Category: Tech News

EngageSmith invests €250,000 in development of Millennial Friendly Index. 

Designed with input from both millennials and industry, the Index is a software tool that enables organisations to increase millennial engagement and reduce attrition. EngageSmith invested €250,000 into researching, developing and testing the software behind the Millennial Friendly Index. The benefits of the Index include employer branding, improving millennial employee retention and increasing engagement and performance.

​EngageSmith, the millennial specialist, today announces the launch of the Millennial Friendly Index that will certify how millennial friendly employers are. Designed with input from both millennials and industry, the Index is a software tool that enables organisations to increase millennial engagement and reduce attrition.

The Index rates organisations’ millennial friendliness across a range of criteria that have been identified by industry experts and millennials. The results will enable individual companies to understand what is required to engage with and motivate millennials. Organisations that pass the exacting test will achieve millennial friendly certification. The benefits of the Millennial Friendly Index include employer branding, improving millennial employee retention and increasing engagement and performance.

EngageSmith invested €250,000 initially researching, developing and testing the software behind the Millennial Friendly Index. The funding for this came from the recent €400,000 private equity investment in the company.

The Millennial Friendly Index will be announced on an annual basis with the inaugural Index released this September. The Index will rate the top millennial friendly companies in Ireland across all industries.

Lisa Smith, founder of EngageSmith, said:

“Following constant queries by millennials and Gen Zs on what companies are the best to work for, I recognised that there is a gap in the market for a tool to bridge the gap between industry and millennials.

“The millennial generation are quick to voice negative opinions on social media, for example, if they’ve had a bad experience with a company, this inevitably is posted online, damaging the brand of the company. As 79% of Irish millennials use online job sites and 65% use social media to find jobs, potential employees are often dissuaded from applying for companies with poor online employer reputations.



We believe that our Millennial Friendly Index will be the go-to tool for millennials and to plan their careers by selecting companies that understand their needs. Our Index also gives companies the levers needed to help improve their online rating, making them more attractive to the top talent


“As the economy is reaching full employment, the talent pool available to companies is shrinking. If companies want to reduce high attrition rates and associated costs of hiring and training new employees, then it’s important that they get the millennial friendly certification as soon as possible.”


“We’re on a strong growth path and the Millennial Friendly Index will enable us to achieve our expansion goals in Ireland and overseas. We will launch the Index in the US and UK early next year and look to be make it available globally in the next two years.”

EngageSmith works with large Irish-based indigenous and multinational companies, helping them companies to increase their retention of millennials and grow productivity.

Pure Telecom parents survey: Almost half of children being held back by poor school broadband.  

From where I sit stuck between two cabinets this comes as no surprise. Currently I enjoy really poor speeds and have done so for quite some time now and been told I’ve fibre. Laughable at best..

Pure Telecom today announces the results of a survey, which shows that 46% of Irish children are being held back in their educational achievement due to poor internet at school, according to parents. The online research*, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom, surveyed parents of primary and secondary school children from a group of 1,001 adults.

The survey revealed that two-thirds of parents (67%) believe the internet supports children’s learning – and many consider it a factor in their choice of schools. Some 34% of parents would consider moving their child to a school with better internet availability if their current one didn’t have satisfactory broadband access or speeds.

The research also found that 16% of the typical child’s homework relies on the internet. On average, parents spent €213 per child on internet-connected devices and tools intended for schoolwork this year.

Almost half (48%) of children use laptops or tablets for some or all of their classes, but one-in-four parents (26%) believe their child’s school isn’t doing enough to encourage learning via internet-connected educational resources.

Under the Schools 100Mbps project, the Government rolled out 100Mbps broadband to all 780+ post-primary schools in Ireland. Earlier this year, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., launched the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 Action Plan 2017, which includes €30 million in ICT grants to schools, as well as a programme to enhance high-speed broadband connectivity in primary schools.

Pictured with Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, are Klara Keating and Tadhg Higgins. Pure Telecom today announced the results of a survey that found that 46% of parents believe substandard or no school internet is hindering the quality of their children’s educational achievement.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “Access to internet-connected digital tools and resources is vital for all children living in a modern society, so it is concerning that so many parents believe their child’s educational achievement is being stunted by poor broadband speeds and access in school. Not surprisingly, our research showed that the majority of those parents are living in areas outside of Dublin.

“It is great to see the Government investing in a digital strategy for schools including technologies such as interactive screens and cloud-based learning tools. The availability of high-speed broadband in all – not just secondary – schools across Ireland will be crucial to its success.”

