Tag: national

Lidl Wins Top Award at the Inaugural Repak Resource Awards

Lidl has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Overall Repak Resource Award at the Repak Resource Awards 2025, Ireland’s National Environmental Awards. The event held at The Shelbourne Hotel, brought together leaders from across Ireland’s business, environmental, and community sectors to celebrate the positive impact of environmental initiatives all across Ireland.
The Repak Resource Awards, formerly known as the Pakman Awards, are Ireland’s National Environmental Awards and recognise exceptional achievements in waste prevention, recycling, reuse, circular design, and community-led environmental initiatives.
Lidl was honoured with the top award, Overall Repak Resource Award, for its leadership and impact in advancing Ireland’s recycling and circular economy goals. Each category winner is eligible for the Overall Repak Resource Award, which celebrates outstanding achievements in recycling, waste management, innovation, and grassroots environmental action.
Lidl was also the recipient of the Best Deposit Return Initiative Award, acknowledging its pioneering role in supporting and implementing Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Lidl committed to an early investment of €50 million for deposit return and implemented a customer-first rollout, featuring two reverse vending machines per store.
The retailer’s innovations, including bulk deposit return machines, efficient backhauling, and the integration of charity donations, have set new standards in sustainable retail operations. To date, more than 300 million containers have been returned through Lidl’s scheme, marking a major milestone in Ireland’s circular economy journey.
Lidl’s achievement reflects the spirit of ‘resource’, showcasing how businesses can innovate, lead, and inspire change through practical sustainability in action. Their success, alongside the 12 other category winners, highlights how Irish organisations are rethinking how resources are used, reused, and valued. From community-led initiatives to circular design breakthroughs, this year’s winners demonstrate the creativity and leadership driving Ireland’s transition to a more resource-conscious future.
The Repak Resource Awards introduced two new categories this year, the Circular Community Award, and the Circular Design Award, celebrating the innovation and impact of communities and designers driving Ireland’s transition to a circular economy.
FoodCloud were awarded the Circular Community Award for tackling food waste and insecurity by redistributing surplus food and educating communities, and by building a nationwide network of community-led food-sharing initiatives grounded in circular economy principles.
Other category winners included KWD Recycling, Killarney, who were awarded the Waste Recovery Operator and Facility Award. One of Ireland’s largest family-owned recycling groups, KWD Recycling have invested in a new Killarney facility to recover recyclables from general waste, diverting over 10% of plastics and 50% of organics from disposal.
The Regional Waste Management Planning Offices were awarded the Environmental Education and Community Initiative Award, for their national campaign which reached over 822,000 people, promoting better waste segregation through research-led messaging, gamification, PR, and ambassador Donal Skehan.
Minister Alan Dillon, Minister for State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the Circular Economy commented: “Congratulations to all of this evening’s finalists and winners. Your achievements are a powerful reminder that innovation and the drive to do things better are thriving across every sector of society.
The work you do is paving the way for a more circular economy, delivering lasting benefits for our communities, our businesses, and our environment.”
Speaking at the 2025 Repak Resource Awards ceremony, Repak CEO, Zoe Kavanagh said: “We are delighted to celebrate this year’s award winners and to recognise the extraordinary efforts of businesses, organisations, and communities nationwide.
The standard of entrants, finalists, and winners was truly exceptional, reflecting best practice recycling, waste management, circular design, and grassroots environmental action.
I would like to thank our sponsors for their support and extend my congratulations to all our winners, especially the Overall Repak Resource Award for 2025, Lidl, for their exceptional leadership in environmental sustainability.”
The complete list of winners for the Repak Resource Awards 2025 includes:
·        Battery and WEEE Champion Award – Castletroy College, Limerick
·        Best Deposit Return Initiative Award – Lidl Ireland
·                       Best Single-Use Plastic Initiative Award – Glenpatrick Spring Water Ltd & Kilkenny Nutritional Ltd
·        Business Recycling Champion Award – Boots Ireland
·                       Circular Community Award – FoodCloud
·                       Circular Design Award – An Post
·        Environmental Education and Community Initiative Award – Regional Waste Management Planning Offices
·        ESG Leader Award – Jason Carolan, from Aldi Ireland
·        Innovation in Waste Resource Products or Services Award – Flamers Ltd, Mullingar
·        Tyre Champion Award – Addible Ltd
·                      Waste Recovery Operator and Facility Award – KWD Recycling, Killarney
·                     Waste Prevention Award – Rebox
The 2025 Repak Resource Awards are proudly sponsored by AMCS, Circol ELT, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, DNV, Environmental Protection Agency, European Recycling Platform, Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA), Local Authorities of Ireland, Panda, Repak Re-turn, and WEEE Ireland.
For more information, visit https://repak.ie/resource-awards

