online (as well as leprechauns!) are appropriately protected under the law.”
LADbible Ireland, one of the most engaged and influential social publishers, with 5 million followers across all social platforms, is uniquely placed to call for action – and keenly aware of the prevalence of online hate affecting its own followers. In a recent Instagram post, the channel revealed that 91% of its audience had witnessed hateful comments online.
Tom Butcher, General Manager LADbible Ireland said: “As a digital publisher, we’ve witnessed firsthand the appalling abuse, bigotry and hateful comments that our readers are increasingly subjected to online – with scant protection offered by hate speech laws which pre-date the internet. We wanted to highlight the urgent need for change in a witty yet thought-provoking way – by offering citizens the chance to become as well protected, legally speaking, as our national mascots.”
Karl Waters, Chief Creative Officer at Folk VML, said “Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, Leprechauns have protected status in Ireland, whereas us mere humans do not online in Ireland. Our ambition is to create a community of leprechauns to help change that. We are delighted to be working with LADBible on this crucially important campaign to change Ireland’s hate speech legislation.”
The call to action is led by an animated film that skewers the Emerald Isle’s friendly reputation and stunning scenery by contrasting it with the ugly online reality, the film depicts a postcard-perfect Irish landscape, before revealing that Ireland is “the land of a hundred thousand ways to spread hate online.”
Alongside the film, The Leprechaun Law will feature a pop-up law firm booth, on 26th March in the city centre, where passersby can apply to change their identity in person and sign a petition urging the Irish government to update its hate speech laws.
Anyone can sign up to change their identity to a Leprechaun here and call on the Irish Government to urgently review and reform Ireland’s hate speech legislation.
See summary of 1989 law and efforts to update it: https://hatecrime.osce.org/hate-crime-legislation-ireland

Personalised Digital Advertising: A Key Driver of Growth for Irish SMBs

A new study by the Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL), based on research by Public First, reveals the crucial role of personalised digital advertising in supporting the competitiveness and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) across Europe with a key focus on Ireland. The report, commissioned by Google, surveyed over 4,287 SMBs across the EU (including 263 in Ireland) and highlights the significant benefits of personalised digital advertising for SMBs, as well as the potential negative consequences of restricting its use.

 

Key Findings:

  • Competitive Advantage: 76% of small businesses in the EU say personalised digital advertising enables them to compete with larger businesses. In Ireland this number is even higher with 96% agreeing that personalised digital advertising helps level the playing field, allowing them to reach specific audiences with limited marketing budgets.

  • Revenue Growth: 96% of Irish  SMBs report increased overall revenue over the past year, and stated that this growth can be directly attributed to personalised digital advertising.

  • Customer Acquisition: 62% of Irish SMBs believe that finding new customers would be ‘difficult or impossible’ without personalised digital advertising, underscoring its critical role in expanding their customer base. 41% of  SMBs in Ireland report that digital advertising has allowed them to find new customers.

  • Access to New Markets: A third of Irish SMBs (32%) reported that digital advertising helps them to market their products or services in new markets or regions.

 

The Importance of Personalised Digital Advertising for SMBs

SMBs often have very specific audiences and operate with limited marketing budgets. Personalised digital advertising allows them to reach their customers more effectively, expand into new markets, and compete with larger businesses. By tailoring advertisements to individual interests based on browsing history or set preferences, SMBs can achieve a higher return on investment compared to contextual advertising. 44% of Irish SMBs surveyed reported personalised digital advertising to be more effective at reaching their relevant audience, and 41% reported it as more effective at improving their return on ad spend, when compared to contextual advertising.

 

The Impact of Limiting Personalised Advertising

The study also examined the potential consequences of restricting or eliminating personalised digital advertising. The findings indicate significant negative impacts on SMBs in Ireland and across the broader European economy:

 

  • Higher Costs and Lower Revenue: If personalised digital ads were no longer permitted, 41% of  SMBs in Ireland anticipate increased marketing costs, and 37% anticipated decreased revenue.

  • Price Increases: 57% of SMBs surveyed in Ireland claim that they would increase the prices of their products/services if they could no longer use personalised ads.

  • Difficulty Reaching Customers: 62% of SMBs believe that it would be difficult or even impossible to find the customers their business needs without personalised digital advertising.

  • Job Losses and Relocation: 30% of surveyed SMBs in Ireland cited reducing staff as one of the ways their business would cut costs if they could no longer use personalised digital ads with 20% indicating they would relocate or reduce offices and facilities to reduce costs if they could no longer use personalised digital ads.

 

Suzanne McElligott, CEO of IAB Ireland said:

 

“IAB Ireland’s members collaborate to help advertisers drive growth through digital advertising.  Our engagement with Irish SMEs has grown dramatically over recent years reflecting SMEs’  increasing reliance on digital advertising as a business driver. The CIPL study’s evidence-based findings with 96% of SMEs  attributing their revenue growth to personalised advertising, reflect our experience. SMEs are a major contributor to Ireland’s economy and as we seek to protect Ireland’s competitiveness and foster economic growth, it is important that our regulatory environment facilitates Irish businesses embracing the benefits of digital advertising.”

