13 new businesses awarded Ireland’s Best Managed Companies accolade

13 new businesses have been awarded the Ireland’s Best Managed Companies (BMC) accolade at the 16th annual awards programme. This year, Deloitte recognised 129 indigenous companies at the awards, representing 28 of the 32 counties across the island of Ireland.

The network of companies has a combined turnover of more than €15 billion and provide employment to over 45,000 people across a range of sectors from technology and healthcare to construction.

A thorough judging process precedes the recognition each year, evaluating the entire management team and the business strategy of each company. The judges examine a wide range of areas when assessing Ireland’s top privately-owned businesses, such as a business’ environmental, social and governance standards, strategic planning and talent strategy.

The 13 newly qualified companies are: Active8 Solar Energies, Ashdale Care, Coen Steel Limited, Ethos Engineering, MCO, Mergon Group, Mivan, Mowlam Healthcare, S&W Wholesale, Sisk Group, United Hardware, Western Motors and Writech.

Brian Murphy, Lead Partner for Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards Programme, said: “The Irish economic growth story has been extraordinary, and we see this evidenced in the success of Irish indigenous businesses and the confidence shown by Best Managed Companies. Ensuring Ireland’s entrepreneurs and the companies they start get the support they need to grow and scale is crucial.”

Cathy Bryce, Managing Director, AIB Capital Markets, said: “AIB is proud to be the new lead sponsors of Ireland’s Best Managed companies. One of AIB’s core ambitions is to support Irish companies and their management teams in sustainable growth and development, something which is fully aligned with the goals of the BMC programme.”

A total of 116 companies requalified as a Best Managed Company. 19 of these achieved Gold Standard (four years as a BMC) and 12 achieved Platinum Standard (seven years as a BMC). Fexco won the Family Business Award.

The members of this year’s judging panel were:

  • Frank Ryan, former Chairman of the Board of IDA Ireland and Chair of BMC judging panel
  • Cathy Bryce, Managing Director, AIB Capital Markets
  • Ellvena Graham OBE, Non-Executive Director & Chair of Tourism Northern Ireland
  • Feargal Mooney, Non-Executive Director and former CEO of Hostelworld
  • Lionel Alexander, Chair Intact Software and Non-Executive Director
  • Orla O’Gorman, Non-Executive Director and former Head of Listing at Euronext
  • Professor Anthony Brabazon, Dean of UCD Michael Smurfit Business School
  • Sarah Murphy, CEO of Business Post

 

New Winners

Company County
Active8 Solar Energies Monaghan
Ashdale Care Monaghan
Coen Steel Limited Galway
Ethos Engineering Dublin
MCO Dublin
Mergon Group Westmeath
Mivan Antrim
Mowlam Healthcare Limerick
S&W Wholesale Down
Sisk Group Dublin
United Hardware Dublin
Western Motors Galway
Writech Westmeath

 

The Gold Standard (four years as a Best Managed Company) winners are:

Company County
BidX1 Dublin
Camile Thai Kitchen Ltd Dublin
Clonakilty Food Co Cork
DigitalWell Dublin
Dowds Group Antrim
Errigal Group Monaghan
Fortus Group Dublin
H&MV Engineering Limited Limerick
Instantor Dublin
Keltech Waterford
Mannok Fermanagh
Modubuild Kilkenny
MPA Recruitment Derry
Stafford Lynch Dublin
The Brennan and Co Group Dublin
Toga Group Dublin
Totalmobile Antrim
Triangle Technology Services Dublin
Windsor Motor Group Dublin

 

The Platinum Winners (seven years as a Best Managed Company) are:

Company County
Around Noon Down
Codd Mushrooms Ltd Carlow
Creagh Concrete Antrim
Dennison Trailers Kildare
EDGE Innovate Tyrone
GES Group Antrim
GSLS Dublin
LotusWorks Sligo
Ocuco Dublin
Phonovation Dublin
PlanNet21 Dublin
The Merrion Hotel Dublin

How To Trade ETFs – Best ETF Trading Strategies

Financial markets can be challenging in light of the variety of assets and trading instruments, and an investor may be tempted to purchase multiple securities to seize multiple opportunities and diversify their trading portfolios.

