Tag: #irishbiz

Wisetek launches new e-commerce business for refurbished IT equipment

Wisetek, a global leader in advanced IT asset disposition, data destruction, technology reuse and manufacturing services, has launched a new e-commerce business, Wisetek Store. The Wisetek Store website will enable consumers to shop online for high quality refurbished IT equipment and new accessories including laptops, phones, tablets, keyboards, and range of other hardware options.

The Wisetek Store site was launched to give consumers a channel to buy high quality refurbished equipment from a recognised vendor specialising in technology reuse, without having to pay premium prices for brand new items.

Every item listed on Wisetek Store undergoes a rigorous assessment process to determine its suitability, during which the hardware is thoroughly tested. Any existing data on the device is wiped, and the equipment is refurbished as necessary before it is certified to be listed and sold on the site.

To mark the new e-commerce business, Wisetek has teamed up with treesontheland.com to plant one tree for every order that is placed on Wisetek Store.

Sean Sheehan, CEO of Wisetek said “The launch of the Wisetek Store is an exciting development for Wisetek. This new brand will be focused on the sale of IT equipment to consumers. Wisetek has traditionally focused on the business-to-business market, and this new venture is an indication of the rapid pace we have experienced in the growth of the company. We are continually exploring new ideas and markets while maintaining the high quality of service our customers are used to.”

The new site also serves as a further demonstration of Wisetek’s core value of sustainability, as it promotes the use of refurbished items, an environmentally friendly alternative to manufacturing new equipment.

Wisetek has grown exponentially since it was established in Cork by Sean Sheehan in 2007, and has expanded its international footprint to include facilities throughout Ireland, the UK, the USA, the Middle East and Thailand.

Wisetek Store can be accessed at www.wisetekstore.com

Irish Company myVolts To Launch ReVolt: the Ultimate Battery Replacement System. #ReVolt #Kickstarter

myVolts Ltd. today announced the launch of a new product: ReVolt. Anything that is usually powered by batteries can now be powered by USB. Just swap out the device’s batteries with the correct ReVolt adaptor and you’re good to go. Deceptively easy to use – but much harder and many hours of R&D to get just right. 

“Everyone hates buying, using, and disposing of batteries.” says Luke Brennan, MD at myVolts Ltd. 

“Despite drives to recycle, 100,000,000 kilos of batteries end up in landfill each year in the EU alone. So we spent 2020 and 2021 developing ReVolt – the solution to this global problem. We think we’ve made something great, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.” 

Features and benefits of ReVolt include: 

  • Adaptable: Use in 1000s of devices: toys, radios, small synths, handheld games consoles etc. ● Flexible: Use with any USB port. 
  • Mobile: Power your device with a USB power bank for total power freedom. 
  • Global: ReVolt can be safely used anywhere in the world. 
  • Multi-use: Take it out of one device, use it in another. 
  • Non-destructive: Remove it and your device can take standard batteries again, any time. ● Economical: Buy once. 
  • Durable: Use 1000s of times. 
  • Environmentally friendly: No consumables to dispose of. 
  • Modular: Get add-ons from the system to power different devices. 
  • No cut-outs: Always know your device will have power. 
  • No leaks: Safely store devices with ReVolt installed. 

 

ReVolt will go live on Kickstarter 27 May 2021, at 2pm GMT, price starting at 39.99 EUR. The first run of the product is already manufactured and ready to ship worldwide July 2021, so backers can buy with full confidence. 

Check out their kicksarter –  https://bit.ly/3oPiODh 

myVolts Ltd has been solving the power problems of consumers and professionals for well over a decade, has two previously successfully funded and shipped Kickstarter campaigns, and served tens of thousands of happy customers on Amazon, eBay and their own webshop.

Irish software company Pharmapod developing system to manage global vaccine rollout. #Pharmapod #Software

Award-winning Irish software company Pharmapod, has announced today that it is in the final stages of developing a cloud-based solution for the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine globally. This important work is supported by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), who will continue to collaborate as Pharmapod makes this solution available on an international basis for healthcare professionals involved in the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The system will streamline the process of administering the vaccine by allowing patients to book their vaccination appointment, providing real-time information to healthcare professionals and their organisations, as well as businesses and public health bodies.

According to Pharmapod’s founder and Chief Executive, Leonora O’Brien, the company hopes to have the vaccination system up and running in line with the release of the Covid-19 vaccination to the market; ‘’our vaccination system has been in development since the beginning of the pandemic and we are working alongside partners such as the International Pharmaceutical Federation to bring it through the final stages. Essentially, the system will streamline the end-to-end process for patients and those administrating the vaccine. This will allow the public to easily book their vaccine via any device, schedule multiple doses, complete their eligibility criteria and provide details of any side-effects that have occurred. The data will flow securely from patient to administrator to national stakeholders and governmental organisations. Public health authorities will be able to receive real time, anonymous information about how the vaccine rollout is working. By simplifying the entire process, the solution promotes vaccine uptake, minimises the time required to administer each vaccine and provides critical data on side-effects so that corrective actions may be put in place as required”.

