Tag: #IT

Ireland: The No.1 Spot For IT Goals & Success!

Ireland’s tech sector has a lot to look forward to! Yes, sure, we can look upon the accelerated rate of technology due to the global situation that took hold in early 2020, but that would be to overlook an already very advanced tech sector. As it stands, Ireland is the number two global leader when it comes to exporting computer and IT services. Ireland is ideally suited to serve the world’s IT and PC needs in large part due to a skilled workforce, an appealing corporate tax structure, and a very welcoming economy.  These enticing attributes have made the big players sit up and pay attention, so much so that eight of the top ten major international IT companies have set up shop in Ireland. Ireland’s IT sector reads like the who’s of technology. There’s Apple, Microsoft, IBM, HP and Intel. These hard hitters have been joined by more recent and worthy additions such as Twitter, eBay, PayPal, Amazon,  LinkedIn, Facebook and Google. If this list of IT powerhouses doesn’t cement Ireland’s status as a global leader in IT, AI and all-round technology, then what does?

Ireland: beyond expectations

Ireland isn’t just the European centre of high-brow technological IT sectors, it’s also one of the big data players for Adobe, MSN, Google, Microsoft and IBM. And if anyone knows anything about big data, is that it’s not just a driving force for third party interests, but it’s become instrumental in the  way that businesses conduct their marketing procedures these days. The extent of Ireland’s IT sector is extensive to say the least, to the point that it’s attracting gaming companies to Ireland and resulting in companies forming part of the FTSE 100 and tech investors who see Ireland’s global fin financial capacity. Prominent players include the likes of Jolt, Riot Games, Zynga, PopCap, DemonWare, Havok, Big Fish and everyone’s favourite – EA Games.   And that’s the thing; Ireland’s ability to host the quintessential players in the IT sector doesn’t just place it ahead of the curb, it also makes it an appealing s and any one with good, proper and decent IT-related aspirations. After all, the only way that the economy can grow is by way of new and dynamic ideas that are sure to take off. Luckily Ireland has established itself as a breeding ground for tech ideas – some might even call it an incubating chamber for technology or a tech foetus as it seems to birth and keep on giving. Feeding into the need for multinationals and start-ups alike to make Ireland their home is the fact that the Irish workforce is formidable to say the least. The big cheese players have settled here because they recognise true talent when they see it and this entails a level of high education, which in turn leads to a very functional workforce,  which ultimately lends itself to the that good old Irish ‘can do’ spirit. 

Ireland packs a punch!

The amazing thing about Ireland is its multidimensional appeal –  most summed up by youthful (at the time) Irish captains of industry who elected to rather stay in the homeland and build their companies at home despite the economic and intellectually appealing factors of the locals. Many  successful tech people have made it clear that Ireland is the way forward, going on to espouse the benefits of start-ups – made clear by those like Nikki Lannen, CEO of mobile gaming company Warducks, who took full advantage of the initial era of social gaming, characterised by Facebook, Angry Birds and notable others in the digital stream of success and unlikelihood.

Coca-Cola confirm Dublin as location for new Digital Hub creating 40 jobs #Jobs #cocacola

Coca-Cola confirmed plans today to grow its presence in Ireland through the selection of Dublin as a location for a new Digital Hub in Dublin. This Digital Hub, which will employ 40 technical professionals in the first phase, will be at the centre of helping Coca-Cola to accelerate its digital transformation journey

The Hub is one of 6 worldwide and will comprise a strategic team of people supporting leaders and colleagues across the EMEA region as they seek to use digital insights, business intelligence, analytics and smart digital marketing to help improve the consumer experience while achieving commercial goals and objectives.

The Digital Hub team will span a broad range of roles – from business relationship managers to technical product owners, data engineers and MarTech developers.  The first phase of recruitment locally in Ireland involves the hiring of 40 people with potential for the team to grow further over the next 4-5 years.

 

Recruitment for these roles is underway with Coca-Cola looking for ambitious and talented people to help direction of Coca-Cola’s future through data driven insights.

