Tag: #engineering

Platform Engineering: Empowering Tech Trends in 2023

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, businesses are exploring new avenues to leverage its potential and drive innovation. In this era of transformative technological advancements, platform engineering plays a crucial role. This discipline enables organizations to build robust and scalable platforms that serve as the foundation for emerging tech trends in 2023. In this article, we will explore the significance of platform engineering in shaping these trends and how it acts as a guide to navigating the complex tech landscape.

Cloud-Native Architecture

Cloud-native architecture has gained immense popularity in recent years, and it continues to shape the tech industry in 2023. By leveraging platform engineering principles, organizations can design and build cloud-native applications that are highly scalable, resilient, and efficient. Platform engineering enables businesses to seamlessly adopt cloud services, automate infrastructure provisioning, and implement containerization technologies like Kubernetes. This approach allows companies to develop and deploy applications faster, adapt to fluctuating demands, and reduce operational costs.

Internet of Things (IoT) Integration

The Internet of Things has emerged as a transformative force across industries, connecting devices and enabling data-driven decision-making. Platform engineering plays a crucial role in integrating IoT devices into a cohesive ecosystem. It provides the foundation for secure device communication, data aggregation, and real-time analytics. By following the platform engineering guide, organizations can establish a scalable and reliable IoT infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity, efficient data processing, and enhanced user experiences.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

AI and ML technologies are rapidly evolving and shaping various industries in 2023. Platform engineering offers the framework to develop AI and ML-driven solutions efficiently. It provides the necessary infrastructure, data pipelines, and processing capabilities to train and deploy machine learning models at scale. By adhering to platform engineering’s principles, businesses can leverage AI and ML to extract insights, automate processes, and deliver personalized experiences to customers.

Edge Computing

With the exponential growth of data and the need for real-time processing, edge computing has gained prominence in 2023. Platform engineering allows organizations to design edge computing architectures that bring computation closer to the data source. This approach ensures low latency, improved privacy, and reduced bandwidth usage. By adopting platform engineering principles, businesses can build distributed systems capable of processing data at the edge, empowering applications such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and real-time monitoring systems.

Data Governance and Security

In an era of increased data privacy concerns, platform engineering serves as a guide for implementing robust data governance and security practices. By adhering to best practices and leveraging advanced security mechanisms, organizations can ensure data protection, regulatory compliance, and privacy. Platform engineering enables businesses to build secure platforms with features like encryption, access controls, and monitoring tools. This approach fosters trust among customers, stakeholders, and partners, essential for sustained growth and success.

Platform engineering continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the tech trends of 2023. By following platform engineering’s best practices, organizations can build scalable, secure, and efficient platforms that power innovations such as cloud-native architecture, IoT integration, AI and ML, edge computing, and robust data governance. Embracing platform engineering principles empowers businesses to adapt to the ever-changing tech landscape, deliver cutting-edge solutions, and stay ahead of the competition. In this age of transformative tech trends, platform engineering is the guiding light that leads organizations toward success in the digital era.

H&MV Engineering Marks Global Expansion and 700 New Jobs with Opening of New Global HQ in Limerick

H&MV Engineering, a leading global provider of specialist Design, Engineering and Construction Services for the energy market, officially opened its new global headquarters (HQ) in Castletroy, Co. Limerick, where the business will lead a global expansion including the creation of 700 jobs over the next five years.

This announcement marks the latest expansion of the Irish business, which already employees 700 staff, with the business to grow its workforce to 1,400 employees within five years. H&MV Engineering is driving this growth in response to a growing market need, with 5GW of projects currently in design and construction.

The new headquarters comes just months after the company marked its 25th anniversary, since its foundation in 1997, and represents the company’s commitment to its thriving workforce by promoting learning, development and mentoring in a dynamic new office space.

Today’s announcement reinforces H&MV Engineering’s commitment to the progression and development of its staff by pioneering an environment for learning and development across multiple disciplines such as engineering, environmental, health and safety (EHS), finance, commercial, HR, administration, quality and construction roles in their new bespoke corporate offices.

The new global HQ in Limerick will include 36,000sq ft of office space, with room for 350 employees including engineering VR facilities, relaxation areas, games room and a gym. This new office will serve as a major centre for key roles across all areas of the business. Recruitment for these new positions is currently underway and will continue over the coming years.

