iStorage, the award-winning and trusted global leader of PIN authenticated, hardware encrypted data storage devices, is delighted to announce that theirdiskAshur PRO² portable HDD/SSD and diskAshur DT² desktop HDD are now FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified after months of rigorous tests.We have tried and tested many of their products here and they certainly are secure and a must have piece of tech in your home or office..
This is in addition to recent news announced only a few months ago that both products were certified to NCSC CPA, NLNCSA BSPA & NATO Restricted Level, making iStorage the world’s first and only company to have all these certifications.
John Michael, CEO, iStorage Limited says…
“It has been an incredible year for iStorage – having successfully passed and being awarded both the NCSC CPA and NLNCSA BSPA certificates, then having both these products listed in the NIAPC catalogue after achieving NATO Restricted level, and now this, passing the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification. This a fantastic accolade and testament to the many years of research and development that iStorage has invested in developing the diskAshur PRO² and diskAshur DT² products. We are proud to be able to offer products with credible certifications that reassure businesses and government organisations throughout the world of the robust level of data protection offered. “
Pricing, specifications and availability:
iStorage diskAshur PRO² and diskAshur DT² can be found on iStorage’s website
HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC), a fully-fledged fixed-line operator and ICT service provider commanding extensive local and international network coverage and infrastructure, today announced a strategic collaboration with Blue Face Limited (Blueface), a leading Unified Communications-as-a-Service Provider to launch HGC UC Anywhere Service. The result will be the delivery of an integrated, feature-rich and dynamic cloud-based unified communications (UC) solution to suit corporations of all sizes.
One-stop UC solution enables corporations to communicate efficiently while extending their business reach
Corporations are opting for digital transformation to make their business processes more efficient to support their growth. A cost-effective, efficient communication and collaboration tool connecting internal and external parties has therefore become essential to day-to-day operations to meet the future trends of digitisation and interconnection.
Group shot of Blueface and HGC
HGC’s advanced local network and extensive international infrastructure will be integrated with state-of-the-art Blueface technology to deliver a superior global UC solution. This is a cloud-based application that integrates various means of communication such as web portals, desk phones and mobile apps. As a result businesses can be reached regardless of their location via a designated office number through any means of communication.
UC Anywhere comprises a full suite of easy-to-use, portable and comprehensive service features including simultaneous ring (SIM-ring), which enables an office phone, mobile and desk phone to ring simultaneously. Other features are voicemail-to-email, document sharing, video conferencing and multi-party audio conferencing – all to help businesses stay connected on a single platform.
This hassle-free UC solution from HGC is also able to accommodate a corporation’s future expansion, thanks to abundant scalability and flexibility. Another major benefit is that this leading-edge UC capability is available without the need to make any hefty CAPEX investment. All these plus-points compare most favourably with the limited functionality of a traditional voice arrangement and private branch exchange (PBX) system.
Diverse features enable businesses to reach the next level of communication
Choose the way you want to communicate – HGC UC Anywhere delivers communications in multiple forms to suit a customer’s diverse and changing needs.
Local access, global reach – HGC UC Anywhere is carried by a global UC network ring running on highly-secure and reliable networks. Businesses can enjoy a smooth delivery of uninterrupted voice and video transmission on an international scale, with exceptional service quality anytime, anywhere.
Multi-country Phone Numbers in ONE Device – HGC UC Anywhere consolidates a variety of overseas numbers – subscribed to by customers – in one mobile app. As a result, businesses can be reached via numbers in different countries wherever they are. In addition, business counterparts calling from overseas no longer need to pay IDD charges.
Call management at your fingertips – HGC has taken a traditionally-complicated IVRS call-flow design to a refreshing new level of simplicity. Our Advanced Call Flow (ACF) Management Module is a sophisticated yet easy-to-use built-in call-flow management facility that enables customers to build and customise their own IVR system call-flow capability in simple drag-and-drop steps.
HGC CEO Andrew Kwok said: “The collaboration with Blueface enriches our business portfolio and proposition locally and internationally and enables us to deliver advanced market-driven solutions to meet the needs of all organisations, whether small, medium or large. Riding on our international backbone infrastructure, strong presence throughout markets in Asia and extensive global footprint, as well as our reliable hosting and comprehensive voice services, Blueface can now extend coverage from Europe and the US to Asia without having to go through a complicated service-provisioning process. We can also customise solutions to make them compatible with a variety of applications. Our customer-centric approach will enable customer organisations to improve their business operations by harnessing the power of digitisation. ”
Alan Foy
Alan Foy, Group CEO of Blueface and Star2Star, said: “The collaboration means HGC’s corporate customers can now enjoy a best-in-class unified communications experience in Hong Kong and globally, as well as genuine localisation throughout international markets. This will be achieved via our global UC cloud sites, multilingual self-service web portal and localisation of all communication elements. With HGC’s extensive connectivity, it also facilitates Blueface’s business deployment and expansion in Asia. ”
Ireland’s most connected building outside of Dublin is set to become host for a new digital radio venture bringing a range of interesting and exciting new radio services to Cork.