Confirming the announcement today a Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “Coca-Cola is embarking on an ambitious transformation journey, completely changing the way it operates to support continued growth and innovation. The recent establishment of a global technology organisation is central to this transformation and we hope will power the company globally to step change its capabilities through scaled world-class digital platforms. This new organisation is part of the Coca-Cola family and there will be 6 Hubs spread across the globe, including one in Dublin to support its work with plans to add a further hub before the end of the year.  Dublin was selected as a location for one of these hubs because of its growing international reputation as an innovation city and because of the wealth of technical talent that live in or close to the city.”

 “These Digital Hubs will be have a team of talented technology professionals who will leverage the power of IT to capture quality marketing insights quickly, helping to inform smarter decisions, respond to consumer demands and support commercial goals and objectives by using data and analytic solutions.”

 The company confirmed that they are “actively recruiting 40 technical experts to join the team. These new employees will have the opportunity to help build the Hub from scratch and will be centrally involved in developing the strategy to support the planned transformation of the organization in the Europe, Africa and Eurasia Middle East region.”

 Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “This is great news from Coca-Cola. It demonstrates the vibrancy and attractiveness of Dublin as a place to invest. These 40 new jobs are most welcome, I’m sure Coca-Cola will benefit greatly from the highly skilled workforce available in the city.”

 Welcoming the announcement Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA said: “Coca-Cola has a long history of operating in Ireland and it’s welcome news that the company has made the decision to expand its workforce here and locate one of its new Digital Hubs in Dublin. The technology sector continues to grow in Ireland and is a vibrant part of our economy. It’s a testament to our highly skilled workforce that Ireland continues to attract these types of digital roles and I wish Coca-Cola the best of luck as they establish this new division in the coming months. ”   

 

Details about the roles at Coca-Cola’s new Digital Hub can be found at www.coca-colacompany.com/careers.

4 Things You Didn’t Know About Army’s IT Teams

The military offers a wide range of awesome careers to those willing to serve. Almost everyone is aware of the combat arms military occupational specialties. Pick a random action movie or a video game, and you’re likely to see military special forces involved in some sort of daring operation. 

Army cybersecurity and IT teams aren’t breaching doors and bagging bad guys, but they are fighting in a completely different battlefield  — a digital one. Here are 4 things you didn’t know about the Army’s IT Teams. 

The Famed 25 Bravo 

Information Technology Specialist 25B is the official title of the Army’s IT MOS. Soldiers working as IT specialists in the Army are tasked with many duties similar to those of a civilian IT specialist. Maintenance of computers and systems, network maintenance, troubleshooting of various computer-related issues, and programming are all part of the job. 

However, what most people don’t know is that 25B can be deployed to the front lines. Modern warfare calls for the use of advanced computer systems in the proximity of active battlefields. Unit commanders rely on computers to build a complete picture of the battlefield using various ISR tools at their disposal. 

A computer that is glitching, or a downed system can be incredibly disruptive and prevent field commanders from making critical real-time decisions. Every field command center is highly dependent on working computer networks and communications equipment. 

In summary, being an Army IT specialist doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll spend your contract stateside. 

USCYBERCOM 

The United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) is a combatant command structure on the same level as the US Special Operations Command, STRATCOM, and all of the geographic combatant commands. 

In other words, it’s an equal player in the overall structure of the US military command. Being an Army IT specialist has a much more proactive side to it. The 25B MOS we’ve mentioned earlier is just one of the IT-related MOS. 

There is also the 17C, or Cyber Operations Specialist. Cyber operations specialists are trained to maintain cybersecurity over most critical military systems using high performance military grade controllers and equipment. Furthermore, they are constantly monitoring the network for any potential cyberattacks from state actors and third-party hostels that are constantly probing the US cyber defences. 

USCYBERCOM isn’t alone in its fight against digital threats. This organization is working closely with the NSA and other cybersecurity elements. 17C and adjacent MOS will put you in the thick of the digital fight. 