Galway’s Severe Weather Tech Goes National

Galway County Council and Galway Fire and Rescue Service have been recognised for leadership in emergency technology after their Severe Weather Event Management System (SWEMS) proved instrumental during Storm Eowyn and was recently showcased by Government as part of its storm review.

The local authority received the Best Local Government Authority Project Award at the 2025 Business Post Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards, held at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Developed in-house by Galway County Council and built on the ESRI ArcGIS platform, SWEMS provides emergency teams with a live, interactive map of severe weather events, enabling faster and more informed decision-making. The system also connects to public-facing platforms, including social media and a text alert service, giving residents real-time updates as conditions change.

“Up to now there has been a lag getting information, and we found we were behind the curve straight away,” said Paul Duffy, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer. “This system means all our information is there in front of us. From an organisational point of view, hours could be saved during severe weather and wildfire events.”

He continued, “The award recognises exceptional innovation in digital public service delivery, particularly in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather events. With national rollout now underway, the SWEMS team is proud that our technology is set to redefine how Ireland prepares for and responds to climate-driven emergencies.”

Michelle Hennelly, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer, confirmed that the system was recently demonstrated to the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment (DCEE) as part of its storm review. She also highlighted a multi-county exercise led by Galway at the National Emergency Coordination Centre (NECC), involving eight local authorities and coordinated by the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) under the Department of Defence.

“The exercise showed that SWEMS could be scaled across counties and departments with minimal cost,” Ms Hennelly added.

Project Lead Mackenzie Boland, from the council’s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) team, said SWEMS now underpins severe weather response for both Galway County and City Councils, supporting assessment teams and frontline crews alike.

Hennelly extended thanks to Michael Martin, Head of Information Systems at Galway County Council, and Barry Doyle, former GIS Lead, for their support throughout the project.

Skillnet Ireland to invest €80m in workforce development for businesses in 2026

Skillnet Ireland, the national workforce development agency, will receive a total of €54.2million in Budget 2026 to deliver skills supports to businesses throughout Ireland. Skillnet Ireland’s exchequer funding will be further bolstered by up to €26 million in private sector matched funding, amounting to a total investment of up to €80 million for workforce development within enterprise in 2026.
Speaking after the Budget announcement Skillnet Ireland Chairperson, Brendan McGinty said:
“This is an important investment in workforce development by Government as part of its support for Ireland’s businesses. Skillnet Ireland, which is industry led, continues to face growing and unprecedented demand for support by Irish enterprises in addressing their workforce development challenges and we continue to work closely with them to support them in that effort.
 
These strategic challenges continue to grow in the face of skills priorities, digital adoption, artificial intelligence, the green economy and the pressing need to boost productivity and innovation across all sectors. By working closely with enterprise, particularly SMEs, we will tailor and prioritise available funding supports to deliver impactful upskilling solutions that build resilience, innovation, and competitiveness, for businesses across the economy.”
Businesses of all sizes can avail of upskilling programmes and business supports through 70 Skillnet Business Networks and Skillnet National Initiatives. Skillnet Ireland will continue its strategic commitment to meet the talent and workforce development requirements of an increasingly digital future, foster the growth of a low-carbon and sustainable economy and to enhance the competitiveness of Irish businesses.
 