Exchange-traded funds are an excellent portfolio diversification option, allowing investors to buy and sell multiple assets together with a twist. ETFs are considered one of the safest trading methods in the market and a perfect choice for rookies who want to dip their toes in the seas of financial trading. 

Let’s dive deeper into this term and explain some of the best strategies to trade ETFs.

How Do ETFs Work?

Exchange-traded funds collect multiple trading instruments in one pool. These securities may include stocks, foreign currencies, bonds, crypto, etc. The prices of ETFs fluctuate according to the market price of products involved in the exchange fund.

ETFs are a safer trading option because they include multiple securities. If one product underperforms in the market, there is still some chance for other assets to perform better and make up the losses.

Significant financial corporations and institutions purchase massive quantities of securities and deposit them with the ETF provider, who, in exchange, provides shares of the exchange funds.

Then, the investment firm sells these shares in secondary markets for the outer public, where traders can purchase stakes in several ETF pools.

The Best ETF Trading Strategies

ETF trading requires proper planning, which may be slightly different from other instruments. Here are some excellent ETF trading strategies.

Swing Trading 

This strategy entails buying and selling assets depending on the trend fluctuations and benefiting from short-term gains. This can be helpful in ETF trading because it is easier to implement and less risky, given the higher stability provided by the ETF.

Long-term Holding

Buy and hold is a perfect strategy to use in conjunction with ETFs because it implies buying shares in the exchange fund pool and keeping them for an extended period of weeks or months. 

This strategy is supported by the risk-averse nature of ETFs and steady performances over the long run.

Rotation

Rotating between industries is more of an approach than a strategy. This is one way to diversify this portfolio diversification strategy further.

ETFs apply to multiple industries like commodities, cryptocurrencies, real estate, finance, etc. Therefore, a trader may buy shares from different industries, hoping that one market underperformance can be offset by another overperforming one.

Conclusion

Exchange-traded funds are asset pools where investors can buy shares and speculate on the price action of each security in its market. Therefore, take advantage of price stability since one ETF includes multiple assets rather than a single stock or product.

The Best Apps for Live Sports Streaming

When it comes to finding live streams of sports events, it would be fair to say that fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland are spoilt for choice.

Numerous respected broadcasters have developed immersive apps, allowing subscribers to access live sports on a 24/7/365 basis.

It is also feasible to access streaming content from overseas by using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology to circumvent geo-blocking restrictions.

Give the competitive nature of the live streaming sector it can be difficult to know which app to use, so we have scoured the internet to produce this definitive list of options. 

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is the leading broadcaster for fans in the UK Ireland, offering extensive coverage of live action from across a plethora of different sports.

Subscribers can stream a multitude of different events via the immersive Sky Go app, which boasts numerous features designed to enhance your viewing enjoyment.

Football fans will undoubtedly be in their element with Sky as it is the home for the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, Bundesliga and several other major leagues.

With Formula 1, golf, cricket, horse racing and numerous other sports available, the Sky Go app is one of the best live sports streaming platforms around.

TNT Sports

Sport will be rebranded as TNT Sports from July 2023, allowing fans to watch a wide range of major sporting events under one banner.

The company offers subscribers access to a fantastic app, which is easy to download to smartphones, tablets, games consoles and selected smart televisions.

TNT has the exclusive rights to UEFA’s top three club competitions – the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

Rugby union, motorsports, tennis, boxing and mixed martial arts are among a vast array of other sports available to live stream on TNT.

beIN SPORTS

As mentioned earlier, subscribing to a reliable VPN provider offers sports fans the opportunity to access a host of live content from other jurisdictions.

This includes the Qatari-owned beIN SPORTS, which owns the rights to a vast array of football leagues and competitions from across the world. 

The Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana are among the beIN Sports football portfolio.