Secret Security Clearance Is A Must! 


One of the lesser-known facts about US Army IT teams is that almost every individual working in this section of the Army has to be eligible for Secret clearance. 

Not to be mistaken for a top-secret clearance, secret clearance means that the subject has passed a CSIS security check and is given access to classified information that could potentially inflict damage to the security and well-being of the United States of America. 

If you’re wondering why an IT specialist would need a secret clearance, the answer is simple. As an IT specialist, you’ll be working on sensitive systems on sensitive sites. However, as your obligations increase, your clearance could increase as well. 

Civilian Job Prospects 

The IT industry is a massive one, and it keeps growing. Being a 25B won’t necessarily open all the doors in the Silicon Valley the moment you ETS from the Army. However, being a 25B puts you in a unique position to have your resume on top of the stack when you interview for your first job. How? Certification. 

As a 25B or C17 for that matter, you can seek further education and get various certificates such as the CISSP, or Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. Such certificates make former Army IT specialists a hot commodity in the civilian world, but also in the government contracting world. If you get all the right certs while you’re in, you can easily land six-figure jobs if your resume is up to snuff. 

US Army IT Careers Are Worth It 

Becoming an Army IT specialist is a great way to get into the world of information technologies, gain valuable experience, and most importantly, gain critical knowledge that will speed up your career growth in the civilian world. 

If you manage to get a Comp Sci degree using your GI Bill, and several hot certs, you’ll be on the fast track to becoming an authority in the field of informational technologies, cybersecurity, or any of the adjacent occupations. It takes hard work, but this path is definitely worth it. 

 

SITA to recruit 55 software engineers as it ramps up development of its airport portfolio. #SITA #Jobs #IDA

SITA, the leading IT provider to the air transport industry, are significantly expanding their Agile DevOps teams by over 55 people in Letterkenny, Ireland to develop the next generation of its highly successful SITA AT AIRPORTS portfolio. These new roles include software engineers, test engineers, UX designers, scrum masters and product owners.

As the air transport industry begins its slow recovery from COVID-19, airports, airlines and governments are looking to further streamline their operations and passenger journey through automation and digitisation. To meet this growing demand, SITA is accelerating the innovation and development of new solutions across baggage management, airport operations, passenger processing and border management. These solutions are used in more than 1,000 airports and more than 60 governments globally.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, said: “I’m really pleased with the news that SITA is expanding in Letterkenny, creating 55 new jobs over the next two years. This planned expansion highlights the company’s continued commitment to Ireland and the North-West and shows that we are succeeding in attracting high-calibre companies and highly skilled jobs across the country. I look forward to SITA’s continued success in Letterkenny.”

David Lavorel, CEO SITA AIRPORTS & BORDERS, said: “We all are eager to see our industry rebound and technology is a vital component of its recovery. Airports and airlines are looking to technology to automate the passenger journey while digitalising their operations to drive new cost efficiencies. Many of these solutions are being developed in Letterkenny.”

Lavorel noted that Ireland, and Letterkenny in particular, had in recent years established itself as an important hub for software development. “Through the support of the Irish government, Letterkenny is recognised as a vital hub for software innovation, making it an obvious choice as a strategic location for the development of our SITA AT AIRPORTS portfolio.”

Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland said “Today’s announcement by SITA further embeds its operations in the North West and strengthens Ireland’s position within the group as a key operational hub. This investment demonstrates IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to winning regional investment and further endorses Ireland as an attractive location for FDI. I wish SITA every success with this announcement.”

SITA established its office in Letterkenny in 2003, growing the team from 20 to more than 100 today. In 2015 it invested in a new-state-of-the-art building to accommodate the growing software teams. Today, SITA’s teams in Letterkenny are responsible for designing and creating software solutions for four of SITA’s key portfolios.

