Category: Irish Tech News

Fifty New Roles and New Dublin HQ back Irish Tech Firm’s Global Ambition

Fifty new roles will be filled in Dublin this year by tech firm Xtremepush, with plans to add another 120 in the next three years.

The Irish-owned provider of multi-channel customer engagement and marketing will more than double its workforce here, in support of the global roll-out of its award-winning enterprise customer intelligence platform.

New Xtremepush offices were officially opened in Clarendon Street in Dublin 2 by Robert Troy TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The Minister was welcomed by Xtremepush CEO and founder, Tommy Kearns, who said that the company’s unique digital marketing platform has fuelled dramatic business growth in the Seven years since it was established.

“We are already becoming a global category leader, working with leading enterprise clients from offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom, North America and Eastern Europe. Our new Dublin flagship headquarters, in this prime location, is a marker of further growth acceleration”, the company founder said.

Welcoming the success of the indigenous firm, Minister Robert Troy said that global demand for Irish-developed software and digital solutions underscores Ireland’s reputation as a world-class technology hub, where talent and investment drive continual innovation.

Just under a year ago, Xtremepush secured $33m USD in growth finance to scale globally. The funding round included equity funding from Grafton Capital, a London-based growth investor in leading European technology companies, and a refinanced debt facility.

Demand

Pandemic-induced demand continues strongly for Xtremepush, where the past two years have seen clients in the eCommerce vertical doubled and 64% growth in customer numbers. The company’s global enterprise customer base is around 350 and is forecast to grow 60% in 2022.

Welcoming the success of the indigenous firm, Minister Robert Troy said that global demand for Irish-developed software and digital solutions underscores Ireland’s reputation as a world-class technology hub, where talent and investment drive continual innovation.

Speaking at the opening of their new Dublin Headquarters, Minister Robert Troy T.D. said, “I am delighted that Xtremepush plans to create up to 50 new roles at its new Dublin headquarters. The successful growth that Xtremepush has experienced in recent years is reflective of the wealth of highly skilled and talented people here and reaffirms Ireland’s reputation as a world-leading tech hub. The Irish Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is committed to supporting companies like Xtremepush to scale and grow and I wish the team every continued success in this new chapter.”

Also welcoming the company’s announcement Jenny Melia, Divisional Manager, Technology and Services with Enterprise Ireland said,

“Xtremepush has an ambitious growth strategy and its new headquarters and employment expansion plans are tangible evidence of the potential of this Irish-owned global leader. Enterprise Ireland is proud to support Xtremepush and we look forward to working with Tommy and his team into the future as it builds on its impressive growth to date.”

The business which currently employs 80 people, doubled staff numbers in the last eighteen months. Significant recent hires include a new Chief Financial Officer, a Chief People Officer, a new Head of Engineering, a Director of Operations and a Director of Marketing.

Top roles currently being recruited include a VP of Sales for the USA, customer support staff including account executives and managers for both the USA and Europe, technical solutions consultants and financial accountants.

Generous pension, healthcare, life assurance, education supports and career development opportunity reflects the demand for newly qualified and experienced software and DevOps professionals, as well as sales, marketing, finance and operations people with a tech background.

The company’s Clarendon Street headquarters will accommodate more than 120 employees.

A new office in downtown Manhattan in New York was opened last year to support accelerated growth in North America, where clients include Groupe Dynamite, Piping Rock, Oregon State Lottery, Golden Nugget, Barstools Sports, Mohegan Sun and a host of other Tier One enterprise brands across the USA & Canada.

Founded in 2014 in Ranelagh in Dublin, by CEO Tommy Kearns and Dr Kevin Collins, its Chief Technical Officer, Xtremepush has been placed in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards for three consecutive years.

8,000 phones 1,000 selfies, 400 hotel beds and more as Dublin Tech Summit takes over capital

The organisers of this year’s Dublin Tech Summit (DTS) say they expect a surge in demand for pints of Guinness, an increase in the number of selfies and a spike in hotel accommodation ahead of next week’s leading technology conference. Taking place at the RDS in Dublin on the 15th and 16th of June, it marks the event’s return to a physical capacity after 2 years of being held virtually due to COVID.

