Tag: #ENTERPRISE

AI: Your New Companion in Enterprise Business

The landscape of enterprise business is undergoing a fast-paced shift. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s rapidly transforming how companies operate, make decisions, and interact with customers. From automating mundane tasks to gleaning valuable insights from mountains of data, AI offers a multitude of benefits for enterprises looking to gain a competitive edge.

Boosting Efficiency and Productivity

One of the most immediate impacts of AI is its ability to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks. Repetitive data entry, scheduling meetings, and generating reports are all prime candidates for AI intervention. This frees up valuable human resources to focus on more strategic initiatives and creative endeavours. AI like virtual assistants in call centres and Chatbots have really helped with productivity and with employee burn out. Serving as a real companion to call centre staff.

For instance, AI-powered chatbots can handle basic customer inquiries, freeing up call centre agents for complex issues. In the finance department, AI can automate tasks like invoice processing and fraud detection, reducing errors and improving processing times. These efficiency gains translate directly to cost savings and a more productive workforce. Not just in call centres or in customer service roles we are seeing AI is revolutionising and serving as a companion in various fields, including the marketing industry and content writers. Great writing assistants, such as ChatGPT and the new Google Gemini, help writers churn out content for business blogs, increasing productivity. Additionally, Quillbot assists professionals in PR with speeches, marketing pitches, and grammar checks.

Enhancing Decision-Making with Data-Driven Insights

Enterprises often struggle with the sheer volume of data they collect. AI excels at analysing this data, identifying patterns, and uncovering hidden trends that would be difficult, if not impossible, for humans to see. This empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions that are more likely to yield positive results.

Imagine a retail company using AI to analyse customer purchase history and predict future buying behaviour. This allows them to optimise inventory management, personalise marketing campaigns, and ultimately increase sales. Similarly, AI can be used to analyse market trends, identify potential risks, and optimise pricing strategies. With better data-driven insights, enterprises can make informed decisions that propel them forward.

Personalized Customer Experiences

The key to customer loyalty lies in delivering personalised experiences. AI plays a crucial role in understanding individual customer needs and preferences. By analysing past interactions and browsing behaviour, AI can recommend products or services that are most relevant to each customer.

This level of personalisation fosters stronger customer relationships and boosts brand loyalty. AI-powered chatbots can provide 24/7 customer support, addressing queries and resolving issues in real-time. Additionally, AI can be used to personalise marketing campaigns, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time.

 

Innovation and Competitive Advantage

AI is not just about automating tasks; it’s also about unlocking new possibilities. AI-powered tools can help businesses develop innovative products and services, giving them a significant edge over the competition. For example, AI can be used to design and optimise product features, automate product testing processes, and even generate creative content.

Furthermore, AI can analyse competitor strategies and market trends, allowing companies to anticipate industry shifts and adapt accordingly. This ensures that by having a good enterprise internet service ensures you to stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive advantage in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Beyond the Benefits: Important Considerations

While AI offers a wealth of benefits for enterprises, it’s crucial to acknowledge the accompanying considerations. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

  • Ethical Implications: AI algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on. Bias in training data can lead to biased decisions by AI systems. Enterprises need to be mindful of these ethical implications and ensure that their AI implementations are fair and transparent.
  • Job Displacement: One concern surrounding AI is its potential to displace human workers. While automation will likely lead to some job losses, it’s also likely to create new opportunities. The key lies in reskilling and upskilling the workforce to adapt to the changing landscape.
  • Security Concerns: As AI systems become more sophisticated, so too do the potential security risks. Enterprises need to implement robust security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure the integrity of their AI systems.

The Future of Enterprise with AI

AI is not a passing trend and it’s here to stay. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more transformative applications for enterprises. The future of business will be shaped by those who embrace AI and leverage its power to unlock new possibilities. By implementing AI strategically, enterprises can streamline operations, gain valuable insights, and forge stronger customer relationships, ultimately achieving sustainable growth and success.