To find out more about the new positions opening up in Letterkenny, visit SITA’s career portal.

eFax research reveals IT decision-makers accelerating digital transformation of paper-based processes as a direct result of disruption caused by Brexit. #eFax

According to latest research from eFax, most IT decision-makers are accelerating the digital transformation of paper-based processes as a direct result of disruption to their workforce caused by the UK leaving the EU (Brexit). Even more of them, would have accelerated digital transformation sooner if they were aware of the impact of extra paperwork causing cross-border trade and transport to slow down. 

Many believe the technology already exists to ensure additional paperwork does not hold-up cross-border transport and supply chains, and that new levels of extra paperwork creates a security risk.

This article from eFax Director of Customer Experience, Scott Wilson, will examine how IT leaders have accelerated digital transformation since Brexit, and are planning and implementing how they can help their organisations thrive with frictionless cross-border travel and trade, despite huge increases in extra paperwork, by exploring new technologies to cut delays and ensure vital goods and supplies reach their destinations.

eFax, the world’s leading online fax solution, today announces the findings of research revealing how UK IT decision-makers are accelerating digital transformation of paper-based processes as a direct result of disruption caused by the UK leaving the EU (Brexit).

The research conducted on behalf of eFax by independent research organisation Vanson Bourne, has found that whilst most UK IT decision-makers (57%) are accelerating the speed of digital transformation of paper-based processes as a direct result of disruption caused by Brexit, the majority (77%) of UK IT decision-makers would have accelerated digital transformation sooner if they were aware of the full impact of extra paperwork causing cross border trade and transport to slow down. Despite this, only 5% of IT Directors have completed their digital transformation of paper-based processes.

The findings also found that most IT decision-makers (74%), believe the technology exists already to ensure additional paperwork does not hold up cross-border transport and supply chains, and the majority (68%) also believe that extra levels of paperwork required to do business across EU borders creates an additional security risk.  The vast majority (86%) of IT decision-makers also agree that workers travelling across borders would benefit from the ability to send, receive and securely sign extra layers of paperwork on the move.

eFax Director of Customer Experience, Scott Wilson

“This evidence from eFax shows IT decision-makers are accelerating digital transformation of paperwork as a direct result of the UK leaving the EU” said Scott Wilson, Director of Customer Experience, eFax. “Since Brexit we have seen many stories of vital goods and supplies delayed or not reaching their destinations due to increased requirements of paperwork, continued Wilson.

“The good news is this doesn’t have to be this way” said Wilson. “IT decision-makers understand the technology exists today to securely send, sign and receive extra paperwork on the move, to help enable frictionless cross-border trade and transport.”

The eFax research surveyed 100 UK IT decision-makers across organisations in Business & Professional Services, Financial Services, IT, Retail, Distribution & Transport and Manufacturing industries.

 

Arkphire delivers on multi-million euro employee mobilisation programme for AIB. #Arkphire #AIB

Irish headquartered IT product procurement and services company, Arkphire, has completed the rollout of a major employee-centred digital transformation programme, which is a multi-million investment by leading Irish financial institution, AIB.  At the heart of the project which aligns with AIB’s digitalisation and ways of working strategies, is the sourcing, delivery and support of a fully digital workspace for AIB employees across Ireland and the UK. The ambitious employee mobilisation programme, which gained urgency due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has enabled AIB to continue to provide an uninterrupted service to its customers, while also empowering its workforce to communicate and collaborate innovatively across the entire enterprise from their home workspaces.

The project saw Arkphire deliver 8,000 digital workspace solutions including Microsoft Surface laptops, laptop stands, monitors, docking stations and keyboards to AIB’s employees across Ireland and the UK. The laptops were configured as notebook or touch-screen-operated tablet PCs, based on the AIB employee’s preference in either country. Arkphire is also providing a range of ongoing support services to AIB including:

  • Adoption Services—the ability to procure, assemble and roll out hardware pre-installed with software as specified by AIB for its employees’ specific needs and deliver it to their homes anywhere in either country;
  • Break/fix support—enhancing the standard warranty provided by Microsoft to ensure timely and reliable collection and repair of equipment;
  • Next business day replacement—if an employee needs a replacement computer, Arkphire can guarantee to deliver the necessary personalised solution, complete with software updates within 24 hours.
Employee-centred digital transformation programme at AIB- Geraldine Casey, Chief People Officer at AIB at a virtual meeting with (from left to right), Graham Fagan, Group Director of Technology & Operations at AIB Group and Bríd Graham, Managing Director of Arkphire’s IT procurement services business. Arkphire has delivered the rollout of a multi-million euro employee mobilisation programme involving 8,000 employees at AIB.

