Tag: professionals

Digital Nomads in Ireland: Why Tech Professionals Are Choosing Flexible, Fully-Serviced Workspaces

In recent years, digital nomads have flocked Ireland because of its strong digital infrastructure and established tech culture. Ireland is already a traditional hub for established tech companies, and with the growing presence of digital nomads, it has become even more renowned in terms of attracting businesses from all over the world.

Digital nomads who decide to stay in Ireland immediately look for reliable environments such as serviced offices Dublin. These spaces promise stable internet connectivity, secure facilities, and ready-to-use workstations that meet the expectations of different professionals from developers, engineers, designers, analysts, to tech-driven entrepreneurs.

For digital nomads, it’s very important to have a fully serviced workspace. After all, their productivity depends on it. They need to be able to preserve momentum so they can always perform at their best.

Why Ireland Appeals to Digital Nomads

Ireland is very attractive to digital nomads because it is recognized as one of Europe’s most resilient digital economies. This means that digital nomads can always count on having a seamless experience during their stay in Ireland.

This is guaranteed by strong broadband coverage, high cloud adoption rates, and the fact that the country has invested significantly in digital transformation, thus making its cities more than capable of meeting the various needs of digital nomads in different niches.

Aside from these things, Ireland provides a balanced environment for digital nomads. After all, it has a very strong tech sector that guarantees access to innovation networks at all times. Plus, the country’s welcoming culture is a major advantage for independent professionals. 

This is because it eradicates the stress that comes with adjusting to a different culture that might just affect an individual’s overall performance. Not having to worry about this helps guarantee productivity and success in all work-related endeavors.

Flexible Workspaces as a Strategic Choice

The flexible workplace culture is now on the rise. Remote workers these days need to structure how their every day of work looks like.

The productivity of digital nomads relies heavily on having access to spaces that are designed for sustained technical output instead of improvised setups. With access to fully-serviced workspaces, digital nomads will have everything they need to work effectively and efficiently daily.

With these features, digital nomads get to experience what many professionals are used to in full-scale office settings. The one advantage of this setup is that it offers more freedom and independence from the toxicity that defines traditional office life.

Flexibility and structure are the main selling points of serviced offices. Sure, cafés or short-term home setups work. However, there will come a time when these are no longer sustainable. After all, digital nomads are more efficient when they have everything they need in one space.

Stability, Security, and Professionalism

Serviced workspaces offer something very important that digital nomads must never compromise on: stability, security, and professionalism. These days, cybersecurity is a major concern for tech professionals. After all, they handle confidential information and run code that must not be interrupted on a daily basis. 

Plus, there are times when they are part of operational discussions that require a controlled setting. It’s a good thing that Ireland’s serviced workspaces provide security systems, controlled access points, and consistent tech support. These are the non-negotiables that digital nomads will not be able to get elsewhere.

With this kind of stability, professionalism is enhanced. After all, digital nomads are able to meet client expectations more effectively. Plus, there will be no productivity gaps that usually stem from inconsistent environments.

A Long-Term Foundation for Remote Careers

Digital nomadism is no longer a niche lifestyle. It is a legitimate and rapidly expanding segment of the global workforce, strengthened by the widespread acceptance of remote operations across industries. Ireland’s readiness for this shift, combined with its supportive digital infrastructure, places it among the top choices for mobile professionals.

Flexible, fully serviced workspaces allow digital nomads to sustain long-term remote careers without disruptions. They offer a balanced ecosystem where mobility, professionalism, and technical reliability coexist. For many tech professionals who arrive in Ireland ready to work, the ability to step into a stable environment from day one is not simply a convenience but a strategic advantage.

Equifax launches International AI Innovation Lab in Ireland

Equifax has announced the opening of its state-of-the-art AI Innovation Lab at its operation in Wexford, Ireland, a new facility dedicated to advancing the company’s global artificial intelligence research and development. The new Lab builds on the company’s more than 10-year history of AI innovation and expands its global team of over 1,200 data and analytics professionals.