 

“Broadband access is a basic need for all Irish citizens, no matter where they live. But at the moment, the infrastructure isn’t in place to deliver broadband to everyone. We have agreements with several of Ireland’s major wholesale telecoms providers, which allow us to bring broadband to any location that has a fibre network. However, we must rely on the rollout of the National Broadband Plan in order to provide broadband to Ireland’s harder-to-reach locations. Unfortunately, until the National Broadband Plan is implemented, we will continue to see schoolchildren hindered 

Ireland’s leading professional recruitment event, #CareerZoo, is heading west.

Ireland’s leading professional recruitment and networking event, Career Zoo, will move outside Dublin for the first time this autumn, with an event taking place in Galway next month.

Career Zoo West will take place on Saturday, 23rd September, from 10am to 5pm. The event will run over three floors at the iconic Galway Racecourse venue in Ballybrit. Career Zoo takes place twice each year, attracting thousands of attendees each time.

Employers hiring at Career Zoo West will include technology giant Ericsson and Donegal-based fintech company Pramerica, both of which are sponsoring the event. Another sponsor, FRS Recruitment, will be on hand to speak with candidates about a wide variety of professional roles.

The event will feature employers from all four provinces in Ireland including Galway, Donegal, Sligo, Cork, the midlands and Dublin.

Commenting today, Jackie Slattery, Director of Career Zoo, said: “This is an exciting time for the Career Zoo brand as we bring our next event to the West of Ireland.  We will be showcasing hundreds of exciting employment opportunities across tech, medtech pharma and finance, and we would encourage anyone looking to advance their career to come along.

“With Ireland set to become the sole English-speaking country in the EU, there is so much opportunity, ready to be tapped. The West of Ireland – with its natural amenities and excellent track record in sectors such as tech, biopharma and financial services – is a very attractive option for anyone looking to make a career move or come home to Ireland.

“Career Zoo West will be our fourteenth event to date, so it’s really interesting to look at how the profile of attendees has changed over the past few years.  Skilled candidates are no longer wowed by companies that just offer decent salaries and a cool office. They also want an excellent work-life balance; affordable housing options; and proximity to their families and friends.  For these reasons, working in the West appeals to so many people, and we’re expecting a really strong response to our first Career Zoo event in Galway.”

Career Zoo West will have approximately 50 employers in attendance, including STEM-sector leaders, professional and financial services and biotech companies. Employers will be hiring for a variety of roles across: tech, pharma, medtech, finance, marketing, HR and sales.

The line-up includes recruiters and speakers from: Abbott, Abbvie, BD Research Centre Ireland, BioMarin, BNP Paribas, Cisco, Ericsson, FRS, Grifols, Irishjobs.ie, LookWest.ie, Merit, Ocuco, Pramerica, SAP and Wayfair, amongst others.

In addition to leading employers, next month’s event will include panel discussions on topics such as the latest in biotech, big data, medtech, fintech, IOT, women in STEM and workplace culture.

The sponsors of Career Zoo West are: Ericsson, Pramerica and FRS Recruitment. Admission to the event is free.  To register, go to:www.careerzoo.ie/galway.

Ten striking images of Irish research revealed. #Research #IRC

To mark the launch of their new website, the Irish Research Council have this week unveiled ten striking images from their awardees’ research.

Researchers were invited to submit an image captured during the course of their research to be featured on the new homepage. A total of one hundred and twenty-four entries were received. The final ten images selected were:

 

  • Abulaiti Hairisha, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Simulating the controlled growth of polymer thin films by molecular layer deposition’.
  • Chiara Mizzoni, Andrew Grene Postgraduate Scholar in Conflict Resolution, ‘A group of FARC fighters watch a game of afternoon football at a demobilisation and transition camp in Icononzo, Colombia’.
  • Pierre Jolivet, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Visualisations from open sound control driven inputs to virtual reality environments’.
  • Ross Lundy, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Deforest gold micro-mushrooms on copper meadow’.
  • David Cichon, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Garment workers in Phnom Penh marching for a living wage and collective bargaining rights on International Labour Day 2017’.
  • Sven Batke, Irish Research Council Fellow, ‘A bromeliad plant from the same family as pineapples which grows on top of tall tropical trees’.
  • Maria Velasco, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘The cerebellar network between neurons (red), astrocytes (yellow) and microglia (green) in a mouse organotypic slice culture’.
  • Ross Lundy, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Copper oxide nanoblades’.
  • Sajad Alimohammadi, Irish Research Council Fellow, ‘Refractive index matched PIV applications: Velocity profiles for flow around an array of cylinders’.
  • Shane Holohan, Irish Research Council Scholar, ‘Ben Collis & Elisabeth Künkele (© Einar Kling-Odencrants) performing as part of my PhD in arts practice’.

SEE SOME IMAGES IN THE GALLERY HERE

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Further information and the list of the final ten images is available at http://research.ie/what-we-do/loveirishresearch/blog/ten-striking-research-images/

PayPal to become available on Nintendo Switch in Ireland #PayPal #Nintendo Switch

PayPal and Nintendo – from today, owners of the Nintendo Switch in Ireland and other select countries around the world will be able to use PayPal, in addition to other existing payment methods, in the Nintendo eShop. With over 200 million users around the world, the addition of PayPal as a payment option will enable more customers to pay securely and conveniently.