Geraldine Casey, Chief People Officer at AIB said “At AIB our aim is to empower our people so they can work from home and support our customers as seamlessly as possible.  8,000 of our people now have remote access, with state of the art technology allowing us to develop our ways of working and digitalisation strategies.”

Graham Fagan, Group Director of Technology & Operations at AIB Group said: “In overall terms, Arkphire has very quickly earned our trust through a rapidly accelerated programme, where the Arkphire team has demonstrated real professionalism and a ‘can do’ attitude that we really value. On a project of this scale, there are always challenges, but where any difficulties arose, Arkphire stepped up to the mark, bringing things back on track and always delivered.  I greatly appreciate their support as a true IT partner.”   

AIB is a financial services group operating predominantly in Ireland and the United Kingdom, providing a range of services to retail, business and corporate customers, with market-leading positions in key segments.  The bank has over 2.8 million customers.

Given the importance of the initiative to AIB, which is adopting a new operating model to increase the flexibility of its workforce to work from anywhere, it was essential for the bank to engage with a partner of proven capability, international reach and who could move at pace. According to Fagan “The combination of Arkphire’s long-standing logistical and procurement capabilities along with their experience and track record of service delivery for projects of this scale, both domestically and internationally, were decisive factors in selecting Arkphire.”

Bríd Graham, managing director of Arkphire’s IT Procurement Services business, said, “We are delighted to be selected as the IT partner for AIB on such a transformational project.  The pandemic forced us all to act quickly in unforeseen circumstances.  AIB was determined to ensure it could provide an effective solution to help their employees transition to the new normal of working from home while continuing to provide uninterrupted support for their customers. We are very proud to partner with such a strong Irish heritage brand.”

Earlier this year, Arkphire became part of the Presidio Group, a leading North American IT solutions provider.  The combined capabilities from both Arkphire and Presidio create a new global IT solutions business with the ability to serve customers and enable their remote working strategies in all key markets.

How to create an effective business continuity plan. #Business #IT #CyberAttack #DisasterRecovery

Business continuity plans have come to mean instructions or procedures any business should follow in the face of a successful ransomware or other cyberattack. Although IT issues are often the most debilitating when it comes to getting things back to normal, ‘business continuity’ anticipates and includes responses to other disasters, like fire, flood and theft, too.

There are business processes, partners and suppliers, human capital, data and other assets to protect in the event of a disaster. While each dark episode in the life of a company will be unique in certain aspects, enterprise can avail itself of an essential toolkit – the business continuity plan – when things go wrong. Always variable and often unexpected, business calamities demand a strategy for the maintenance of business as usual, regardless of how unusual circumstances might be in the moment.

That strategy will optimise continuity and minimise negative implications, resulting in an overall minimisation of longer-term repercussions on business profitability. It’s often grisly and as often demanding of sudden decisions that are extraneous to the core plan, but the core plan is essential as a guidebook for the promptest and least stressful restoration of business, in order to maintain cash flow and overall profitability. Force majeure events (the Covid 19 lockdown is a classic example), physical destruction or damage to business premises, or a wholesale sacking of company data are all events capable of ending business for good. The stakes are high, and the fittest companies have a ready template of action for such dark moments.

Business continuity plans and Disaster Recovery (DR)

Disaster Recovery (DR) centres on restoring IT systems after a ransomware or other cyberattack. Often confused with a business continuity plan, DR protocols may well be the most important component of a business continuity plan, yet they remain but one component of an overall plan.