Over 8,000 attendees, 200 speakers, 150 startups and 65 partners from over 50 countries are expected to turnout for the conference which attracts the world’s biggest names in technology and innovation. It also provides early stage companies with opportunities to get recognised as the latest up and coming tech players across Europe. With over 150 staff involved in the organisation of the event, it is expected that:

  • 2,500 pints of Guinness will be consumed by attendees over the course of 2 days

  • 8,000 phones will be used with a minimum of 160,000 whatsapp messages sent

  • 1,000 selfies will be taken

  • 400 hotel beds will be occupied

  • 2,500 cups of coffee will be enjoyed

 

This year’s speakers include Frank McCourt, owner of football club Olympique de Marseille, and founder and CEO of Unfinished, Christopher Wylie, Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower, Tyson Singer, VP of Technology and Platform, Spotify, Bryan Che, CSO, Huawei, Eileen O’Meara, Head of EMEA Revenue & Growth, Stripe, Harry D. Moseley, Global Chief Information Officer, Zoom, and more. Topics for discussion include: cybersecurity, e-commerce, sustainability, finance digitisation and more.

Dublin Tech Summit 2022 reinforces Ireland’s position on the world stage as being a European Hub for tech. Dubbed ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ the event aims to highlight Ireland’s attractiveness as a tech destination – playing host to the tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter amongst others. According to IDA Ireland, the ICT industry in Ireland  employs over 37 thousand people and generates €35 billion in exports annually. In addition to this, figures from The Irish Advantage reveal Ireland has the highest proportion of high-growth enterprises in the EU.

DTS 2022 will bring together the brightest tech innovators, influencers and entrepreneurs globally, highlighting the capabilities and creativity all of which form part of a wider tech ecosystem.

Speaking ahead of the event, Tracey Carney, MD of DTS, said:

“We’re so excited to see the return of the physical event after a two-year hiatus. DTS presents such a fantastic opportunity for networking and while we were delighted to be able to hold the event virtually over the last two years, it’s really brilliant to be back in the RDS. Our team has grown significantly to expand into the live event and we’re really looking forward to two great days on June 15th and 16th.”

Workhuman announces number of workplace awards, including Best Large Workplace, Best Workplace in Tech and Best Workplace for Women in Ireland

Workhuman, the company revolutionising the way employees celebrate, connect with, and appreciate each other in the workplace, is today announcing a number of recent workplace award wins. These awards recognise Workhuman’s commitment to building more connected and human-centred workplaces

“After two years of disconnection, uncertainty and a lot of Zoom calls, the future of the workplace has been changed forever and one thing is clear, it is more human,” said Steve Pemberton, Workhuman CHRO. “Workhuman has always prioritised our people and we will always ensure that they feel connected, supported, heard and appreciated. These accolades are a great validation of our mission to bring more humanity to the workplace and we are proud to provide a great place to work for our 1,000 employees, and for our future humans.”

When people are recognised and celebrated at work, they thrive – and so does business. For more than 20 years, Workhuman has been building more human workplaces for organisations around the work by creating cultures of recognition that see lowered turnover, improved performance, and increased engagement. With the Workhuman Cloud technology and its people, the organisation is creating a better future for the workplace, community, and the world.

In addition to the workplace-focused awards, Workhuman co-founder and CEO, Eric Mosley, was named to the CEO 100 Index 2022 list by Business & Finance Ireland​.

Innovation. Determination. Imagination. Respect. At Workhuman, these are the values their humans live and breathe each day, and this is what they look for in future humans. The company is hiring across most departments in the US, Ireland, and Europe; open roles can be found here.

Great Place to Work® Ireland:

54% of Irish SMEs say climate change is at least as important as price when buying IT

Datapac, Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services provider, today announces the results of a survey which found that more than half (54%) of SMEs in Ireland say the climate change agenda is more important than or equal to price when it comes to IT purchasing decisions.

Furthermore, only 15% of Irish SMEs said that impact on the environment is not a key deciding factor when making technology purchasing decisions.

The survey of 150 SME business owners in Ireland was carried out by Censuswide in association with Datapac and cybersecurity and backup specialist, Datto.

In relation to IT budgets for this year, over half (51%) of those surveyed said their IT budgets are increasing, with 35% of budgets remaining the same and 14% set to decrease.

With most workplaces open again, the survey found that 40% of SMB owners intend to continue to offer remote or hybrid working despite the immediate necessity of the pandemic having passed. Securing critical data can be a challenge for many within the context of these new ways of working, with a further 38% believing that remote and hybrid working has made it more difficult to secure critical data.