In their press release……

PayPal Pte. Ltd announced today that Nintendo eShop has added PayPal as a new payment method. Nintendo eShop users in Ireland, as well as a number of select countries around the world, will be able to use PayPal, in addition to other existing methods of payment, on the Web or on their game console.

Nintendo eShop users in Ireland, as well as a number of select countries around the world, can now use PayPal, in addition to other existing methods of payment, on the Web or on their game console.

This service includes the following:

For Nintendo Switch™

Funding Nintendo eShop accounts and purchasing games and other content

For the official Nintendo website in Ireland and other select countries around the world:

Adding funds to balances when purchasing software for download through Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS™, Wii U.

 

Regarding adoption of PayPal as a new payment method, Nintendo provided the following comment:

 

“We have decided to adopt the globally-successful payment service, PayPal, as a payment method for Nintendo eShop to enhance the convenience of users and enable them to make secure payments. By adding PayPal, which has over 200 million accounts worldwide, as a payment method for Nintendo eShop, we feel that we will be able to serve more customers across the globe with gaming experience.”

Nintendo eShop users in Ireland, as well as a number of select countries around the world, can now use PayPal, in addition to other existing methods of payment, on the Web or on their game console.

As well as in Ireland, PayPal payment services will be available on the Nintendo Switch in the following countries:

Japan, USA, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, UK, Greece, Croatia, Hungary,  Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, and  Slovakia.

 

 

 

 

Top Tech Award for Fujifilm’s INSTAX SQ10 Hybrid Instant Camera. #EISA #FujiFilm

Fujifilm’s sophisticated new INSTAX SQUARE SQ10 has scooped a major international consumer electronics award within just six months of its European launch.Delivering the best of both worlds for photographers, the SQ10 hybrid combines the control and composition of a digital camera, with the enjoyment and spontaneity of real instant prints.

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) selected Fujifilm’s first ever square format hybrid instant camera for one of its top awards, to be presented in Berlin in September at IFA International, the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances.

The INSTAX SQUARE SQ10 is the first hybrid instant camera to take and print square photos. Available in Fujifilm stockists nationwide at an RRP of €300, the sleek new INSTAX allows photographers edit and filter a shot they’ve captured on the digital LCD screen, before saving it or instantly printing.  It has options to brighten, darken, or add vignettes to images, and to choose from 10 creative filters to apply, before printing.

A dream for photography and tech lovers, the INSTAX hybrid’s bright LCD viewfinder makes it easy to create and edit pictures, which are recorded in the internal memory or on a microSD card for sharing.  The SQ10 saves up to 50 photos on its internal memory, and even more on the memory card, so moments caught but not instantly printed can be stored and revisited later.

EISA members nominating the SQ10 cited it as the first hybrid camera within its range with a digital image sensor and digital image processing technology.  This vastly enhances the image quality and allows photographers creatively edit their compositions on screen, before printing.

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) is a unique and longstanding collaboration between 55 of the most respected international specialist consumer electronics magazines.

These periodicals, their websites and forums produce regular independent technical reviews on new consumer electronics products, and their annual awards are based on the best innovation across photography, mobile devices, hi-fi, home theatre audio, home theatre display and video, and in-car electronics.

Independent Endorsement

Independent endorsement at the highest level from EISA reflects the SQ10’s high-tech edge, according to Jackie Farrell, Fujifilm Ireland Marketing Manager.

“These prestigious international awards recognise quality and innovation, from everyday affordable products to the most aspirational of modern electronics goods, and the Fujifilm Corporation is obviously delighted to have the INSTAX SQ10 counted among its top consumer electronics for 2017”, the Fujifilm Irish spokesperson said.

The award citation noted the instant camera’s ability to produce brighter photos in low-light conditions, for indoor and night scenes, as well as close-up shots from a distance of up to 10cm, thanks to its sophisticated automatic exposure control, human detection and auto-focus.

“Its filters, with different effects that control light intensity and brightness, can be used in advance or after shooting, and image editing in the LCD monitor is simple and intuitive”, reviewers of the SQ10 also reported.

Trend-setting INSTAX SQ10 prints have a retro square format, echoing that of INSTAGRAM™, the photo-sharing platform.

This year’s EISA Awards saw member magazines from over 20 European countries, plus affiliates in the USA and Australia, contribute their experience, identifying new products that combine the most advanced technology and desirable features with class-leading performance.

Thousands of Android-spying apps in the wild: what to do about #SonicSpy #Apps #SophosLabs

Android users have a new threat to be aware of: spyware apps that steal data from the devices they infect. Some samples made their way to Google Play, but the vast majority is coming from other online sources.