Cork Internet Exchange (CIX) is the big success story of Ireland’s IT sector, delivering lightning speed Internet connectivity to more than 100 companies from a state-of-the-art data centre at the city’s Hollyhill Industrial Estate. Now it has been selected by digital radio specialist, Viamux, as the operations centre for a DAB ‘multiplex’ (digital radio transmitter) operating under a test and trial licence issued by ComReg.
Viamux Managing Director, David Duffy says CIX was the obvious choice for the operation: “We’ll be bringing radio services into Cork from around the country over the Internet so a high level of resilience was essential. No one comes close to CIX thanks to a mesh of different providers which ensures a safe, secure and uninterrupted service allowing us flexibility to scale our needs”.
The DAB antenna is located on the CIX tower which offers robust coverage across the entire city and surrounding countryside.
CIX Managing Director, Jerry Sweeney, is delighted to welcome Viamux to the data centre: “Cork Internet Exchange is committed to being Cork’s ‘Edge’ data centre. We see DAB as a logical extension of that mission. We want to make sure that Cork leads in all areas of communications. We are delighted to be able to offer Viamux, the infrastructure they needed to bring DAB to Cork.”
DAB extends listener choice and provides existing analogue and new digital stations with the opportunity to increase audience reach. Viamux aims to bring together partners from local commercial, community, institutional and online radio with their wide range of formats that cater for ethnic, lifestyle, specialist as well as general audiences.
Listeners in Cork can receive the new services by simply running an ‘autoscan’ on their DAB set which will detect the new multiplex which is labelled ‘eirdab’. Currently UCB (United Christian Broadcasters) Ireland and Radio Maria are available with more services joining in the coming months.
Check Point’s cyber security researchers have found new vulnerabilities in WhatsAppthat allow threat actors to intercept and manipulate messages sent in a group chat. This gives hackers the ability to create and spread misinformation from what appear to be trusted sources.
By exploiting vulnerabilities found in communications between the mobile version of WhatsApp and WhatsApp Web, the web-based version, a hacker can:
Alter the text of someone else’s reply, essentially putting words in their mouth
Use the ‘quote’ feature in a group conversation to change the identity of the sender, to make it appear as if it came from a person who is not even part of the group.
Send a private message to another group participant disguised as a public message for all, so when the individual responds, it’s visible to all in the conversation.
Bragi, the makers of the world’s first hearable is at it again! By collaborating with Mimi Hearing Technologies, all devices of The Dash product line are getting even smarter – and personalised.
The Dash series including the Dash Pro, the one and only ear computer in the market – with 27 sensors and its own operating system, now offers a truly personal music experience. Using the Mimi Defined TM technology, an intelligent hearing assessment embedded in the Bragi App, users can now create their personal hearing profile.
The music processing technology enables sounds replayed on Bragi devices or on devices connected to them to be dynamically adjusted to match the users individual hearing ability – music and audio input can now be heard clearly and with detail like never before.
Everyone’s hearing is unique and changes over time. Unfortunately, the audio data of a recorded song or file does not change, it is static. A deteriorating hearing ability causes people to hear those static sounds differently over time – they no longer perceive sounds as they were initially recorded. In order to overcome this challenge, Bragi partnered up with Mimi Hearing Technologies and integrated the patented Mimi Defined algorithm, a technology that intelligently assesses a person’s hearing ability with an on-board six-minute hearing test.
Based on the results of this test, audio sources or played back audio files, as well as the audio from streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify, are adjusted to be aligned with the user’s individual hearing if listened to through any product of The Dash series.
Once the hearing test is completed, users can control the intensity of the Music Personalisation by Mimi Defined via the Bragi App – all while the audio input is continually being adapted to the user’s individual hearing ability in real time. This unique sound personalisation technology can be easily included in the daily use of earphones, even while users are tracking running, cycling or swimming, the music they listen to will be personalised. Audio transparency can be used to choose whether a user wants to hear the world around them or not and connecting to the Bragi App also allows use of the integrated 4D-Menu to start and stop music, select playlists, change activities or take and end a call.
In addition to the music personalisation, the Bragi OS 3.2 update includes an improved connection procedure and a welcome tutorial. The Bragi Updater has also been upgraded, making it even easier for users to update the device.