 

With that said, it’s common to modern enterprise that almost nothing can be resolved without IT in place and running smoothly, hence the need to develop a reliable business continuity plan template with IT support well ahead of time. Business continuity is absolutely essential to map out while it’s still completely unnecessary. On the plus side, IT architecture lends itself to backup and security, and with typical Irish zeal and prowess in the arena, a detailed and ultimately successful continuity plan with adept DR protocols can be effectively formulated ahead of any possible disaster.

IT considerations for a business continuity plan

  • Storage. Where and how is data stored? What are the alternatives on access and/or storage if that particular access door closes? A company needs to know exactly how it will access what data it needs to roll on without hiccupping in the event of a complete denial of access or loss (removal) of working data.

 

  • Who are the key personnel in making IT continuity happen, and what are their responsibilities? It might seem a stupid question, but do they then have the authority or clearance (with accompanying credentials) to act on their responsibilities? Disaster recovery is a moment of unusual trust and professional performance – everyone needs to understand that, be equipped, and up to the task.
  • In the event of hardware damage or loss, where are new machines coming from, what or how much is needed to tie them into current daily operations, and what aspects of the current IT system or systems might snag on replacements of this nature?

Some broader considerations for business continuity plans

  • Manufacturing, sales and deliveries or service provision, as well as HR considerations feature in any decent business recovery template. How will normal comms evolve (or dissolve) during recovery? Would majority remote work be best, or perhaps a secondary location should be established that ultimately costs less and facilitates more in the event of a calamity? What functions can be contracted out?

 

  • To answer all the above questions, a business impact analysis will have been tabled and tested for validity way ahead of genuine disaster striking a company. This analysis will identify the most crucial aspects to maintain business continuity. A business impact analysis acknowledges vulnerabilities and doubles down on safeguarding these, while also looking at cost implications on all aspects of the business – what it will cost to put in place and what it might cost when absent. Generally, the latter costs a whole lot more in a typical disaster scenario.

Testing, testing, one two three

Disaster Recovery may be well-sorted by IT support in the event of catastrophe, but any successful, comprehensive business continuity plan has to factor in what happens with people and processes, too. Quite remarkably, the way in which a company performs under such adversity can often enhance client relations and go towards an overall greater profitability in the future. If ever there was a test of a business’ professionalism and real caring, it’s what it does and how it handles its clients in the event of disaster.

Effective disaster management can elevate a company’s reputation and generate an immense amount of goodwill, too. Being prepared and making the best of getting back on track can increase any company’s listed market value, plus boost customer numbers and overall confidence.

Such effective behaviour must include testing. Testing of a mock wholesale collapse of systems, testing of alternative (disaster) protocols, and testing of everyone’s ability to keep the wheels turning in a trial scenario. It might seem silly when everything is going well – much like those school drills that practise fire alarm responses – but testing a business continuity plan is as essential as formulating it in the first place. Companies that discover gaps in their contingency plans while suffering catastrophe are unlikely to be around afterwards. Testing allows for improvements and the fine tuning of the continuity strategy details. 

The business impact assessment informs the drafting of the business continuity plan. That plan contains the DR component and goes on to address all aspects of the business. And it’s in the testing – regularly and repeatedly – that an enterprise will ready itself to survive even wholesale shutdowns or failures, and go on to a better future. 

Smartbox Transforms Customer Experiences with Nutanix. #Nutanix #Smartbox #IT #Cloud #Retail

Nutanix , a leader in enterprise cloud computing, announced today that Smartbox Group, a leading European retailer of gift experiences, expanded its relationship with the company to support its digital modernization project. Smartbox leverages Nutanix software to modernize its IT infrastructure, streamline operations, and reduce costs in order to delight customers with tailored, real-time experiences.

 

A seamless omnichannel customer experience is now a must have for retailers, as customers expect online shopping experiences that draw from their digital behavior and are tailored to them. This requires real time data analysis, across multiple sources as well as a modern technology infrastructure that is automated, secure, supports the use of artificial intelligence, and, is most importantly, always available.