This investment, supported by the Irish Government, through IDA Ireland, will serve as a global hub for innovation, bringing together highly skilled data and technology specialists to create next-generation AI solutions that enhance decision-making, improve customer and consumer experiences, and help global organisations reduce risk.

The AI Innovation Lab will focus on developing advanced AI models, machine learning algorithms, Research and Development, and data analytics tools to address complex challenges faced by businesses and consumers. For its initial phase, the lab will concentrate on AI-driven solutions for credit risk assessment that can augment decision-making for fintechs and financial institutions. These innovations will leverage advanced AI to provide affordability and creditworthiness insights, helping more people access mainstream financial opportunities and driving greater financial inclusion. This includes enhancing fraud detection, improving credit risk assessment, optimising marketing strategies, and strengthening cybersecurity measures.

The lab will play an important role in advancing the Equifax global EFX.AI strategy, furthering the company’s ongoing innovation and the development of data-driven solutions that can help open up new financial opportunities for consumers.

Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy TD, said: “The Equifax decision to establish its AI Innovation Lab in Wexford is a powerful vote of confidence in Wexford and the South East Region, this investment highlights the highly skilled workforce and culture of innovation on offer in Wexford for companies that wish to expand their offering globally.”

Paul Heywood, Chief Data & Analytics Officer for Equifax Europe, commented: “Our new AI Innovation Lab is designed to empower financial institutions with the tools needed to make smarter, faster, and more confident credit decisions, helping more consumers live their financial best. Through the AI Innovation Lab, and by harnessing our unique data and insights within  the Equifax Cloud, we are committed to delivering secure, reliable, and innovative best-in-class solutions for businesses and consumers alike.

Driving AI innovation is a key EFX2027 Strategic Priority. We are incredibly excited to expand our Wexford team through this investment and have immense confidence in the calibre and expertise of the marketplace in Ireland and specifically in the South East, as evidenced by our thirty-year presence in Wexford town.”

Deirdre O’Connor, Head of Regional Development, IDA Ireland said: ‘I wish to congratulate Equifax on the opening of this AI Innovation lab. Artificial Intelligence is a key growth driver in IDA Ireland’s new strategy ‘Adapt Intelligently.’ The Equifax decision to expand its presence in Wexford is a testament to Ireland’s position as a hub for global innovation and AI. I am delighted that this will bring Equifax employment in Wexford to 100 employees and would like to wish them every success with this AI Innovation Lab.’’ 

The official opening on 10 September 2025 brought together senior Equifax leaders, Raghu Kulkarni, Chief AI Officer; Ritu Sharma, SVP, Global AI Governance and Model Risk Management; Elizabeth Chapman, VP Operations, Transformation and Change; and Paul Heywood, Chief Data and Analytics Officer for Equifax UK; as well as government representatives, and industry stakeholders including IDA Ireland.

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.

 

Salesforce Report: 95% of service professionals in Ireland using AI say it saves them time

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, today released the new State of Service report, sharing insights from over 5,500 service professionals across 30 countries — including 100 from Ireland.

The report covers the priorities, challenges, and strategies shaping customer service, including how service teams are tapping AI and data to increase revenue, efficiency, and customer satisfaction amid rising customer expectations.

Key insights from the research include:

  • Organisations Lean into AI to Boost Efficiencies. To scale service without sacrificing quality, organisations are increasingly turning to AI.
    • 95% of service professionals in Ireland using AI say it saves them time
    • 73% of service organisations in Ireland are using or evaluating AI
    • 85% of service organisations in Ireland plan to increase AI investments this year
    • Top 3 service use cases for AI in Ireland: Customer-facing intelligent assistants, agent-facing intelligent assistants and service responses.