Enterprise Nation partners with Dargan Forum to help small firms evolve their technology to boost Irish localities

Small business support platform and membership community Enterprise Nation has announced a strategic partnership with business technology conference the Dargan Forum to help accelerate small business engagement with technology to boost Irish localities.
Aiming to create a broad awareness of the social benefits that spring from greater small business adoption of technology, the partnership with the Dún Laoghaire-based Dargan Institute, the organisation behind the Forum, will see the business support provider launch Ireland’s first Tech Hub, a free resource that will connect thousands of small firms to tried and tested tools and training.
‘Putting People & Places First – Harnessing Technology for A Better World’ is the theme of the day-long Dargan Forum, which takes place in the historic Assembly Room of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. It is all about empowering small businesses through digital knowledge, ‘smart’ solutions for localities, sustainable energy and digital towns to raise living standards for all.
Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation, who is one of the high-profile tech entrepreneurs speaking at the event, said: “When local stakeholders understand the profound benefits that supporting their small business community to accelerate digital adoption can bring, everyone benefits.
“Digital adoption is not just about new jobs, a tech-enabled, thriving local small business community creates better jobs, better businesses and more innovation – all of which contribute to a healthy local economy.
“Tech Hub is backed by experts and founding sponsors who all understand that failing to tackle digital performance now is storing up problems for years, and possibly decades to come.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be partnering with Dargan Institute’s forward-thinking plans to ensure Irish firms can get ahead in the global digital transformation race.”
Eoin Costello, national director of the Dargan Institute and adviser on the government’s Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum (EDAF) said: “We are seeing rapid change and there’s a real danger that local small business communities will be left behind – when the reality is that they have the most to gain.
“Offering digital support to local small businesses at scale is important to not only support growth and efficiency but also to ensure we can feel the benefit of change in our own communities, as well as helping to provide resilience to future shocks.
“Enterprise Nation does exactly that and it’s why we’re partnering with them for the Dargan Forum.”
The group is set to unveil its dynamic digital Tech Hub Ireland platform at the Forum, in partnership with global telecommunications provider Vodafone Business.
Enterprise Nation research found a quarter (25%) of small firms are buying technology and not using these tools due to lack of knowledge and training. The research also found the experience of wasting resources left businesses feeling short changed.
The group also plans to launch a new Tech Consortium, which will see policy leads from major technology brands come together to discuss how digital performance amongst small businesses can be boosted across Ireland.
Dargan Forum tickets are available on this link.

DreamDev Technologies software company from KIldare win at the National Enterprise Awards

DreamDev Technologies, a software company from Kildare who have developed a new AI augmented platform helping companies to significantly increase their product’s time to market, have been named Overall Winner at this year’s National Enterprise Awards.  DreamDev Technologies, established by Eoin Barry and Douglas Augiar, are the third Kildare winner of the National Enterprise of the Year Award in the last six years following on from Terra NutriTech in 2018 and Pestle & Mortar in 2019.

The Awards, which are an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices to celebrate the best small businesses in Ireland, were held at the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin in what is their 24th year.  Peter Burke, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, announced this year’s winners in front of representatives from the Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Authorities and small businesses from across the country at the event.

DreamDev was set up in 2019 with the aim of utilising online tools and software to enable faster digitalisation for companies. Their flagship product, ‘the dot-star enterprise’ software platform enables software engineering teams to create their own bespoke software programmes which deliver results with significantly reduced resourcing requirements.

Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House and after earlier launching the new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement, Minister Burke said; “The National Enterprise Awards are the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar.  Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger.  We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in recent years.  We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey.  

“The new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement I announced today sets out the vital role that LEOs have in fostering entrepreneurship and helping small businesses thrive every day across the country. The Policy Statement charts a clear roadmap of how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on Enterprise and ensure that their high-calibre offering continues into the future. I pay tribute to the great work of the current and former staff of the LEOs who, over the last 10 years, have helped and guided small businesses in Ireland which are at the heart of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy.”

John Magee, Chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, said; “The National Enterprise Awards are the standard bearer for the very best of small businesses in Ireland.  You can see from previous winners that this is the first step on a bigger journey and it opens many doors for them nationally and internationally.   Across the Finalists and winners you see a great diversity of businesses covering a range of sectors.  The entrepreneurship eco-system is extremely healthy and these businesses are a testament to that.

“These entrepreneurs are inspired to create businesses and employment in their own areas and to establish businesses that can not only compete here but globally.  It’s a honour to be able to work with these businesses on a day-to-day basis and we look forward to seeing what all the finalists do in the coming years.”

 There were several other category winners announced on the night.

Innovation Award

The winner of the Innovation Award was Cytidel.  The cybersecurity company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo, has created software that helps cybersecurity teams to identify and prioritise the top cyber threats to a company.

Best Export Award 

The winner of the Best Export Award was Eskimo Software.  The company, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Carlow, have created a CRM and lead generation software package specifically for car dealerships to improve efficiency and sales.