Pharmapod currently provides a number of cloud-based, healthcare specific solutions for pharmacies and the Long-Term Care sector. Its clinical services module facilitate the delivery of services such as flu vaccines and emergency contraception in pharmacies. It is the leading cloud-based software for driving efficiencies and reducing Patient Safety Incidents (PSIs) in community pharmacies and long-term care globally.

60% of all Canadian Pharmacies use Pharmapod’s system to minimise medication errors and improve best practice. Pharmapod has operations in the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

Leonora went on to say; ‘’Our solutions and platform are designed by healthcare professionals. The vaccination system will also be able to spot potential problems in the rollout such as shortages of vaccines, uptake resistance, people not showing up for vaccinations, regional uptake comparisons, etc. It will also give patients notifications about their appointments and provide advice and information. The idea is to make everything easier and quicker for both the patient, and the healthcare professional as well as deliver the required service performance data to national stakeholders. Pharmapod has experience in developing large scale systems of this nature and we are in discussions with a number of governments around the world in relation to our system.’’

Pharmapod was established by Leonora O’Brien in 2013, a fully qualified pharmacist with over 25 years’ experience in the pharmacy sector. Businesses, pharmacies, care homes, hospitals and other healthcare organisations, may pre-register their interest in the solution here: https://www.pharmapodhq.com/app_register.

New health insurance comparison site launches to help curb customer confusion. #Health #Insurance #HealthCareCompare

HealthCare Compare (HCC.ie) has today, launched its new platform which aims to remove the confusion and overpaying associated with health insurance plans. The Dublin based company hopes to help consumers make informed decisions on reviewing cover at the renewal stage. HCC.ie is unique in that it helps users identify the most suitable healthcare plan to suit their requirements and budgets through its advanced comparison tools and advice from health insurance specialists.

 

The launch comes during one of the busiest periods for the sector (November to March) which sees thousands of policies up for renewal. According to the HIA, 2,289,000 Irish people currently have health insurance policies. With over 320 on the market and 2 in 5 Irish people purchasing health insurance, many consumers are becoming overwhelmed with options, resulting in many overpaying. In addition to this, research has revealed an inertia or fear when it comes to changing providers. According to recent figures from the ESRI, 14% of Irish people claim it is too much hassle to switch insurers with 11.2% saying they couldn’t be bothered. It was also found that 7.2% of people said they failed to change providers as it was too difficult to compare plans.

HCC.ie offers a wide range of easy to navigate plans from Ireland’s three providers, Irish Life Health, Laya Healthcare and VHI. HealthCare Compare enables consumers to choose the right insurance premium for them through conducting a full review of their insurance wants and needs and providing users with alternative plans that are a better fit. Through the site, consumers can compare all insurance plans through selecting the type of cover they require, whether it be a basic, corporate or high end plan. They can then select their annual budget, outline the level of excess they would be willing to pay and tailor their premium through selecting which benefits are most important to them. Some of the benefits they can select include cardiac, maternity, fertility, back pain and prescriptions among others. HealthCare Compare also hopes to recruit at least 10 insurance experts across Ireland over the next six months. This opens the idea for those looking for insurance coverage a bit more scope.

The concept for HCC.ie came from young female health insurance expert Barbara Sheahan. She developed the concept for a personalised insurance premium comparison platform following her years of experience within the industry. Sheahan noticed a sizable gap in the market for a health insurance policy comparison platform that would better inform consumers on the best plan for them and their families.

 

Commenting on the launch of HealthCare Compare, Managing Director Barbara Sheahen said:

“We are delighted to have launched our personalised health insurance comparison site to give consumers better insight into the benefits and cost savings associated with selecting a health insurance plan. December to March is when most consumers renew their health insurance, and we understand it can be difficult to sieve through the endless options available. Although many would like to review their options, fear of change and inertia prevents them from doing so. Through HCC.ie we hope to be able to help consumers identify the most suitable plan for them at the best rate, whether that includes fertility benefits, maternity, cardiac, health screening, counselling. Our team of experts will help advise on the most suitable options available, helping them navigate their way through the huge, often-confusing maze of options available to them. We offer a personal service and ensure everyone fully understands the benefits of their plan by simplifying the overwhelming amount of information into their key requirements.”