Karen O’Connor, General Manager, Datapac said: “The climate change agenda is something which ultimately affects all aspects of an organisation’s operations. To meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, organisations must holistically examine all fundamental processes, including IT, to best chart a course for a greener tomorrow.

“The past two years have seen widescale digital transformations as organisations adapted to better face new challenges. As organisations have witnessed first-hand the value added through enhanced flexibility and productivity, trends indicate that IT investment will remain high. When strategically examining one’s IT position, it is important to fully consider how IT investment can enhance organisational processes, rather than just focusing on point-solutions to solve individual challenges.

“As we emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations need to seize the opportunity to fully re-assess and strengthen their IT and security infrastructures and strategically plan how their IT can best support a greener, more sustainable hybrid future.”

Nicholas O’ Donovan, Sales Manager, Datto Ireland, said: “We have seen rapid digital adoption in organisations across the board over the last two years. At the start of the pandemic, many organisations were forced to enact changes under very tight time constraints and may not have had the opportunity to fully consider the security ramifications of such a shift or to seek expert assistance to guide their transformation.

“Threat detection and response capabilities remain key, yet the fact remains that the best recourse in the likely event of data theft is having the capacity to quickly restore operational data from a recent and uncompromised backup.”

Switch it up this Summer and Save €100 on a Range of 5G Handsets with Vodafone Ireland

To celebrate the most anticipated summer in years, Vodafone Ireland is offering €100 off a range of fantastic 5G-enabled handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G and Oppo A54 5G, for new customers when they switch to Vodafone Pay As You Go from 1st June to 18th July 2022.

With handsets starting from as low as €69.99, customers can feel the connection this summer and capture great moments, from holiday adventures to the exciting return of music festivals, with a 5G plan that keeps up with them. Available for just €30 per month, new customers can switch to Vodafone’s Unlimited 5G Pay As You Go plan which includes unlimited 5G data, calls and texts.

Included in the promotion are a wide range of handsets offering excellent value such as the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99), Oppo A54 5G (was €229.99, now €129.99), TCL 20R 5G (was €169.99, now €69.99) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99).

All handsets are 5G-enabled, meaning greater speeds while customers are on the go, greater network capacity to stay connected while in a crowd, be it at a concert, match or busy area and faster streaming so you never need to miss a second of your favourite TV show or have a video call to a friend lag.

To find out more on these exclusive offers, visit www.vodafone.ie.

  • Nokia G50 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99)
  • TCL 20R 5G (was €169.99, now €69.99)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99)
  • Oppo A54 5G (was €229.99, now €129.99)
  • Samsung A22 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99)

Hybrid working causes new cybersecurity concerns among Irish business according to Dell Technologies survey

A new survey by Dell Technologies has found that 69 per cent of businesses in Ireland believe hybrid working arrangements will increase the chances of a cyberattack or incident. Amid the evolving world of work, a vast majority of businesses surveyed (91 per cent) took steps to enhance data protection in the past 12 months.

The latest ‘Cyber Resilience Survey’ from Dell, in partnership with the Executive Institute, seeks to understand business leaders’ changing attitudes towards cybersecurity and the steps taken by Irish businesses to enhance their cyber resilience in a data-driven era.

The survey of 113 business leaders in Ireland shows cyber resilience is now a priority, with 91 per cent of organisations recognising its importance at the senior leadership level. Yet, a majority (57 per cent) don’t know how to react in the event of a ransomware attack.

Despite the growing attention placed on cybersecurity by leaders, the Cyber Resilience Survey reveals a knowledge gap in the data protection options open to Irish businesses. Sixty-four per cent of business leaders say they are not sure their organisations have the capability to isolate or “air gap” critical data in the event of ransomware attack.

Moreover, only 28 per cent say they have a well-defined incident response strategy in response to an attack, with less than a third (29 per cent) saying they would restore the data lost from a standard back-up solution.

Looking to the future, a vast majority of respondents (92 per cent) agree that enhancing their organisation’s cyber resilience is important to ensuring the success of their digital transformation plans.

Fifty-five per cent of those surveyed identified the ever-growing number of cyberattacks as the main barrier to enhancing their cyber resilience followed by outdated technology (20 per cent), insufficient in-house cyber skills (16 per cent) and upfront investment (12 per cent).