Tennis, motorsports and rugby also feature heavily on the platform, while selected basketball and handball competitions are also available.

fuboTV

If you are a fan of watching major league sports action from North America, you would be well-advised to take out a subscription to fuboTV.

NBA TV, NBC, NFL Network, TNT, TBS and many more feature on the platform, making it the ideal place for anyone who wants to watch sport from across the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the best features of fuboTV is the service has a ton of regional sports networks available, meaning you can access more in-depth content on your favourite team.

Subscribers can easily access fuboTV on dedicated apps on Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast or Roku devices.

ESPN

ESPN+ not only grants fans access to a plethora of live sports throughout the year but also serves as a gateway to a world of online gambling excitement.

With expert tips, predictions, and convenient links to cutting-edge betting apps, ESPN+ stands out as the ultimate app for enthusiasts of live sports wagering.

From the thrilling PGA Tour to the electrifying MLS, NHL, and MLB, each sport offers punters a diverse range of pre-match and in-play betting opportunities.

Moreover, with a treasure trove of archive content featuring the likes of UFC, NFL, golf, boxing, and more, ESPN+ cements its position as an indispensable live streaming service that demands your attention.

Hulu

Hulu is another excellent streaming platform for fans of North American sports, with the platform containing many of the well-known broadcasters in this area.

Over 90 live and on-demand channels are featured on Hulu including CBS Sports Network, ESPN, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, NFL Network and many more.

Hulu offers the option to add on several premium sports channels, giving users the flexibility to tailor their subscription to their individual requirements.

It also feasible to create a personalised sports streaming experience on Hulu based primarily on your favourite teams, sports or leagues.

Sling TV

From a financial flexibility standpoint, Sling TV’s sliding scale range of streaming packages offers a great way to access live sports.

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Stadium and TNT are available as part of the base package, meaning you can watch a great range of sports without breaking the bank.

If you move up the subscription ladder you can add in other services such as NBC Sports and NFL Network, while the likes of NBA TV and NHL Network feature higher up the scale.

Sling TV also does not require you to enter into a lengthy contract, allowing you to adjust your subscription to suit your needs throughout the year.

Paramount+

Paramount+ offers subscribers the opportunity to access a wide range live sports including American Football, college basketball and golf.

They also have the rights to cricket’s Indian Premier League in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Football also features heavily at Paramount+, with the platform featuring the Champions League, Serie A, Premier League, Scottish Premiership and many more.

Paramount+ can be downloaded as an app for smartphones, tablets, game consoles and numerous other streaming devices.

The Final Word

If you enjoy watching live sports, streaming apps allow you to indulge your passion whenever and wherever you want.

While there are a host of illegal streaming services available, it is advisable to steer clear of these given the vast majority contain viruses.

Sticking to streaming providers who develop a reliable app is the best way to ensure you can watch live sports without the feed buffering or crashing.

The Five Best Gaming Smartphones To Purchase In 2023

When it comes to purchasing a new smartphone these days, a lot of people are more bothered about the camera or processing power than its ability to make calls, and down the years many of us are more intrigued by how our favourite games play on them. 

Mobile gaming has become increasingly popular in recent years, and many smartphone manufacturers have taken note. As a result, there are now several smartphones on the market that are specifically designed for gaming. And the choice is growing by the day.

Whether you’re an avid action gamer or enjoy a session or two of blackjack on casino777.nl, there’s a smartphone out there for you. But what are the best currently out there on the market?

ASUS ROG Phone 6

The ASUS ROG Phone 6 is one of the most powerful gaming smartphones on the market. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ processor, 18GB of RAM, and a massive 6,000mAh battery. The phone also has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, making it perfect for fast-paced games. Additionally, the phone comes with a range of gaming features, including a built-in cooling system and ultrasonic buttons for improved responsiveness.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a versatile smartphone that is useful for both gaming and everyday use. It features a powerful Exynos 2200 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery. The phone also has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for smooth and responsive gaming. Additionally, the phone comes with a range of features that make it a great choice for gaming, including a Game Booster mode and support for Samsung DeX, which allows you to connect the phone to a monitor for an even more immersive gaming experience.