Best Start Up Award

The winner of the Best Start-Up Award was The Black Stuff.  The men’s care business, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, are creating over 10,000 handmade soaps a week and have utilised social media to create one of the fastest growing men’s care brands in the country.

 Green / Sustainability Award 

The winner of the Green/Sustainability Award was Living Green.  The sustainable living company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Donegal, create a range of products from organic compost and worm cast to wheatgrass and frozen shots.

One To Watch Award 

The winner of the One to Watch Award was Drink Botanicals.  The drinks company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, have created a suite of products such as natural based syrups, cocktail ancillaries and dried garnishes that are being sold directly into over 200 bars, restaurants and off licences.

This year’s winners share a €50,000 investment fund and eight regional winners were also announced on the night.

Those winners are –

 

  • PRM Assist in the Dublin Region (backed by LEO Fingal)
  • Nutshed in the South West Region (backed by LEO Tipperary)
  • Watt Footprint in the Mid East Region (backed by LEO Westmeath)
  • Expat Taxes in the South Region (backed by LEO Waterford)
  • Brady’s Coffee in the South East Region (backed by LEO Wicklow)
  • Sleater Solutions in the North West Region (backed by LEO Sligo)
  • Zoma in the North East Region (backed by LEO Louth)
  • Grá Chocolates in the West Region (backed by LEO Galway)

Also honoured on the night were Bevcraft who won the Outstanding Achievement Award.  An example of a company who began with their Local Enterprise Office and then accessed support from Enterprise Ireland to grow their business globally.

Established by friends Ciarán Gorman and Darren Fenton who wanted to create an international business with significant employment in their hometown of Mullingar.   Their independent canning business and their mobile canning function allowed any small brewer to can and brand their drinks on site.  They now have 8 locations across Europe, servicing 20 countries and handling over 100million cans per year.

Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013), Terra NutriTech (2018), Pestle & Mortar (2019), Bevcraft (2021) and Aqualicence in 2022.

Last year’s winners were Advanced Cosmetics, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo.   The Ballina based company were set up Noreen Hackett in 2018, before launching to market in 2022.  As one of the only “concept to shelves” cosmetics companies in Europe they have achieved significant success, securing contracts with some of the biggest brand names in the cosmetics industry.

The National Enterprise Awards also celebrated 10 years since the inception of the Local Enterprise Offices in 2014 with several former winners attending on the evening.

The National Enterprise Awards are one of several initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.

Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 70,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie

15 Cork Start-Ups Spring Forward from Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme in Munster Technological University

Fifteen Cork start-up founders have completed Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme in MTU’s Rubicon centre. Starting last September, the group participated in a 6-month, full-time acceleration programme, benefitting from seed funding of €15,000, individual professional mentoring, expert-led workshops, access to MTU’s research expertise and free office space for their start-up. The startups have moved from concept to investor readiness, pitching in front of investors in Ireland and the USA. In addition to the support from the Rubicon team, mentors and trainers, the founders benefited from the wide range of supports available for startups across the Southwest region and the wide network of New Frontiers alumni.

Nine of the startups have already launched their products on the market, with customers in Ireland and abroad. Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices are continuing to provide assistance and many of the startups are working with MTU’s Technology Gateways which are providing technical supports to help them implement their product road maps.

New Frontiers Programme Manager, Aoife McInerney said “It’s been very rewarding to watch these founders develop their products and engage with the vibrant start up community that exists in the region. We look forward to seeing them continue to grow in the coming months and years”.

Elvis Seporaitis of Volta Robotics received The Best Business Opportunity Award at the end of programme and Paula McGovern of Wizard and Grace Candles received the award for Best Pitch.  Elvis Seporaitis commenting on receiving his award said “New Frontiers provided me with new skills and networks to accelerate my startup business, in a dynamic entrepreneurial environment. I look forward to growing my business using the networks and support available, in the years ahead.”

Alumni of the New Frontiers programme in Cork include LegitFit, BladeBridge, HaPPE Earth, Swyft Energy, Spéire and Kuul Play.

Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme equips ambitious founders with the right connections, the right skills, and the right route to capital. It empowers them to take an idea or early-stage business through the initial development phases and prepare for their first phases of fundraising and growth. Delivered nationally, New Frontiers is the right way to build a successful and sustainable startup.

For more information and applications please visit www.rubiconcentre.ie or www.newfrontiers.ie

Application deadline is June 7th 2024.