Commenting on the results of the survey, Jason Ward, Vice President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland, said: “Our team of cyber experts at Dell Technologies help organisations across Ireland build a resilient infrastructure where business critical data can be placed in a cyber vault that’s inaccessible to cyber criminals.

 “As we look towards a data-driven future, prioritising cybersecurity is critical to ensuring that businesses and organisations are better prepared, not just to survive a cyberattack, but to thrive. Their business resilience is now directly tied to their cyber resilience.”

Conor Morris, Managing Director of the Executive Institute, said: “The results of the survey highlight the increasing importance of cybersecurity for our members. As we enter a hybrid world of work, having a cyber resilience plan is vital in dealing with the challenges and opportunities of this post-pandemic environment.”

Virgin Media offers free 40” Smart TV as well as great deals across TV, Broadband & Home Phone bundles

Virgin Media has unveiled fantastic new offers across their TV, Broadband and Home Phone bundles and Virgin Mobile as part of their amazing sale.

New customers can bag themselves a fantastic TCL 40″ Full HD HDR Smart TV absolutely free (RRP €349) when they switch to one of Virgin Media’s broadband, TV and home phone packages on a 12 month contract from today (Thursday), with prices starting from €59 per month for a 250Mb broadband, TV and Home Phone package.

The 40” HD screen is perfect for viewing the hottest shows of the summer including Love Island, which airs exclusively across Virgin Media Television and all the sports action including the UEFA Champions League Final and top UK horse racing. Virgin Media are also offering 12 months of half price Sky Sports for those who sign up before the 8th June.

Virgin Mobile is bringing back its Unlimited Mobile for €10 per month for 12 months and just €25 a month thereafter for everyone joining their SIM Only plan, offering savings of up to €180. Virgin Mobile customers can also avail of their promotion on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 which is available from free on a deal for €50 for 12 months and €65 thereafter, or the Samsung Galaxy s21 FE which is also available from free on a €45 per month plan for 12 months and €60 thereafter.

Existing customers can also benefit with a reduction of €10 a month for those upgrading their bundle with no activation fees for Virgin TV 360 or Virgin TV 360 Mini. They can also enjoy 12 months of half price Sky Sports.

Paul Higgins, Vice President of Commercial at Virgin Media Ireland said:

“Our sale this year has some fantastic offers, including not only savings of worth nearly €400, but also a completely free TCL HD HDR Smart TV for our new customers. Existing customers looking to upgrade are included in the sale we’re launching today as well with savings of €10 a month for 12 months available to them.

“We also have some brilliant mobile offers, like the new the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Samsung Galaxy s21 FE from free. Unlimited Mobile for just €10 for 12 months is one of our most popular offers, so we are delighted to be able to once again offer great savings to Virgin Mobile customers.”

Final call from Microsoft & Belfast Metropolitan to participate in Microsoft Assured Skills Academy

Microsoft and Belfast Metropolitan College have once again joined forces to launch the fourth Microsoft Assured Skills Academy this time focused on preparing participants for the role of a Modern Work Support Engineer.

The 12-week intensive Microsoft 365 Cloud Academy, will be delivered by Belfast Metropolitan College in partnership with the Microsoft Assured Skills Academy and made possible through funding provided by the Department for the Economy.

If selected for the Academy, participants will receive practical, real-world training in programmes and functionalities ranging from Cloud Concepts and Networking Fundamentals through to Cyber Security, Microsoft 365 Security Administration, Cloud Computing and presentation skills.
The 12-week course is free to the participants with each candidate also receiving £155 per week training allowance while undertaking the course.

Upon successful completion of the training, candidates will obtain industry-recognised modern work qualifications while also getting the opportunity to interview for one of a number of roles being made available by Microsoft within the newly established Microsoft Customer Service & Support team located in Belfast. If successful at this stage candidates will have the opportunity to work from Belfast as part of Microsoft’s world-wide customer support operations working with customers to help them take advantage of new technologies to enable them to achieve more and accelerate their digital transformation journeys.

Commenting on the launch of this year’s Academy, Anne Sheehan, Microsoft Ireland General Manager said: “We’re thrilled to be launching the fourth Microsoft Assured Skills Academy in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College and the Department for the Economy, offering graduates from all backgrounds the opportunity to take their first steps in preparing for the role of a Modern Work Support Engineer.