OnePlus 10 Pro

This is a high-end smartphone that is perfect for gaming but where you’re happy to spend a bit more. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery. The phone also has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for fast-paced games. Additionally, the phone comes with a range of features that make it a great choice for gaming, including a dedicated gaming mode and a built-in cooling system.

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Once again Apple have produced a steady device in the iPhone 14 Pro Max, a powerful smartphone that is ideal for gaming. It features an Apple A17 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery. The phone also has a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for gaming. Additionally, the phone comes with a range of features that make it a great choice for gaming, including a dedicated gaming mode and support for Apple Arcade, which gives you access to hundreds of games.

Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro

The Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro is a powerful smartphone that offers great value for money. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery. The phone also has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for fast-paced games. Additionally, the phone comes with a range of gaming features, including a built-in cooling system and ultrasonic buttons for improved responsiveness.

Top 5 Proxy Service Providers

Businesses of all sizes rely on proxy servers for data scraping. An extensive pool of proxy IP addresses is required by data scrapers in order to make their traffic seem normal and avoid being blocked.

In order to be both powerful and stable, the best proxy service must match your specific needs and use case. You should research and compare multiple proxy services before making a decision. In addition, you should take advantage of any free trials and read reviews before choosing a service.

Consider the following factors when choosing a powerful and stable proxy service:

 

  • Diversity of proxy types: Proxies come in many different types, and you should ensure that a provider can supply as many types as possible (datacenter, residential, ISP, and mobile). You will be able to use proxies more efficiently and effectively if you can access a variety of proxy types.

 

  • Size of proxy pool: The size of the proxy pool can affect the power and stability of the proxy service. Providers with large pools of proxies, preferably millions or hundreds of thousands, are the best.

 

  • A good proxy service rotates its IP address after a certain number of requests or time intervals. As a result, the websites being accessed are not able to detect and block you.

 

  • Make sure the proxy service you choose offers proxies in the locations you need. If you want to scrape data from a website that can only be accessed from certain countries, you will need proxies in those countries.

 

  • Speed: The scraping process should be efficient and timely by using proxies that are fast enough.

 

  • Reliability: Proxy services with high uptime rates should provide reliable and stable proxies.

 

  • Customer Support: Proxy services should offer good customer support and respond promptly to any issues or concerns you may have.

 

  • Price: Consider your budget and the number of proxies you need when choosing a proxy provider.

 

These are our top picks for proxy service providers:

#1  Bright Data

Bright Data is the best on every measure listed above. Bright Data’s web data collection infrastructure consists of multiple proxy network outlets, providing the industry’s most accurate and reliable web data collection. Their 99.9 percent uptime, fast response times, and reliability set them apart. Globally, millions of IP addresses are shared through community resource sharing. The proxy service provider Bright Data offers residential proxies, data center proxies, ISP proxies, and mobile proxies. With more than 72 million residential IPs and a presence in more than 195 countries, it is one of the largest proxy networks. It is known for its advanced features, high-level anonymity, and exceptional performance.

Bright Data is also exceptional for its versatility of products. You can choose from a spectrum of products depending on how much of your own infrastructure you’d like to use with Bright Data products vs. how much of Bright Data’s infrastructure you’d like to use. In short, Bright Data has something for everyone, and can support a range of setups with easy integration. 

#2 Smartproxy

There are several proxy service providers that offer residential and data center proxy services. A popular one is Smartproxy. Over 40 million residential IPs are available in 195 locations. With its fast proxies and user-friendly dashboard, it is known for its easy integration and reliable proxy services. For those who require back-connected residential proxy servers, this is a great value. In terms of performance, pricing, and functionality, it offers a good balance. However, its limited targeting options are its biggest drawback. In addition, the SOCKS5 protocol is only supported by its dedicated datacenter proxy servers.