Mark Jordan, Skillnet Ireland Chief Executive, said: “The world of work continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and the ability of businesses to adapt depends on the skills of their people. As a knowledge-based economy nurturing our highly skilled workforce is central to our national competitiveness. Skillnet Ireland will continue our work with our partners across government, enterprise, and within the education sector, to address critical skills gaps, and enable employers fully capitalise on the opportunities presented by technological innovation, digitalisation and the green transition.”
To learn more about Skillnet Ireland visit www.skillnetireland.ie        
Skillnet Business Network search tool: https://www.skillnetireland.ie/our-networks/

NBA AND AWS ANNOUNCE NEW MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a multi-year partnership to power the league’s next generation of innovation as AWS will become the Official Cloud and Cloud AI Partner of the NBA and its affiliate leagues, including the WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League and NBA Take-Two Media.

As part of the partnership, the NBA and AWS will launch NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS, a new basketball intelligence platform that will turn billions of data points into compelling insights and interactive experiences, reimagining how fans engage with the game of basketball worldwide.

Built on AWS’s industry-leading AI infrastructure, the platform will introduce a suite of features that enhance live broadcasts and elevate fan experiences across the NBA App, NBA.com, and the league’s social channels.

“Partnering with AWS provides us with an opportunity to elevate the live game experience through innovation and offer fans a deeper understanding of the game of basketball for years to come,” said NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Media Operations and Technology Ken DeGennaro. “AWS has a proven track record of delivering unique statistical insights and offering transformative experiences that will resonate with NBA fans around the world.”

“At AWS, we’re excited by the NBA’s vision to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sports,” said Francessca Vasquez, Vice President of Professional Services & Agentic AI at AWS. “This partnership will showcase how cloud and AI can reimagine the game of basketball – from generating new insights to creating experiences that bring fans closer to the game they love. Together, we’re delivering technology that not only enhances live broadcasts and digital platforms, but also transforms how players, coaches, and fans understand basketball.”

AI-Powered Advanced Stats

The NBA will leverage AWS’s AI capabilities to provide fans with live stats and comprehensive analytics during games. This new advanced statistics platform processes the NBA’s player tracking data, which analyzes the movements of 29 data points per player using machine learning and AI to contextualize in-game developments and generate real-time insights. Fans can deepen their understanding of the game by accessing new statistics via the NBA App, NBA.com and during live NBA games, including during NBA on Prime broadcasts.

Throughout the 2025-26 season, the NBA and AWS will introduce new AI-powered stats that capture aspects of basketball performance that have not been measured previously, starting with:

 

  • Defensive Box Score: Reimagining Basketball’s Fundamental Metric
    Defensive Box Score quantifies individual defensive contributions that traditional statistics cannot measure. AI algorithms detect which defender is responsible for each offensive player in real-time. Once the primary defender is determined, the traditional box score can now be enhanced by identifying the defender at the time each stat was recorded. Additional new metrics like ball pressure, double teams and defensive switches can now be viewed and tallied as well.
  • Shot Difficulty: The Science of Shooting

Shot Difficulty transcends traditional make-or-miss statistics to evaluate every aspect of each shot attempt. The difficulty of attempted shots will be quantified with new stats such as Expected Field Goal % which takes into account various factors such as the shooter’s orientation and setup, defensive contest details related to pressure, interference, and each player’s positioning on the court. This new statistic gives fans a deeper appreciation for the skill and strategy behind every scoring attempt.

  • Gravity: Quantifying the Invisible Impact
    Gravity showcases what coaches and analysts have observed for years – how certain players create advantages for teammates simply by being on the court, even without touching the ball. This new stat measures the level of attention a player receives from the defense, including how closely they’re guarded with or without the ball, to quantify the amount of space they create for their teammates. This revolutionary system processes optical tracking data 60 times per second, using custom neural networks to analyze how defenders react to specific players, while factoring in real-time game context and historical data.

Transforming Basketball Intelligence

NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS will also feature a first-of-its-kind technology called “Play Finder,” which uses AI to analyze and understand player movements across thousands of games.  Utilizing AWS services such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, the feature will enable instant search and retrieval of similar plays, laying the foundation for future generative AI integrations built on player tracking data.  Play Finder will help fans and broadcasters learn common offensive strategies and explore deeper insights by combining play results with advanced analytics.