Researchers from SophosLabs and elsewhere have found three cases of SonicSpy-infused apps in Google Play: Soniac, Hulk Messenger, and Troy Chat – messaging apps that hide their spying functionality and await orders from command-and-control servers.

Google booted the apps from its store after they were discovered. Researcher Chen Yu said the Google Play versions had “tiny installation numbers and existed for a very short time”. Though three were found on Google Play, SophosLabs has counted 3,240 SonicSpy apps in the wild. Some reports place the number at 4,000.

According to multiple reports, a single bad actor – probably based in Iraq – has released these apps into the wild since February.

How it operates

The various SonicSpy-infused apps share the ability to:

  • Silently record audio
  • Take photos with the device’s camera
  • Make outbound calls
  • Send text messages to whatever phone numbers the attacker chooses
  • Retrieve data from contacts, Wi-Fi hotspots and call logs

On the devices it infects, SonicSpy removes its launch icon to hide itself. It then connects to a control server on port 2222 of arshad93.ddns[.]net, according to Michael Flossman, a researcher from Lookout who first reported the spyware’s appearance.

Defensive measures

Sophos customers are protected from the SonicSpy apps, which are detected as Andr/HiddenAp-W, Andr/Axent-CY, Andr/FakeApp-BK and Andr/Xgen-Y.

The continued presence of malicious Android apps demonstrates the need to use an Android antivirus such as our free Sophos Mobile Security for Android.

By blocking the install of malicious and unwanted apps, even if they come from Google Play, you can spare yourself lots of trouble.

In the bigger picture, the average Android user isn’t going to know what techniques the malware used to reach their device’s doorstep, but they can do much to keep it from getting in – especially when it comes to the apps they choose. To that end, here’s some more general advice:

  • Stick to Google Play. It isn’t perfect, but Google does put plenty of effort into preventing malware arriving in the first place, or purging it from the Play Store if it shows up. In contrast, many alternative markets are little more than a free-for-all where app creators can upload anything they want, and frequently do.
  • Avoid apps with a low reputation. If no one knows anything about a new app yet, don’t install it on a work phone, because your IT department won’t thank you if something goes wrong.
  • Patch early, patch often. When buying a new phone model, check the vendor’s attitude to updates and the speed that patches arrive. Why not put “faster, more effective patching” on your list of desirable features, alongside or ahead of hardware advances such as “better camera” and “higher-res screen”?

Read the full article HERE 

 

 

Swiping Right This Summer? @SuperBreak Launch New Travel Tool. #Travel #Dating

Are you unable to keep off Instagram and spend most of your evenings pouring over travel inspiration online? A new travel tool allows you to swipe right or left, like a dating app, but instead based on your travel preferences.

Get your wanderlust fix with the new interactive created by travel brand Super Break. Discover Your Destination (http://www.superbreak.com/inspiration/discover-your-destination) is designed to allow users to browse for their ideal short break through a journey of “instagramable” photographs.

Top travel influencers such as Glasses Girl and Cruise Miss have shared their photography for the game, which includes stunning destinations and experiences from all over the UK and Europe.

Super Break launched their brand re-fresh in June this year, which included a whole redesign of their website and a full branding overhaul, promoted through the launch of a new TV advertising campaign. Their new travel tool Discover Your Destination epitomises the new identity of the brand by inspiring potential customers with experience led content.

 

How to Play

At the beginning of the game you will be presented with an introduction screen that explains the game and what you are about to experience. Once you select the “play now” button, multiple Instagram images will appear – these photographs visualise a type of experience that you may have on a short break.

Once presented with the image, you will be given the option to swipe left if you don’t find the experience attractive, or right if you do. Once the decision is made, another image will instantly appear – this will happen for a total of 15 times until you are presented with your result.

The results screen tells you which kind of experience you should pursue. There are 8 categories in total:

  1. Thrill Seeker
  2. Culture Vulture
  3. City Escaper
  4. Entertainment Lover
  5. Stress Buster
  6. Food Fanatic
  7. Fun Finder
  8. Active Traveller

At the end of the game, you will be given the option to play again and be presented with a new range of images. Click below to play the game online and find out what kind of break you are in need of: http://www.superbreak.com/inspiration/discover-your-destination

 

Infographic – Lets Looks back- The evolution of WWW. #Internet #Web #WWW

You might be aware that World Web Day WWW is celebrated in August?? 

Everdata Technologies – A Cloud hosting company in India that caters to diverse types of businesses has sent us this info-graphic  and it tells some interesting facts about WWW. For example: Did you know The Burners-Lee is the name of the person who invented WWW? or did you know 1989 is the year when internet was first used? To know some more interesting things on internet check out the attached infographic.