The Bragi OS 3.2 software update, compatible with The Dash, The Dash Pro and The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey, is free of cost and will need to be accompanied by an update of the free Bragi App, available for Apple iOS and Android.
The Bragi Dash products are available from Currys in the UK and www.bragi.com worldwide with prices starting at £109.96
Edifier is excited to announce its partnership with Cooler Master, an award-winning computer hardware and gaming peripherals manufacturer. The partnership will enable Edifier to further extend its reach into the world of gaming. As part of the collaboration Edifier will gain access to the many gaming and tech events Cooler Master will take part in across the globe. Event goers will have the opportunity to connect with the Edifier brand via Cooler Master gaming setups.
“We are thrilled to partner with Cooler Master and are looking forward to seeing how our two brands will grow together,” said Edifier’s Marketing Director, Audrey Anne-Felix. “Cooler Master products are the perfect example of what a modern-day gamer needs and Edifier products blend seamlessly into this creative tech space.”
To kick off the partnership, Edifier’s e255 Luna Theatre speakers were showcased at the Cooler Master booth during Computex 2018 in Taipei, Taiwan. The activation itself focused around Project Unity – a brand new gaming setup created by Cooler Master and Cory Gregory from Designs by IFR. This setup focused on combining the best PC components, monitors and audio to create the ultimate lighting and gameplay setup utilizing Cooler Master’s new Master Plus+software.
Gregory spoke to the quality of the Luna speakers and the way in which they can be utilized to enhanced any gaming setup. “The Luna Theatre speakers not only look incredible; they gave us some bass in the shooter titles but also clarity when we were listening to music as well which is really what we’re trying to achieve here.” said Cory Gregory from Designs by IFR.
Imagine if you could put on a robotic exoskeleton, become a superhero – just like Tony Stark in Iron Man – and save the world. It’s the stuff of comic books, right? But what if I told you it wasn’t a fiction? What if the ability to enhance ourselves and do things we never thought possible was all around us?
Greg White, Director, Security Operations at ServiceNow discusses the benefits of adopting automation in cybersecurity teams explains more below.
Take the example of the automobile. In the 19th century, we could never have imagined driving down the motorway at 70 miles an hour in our own car. The idea that you could do that in car without a driver would have been unfathomable. But is happening now, and it is happening thanks to automation. And automation is the key to giving regular people far more superpowers – none more so than in the cybersecurity sector.
The automation era
Automation is having its moment. It was one of the biggest topics at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF), and it has featured across the TED and Davos circuit. Economists, business leaders and politicians are trying to understand the future changes that it will bring.
Technological innovation is already changing the skill set required for a wide range of jobs. Greater adoption of automation will result in further incremental improvements that can deliver massive efficiency gains across a wide range of industries.
These changes are largely a good thing. When technology works well, as in the case of the car during the last 100 years, it sticks because it benefits those using it. Today, the right software and automated workflows go a long way to enhancing how we do things, in and out of our working lives.
What this could mean for cybersecurity
With access to more information and data than ever before, IT security teams don’t have enough time in the day to process everything. Moreover, there is currently a massive cybersecurity talent gap. Organisations are struggling to hire and retain cybersecurity professionals in a very competitive climate – such is the shortage, one third of cybersecurity job postings get no views at all according to job site Indeed.
With the right employees in short supply then, automation’s ability to give people superpowers is in much demand. As such, automation is already transforming the way organisations are protected.
For example, the incident investigation process is a typically long and tedious process. It involves cutting and pasting items such as IP addresses, malware hashes and URLs into multiple systems to learn about them, determine if an incident is real and if any action that should be taken. These tasks that are more efficient when carried out by machines and automated systems are stepping into the fold. All of sudden it means that a security analyst can simply see the results of the investigation and then make a decision on how to proceed – their metaphorical superpowered exoskeleton.
When implemented effectively machines and people create a symphony, where machines play the “instruments” of mundane time-consuming work while humans step up into a conductor role, overseeing machines and the benefits of automation in an altogether new way.
For security teams this is vital in enabling them to work more efficiently and focus on critical events quickly. It gives them the bandwidth to step back and prioritise the important things ahead of time, resulting in analysts being able to be proactive and available when a real problem happens.
Technology assisting humans – working together in harmony
Whether its security teams or everyday consumers, users intuitively understand the possibilities of technology. As new devices and tools hit the market, users form organic relationships with the ones that best suit their needs and identities, and find ways to use that technology to create entirely new workflows, concepts and processes. Think of how people interact with their Amazon Echo or iPhone — good technology connects with us.