A real-time alert system within Play Finder will enable commentators to instantly provide historical context and strategic insights, making every live game more engaging, educational, and insightful for viewers.  NBA teams will have direct access to the ML models powering Play Finder to improve their front office and coaching workflows.

Future iterations of Play Finder will allow fans to explore basketball strategy with unprecedented depth on the NBA App.

Global Fan Engagement

The NBA App, NBA.com and NBA League Pass, delivering year-round NBA coverage and programming to fans around the world, will run on AWS. Through this partnership with AWS, the NBA will accelerate basketball’s growth worldwide by offering fans new and unique opportunities to understand team strategy and the concepts that lead to execution on the court. Additionally, the NBA and AWS will deliver in-language content and personalized experiences to fans across platforms.

The NBA’s partnership with AWS broadens its strategic relationship with Amazon. This season marks the start of Prime Video’s landmark 11-year media rights agreement with 67 regular-season NBA matchups streaming on Prime Video globally, and a suite of new interactive features set to debut.  The first night of the NBA on Prime will feature a doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 24 during the first week of the season, with the Celtics visiting the Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Lakers hosting the Timberwolves (10 p.m. ET) in two rematches from the NBA Playoffs 2025.

National Women’s Enterprise Day 2025 is announced

This year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day has been launched.  The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) aimed at inspiring and supporting female entrepreneurs and women in business will take place across the country on Thursday 16th October.

Last year saw a record-breaking number of attendees sign up for the day with 2,200 taking part across the country.  This year there will be 15 events nationwide on National Women’s Enterprise Day with some of Ireland’s best known female entrepreneurs and women in business sharing their stories of challenges and success.

Some of those involved in the events across the country this year include broadcaster and entrepreneur, Norah Casey, international human rights lawyer Joanna Frivet, author and psychologist, Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, designer Helen Steele, entrepreneur Oonagh O’Hagan, home and food influencer, Sarah Butler, Hotelier Sammie Leslie, fitness influencer, Kellie Fennell and stylist and presenter Sonya Lennon.

The launch took place at one of the event venues, Gloster House in Birr, County Offaly and featured a selection of LEO supported female led businesses including sisters Hope Hayes and Angelina Sheridan of Flaunta, Emma Duffy of My Little Tooth Fairy and Nicola Lyons of Bánór.

The events will cover a wide range of topics for women at every stage of business.   That might be those who have an idea they want to develop or those who have been in business for a while and want to diversify or enter new markets.  There will be experts on all areas involved from funding and networking to marketing and upskilling.

For more information on National Women’s Enterprise Day and what events are on go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED

Top Tools to Verify Your Degree or Diploma Online

These days, you can easily deal with fake diplomas without even knowing. The truth is that people are indeed trying to show fake degrees and diplomas, in an effort to obtain a better job. However, for your business that can be very problematic. You must figure out how to identify whether a person is lying about their diploma or degree.

If you are dealing with a liar, that could bring problems for your business in the long run. That’s why using tools which help identify a fake degree can be a very good idea. Here’s a list with some of the top tools you can use to verify degrees and diplomas.

Why is it important to verify degrees?

  • It allows you to prevent fraud, which a lot of people are focused on doing if they want a specific job. They will go to the ends of the world to fake their degree or diploma just to get a high-paying job. 
  • Plus, verifying degrees offers you a very good way of protecting your reputation, something that will help quite a lot.
  • It also gives you the means to streamline your recruitment naturally, something that will help more than expected.
  • Additionally, it gives you global mobility, a thing that will help more than expected.
  • With help from degree verification, you will be able to ensure competence, which is indeed something you have to focus on.

Thankfully, there’s no shortage of tools you can use when it comes to verifying degrees. That’s why the list below is helpful, as it will make it easier to verify degrees quickly and effectively. Once you start using these tools, you won’t have to worry about any downsides or problems in the long term.

Verifile

Verifile is a global database that covers many fraudulent institutions and diploma mills. It has extensive records of fake providers, and it works closely with some of the top background screening companies. It’s crucial for those that want to detect fraud, and it works extremely well. Not only that, but a lot of people appreciate this because it’s very effective at helping you find any fake diploma or degree. Overall, it does a stellar job at narrowing down whether a diploma is real or not, and that truly becomes a solid option to consider.