GlobalLogic Announces ‘Platform of Platforms’ for Enabling Enterprise-Grade AI

GlobalLogic, a Hitachi group company, today announced a first-of-its-kind Platform-of-Platforms architecture designed to support deployment of enterprise-grade artificial intelligence (AI). GlobalLogic has designed the architecture to address the critical challenges every enterprise must overcome when operationalizing AI and generative AI (GenAI) at scale.

To realize the potential that AI promises, enterprises must address data privacy and security requirements, prevent intellectual property (IP) leakage and manage legal risks. They also need to identify an approach that allows for technical agility as new models, platforms and other innovations take shape. At the same time, leaders must manage organizational change and find effective strategies for controlling costs and driving return on AI/GenAI investments.

With over a decade of experience in delivering and deploying AI in software products and enterprise platforms, GlobalLogic offers a unique perspective on the design, data and engineering challenges of enterprise-grade, production-ready AI and GenAI. Created in partnership with leading hyperscalers and leveraging their foundational GenAI capabilities, GlobalLogic’s architecture is the first of its kind for unifying and industrializing enterprise-grade AI and GenAI solutions.

GlobalLogic identifies responsibility, reliability and reusability as key to enterprise-grade AI

“As companies work to move from AI and GenAI prototypes to enterprise-scale deployments, it has become clear that using this technology requires far more than sending prompts to a large language model (LLM),” said Sumit Sood, COO and Head of Engineering, GlobalLogic. “We have been helping enterprises adopt GenAI since 2021 and ‘traditional’ AI for much longer, often in life-critical situations. We understand what needs to be done to ensure responsibility, reliability and reusability in AI platforms.”

Sood explains that the responsibility tenet focuses on the goal of offering responses that are accurate, lawful and in compliance with security and governance requirements. The reliability tenet requires mechanisms for correcting model drift, hallucinations and security threats over time. Finally, the reusability tenet is crucial to implementing common data ingestion, preparation and model training and shared consumption mechanisms – which help contain costs and mitigate risk by preventing duplicative work.

GlobalLogic’s AI Platform-of-Platforms architecture addresses critical needs related to observability, security, governance and consumption. It makes it possible to integrate best-of-breed models, algorithms and solutions whether deployed in the cloud or on premises. It also includes accelerators for rapidly deploying some of the most sought-after use cases, including customer support and operations, software development and legacy migration, and enterprise knowledge management.

“The GenAI landscape is highly dynamic,” Sood said. “In an environment where the ‘best’ technology can change month to month or even week to week, GlobalLogic’s Platform-of-Platforms approach lets our clients pick the winners to deliver the best enterprise-class GenAI to support their business outcomes.”

To learn more about GlobalLogic’s AI solutions and advisory capabilities, visit https://www.globallogic.com/uki/services/offerings/generative-ai/

Uniphore and Workair Partner to Bring Enterprise AI to Ireland

Uniphore, one of the world’s largest AI-native companies, announced a strategic partnership with Workair, the largest cloud communications specialist in Ireland, to bring enterprise AI to Ireland, with a priority placed on Ireland’s world-class contact centres.

With deep expertise and a track record of success working with enterprise-scale companies, public sector and global contact centres,

Workair will leverage Uniphore’s X Platform and their industry-leading AI solutions to help clients select, deploy and support customer-centric solutions that best meet their specific needs. The Uniphore X Platform infuses multiple AI technologies into all areas of the enterprise that impact the customer, such as conversational AI, generative AI, knowledge AI and emotion AI.

As an established leader, Workair will leverage its expertise and the access it now has to industry-leading technology with Uniphore to ensure its customers will be able to better handle customer-centric tasks such as sales, frontline support and compliance management across contact centres.

“Ireland has become a vibrant tech hub for innovation,” said Umesh Sachdev, CEO at Uniphore. “Workair has been a major force driving innovation not only for Irish enterprises, but for global brands as well. We’re thrilled to partner with Workair to deliver best-in-class customer experiences throughout Ireland and beyond. This collaboration is a critical step in expanding Uniphore’s global footprint and ensuring our leading enterprise AI platform is recognized on the world’s stage.”

To kick off this partnership, Uniphore and Workair gathered a select group of senior executives  from  Ireland’s top businesses at an event at The Fire Steakhouse in Dublin on Nov 16th  2023 to network and discuss the future of AI.  The event was also attended by World Rugby Hall of Famer, Brian O’Driscoll.