 

Report Recommendations

The report emphasises the need for a balanced approach that supports innovation and protects fundamental rights. Policymakers should ensure that new legislative initiatives build on existing frameworks and avoid creating additional complexity. Extensive impact assessments should be conducted to evaluate the potential economic and compliance burdens for all market players. The focus must be on simplification: streamlining existing rules, ensuring legal certainty, and removing redundant or conflicting obligations. Organisations should proactively implement robust accountability measures and demonstrate how they safeguard individual rights when deploying digital advertising. Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) and Privacy-Preserving Technologies (PPTs) can be deployed to enable businesses to deliver targeted advertising while minimising data exposure and enhancing user trust.

 

Bojana Bellamy, President, CIPL said:

 

“Our research shows that digital advertising, particularly personalised digital advertising, plays a crucial role in Europe’s digital economy by supporting SMBs, enhancing access to content, and contributing to a positive user experience.”

 

Conclusion

Personalised digital advertising is a vital tool for SMBs, driving growth, enabling competition, and supporting access to content. By adopting a balanced regulatory approach and embracing new technologies like AI, Ireland can ensure that businesses and individuals continue to benefit from the digital economy.

Data sheet

Dell Technologies Accelerates Enterprise AI Innovation from PC to Data Center with NVIDIA

Marking one year since the launch of the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA, Dell Technologies announces new AI PCs, infrastructure, software and services advancements to accelerate enterprise AI innovation at any scale.

Successful AI deployments are vital for enterprises to remain competitive, but challenges like system integration and skill gaps can delay the value enterprises realize from AI. More than 75% of organizations want their infrastructure providers to deliver capabilities across all aspects of the AI adoption journey driving customer demand for simplified AI deployments that can scale.

As the top provider of AI centric infrastructure, Dell Technologies – in collaboration with NVIDIA – provides a consistent experience across AI infrastructure, software, and services, offering customers a one-stop shop to scale AI initiatives from deskside to large-scale data center deployments.

Expanded Dell AI infrastructure portfolio is engineered for right-sizing high-performance needs

At the center of the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA is industry-leading, end-to-end infrastructure that powers AI innovation across industries from startups, to governments, to the world’s largest enterprises and cloud service providers:

New Dell Pro Max portfolio sets the standard as the AI developer PC

As the global leader in workstations that feature NVIDIA’s most powerful professional graphics, Dell expands and innovates the Dell Pro Max high-performance AI PC portfolio to meet the needs of today’s AI developers, power users and specialty users. The portfolio offers a versatile range of powerful AI PCs designed for demanding tasks – from light AI development, data analysis and design simulation to training, inferencing, and fine-tuning the most complex LLMs, before deploying at scale.

  • The new Dell Pro Max with GB10 packs exceptional performance in a compact and power-efficient form factor. This AI developer workstation features the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, a system-on-a-chip based on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture. Delivering up to one petaflop (1000 TFLOPs) of AI computing performance and 128GB of unified memory, AI developers can develop, train and test models before deploying on other Dell infrastructure offerings.
  • The new Dell Pro Max with GB300, at the top end of the high-performance PC range, gives AI developers and data scientists a computing class of its own – bringing server-level compute to a desktop. With the new NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip, the system delivers up to 20 petaflops of AI computing performance, 784GB unified system memory (up to 288GB HBME3e GPU memory and 496GB of LPDDR5X CPU memory) and the fastest networking solution with NVIDIA ConnectX-8 SuperNIC to power the most intensive and largest AI workloads, training up to 460billion parameter models.
  • New Dell Pro Max notebooks and desktops offer outstanding power, reliability, and scalability. Equipped with NVIDIA RTX PRO TM Blackwell Generation GPUs and Intel® Core™ Ultra (Series 2), AMD Ryzen-powered Copilot+ PCs with AI experiences and AMD Threadripper processor options, along with a new bold and elevated design, users can drive productivity across every intensive workload. Learn more about all the Dell Pro Max announcements here.