Parchment

It’s an US-based fake diploma finder and it will help you particularly with credential verification, along with transcripts. It’s very effective at integrating with applicant tracking systems and it has connections with a plethora of universities and schools. With that in mind, it has a very fast turnaround, and the online system they are using is very user-friendly.

The downside is that it mostly focuses on the US, and prices are on the high side. That being said, the fact that it focuses on transcripts is handy, and it certainly helps make the experience better and more cohesive. All in all, the value for money is excellent, and you will find it to convey good results, overall.

Digitary

Digitary is a good service for those that want to verify academic credentials. It uses the blockchain for credential storage, and it has instant verification using secure links. On top of that, in order to maintain a high level of accuracy, they have partnerships with a variety of higher education institutions found all over the world. 

That being said, employers don’t always have to pay, the issuing costs are covered by institutions. Since the upside is that you get results very fast, it’s one of the top-tier solutions for verifying credentials, and it does work much better than expected. Overall, the value is certainly there, and for the most part, you will be impressed with the consistent value for money delivered here.

Truecopy Credentials

It’s one of the more popular credential checkup services, and it’s partnered with a multitude of universities. They also provide secure delivery for digital documents, not to mention a plethora of institutions from all over the world are using this, which is indeed a major plus. That being said, you have prices that vary based on the customer requirements, and they can add up at times.

It’s limited to mostly transcript verification, although they are doing some credential verifications in there as well. And additionally, it can be great for those that apply abroad, as it is a thing you have to consider. Sure, it might not be as popular outside of the academic circles, but it’s a solid option for credential verification.

Accredible

The Accredible platform is designed to verify diplomas and digital certificates coming from academic institutions. Simply put, if someone has a fake diploma or degree, this is one of the top tools for you to verify its accuracy. It uses blockchain-secured credentials and QR solutions to streamline the way everything works. Plus, it offers secure verification and it certainly helps remove any worries about forgery. These days, it’s a great idea to use it, just because there are so many scammers you have to deal with.

Qualification Check

Unlike most of the other companies, this one is from the UK. However, it has a global reach and it covers over 190 countries. It will help verify credentials and diplomas, along with training certificates, professional licenses and higher education certificates. It will cost anywhere from $20 to $60 to do a verification. 

Generally, you can see the results in around 5 to 10 days, and the user interface is really simple. That being said, you will notice that costs always add up, especially when it comes to verifying people in bulk. Despite all of that, we think that this is an exceptional tool with a great value for money and stellar feature sets. 

World Education Services

It’s one of the top evaluation services of degrees. Sure, it is on the costly side, but they do work directly with universities to figure out if there are any fake diplomas or degrees. That does come in handy, and it shows the exceptional value you get from something like this. And for the most part, the ROI you can expect in these cases is among some of the best.

That being said, there are some downsides to WES as well. One of them is the fact that costs are high, and processing takes multiple weeks. That’s because they work directly with universities, so it will not be something instant.

National Student Clearinghouse

You will notice this is a solid service, especially if you are very serious about hiring reliable people and not those with a fake degree. It can verify degrees, transcripts and many others. On top of that, they provide results very fast, and since it’s a nonprofit, they are more trustworthy when compared to other companies. Keep in mind that coverage outside of the US is rather limited.

If you want to make sure that you hire the right people, you want to verify their degree and diplomas. You never know when and how people may want to lie. These things happen a lot more often than you realize. So it makes a lot of sense to focus on the diplomas, figure out if people lie or not, and then go from there. In the end, you can never be too careful, so verifying degrees and diplomas is extremely important!

Over 6,500 Irish SMEs directly helped by National Enterprise Hub in its first 12 months

Over 6,500 SMEs have been directly supported by the all-of-Government National Enterprise Hub (NEH) in the first 12 months since its launch.

The top grants availed of by businesses ranged in value from €3,000 to €7,000 and  focused on supporting businesses with cashflow, expansion and productivity to help them deal with concerns around rising costs, and competitiveness.