“At Microsoft, we believe in empowering people to achieve their full potential and, through the launch of this latest offering from the Microsoft Assured Skills Academy, we want to ensure that we’re providing opportunities for people to equip themselves with the skills they need to access exciting new job opportunities and prepare for the future of work. This course is particularly exciting as we seek to grow our Microsoft Customer Service and Support team located here in Belfast. It’s a great opportunity for anyone looking to pursue a career in a dynamic and fast-moving industry and we hope that through the course we’re able to find the right talent to support our continued growth of this team right here in Belfast.”

Susan McCambridge, Economic Development Manager, Belfast Metropolitan College commented: “We are delighted to be delivering our fourth Academy with Microsoft which will focus on preparing participants for the role of a Modern Work Support Engineer. Learners will gain the most up-to-date industry relevant training, giving them what we hope will be life-changing opportunities and the skills they need to participate in the growth of Northern Ireland’s digital economy. With the deadline for applications in the coming days we’d encourage anyone interested to register their interest before the deadline this Friday.”

Candidates can apply online at Microsoft 365 Cloud Academy by noon on Friday 27 May 2022. To secure a place on the programme candidates will be invited to participate in an interview which will be held between 20th and 22nd June and if successful in this phase will move forward to the training part which will take place from 15th August to 4th November.

Those applying must be aged 18 years and above and eligible to work full-time in the UK. Candidates do not need have any experience working within the technology industry but must have a university degree classification 2.2 in any discipline or a Level 5 qualification in an IT related subject.

Datapac digitally transforms Sheil Kinnear’s 130-year business

Datapac, Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services provider, today announces that it has delivered a complete digital transformation solution to Sheil Kinnear, one of the longest-established accountancy practices in the country.

Founded in 1893, Sheil Kinnear provides accountancy and auditing services to companies of all sizes around the country from its head office in Drinagh, Wexford, and locations in Enniscorthy and Arklow.

Following Sheil Kinnear’s recent merger with a second accountancy practice, Datapac was awarded the contract to digitally transform the business by integrating both IT systems and securely migrating all company devices, software packages and data to a cloud platform.

The solution supports effective remote and hybrid working and has improved collaboration for Sheil Kinnear’s 30 employees. In turn, the upgraded system enables Sheil Kinnear to better serve its customers with improved workflows. The solution is flexible and will scale to meet the company’s needs as it continues to grow.

All employee desktops now run in the cloud using Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, and are securely accessed through thin clients. These small and portable cloud-based devices offer the same Windows desktop experience and can run from anywhere, enabling secure access to data, even on client site. This digital transformation of Sheil Kinnear’s business has resulted in significant cost savings for the company as the need for hardware upgrades and maintenance has been reduced.

Datapac also refreshed Sheil Kinnear’s security posture with cloud-based and on-premise firewalls, and has secured company data with cloud-based backups to prevent information loss and ensure business continuity for the company. The Datapac solution also backs up data on Microsoft Office 365 including Mail, Teams, and Sharepoint.

Additionally, employee onboarding and training has been made simpler with all information available from a single cloud source.

David O’Connor, Director, Sheil Kinnear: “As a customer of Datapac for over 30 years, we knew we could trust them to deliver on this new and exciting chapter at Sheil Kinnear. All of the development and background work was done off-site without interruption to our day-to-day business. The project was ongoing throughout an extremely busy time in our office and there was no disruption of service, with backup of data from our servers to the cloud carried out at evenings and weekends.

“The system ensures we have access to the most up-to-date servers running in the cloud and capacity will automatically expand to meet our needs. We have full, secure access to company information in the cloud, with the added confidence that all data is fully backed up. Most importantly, the Datapac solution has helped us to ride out the unprecedented disruption to business imposed by various Covid lockdowns. Datapac streamlined our infrastructure to maximise performance and scalability into the future, while enabling us to digitally transform our business.”

Kevin Hall, Senior Systems Engineer, Datapac: “It’s fantastic to see a company with such a rich business heritage like Sheil Kinnear truly embrace modern ways of working and move to an entirely cloud-based system. They needed a complete overhaul of their IT infrastructure, and as the company’s trusted technology partner, Datapac delivered a scalable solution which will future proof their systems for their evolving requirements.

“Sheil Kinnear’s decision to migrate to the cloud has enabled secure remote and hybrid working for staff and accelerated the transition of its workplace to a cloud-based, paperless environment.”