The state of the art training facilities at its new Limerick HQ will allow H&MV Engineering to expand its graduate and apprenticeship programmes, offering training and upskilling opportunities across a range of disciplines including engineering, design, finance, and commercial development. As a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Accredited Employer by Engineers Ireland, H&MV Engineering is committed to developing and upskilling employees across the business.

This announcement follows the recent expansion of the company’s Dublin office within the last 12 months, a new Thurles office that opened in 2022 and the upcoming expansion to its Cork office before the end of 2023. The company also operates international offices in London, Glasgow, Frankfurt, Oslo, Madrid, Hosur, and Bangalore.

Commenting on the expansion announcement and the opening of the new headquarters, H&MV Engineering CEO PJ Flanagan said: “I am delighted to announce the creation of 700 additional jobs over the next five years across H&MV Engineering’s global operations. This is the latest expansion for H&MV Engineering since the foundation of the business in 1997 and our new global HQ will serve as the base for delivering our next phase of growth both in Ireland and internationally.

“Investing in talent and delivering in our ESG objectives is incredibly important to us in providing rewarding careers to our employees. The new office spaces have been designed to create an optimum atmosphere for innovation and creativity for H&MV Engineering colleagues, as we continue to provide high voltage engineering solutions on the global stage. I look forward to welcoming employees and clients into our new headquarters in Limerick, and to seeing what the next 25 years will bring to our business as we enter the next chapter of the growth for the business.”

Speaking at the opening of H&MV Engineering’s new global HQ, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney said, “I’m delighted to be here today in Limerick at H&MV Engineering’s new global HQ and particularly to share in the exciting announcement of the substantial new jobs planned by the company.

“In line with the Government’s White paper on Enterprise, H&MV Engineering is an example of the ambition and focus outlined in the paper and have become a leading player in the design and connection for large scale projects both here in Ireland and across Europe, providing highly skilled roles in a dynamic workforce.” 

Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy added, “In recent years Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with H&MV Engineering as the company has expanded internationally. It is exciting to see this highly innovative business go from strength-to-strength with the opening of this state-of-the-art HQ and the creation of a new jobs here in Limerick and overseas. We wish H&MV every success as they continue to grow the business and extend their global markets.”

H&MV Engineering was founded in 1997 with the goal of delivering the highest quality engineering solutions, while providing a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees. It is an Irish business that is leading its field globally and is a trusted partner for Data Centre, Renewable Developers, Transmission and Distribution Utilities globally.

Netskope expands presence in Ireland with new Dublin data centre

Netskope, the SASE leader, today announced an extension of its NewEdge network with the opening of a new data centre in Dublin, Ireland. Serving millions of enterprise users around the world, and with full-compute data centres in more than 60 regions worldwide, NewEdge is the world’s largest, and highest-performing security private cloud. NewEdge powers the real-time, inline security services of the Netskope SASE platform allowing security to be deployed at the edge where and when it’s needed.

Placing data-centric security as close to the user as possible is a key requirement of a SASE-ready architecture, and the delivery of world-class Security Service Edge (SSE) and software defined networking (SD-WAN) capabilities. As well as improving the experience for Netskope’s local customers, the new data centre in Dublin is a strategic investment for the company given Ireland’s unique position in the data landscape with access to the EU market and close proximity to trans-atlantic internet cables. With companies increasingly demanding choice over where and how their data is processed, having a presence in Ireland gives Netskope’s NewEdge network a strong competitive advantage.

Netskope customer Adam Hoffmann, IT Infrastructure Manager at Mercury Engineering, based in Dublin commented; “We chose Netskope over a year ago to secure both web and cloud applications for our pan-European workforce. They were very clear about the intentions and timelines for the addition of local infrastructure in Ireland and now they have delivered on that promise. Netskope was already improving the experience of our teams, and when the local Dublin data centre came on line it immediately added even further to that improvement for our 1,000+ employees based in Ireland.”

Brian Murray, who leads Netskope’s business in Ireland said; “Its geographical and political location is making Ireland a key strategic jurisdiction for the tech industry and with the opening of this data centre in Dublin, Netskope is well placed to deliver the best in class SASE solution for new and existing customers in the region. Robust SASE solutions backed by local data centres are important for all organisations that require clear oversight over their data, wherever it goes, in order to meet stringent data policies both inside and outside the EU.”    