The National Enterprise Hub has attracted over 220,000 active online users to its website over the last 12 months and also offers a full-time dedicated phone line, connecting business owners with specialist advisors who can discuss potential grant options over the phone.

The National Enterprise Hub, an initiative of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and Enterprise Ireland, brings together information and resources on over 250 Government supports from 30 different Departments and State Agencies. Looking ahead, there will be a continued and renewed focus on simplifying business grant applications for SMEs engaging with the National Enterprise Hub.

The businesses are from a range of industries however the majority fall within Tourism & Hospitality, retail & consumer products, food, health & beauty, professional services and the construction sector. This free service makes it easier and more efficient for businesses to access and avail of supports such as grants, funding, loans and expert advice across a range of sectors.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said “With over 6,500 companies engaging in its first 12 months, the National Enterprise Hub has proven effective in streamlining and simplifying access for SMEs to government supports, equipping them with vital digital and sustainability resources to navigate rising costs and stay competitive.

Research from my Department shows that four in five businesses believe sustainability is important. An awareness campaign is currently underway showcasing how the NEH can support businesses in cutting costs through grants such as the LEO’s Energy Efficiency Grant and SEAI’s Business Energy Upgrade Scheme.

My focus now with the NEH is on reducing administrative burdens and red tape for businesses by consolidating multiple grant applications into a single, simplified process. We must redouble our efforts to simplify processes for businesses and make sure that we think about small businesses first. I look forward to its continued growth and positive impact on Irish SMEs.”

Conor O’Donovan, Head of Start-Ups and the National Enterprise Hub, said: “SME engagement with the National Enterprise Hub has met and exceeded our targets to date, supporting 6,500 businesses within our first year of operation. One of the main aims of the Hub was to engage with businesses who haven’t availed of government supports to date and to make the process of availing of government supports faster and easier.”

“We know that Irish SMEs are operating in a complex environment and being able to access grants and supports is more important than ever. Small businesses who are engaging with the National Enterprise Hub are concerned about rising cost of business and competitiveness – that is why a single source of government supports for businesses is important to ensure that accessing the right information is made easier.

The National Enterprise Hub has a team of dedicated advisors who are directing SMEs to the right support that will help them. It’s for every business in the country and we’d encourage every business to go online to neh.gov.ie or pick up the phone and start the conversation around your business needs today.”

Audrey Hughes, CEO ofPrinciple HR said: “Like so many Irish SMEs, we are focused on providing the highest quality of service delivery to our customers, while remaining competitive. Accessing government supports to assist can feel daunting but the National Enterprise Hub made the process so much easier by putting us in contact with the right agency whose support and expertise fitted our needs. Through our initial engagement with the National Enterprise Hub, Principle HR is now an Enterprise Ireland client and in a short period of time our business has been helped through the strategic marketing review support and engagement with their overseas market advisors. With the business environment constantly changing, I’d encourage all SMEs no matter what stage they are on their growth journey to contact the NEH today to learn about what supports could be available to them.”

 

Top Supports Availed of by SMEs through National Enterprise Hub:

•    Dept of Social Protection: Wage Subsidy Scheme

•    Dept of Social Protection: Jobs Plus Subsidy

•    Enterprise Ireland: Pre-Seed Start Fund

•    Enterprise Ireland: New Frontiers Programme

•    Enterprise Ireland/LEO: Innovation Vouchers

•    LEO: Energy Efficiency Grant

•    LEO: Mentoring

•    LEO: Start Your Own Business Programme

•    LEO: Grow Digital Voucher

•    MicroFinance Ireland: Start-up Loan

•    Revenue: Start-Up Relief for Entrepreneurs SURE

•    SBCI: Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme

•    SBCI: Leasing and Hire Purchase

•    SEAI: Exceed Grant Scheme

•    Skillnet Ireland: Skillnet Business Networks

•    Skillnet: Mentoring

•    Solas: SOLAS Micro-Qualifications

 

The Hub team can be contacted through the website (www.neh.gov.ie), email enquiry@neh.gov.ie  or by phone (01 727 2100), where users can engage directly with an advisor.