 

New Dell PowerEdge servers and networking drive AI acceleration for enterprises

  • Dell PowerEdge will support the NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra platform, including the upcoming NVIDIA HGX B300 NVL16, NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 and NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Server Edition, delivering systems with up to 288GB of HBM3e memory to handle complex AI models with speed and scalability.[vi] These forthcoming servers will offer peak AI cluster performance with 800 Gb/s throughput with NVIDIA ConnectX-8 SuperNICs.
  • Dell PowerEdge XE7740 and XE7745 servers will be available with the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA. These servers are currently available with up to eight NVIDIA H200 NVL GPUs, which includes a five-year subscription to NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, including NVIDIA NIM and the NVIDIA Llama Nemotron models for reasoning, making them a powerful platform for Gen AI fine-tuning, inference, and agentic reasoning applications, as well as high performance computing (HPC) workloads. They will also support up to eight NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Server Edition PCIe GPUs which can more than double the AI performance and greater flexibility when integrating AI workloads into business processes.
  • The new Dell PowerEdge XE8712 server featuring the GB200 NVL4 platform powers the next generation of accelerated AI compute, supporting up to 144 NVIDIA B200 GPUs per Dell IR7000 rack. These liquid-cooled systems are tailored for AI model training and complex HPC simulations, offering a scalable solution that optimizes performance and enhanced computational efficiency, while helping reduce operational costs and saving data center space.

Learn more about the additions across Dell servers here.

 

Dell data management innovations help customers take control of their data to fuel AI innovation 

The Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA is an integrated solution that empowers enterprises to deploy agentic AI and other AI applications securely, through always-on, direct access to high quality structured, semi-structured and unstructured data. This platform combines Dell enterprise storage with NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking, and AI software, allowing for continuous data processing and robust data management services for AI deployment. It integrates seamlessly with the NVIDIA AI Data Platform reference design, providing enterprises with optimal infrastructure to unlock the full potential of their business data through AI-driven insights and problem-solving. Dell Data

 

Management Services provide a systematic approach to ensuring data discovery, integration, automation, and quality.

At the core of the Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA is Dell PowerScale storage, which is now validated for both the NVIDIA Cloud Partner Program as well as the new NVIDIA-Certified Storage designation for enterprise AI factory deployment with NVIDIA Enterprise Reference Architectures. Recent software and hardware innovations allow PowerScale to improve GPU utilization by delivering 220% faster data ingestion and 99% quicker data retrieval than previous generation systems[vii]. These advancements help PowerScale surpass NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD requirements to scale AI deployments efficiently and reduce training times. Dell PowerScale’s scale-out architecture can now serve every AI performance need.

Dell Technologies also announces support for NVIDIA Dynamo, which allows customers to free up GPU memory by offloading KV cache data from GPU-accelerated nodes to Dell storage like PowerScale. Learn more about additional

Dell PowerScale and Dell Data Lakehouse advancements here.

 

New AI solutions and services deliver expanded AI capabilities

The Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA adds new solutions and services to power and simplify AI deployments, to highlight a few:

  • Dell simplifies Agentic AI by integrating NVIDIA’s AI-Q Blueprint and AgentIQ Toolkit in the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform, featuring NIM, NeMo Retriever and AI Blueprints, and new NVIDIA Llama Nemotron models for reasoning, empowering organizations to build robust AI agent platforms from enhanced capabilities. The new Dell Accelerator Services for RAG implement and optimize agentic-based solutions with integrated business data, maximizing ROI.
  • Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA validates the NVIDIA Run:ai AI orchestration platform, providing enterprises with tools to optimize GPU resource utilization, manage complex workloads and accelerate AI workflows on-premises.
  • Dell Services for GenAI Digital Assistants now aligns with NVIDIA’s scalable blueprint architecture, transforming enterprise self-service with a humanistic, multilingual solution.
  • The Dell AI Code Assistant offers a fully on-premises, enterprise-grade coding assistant that includes the highest standards of flexibility and data privacy. The solution offers accurate, and context aware code suggestions powered by agentic AI tools and advanced context engine. Dell Implementation Services for AI Code Generation then implement and fine tune code assistant models.

Michael Dell, Chief Executive Officer, Dell Technologies said, “We are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA by doubling down on our mission to simplify AI for the enterprise. With seamless NVIDIA hardware and software from desktop to data center, only Dell delivers the consistency and reliability organizations need to support AI initiatives. We are breaking down barriers to AI adoption, speeding up deployments, and helping enterprises integrate AI into their operations.”

Jensen Huang, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, NVIDIA said, “Every industry is racing to build AI factories to produce intelligence. NVIDIA and Dell are partnering to deliver the industry’s broadest, end-to-end AI infrastructure, giving enterprises everything they need to develop, deploy, and scale AI. From deskside workstations to data center-scale AI factories, this platform will power the next wave of AI-driven breakthroughs.”

Read what customers are saying about Dell AI Factory here:

Availability

  • Dell Pro Max desktops and laptops will be available beginning March 2025 with more releasing in the coming months.
  • Dell Pro Max with GB300 and Dell Pro Max with GB10 will be available later this year.
  • Dell PowerEdge XE7740 and XE7745 servers supporting NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Server Edition PCIe GPUs will be globally available later this year.
  • The Dell PowerEdge XE8712 will be globally available later this year.
  • All components of the Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA are available globally now.
  • The Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA delivering Agentic AI is available globally now.
  • The Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA validating NVIDIA Run:ai’s orchestration platform is available globally now.
  • The Dell AI Code Assistant is available globally now.