 

Providing gift boxes, gift experiences, and memories for clients across Europe, Smartbox serves 11 countries, distributing nearly 6.5 million gift experiences annually, as well as its unique brand of gift boxes to 10,000 major outlets through retail partners and online stores. The sheer scale of its operations and its many webstores demand constant uptime, scalability during seasonal peak times, flexibility in development, and tailored experiences to its customers.

 

“Our previous systems were just not able to support our business vision and something drastic had to be done if we were going to be able to continue to support our business expansion across Europe and ensure customer fulfilment,” said Paul Cash, Director IT Operations at Smartbox. “Nutanix, more than any other partner, has allowed us to get more out of our IT infrastructure, so it can add value to the business. Its solutions have enabled us to take back control of our environment and allowed us to focus on innovation first rather than maintaining a legacy infrastructure.”

 

With a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the retail industry, the Smartbox team invested in a hyperconverged environment that marries the best of its on-premise IT systems with public cloud services, to be more nimble and quickly adjust to customers’ needs. Its base requirements included the need for full visibility across all IT assets and services, advanced data analytics, the ability to control cloud usage, and scale out DevOps.

 

To support this shift, in the last 18 months Smartbox has adopted Nutanix AHV, which has both allowed it to reduce its datacenter footprint and provided it with enhanced flexibility. Additionally, the company has moved some elastic workloads, like its eCommerce storefront to AWS. The overall environment supports hybrid cloud computing, with seamless connectivity between its Nutanix-powered datacenter and its public cloud environment. The IT infrastructure now better caters to its development teams and is stable enough to run its web services and all core backend applications.

 

“Hybrid Cloud continues to gain momentum as organisations yearn for more flexibility and choice in preparation for moving to a multi-cloud operating model.  Dublin based Smartbox Group is taking advantage of our consumer grade software and methodologies which deliver simplicity, choice and security as it deploys Nutanix.

Smartbox was the first Nutanix customer in Europe and it took a leap of faith with us 8 years ago when we were a small company with a big vision.  Smartbox is the European leader in gift experiences and operates in 11 countries. Nutanix has helped Smartbox to achieve phenomenal growth through its software which includes a virtualisation platform with real-time analytics on multi-cloud cost and security for both on-premises and public clouds. Expanding our relationship with Smartbox is an exciting step in cementing Ireland at the forefront of the global cloud economy”, said, Fergal O’Sullivan, Country Manager & Regional Director at Nutanix.

 

Smartbox is also using Beam to keep public cloud costs in check – which at times was 15 to 20% higher than budgeted prior to the deployment. With Beam, the IT team can now utilize a cost based  model to show the department the actual footprint and cost and of running application environments and the IT they consume.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Additionally, Nutanix Era has helped Smartbox simplify databases and management solutions across many environments, while Prism Pro supports automated infrastructure management, all to drive more flexibility.

 

“Retailers need the flexibility to change the course of their business at a drop of a hat. Whether to cater for seasonal fluctuations, to scale up or down for a sale, or to add digital services – automation and adaptability are what stands between failure and success,” said Dom Poloniecki, General Manager, Sales, Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa region, Nutanix. “Smartbox has really got the mix between public and private cloud right, it not only understands the costs of its on- and off-premise infrastructure but is able to prove the value of IT to the business and ensure that each department is responsible for its own costs. Smartbox is not just keeping the lights on – it is delighting its customers and creating greater loyalty.”

 

Looking ahead, the company plans to leverage its Nutanix software investment tools to deliver self-provisioning of IT resources across the business. It is working to create an environment where its developers are able to spin up changes to its sites, add promotional offerings, and create new products, without having to wait for IT to approve requests. Smartbox believes this will allow it to more proactively act on business opportunities and more easily adapt to customers’ needs.