Understanding NIST CSF 2.0: 6 Essential Updates for Cybersecurity Professionals

Cybersecurity is ever-evolving. With technology advancing, so does the threat of hackers, and it is critical that organizations remain ahead. Hackers constantly uncover new methods of penetrating vulnerabilities, and businesses must be agile to protect sensitive information, systems, and infrastructure.

So, to help organizations reinforce their defenses, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released version 2.0 of the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). Version 2.0 introduces improvements that enable enterprises to enhance their security, meet requirements, and manage risks more effectively.

Cybersecurity professionals must be familiar with NIST CSF 2.0. The revision includes significant changes that impact how companies approach cybersecurity, from supply chain security and governance to more implementation guidance.

Whether your business is a multinational or local company, these updates provide helpful information for improving security. This article looks at the six most essential changes in NIST CSF 2.0.

 

1. Expanded Scope Beyond Critical Infrastructure

 

When NIST CSF was first released, it aimed at critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, transportation, and healthcare. They were classified as at high risk for cyberattacks, so cybersecurity was a priority. 

However, since threats in cyberspace have evolved, it has become clear that all enterprises across any industry segment and size confront serious security threats. CSF 2.0 expands the scope from critical infrastructure to address this, calling all enterprises in all industries to adopt its standards.

This broader application means that companies that once thought the framework did not apply now have a systematic and tried-and-tested method for enhancing cybersecurity. Whether your company is a small startup with customer information, a medium-sized business with financial transactions, or a multinational organization with sophisticated networks, NIST CSF 2.0 gives your organization specific guidance that can be applied to strengthen your defenses. 

2. New Govern Function Added

The most significant change in NIST CSF 2.0 is the introducing of a sixth function: “Govern.” The framework was initially defined around five core functions—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—focused principally on operational security controls.

So, with ever more advanced cybersecurity threats, organizations need more than technological defenses alone. They need effective leadership, good policies, and sound decision-making. The governance function was added to satisfy these needs and enable cybersecurity at the highest organizational level.

This new position places cybersecurity in the hands of business leaders, executives, and decision-makers, not in IT teams’ exclusive control. It focuses more on risk management, accountability, and alignment with business objectives so that planning for security is not something apart but is fully included in a company’s overall business.

By concentrating on governance, CSF 2.0 encourages proactive, as opposed to reactive, organizational behavior, reducing the likelihood of breaches and increasing long-term resilience. With this addition, cybersecurity is now firmly established as a core business priority, as opposed to being the exclusive concern of IT.

3. Stronger Focus on Supply Chain Security

Cyberattacks now go beyond directly attacking enterprises—oftentimes, they hit weaknesses in third-party suppliers, service providers, and vendors. A compromised partner can have a ripple effect, compromising an entire network. In response to this growing threat, NIST CSF 2.0 focuses much more on supply chain security, forcing enterprises to take a more formal and proactive approach.

With this update, firms should be able to identify prospective threats in their supply chain, establish definite cybersecurity standards for their suppliers, and monitor third-party security procedures regularly. This is especially vital for highly outsourced industries, as hackers target more minor, less secure suppliers to penetrate larger entities.

4. Improved Alignment with Other Frameworks

Various organizations with many security frameworks exist, such as ISO 27001, CIS Controls, and COBIT. Compliance with many such frameworks is cumbersome, but NIST CSF 2.0 makes aligning with them more directly easier.

Also, this increased alignment allows organizations to integrate CSF 2.0 with existing security programs without unnecessary duplication. If your organization is already implementing another security framework, adopting CSF 2.0 will supplement what you’re doing and won’t add additional work. This transition is especially valuable for companies that must comply with numerous regulatory requirements as it provides one unified method for cybersecurity.

5. More Guidance for Implementation

One of the most intimidating challenges with cybersecurity frameworks is knowing how to use them. NIST CSF 2.0 addresses this challenge by being more prescriptive in guidance and using real-world examples. Businesses now get more detailed descriptions of security, more concrete guidance for deploying the framework, and more examples showing how companies can improve their security.

Therefore, this transparency increases the usability of CSF 2.0, even for companies that do not possess in-depth cybersecurity expertise. Instead of listing general principles, the framework lists specific actions companies can take. This update provides a template for securing themselves without guesswork for companies that do not possess implementation skills.