“Workair has always been at the forefront of delivering easy-to-use, integrated and cost-effective customer communications to Ireland’s contact centres,” said Stephen Mackarel, Managing Director of Workair. “We are proud to partner with Uniphore and provide Ireland’s call centres with enterprise AI capabilities that will empower agents to better address customer concerns, lower call times and improve the overall customer experience.”

“AI is clearly the next major force for business transformation and there is a huge opportunity for all customer-facing functions to leverage it for improved customer and employee/advisor experiences,” said Dorothy O’Byrne, Managing Director at Contact Centre Management Association in Ireland.  “CCMA is working with members to help identify and develop the opportunities that AI brings. We congratulate Workair, sponsors of the CCMA, on this partnership with Uniphore.”

Uniphore’s enterprise-class, AI-native platform makes it easy for businesses to transform every part of the enterprise that impacts the customer. With the addition of the Workair partnership, Uniphore’s platform is now available in over 20 countries.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise creates more than 150 roles at new cloud R&D center in Galway, Ireland

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced more than 150 new technical roles at its Global Center of Excellence for the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform in Galway, Ireland. The new Center is integral to the development of the HPE GreenLake platform, which is the central offering for HPE’s Hybrid Cloud solutions. The team of software R&D professionals will support customers and partners with one integrated platform, one customer experience, and a portfolio of solutions under one brand. HPE GreenLake supports 27,000 customers globally, powers more than 3.4 million connected devices and manages 20 exabytes of data with customers worldwide.

This strategic investment underscores HPE’s ongoing commitment to Ireland, which already serves as the EMEA hub for Digital Services R&D, HPE GreenLake Cloud Services & Solutions R&D, and Cyber Security in Galway, as well as HPE Financial Services (HPEFS) in Leixlip, and HPE Aruba Networking operations in Cork. Ireland’s advanced technology ecosystem and highly skilled workforce makes it an ideal location to establish and grow core research as well as development. This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

“I am delighted with the announcement from Hewlett Packard Enterprise that it will add 150 technical roles at its new Global Centre of Excellence for HPE GreenLake in Galway,” said Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment. “Galway’s thriving tech hub continues to grow from strength to strength and this expansion will provide excellent employment opportunities for tech talent, from graduates to experienced tech professionals. These highly skilled roles are in addition to 150 jobs announced in 2021 and are a fresh vote of confidence in the wealth of talent in Galway and surrounding areas. HPE has a long history with Ireland dating back over 50 years and their continued commitment to Ireland, and the West, is very welcome. I wish all the team the very best in this exciting new phase.”

 

“The new Center of Excellence in Galway will help Hewlett Packard Enterprise realize its vision and shape the future experience of the HPE GreenLake platform,” said Fidelma Russo, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “Designing technology and creating innovative applications is part of our heritage and at the heart of what we do at HPE. This investment will capitalize on the strong pool of technology expertise and engineering talent within Ireland. I’m excited to bring together a diverse team from those starting out in their careers to highly experienced tech professionals who will play a pivotal role in developing our Hybrid Cloud business.”

The new Center of Excellence will recruit top talent, from graduates to experienced technology professionals, across a range of roles, including architects, software engineers, product, engineering and project managers, researchers, user experience engineers, security specialists, test engineers, data analysts and AI professionals. The team will perform a key role within the newly created Hybrid Cloud business unit, which comes into effect November 1, 2023, led by HPE Chief Technology Officer Fidelma Russo, a Cork native who started her career as an engineer in Ireland in the 1980s. The Hybrid Cloud business unit will accelerate HPE’s hybrid cloud strategy to deliver one portfolio of storage, software, data, and cloud services on the HPE GreenLake platform.

“HPE has helped to drive the growth of the technology eco-system in the West region through its 50-year history in Ireland and its continued partnership with IDA Ireland,” said Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland. “Today’s investment will support the transformation of the Galway site, diversifying existing operation and adding core competency in edge-to-cloud development. This strategic investment underscores HPE’s long-term commitment to Ireland and will enable the company to grow the employee base in the West region, diversify its R&D presence, and continue to make positive contributions to the Irish economy.”

 

The new roles are in addition to 150 jobs announced in 2021 in a range of areas including cloud native development, DevSecOps,  AI research, and cyber security, as well as product and program management.

HPE has a legacy of more than 50 years in Ireland, going back through multiple former entities and the company continues to build on this legacy by supporting Irish government initiatives to apply technology to drive community benefits in critical areas.