Equinix partners with AirSpeed Telecom to provide secure cloud solution. #Cloud #Airpseed #Equinix

Equinix, Inc. the global interconnection and data centre company, today announced a partnership with Irish telecommunications service provider, AirSpeed Telecom. The joint cloud offering comes as results of an independent survey commissioned by Equinix, finds 38% of Irish IT decision-makers believe the volume of data breaches will increase with the widespread rollout of remote working solutions. The survey also shows 31% of businesses in Ireland cannot fully support employee remote working because of latency issues. Equinix’s collaboration with AirSpeed Telecom addresses these concerns with the launch of AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity.

As digital transformation takes hold in Ireland and across the world, flexible working gives employees choice on how, when and where they work – increasing productivity, job satisfaction and improving business performance. As demand from employees for flexible working increases, businesses are under pressure to ensure they have the right technology, network speed and security to support it.

Pictured announcing Equinix’s partnership with AirSpeed Telecom to provide a secure cloud solution for businesses are (L-R):
Charles O’Reilly, General Manager, AirSpeed Telecom; and Kevin O’Connor, Channel Manager, Equinix

To facilitate the rise of flexible working in Ireland, and as part of its ongoing strategy to offer enhanced end-to-end solutions, Equinix partner, AirSpeed Telecom, now provides Equinix’s cloud platform, Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric™ (ECX Fabric®), as ‘AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity’. It will offer businesses across Ireland, fast, secure and reliable connectivity to streamline cloud migration and increase business performance.

AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity allows businesses to privately and seamlessly interconnect with the world’s largest cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure (ExpressRoute), Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Google Cloud. As Equinix offers direct access to the highest concentration of major cloud provider onramps in the world, it allows businesses to choose the cloud services that best fit their, and their employees’, ever-changing business requirements.

Highlights/Key Facts

  • By offering a cloud solution, AirSpeed Telecom is answering the growing trend for businesses to move from traditional IT infrastructure to cloud-based services. Independent research commissioned by Equinix found cloud is now the number one driver of channel engagement in Ireland, with almost half (45%) of IT decision-makers using the channel to access cloud-based services.

  • Equinix’s third annual Global Interconnection Index (GXI) shows the need to connect to multiple clouds and IT services represents the fastest-growing use of interconnection bandwidth – in other words, the bandwidth required for businesses to privately connect to clouds, enterprises and networks – is growing at an expected 112% CAGR by 2022.

  • Available in 37+ locations across five continents, AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity, through ECX Fabric, now provides businesses with a multinational presence to support cloud connectivity across the world.

  • Through ECX Fabric, AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity enables enterprises to make significant cost savings and enhance productivity by eliminating the costly overheads associated with traditional IT infrastructure. It also offers organisations a selection of bandwidths to support their business needs – ensuring they only pay for what they need.

  • AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity, through ECX Fabric, uses integrated APIs and allows organisations to establish on-demand virtual connections in near real time.

  • The cloud solution delivers bandwidth ranging from 10Mbs to 10Gbs to ensure businesses can easily access 145+ cloud service providers via a fast, secure and reliable dedicated private line, therefore supporting a variety of use cases in addition to remote working, such as business continuity and disaster recovery.

Quotes

  • Charles O’Reilly, General Manager, AirSpeed Telecom:

“As cloud services continue to grow and facilitate the strategic needs and direction for more and more organisations, AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity has been designed to provide fully managed, secure and reliable access to the cloud. Reliance on the cloud, and the benefits it will deliver, continues to expand; and throughout that journey businesses can rely on AirSpeed every step of the way.”

 

  • Kevin O’Connor, Channel Manager, Equinix:

“Our research shows Ireland’s IT decision-makers are cautious of the impact remote working will have on cybersecurity – and rightly so. Organisations must ensure that in their efforts to modernise their business, they are also considering the security risks in doing so. Remote working is all about employee satisfaction and boosting productivity. Organisations who experience latency issues won’t be able to reap the benefits of remote working, as it will slow down workloads and frustrate users. Having direct access to the world’s leading cloud service providers is therefore essential in removing these hurdles.”