6. Emphasis on Continuous Improvement

Cybersecurity is never a one-time activity—it is an ongoing process. NIST CSF 2.0 reinforces this idea by emphasizing continuous improvement. Companies should regularly update their security, monitor emerging threats, and modify their methods in reaction to new risks.

This adjustment recognizes that cyber threats never stop changing. Yesterday’s solution is not today’s solution. With a culture of continuous improvement, companies can stay proactive against emerging means of attack and limit their exposure to breaches. CSF 2.0 allows companies to establish a dynamic security program that adapts and does not remain static and ineffective.

Final Thoughts

The release of NIST CSF 2.0 is a significant leap forward in cybersecurity. With more scope, a new “Govern” function, increased supply chain security, better framework alignment, more guidance, and a focus on continuous improvement, this update benefits all organization sizes in strengthening their defenses.

If you work in cybersecurity, now is the time to adopt NIST CSF 2.0. It can protect your organization, meet compliance, and stay ahead in today’s ever-changing threat landscape.

 

NSAI holding Ireland’s first ever Time & Sync Forum

The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), in conjunction with their partners Data Edge, Timing Solutions and HEAnet, are hosting Ireland’s inaugural Time & Sync Forum today, 11th Feb 2025, in Santry, Dublin. The event is bringing together a number of leading authorities in timing and synchronisation from Ireland, the UK and the European Commission to discuss key topics and policies relating to critical infrastructure on the island of Ireland.

Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies play a crucial role in modern economies, and enable over 10% of Europe’s annual GDP, or more than €14 trillion*. Major industries such as communications, energy, transportation, public services and financial services are increasingly reliant on precise timing and timing distribution to deliver their services.

Commenting on the event, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD said, “Position, Navigation and Timing technologies are a core part of the work of a number of industries that are cornerstones of the Irish economy. Earlier this year, the Programme for Government committed to delivering a strong enterprise and fiscal framework to support competitiveness and the growth of a strong industrial base which has created jobs, grown exports, promoted innovation, and raised our standard of living. I warmly welcome this event, focussed on building on the launch of the National Timing Grid, and its role in advancing Ireland’s domestic capabilities to support industry.”

Following on from the successful launch of Ireland’s first National Timing Grid in 2023, the NSAI is hosting the Forum to promote the continuing need for Ireland to have as much control over its timing infrastructure as possible, including the potential replacement of Greenwich Mean Time with a domestic equivalent.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Leon Lobo, Head of the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme at Britain’s National Physical Laboratory, who is delivering its national timing strategy.  Dr. Lukasz Bonenberg, Space Programmes Policy and Scientific Officer, Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission, will also provide his expertise having worked on Galileo, the EU’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Between them, Drs. Lobo and Bonenberg will provide an important overview of PNT resiliency across Europe.

Along with Data Edge, Timing Solutions and HEAnet, NSAI are currently working on enhancing Ireland’s PNT capabilities through the National Timing Grid and the distribution of verified global GNSS data to support compliance with the upcoming EU NIS2 Directive. This update to the EU’s original Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive significantly expands cybersecurity obligations for critical infrastructure sectors.

NSAI’s National Metrology Laboratory (NML), based in Glasnevin, maintains the reference measurement standards for Time & Frequency and contribute their atomic clock data to the International Bureau for Weights and Measures (BIPM) who maintain and calculate Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Whilst Legal Time in Ireland is under the remit of the Department of Justice, the internationally accepted representation of the second in Ireland is maintained by the NSAI’s NML.

David Fleming, National Standards Authority of Ireland, Technical Manager for Time, said, “We expect this important gathering to provide valuable insights which help us to inform policy development at a Governmental level and outline the requirements for investment in key timing infrastructure for the country. In a time of disruption and major technological advancements, Ireland needs to be as self-sufficient in this area as possible, while also aligning fully with our international counterparts.”

 “With this event, we are aiming to draw in and engage as many interested stakeholders as possible to determine the requirements across the diverse sectors dependent upon precise timing.”