To support the new data centre, Netskope is actively recruiting in Ireland for both Irish and flexible pan-European roles in engineering, sales, marketing and HR, with the aim of doubling its headcount in the country over the coming year. The new centre coincides with the expansion of Netskope’s Irish customer base, which already includes major customers in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and retail sectors.

Netskope’s NewEdge architecture ensures there are no performance trade-offs when implementing security features.  A crucial part of the infrastructure that underpins a SASE security and networking architecture, balancing security and user experience reduces the risk of users working around security controls, productivity being negatively affected, or business processes being slowed down or impeded.

Every NewEdge data center is extensively peered with the most commonly used web/content-delivery networks, cloud, and SaaS providers to deliver fast, optimised access to the content, apps, and data enterprises most care about. For example, every NewEdge data center is directly connected with Microsoft and Google, plus other peering relationships in key regions with Amazon, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Box, and Dropbox, among many others.

As the infrastructure underpinning the Netskope Security Cloud, NewEdge delivers real-time inline and out-of-band API-driven services spanning Cloud Firewall (FWaaS), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Cloud and SaaS Security Posture Management (CSPM/SSPM), Borderless SD-WAN and more.

To learn more about Netskope’s NewEdge, visit https://www.netskope.com/platform/newedge.

PlatformCon 2023: The Virtual Conference for Platform Engineering Returns for Its Second Year

Humanitec is thrilled to be the lead organizer of PlatformCon, the virtual conference by and for the platform engineering community. PlatformCon will take place on June 8th and 9th, 2023.

According to PlatformCon organizer Luca Galante, platform engineering is “the discipline of designing and building toolchains and workflows that enable self-service capabilities for software engineering organizations in the cloud-native era” to reduce cognitive load and improve developer productivity. In 2022, it became one of the biggest tech trends. “Platform engineering’s positive impact on system reliability, developer productivity, and delivery speed indicate that platform engineering won’t just be a trend,” commented Humanitec Community Manager Aeris Stewart, “It’s here to stay.”

Last year’s conference attracted more than 6,000 attendees from around the world and featured 78 community-submitted talks. HashiCorp’s Director of Platform Engineering, Infrastructure Michael Galloway remarked, “PlatformCon knocked it out of the park, bringing together folks from some of the top companies that are actively practicing in this emerging space. I regularly refer to the ideas and strategies that folks shared in my work today.”

Building on the success of last year, PlatformCon 2023 promises to be even bigger and better. Confirmed speakers on this year’s lineup include OpenCredo CEO/CTO Nicki Watt, Defense Unicorn Value Stream Architect Bryan Finster, and OpenSauced Founder and CEO Brian Douglas.

This year’s conference will feature new and improved tracks, including “Stories,” “Tech,” “Blueprints,” “Culture,” and “Impact,” covering a wide range of topics, from building platforms for enterprise use cases to technical solutions for platform teams and cultural considerations for platform engineering.

Attendees will be able to watch all talks at their own pace and join live virtual kickoff events for their region. Speakers will be available for Q&A on the Platform Engineering Slack channel during the conference, providing a unique opportunity for attendees to engage with the experts.

The call for proposals is now open! Experts, leaders, and practitioners in the field of platform engineering are encouraged to submit their talk proposals by February 28th to share their insights with the community.

Register for PlatformCon 2023 to receive updates on new speakers, opportunities to get involved, and in-person meetups.

Aer Lingus launches its 2022 Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Apprentice Scheme

Aer Lingus has today launched its 2022 Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Apprentice Scheme and is calling on motivated, enthusiastic, and technically minded candidates to apply for the four year programme.  Aer Lingus has a longstanding apprenticeship programme and is offering 10 places on the scheme this year and is keen to encourage a mix of female and male candidates.

Successful applicants who complete the programme will be fully qualified aircraft engineers and will continue to work at Aer Lingus.  This forward-looking programme helps ensure Aer Lingus has access to a pipeline of talented and qualified engineers for future growth.

The four year Aer Lingus Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Apprentice Scheme is run in conjunction with both SOLAS, the State further education and training agency, based in Shannon, and Technological University Dublin. It consists of seven phases and through each phase successful applicants will move between classroom training in both Shannon and Dublin, and on the job training at the Aer Lingus Maintenance and Engineering Hangar at Dublin Airport. Apprentices will be working primarily on line maintenance and will be focused on the delivery of Aer Lingus’ guest experience.