EPAM Expands Partnership with Microsoft – Becomes Globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator

EPAM Systems, Inc. a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today announced that it is now a Microsoft globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator (SI) partner—helping to accelerate technology innovation, growth and business impact for enterprises through end-to-end solution design and implementation in the cloud.

The newly acquired globally Managed Enterprise SI partner status marks a significant milestone in EPAM’s expanding strategic partnership with Microsoft. The elevated status positions EPAM as a proven service provider for enterprise customers undertaking complex digital transformation, modernisation and cloud migrations, and enables the Company to build cloud-native intelligent applications powered by Azure OpenAI Service.

“We’re pleased to achieve this Globally Managed Enterprise SI partner status with Microsoft,” said Elaina Shekhter, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, EPAM. “This enhanced status, coupled with our accredited proficiency in executing cloud implementations and spearheading the development of next-generation applications, empowers us to provide an even wider spectrum of capabilities to our global customers to unlock the benefits of Microsoft Azure.”

As a long-standing Microsoft partner, EPAM helps customers engineer the future using Microsoft cloud. With more than 55,000 consultants, engineers and architects operating in more than 50 countries, EPAM provides enterprise customers worldwide with specialised Microsoft expertise to optimise Microsoft Azure cloud outcomes. The enhanced Globally Managed Enterprise SI partner status will further enable EPAM to drive the growth of Microsoft certifications and specialisations and leverage Microsoft’s partner investments to accelerate results in cloud native, data and application modernisation, building intelligent solutions infused with Azure OpenAI service.

In July 2023, EPAM won the 2023 Microsoft U.S. Azure Migration Partner of the Year Award for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementing customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, EPAM owns five solution partner designations and 10 specialisations, enabling EPAM to deliver tailored solutions and accelerate business value and innovation for clients, further cementing EPAM’s position as a trusted Microsoft technology partner.

“We are thrilled that EPAM is now a Microsoft Globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator,” said Kelly Rogan, CVP, Global Systems Integrator and Advisory Partners at Microsoft. “Through our expanded collaboration, EPAM will deliver innovative solutions and services on the Microsoft Cloud, which will help customers realise business transformation and growth.”

Since 2004, EPAM’s collaboration with Microsoft has helped global customers accelerate their journey to Azure by planning and architecting a strategy for executing Azure migrations at scale without compromising quality.

To learn more about how EPAM uses Microsoft Azure to build next-gen enterprise solutions, visit epam.com/about/who-we-are/partners/Microsoft. 

 Learn more about how to get the most out of the cloud in EPAM Continuum’s recent report, “From Taming Cloud Complexity to Achieving Cloud Mastery.”

Google to host in-person digital training series for SMEs

Google has today announced a new training programme aimed at supporting SMEs in Ireland. You’re The Business Live Sessions, hosted in Google’s Dublin offices, will include five in-person training sessions suitable to SMEs at the early stages of their digital journey right through to those more digitally-sophisticated businesses who are ready to export globally.

The initiative is part of the You’re the Business programme, an initiative created by Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices last year to help upskill Irish SMEs. The You’re the Business programme aims to help accelerate Irish SME growth through digitalisation, which is in support of the Irish government’s ambitious goals around SME digitalisation and internationalisation.

Today’s announcement follows recent Google Search data which found that Irish people are increasingly seeking to gain new certifications, particularly in digital skills. The last year has seen increases in searches for certifications in UX Design (+80%), IT Support (+60%), Data Analytics (+60%) and Project Management (+50%).  There has also been a 180% rise in searches for “artificial intelligence courses” over the last five years, with an increase of 150% for data science-related courses.

Cera Ward, Managing Director at  Google Ireland  said:

“Our partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices was devised following research last year that identified gaps in the digital capabilities of Ireland’s SMEs. It found that only 45% of Irish SMEs had a website while 50% said they lacked the basic knowledge about which digital skills to prioritise and invest in.  Irish SMEs need support which is why we partnered with Enterprise Ireland to launch You’re The Business last year and we’re delighted to continue our partnership for the benefit of SMEs in Ireland in 2023.”

The first training session will take place on Friday 15 September with live and in-person modules occurring every two weeks in Google’s Dublin headquarters. The five online training modules will help Irish SMEs to:

 

  • Get your business online

  • Help your business grow online

  • Ensure your business is secure online

  • Get your business to go global

  • Boost your productivity with AI

 

To sign up for these live training modules or for further information, please visit: rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/ytblive.