UX Design Institute course sign-ups surge by 220 per cent. #UX #IrishBiz #UXDesign

Irish company, the UX Design Institute, saw a 220 per cent increase in student numbers during the height of the lockdown when compared to the same period last year.  

As people looked to upskill, change careers or enhance their employability, the leader in UX education and certification recorded its highest ever student enrolments in March, April and May.

Switching to another career was the impetus for 60 per cent of new students, with many working in digital marketing, recruitment, HR, sales, customer experience, product and design.

UX designers are one of the most sought-after tech professionals today, with the current crisis creating even more demand as companies look to improve their online presence.

UX design or User Experience design, combines aspects of psychology, design, marketing, business and technology to provide a better experience for a product’s end-user. This can include apps, websites or even everyday items like your computer mouse.

“We’ve had a really positive few months in terms of student enrolments,” said Colman Walsh, CEO, of the UX Design Institute. “Some people have taken on the course because they find themselves in a precarious position at work and are looking for a more future-focused career, others have just decided that it’s a good time to commit to studying because they have more time on their hands.”

UX Launch Picture Conor McCabe Photography

UX post-Covid-19

 

This week the company produced a report looking at the impact of Covid-19 on the UX industry, featuring insights from Deliveroo, Morgan McKinley, cxpartners, Fathom and the UX Design Institute.

The report points to very positive career opportunities in UX as companies expand their online capabilities, not just to remain competitive but to remain viable.

Mark Campbell, Consultant with Morgan McKinley and contributor to the report said: “When it comes to UX, this crisis has meant that user research has become more critical and UX skills more sought after. We’ve seen a big focus on development and data roles as companies focus on improving their online products.”

According to the report industries that were slow to adopt newer technologies will be looking to evolve their model or become obsolete. Competitive advantage will be won by the companies that offer better UX than their rivals.

Conor McCabe

Quoted in the report, Walsh said: “As more and more industries and companies improve their online capabilities in the aftermath of Covid-19, this can only be good news for anybody working in technology, including UX designers. The overall consensus is that UX presents a more future-proof, rewarding and meaningful career for our students – one that we see flourishing far beyond this crisis.”

The UX Design Institute’s Professional Diploma in UX Design is delivered entirely online over 6 months. The next course start date is July 1st and costs €2550.

The company, set up by UX design veteran Colman Walsh in 2013, recently reported a doubling of revenues in 2019 to €2.67 million with steady growth in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and South Africa.

A quarter of Irish businesses concerned about losing data to dark web. #DarkWeb #IrishBiz

Logicalis Ireland, the IT solutions and managed services provider, today announces the results of a survey which explored the barriers, challenges and concerns around cloud adoption in Ireland. The research, which involved more than 100 IT decision makers across Irish businesses, found that almost a quarter (24%) are concerned about losing data to the dark web.

The study, carried out by TechPro on behalf of Logicalis Ireland, revealed that the three biggest concerns in relation to cloud security are data breaches (70%), human error (60%) and permanent data loss (44%). Furthermore, almost three quarters of respondents are more worried about cloud security threats in 2020.

Security was found to be the leading barrier to cloud adoption with 56% of IT decision-makers citing it. Other top barriers are lack of in-house knowledge and skills (38%), budget constraints (37%), data compliancy concerns (35%) and lack of visibility of workloads/applications in the cloud (32%).

Public cloud (38%) is perceived as the IT environment that poses the greatest risk to security, followed by on-premises infrastructure (31%). Meanwhile, private cloud is considered the lowest risk (6%) among IT decision-makers.

Despite their concerns, over half (55%) of Irish businesses do not have an integrated cloud security plan in place. Furthermore, 13% admitted their organisations have no response plans in place for security incidents, with a further 26% only acting reactively as and when incidents arise.

Loman McCaffrey, Sales Manager, Logicalis Ireland

Loman McCaffrey, Sales Manager, Logicalis Ireland, said: “Of course IT decision-makers should be worried about incidents which could result in data breaches and data loss – it’s good that they are because data has huge value and threats are evolving as quickly as technology is.

“However, Irish businesses shouldn’t let these security concerns and other challenges – such as lack of visibility, rising costs and lack of in-house resources – delay their adoption of cloud and hinder the potential growth of their company. It comes down to choosing the right solution.

“As well as maximising security, organisations need to consider platforms that also help to keep costs under control, support staff productivity and enable better management of data, regardless of the cloud environment they’re using.

“Furthermore, as more organisations move their workloads into the cloud, it’s vital they have a clearly defined and continually evolving security strategy that covers all aspects of the business, including staff training to reduce the risk of falling victim to cybersecurity attacks. Otherwise their fears could be realised.”