The launch of this year’s apprenticeship scheme comes at a pivotal time for the airline as it continues its recovery from the pandemic and returns to full capacity and growth. The investment in our people, including the Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Apprentice Scheme, will help underpin this strategy.

Aer Lingus Chief Technical Officer, Javier Jimenez, said:

“Aer Lingus has a proud history of providing opportunities to people starting out on their careers. Since we launched the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme in 2011, we have hired 113 maintenance and engineering apprentices directly from the programme.  We continued to recruit new apprentices during the pandemic, and this year we are again looking for highly motivated and technically minded candidates to apply for the programme.  This is an opportunity to build a rewarding career in aircraft maintenance and engineering at an exciting time in aviation as we move to a carbon neutral future. With our unique brand, world class reputation and modern fleet, Aer Lingus is at the forefront of commercial aviation, giving successful candidates the opportunity to be part of something special.”

The application process consists of submitting a CV application, followed by online assessments and an interview.  Applicants need to be 18 years of age by 1st September 2022.

Successful candidates will have a technical and mechanical aptitude and also display maturity, commitment, flexibility, and a willingness to accept responsibility. Excellent communication, interpersonal and teamwork skills are also essential qualities.

The application process for the 2022 programme is now underway at http://careers.aerlingus.com and will remain open until 26 June 2022.

Experts in automation and connected factories gather in Galway – Ibec Medtech and Engineering #MedTech #Ibec

Ibec Medtech and Engineering, the Ibec group which represents the sectors, is today holding its Manufacturing the Future Conference in Galway, where experts in the fields of automation, connected factories and the Internet of Things shall gather. The conference takes place against the backdrop of the publication of the group’s report ‘The race to embrace digital manufacturing: Lessons from Ireland’s journey’ (see attached). The report revealed that six in ten business leaders intend to invest in connected factories and the Internet of Things and more than two thirds of those surveyed are already implementing automation.

Irish Medtech Association Senior Executive Adrienne McDonnell said, “All around the world smart technologies are changing the way people live and work. Similarly, the rapid evolution of production, information and operating technology is slowly transforming manufacturing. Making strategic choices about digitalisation of manufacturing will differentiate Irish operations and overall global competitiveness.

This conference will support leaders to make better decisions on areas like advanced technologies, sustainability and leaner and greener manufacturing. Along with benchmarking, best practice sharing is key for businesses to effectively embrace advanced manufacturing. We’re excited to have experts from world-class businesses like DePuy Synthes, Boston Scientific and Siemens sharing their insights today.

“Smart factories are transforming manufacturing and four out of five member companies surveyed said that automation of manufacturing was critical to their success. While eight out of ten expect digitalisation to lead to increased resource efficiency, one of the greatest barriers to advanced manufacturing is integrating new technologies according to half of respondents. One of the keys to tackling this challenge is employee engagement and upskilling with seven in ten manufacturing leaders saying that further training of employees is critical.

  “We would like to thank our sponsors for their support, Platinum Sponsors Siemens and Boston Scientific; Gold Sponsor, Stryker; Silver Sponsors, Accenture,Caragh Precision, DePuy Synthes, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Irish Manufacturing Research, Irish Medtech Skillnet, and LBS Partners”.

For more information on ‘Manufacturing the Future Conference’ please visitwww.manufacturingthefuture.ie

 

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Padhraic McGinn, Senior Operations Director Europe, Nypro Healthcare
  • Adrienne McDonnell, Irish Medtech Association Senior Executive
  • Dr David Moloney, Principal Engineer and CTO,IntelMovidius
  • Joe Portley, Vice President of Global Engineering Services at Wright Medical
  • Martin McVicar, CEO, Combi-lift
  • Colm Jordan, Recycling Communications and Government Relations Global Manager, Indorama Ventures
  • Prof Richard Keegan, Adjunct Professor, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin
  • Orlaith Lawler, Site Director, Beckman Coulter Clare
  • Vivian Farrell, CEO, Modular Automation
  • Peter Docker, Co-Founder WhyNot Unlimited
  • Cathal O’Reilly, Senior Director – Enterprise Excellence, Teleflex Incorporated