Automation means making tasks faster, better, cheaper and more reliable, and in sectors such as cybersecurity it is creating another new world around us. Automating the incident investigation process is just the start, but it is already allowing overextended security teams to become superhuman so they take on the real challenges to protect their organisation.
Great news for Irish and Cork company, Metabolomic Diagnostics. Their preeclampsia screening test has won €2 million from EU Horizon 2020 SME funding. This is huge boost as one of only 3 companies in Ireland to get this funding. Enterprise Ireland have backed MD as well as other VCs.
Full statement below
Having been ranked among the top innovations in Europe, Metabolomic Diagnostics is set to receive €2 million in EU Funding under the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, which received a total of 1280 applications from all over Europe.
One of only 3 Irish companies to receive this funding, the Cork-based biotech company will use the award to commercialise its breakthrough product, PrePsia™. PrePsia™ is a simple blood test taken in early pregnancy, which can identify whether a woman may develop Preterm Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is one of the biggest risks that women face during a pregnancy, claiming the lives of 75,000 mothers and 500,000 babies annually; survivors of the disease have a lifelong increased risk of developing a range of health problems.
PrePsia™ has the potential to transform prenatal care by allowing clinicians to administer effective treatments early that can dramatically reduce the incidence of the disease thus improving pregnancy outcomes whilst lowering healthcare costs for treating the disease. The EU has clearly recognised the value of PrePsia™ which has worldwide applicability, with the award of this significant funding.
Charles Garvey, CEO of Metabolomic Diagnostics said, “This award will be used to accelerate our go-to-market strategy. We plan to market the product next year, and now with this support from EU, we believe that PrePsia™ has the potential to become part of pregnancy screening programs worldwide. The award is recognition by the European Union of the huge progress we have made to date and the enormous societal benefit that our innovative test will bring to expectant mothers and their babies all over the world.”
Metabolomic Diagnostics has previously been supported by the EU through FP7 funding, as well as private investors, SOSV, Enterprise Equity AIB Seed Capital Fund and Enterprise Ireland.
Sean Burke, Horizon 2020 National Delegate, Enterprise Ireland: “The success of Irish companies in winning significant Horizon 2020 SME Instrument funding has its foundation in Enterprise Ireland supports which are focused on nurturing and developing the innovative solutions and capabilities of our SMEs. This is an excellent win for the team at Metabolomic Diagnostics and we look forward to working closely with the company in the future.”
Dublin-based Solar AdTek, the leading developer and supplier of innovative solar powered lighting for outdoor advertising has completed an upgrade of 1,800 bus shelter units across Ireland and significantly decreased their carbon emissions. SolarAdTek is responsible for the delivery of the bus shelter lighting project which is being funded by the ESB in a partnership arrangement with JCDecaux, on behalf of the National Transport Authority (NTA).
The newly installed lighting reduces operating costs, provides enhanced illumination and most significantly reduces carbon emissions. John Bouchier, Co-Founder, of Solar AdTek said ”As a result of the upgrade, energy usage by the NTA bus shelters has reduced by 88%, saving over 1,000 tonnes in carbon emissions annually. This is the equivalent to the average energy consumption for 461 homes.”
The work has greatly improved the quality of the bus shelters with the removal of all fluorescent tubes and the introduction by Solar AdTek of more environmentally friendly and better-quality roof and ad panel LED lighting.
The bus shelters are now using smart technology to regulate the flow of electrical current, which ensures the shelter lights only come on between the hours of dusk and dawn, thus further reducing energy consumption.
The ESB has funded the project in a partnership arrangement with outdoor advertising company JCDecaux, who have the contract for advertising rights and maintenance of NTA bus shelters in Dublin and around the country.
“We were delighted to have had the opportunity to bring this solution to JCDecaux and the National Transport Authority in partnership with ESB and that the first national co-funded roll-out has now been completed,” said Eoin O’Broin, CEO, Solar AdTek. “We have developed our solar and lighting systems specifically for the outdoor advertising market and have no doubt our model can be both replicated and significantly scaled for international markets.”
Solar AdTek provides solar powered LED lighting systems to illuminate outdoor advertising displays such as bus shelters and billboards. These systems combine a proprietary Solar Control Unit and customised LED lighting modules with best-in-class solar panels and batteries to deliver autonomous, reliable and cost effective off-grid lighting solutions.
The company can replace existing fluorescent tubes with bespoke LED lighting, which provides an energy saving of up to 88%. Solar AdTek’s in-built mobile communications network allows for real time passenger Information signs, remote system diagnostics, advertisement viewers, passing traffic counters and environmental sensors.