#3 Storm Proxies: 

A popular proxy service provider, Storm Proxies offers residential, data center, and rotating proxies. The company offers over 70,000 rotating IPs at more than 40 locations and is well known for its outstanding performance, advanced features, and high-quality proxies. With its offering of affordable pricing, unlimited bandwidth, and instant setup, Storm Proxies offers some proxies in the EU and US. Despite Storm Proxies’ limited features, it offers a small pool of proxies. The service is suitable for beginners if they do not care about bandwidth limits or location restrictions.

#4 Oxylabs

Oxylabs is a good popular choice for proxies. With servers in 88 countries and a proxy pool of 100 million IPs, Oxylabs is a provider that enables city and state targeting and is a good pick for residential and medium-scale proxy projects. Some of the drawbacks of Oxylabs is limited bandwidth, and price. Oxylabs is one of the more expensive providers, which is a significant drawback for some.  

#5 NetNut

The NetNut proxy network has a significant number of rotating residential proxy servers around the world (20 million IPs). Unlike other residential proxy providers, it offers fewer tools for more sophisticated unlocking activities. NetNut aims to serve small and medium-sized businesses with its services, and its infrastructure is not ideal for large-scale data scraping projects.

Conclusion

Bright Data far outshines its competition on almost every measure. Its versatility of products, reputation, proxy pool size, advanced features, high-quality infrastructure, comprehensive dashboard, and reliable customer support make it a top choice for users who need high-quality proxies for web scraping, ad verification, and other web automation tasks.

Know About The Best Ways To Buy Bitcoin.

There are a lot of methods of buying Bitcoin cryptocurrency, and people always try to know about them to select the most convenient and easiest way for them. It is an essential thing that every person must do because if this determines the wrong way of getting Bitcoin, it will be tough for them, and their interest in the currency will get lost. Bitcoin is a solid coin; to know the different methods of buying it. For a better trading experience, use a trusted trading platform like the Bitcoin Era app.

Bitcoin cryptocurrency was launched in 2009 by a brilliant scientist who has never revealed his identity to the public because, according to him, his product should get more popular in comparison to him. He always wanted to invent a digital currency that could bring all the people out of the problems they were tackling in the traditional banking system. So he designed Bitcoin in such a way that it can help everybody out there and make their life easier and simple, and he got successful to a considerable extent which is a fantastic thing.

Nowadays, almost everybody likes to exchange money through digital currency because they know it is the easiest way to exchange money for the goods and services they purchase. But there are a few essential points that must be in their mind while using it so that they can have a good experience in the digital market and be part of Bitcoin for the longest span. Below are some ways of purchasing Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Through The Brokers

They prefer taking the help of brokers to get bitcoins. Bitcoin cryptocurrency is an excellent coin, which is why everybody wants to have it so they can also get excellent benefits and make an amount of money. That is why they want it anyway, and if they are very busy with different jobs, they can take the help of the brokers who can help them and get the coin. The person needs to pay a certain amount of money to the brokers, who are responsible for purchasing the currency from the website and handing it over to the person who has given this work to them. In this entire process, everything is to be done by the broker only.

From The Exchange Website

Another intelligent way of buying Bitcoin cryptocurrency is that the person can select one of the exchange websites which is available on the Internet and can get the coins. It is also a straightforward way of getting the currency because the person can quickly get the website on the Internet as we all know that today, everybody is using mobile phones. They also have a perfect internet connection to help them search the website. The most important thing which is to be done by the person in this method is that they should inquire about the website which has been selected by them through various ways so that they can get sure that the website which has been chosen is legal and authentic. The most important thing and the best part about the exchange website is that the person can go through only a few steps as there are a minimal amount of items that are to be done by them in this process. The maximum number of people use exchange websites for buying Bitcoin.

Through The Bitcoin ATM

It is also an excellent and robust method for people to get coins, and they found it very simple and easy because the rules and regulations in this method are straightforward to understand. If the rules are very simple to learn and operate, it becomes very good for the investors because they know about the structure quickly and quickly. Bitcoin is increasing its popularity daily by bringing out unique elements and benefits for investors, which is why it has become the most valuable currency globally. People need to understand the perspective and ideology of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency because only then will they be able to have faith in the money and will get confident about the decision to have it in their life.