  • Service Organisations Double-Down on Revenue Generation. The trend of viewing service as a revenue driver instead of a cost centre is accelerating, and service teams are making investments to scale.
    • 83% of organisations in Ireland expect service to contribute more revenue this year
    • 68% of service organisations in Ireland expect more budget this year
    • 75% of service organisations in Ireland expect more headcount this year

  • Escalating Demands Pressure Service Teams. As customer expectations rise, service agents are feeling the squeeze.
    • Service agents in Ireland spend an average of just 33% of their time helping customers
    • 78% of service organisations in Ireland expect higher case volume next year
    • 90% of service professionals in Ireland say customers are more demanding than they used to be

  • Service Boosts Its Data Capabilities. Service organisations are ramping up their data integration efforts to fuel human agents and AI systems.
    • 93% of service professionals in Ireland say better access to data from other teams would improve support
    • 84% of service organisations in Ireland are increasing investment in data integration this year

“The power of data and AI, is enabling Irish service and field service teams to be more proactive and productive,“ said Paul O’ Sullivan, SVP Solution Engineering and CTO Salesforce UKI.

“We’re seeing a strategic shift within businesses, with teams deflecting more issues with smarter self-service, and devoting more time and energy to generating revenue.”

Methodology
Salesforce conducted a double-anonymous survey of over 5,500 service professionals between December 8, 2023, and January 22, 2024. Respondents were sourced from 30 countries and roles including service operations, service agents, mobile workers, service managers/directors, and service leadership/head of service.

Additional methodology and survey demographic details can be found in the report.

For more information:

Employee burnout is cybersecurity professionals’ greatest fear amidst rising cyber threats

Integrity360, the UK and Ireland’s largest cyber security services specialist, together with its partner and leading vendor in AI-driven threat detection and response, Vectra, today announced new findings from a Twitter poll exploring critical cyber security threats. The poll found that 35% of cyber security professionals cited employee burnout as the most concerning issue amongst increasing cyber threats.

This comes as cyber security teams are put under mounting pressure to tackle the complexity of the modern hybrid enterprise and the necessity to protect corporate data wherever it resides. In fact, almost 63% of respondents highlighted security of data as being most important to their organisation when establishing the need for effective cyber security services. Of lesser concern was securing reputation (19%), productivity (12%) and saving money (7%).

The good news is that organisations are looking to implement critical security measures to ensure greater threat detection and response in 2023, with identity and access management (29.9%) and cloud security (29.7%) on top of the agenda, followed by network (19.6%) and endpoint security (20.6%).

As businesses look to new ways to detect and contain threats that have bypassed preventative security controls, Integrity360 and Vectra have partnered to extend its existing threat detection and response service portfolio, delivering network detection and response and critically, cloud, SaaS and identity detection and response capabilities with the launch of the Vectra Managed Detection and Response Services.

Richard Ford, CTO at Integrity360, said: “Analysts are facing severe burnout from alert fatigue and Security Operations Centre (SOC) overwhelm, and organisations are lacking the experience, skills and bandwidth needed to detect and manage security incidents and data – quickly and effectively. The integration of Vectra into our MDR service is a game changer. It allows us to provide a full end to end capability to monitor and proactively hunt threats across the entire hybrid enterprise, delivering advanced Threat Detection and Threat Response services and relieving SOC teams overwhelmed by noise.”

When questioned on the best approaches to future-proof the security of their organisation, 52% of respondents to the poll pointed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as the best means.

The new Vectra Managed Detection and Response Service (MDR) augments the SOC with AI and ML capabilities, adopting behavioural based detection instead of reliance on static or signature-based detection alone. AI combines an understanding of the environment with threat models, and human threat intelligence, to automatically surface the threats, allowing for an 85% increase in efficiency of threat identification and a 2x rise in security operations productivity.

The service enables organisations to detect and respond to threats across Cloud, SaaS, Identity and Network, removing critical blind spots and stopping cyber-attacks before they become breaches through Vectra’s Attack Signal Intelligence, which continuously monitors for use of attacker methods and learns the customers unique environment.

Garry Veale, Regional Director UKI, Vectra, commented: “The partnership sets us apart from the ‘catch and dispatch’, ‘detect and notify’ type providers, by enabling us to proactively hunt threats within the customer environment, integrating with enforcement points, identity, perimeter, and endpoint for effective and rapid response in the event of an active threat. This approach signifies a huge breakthrough in MDR services, and we are excited to see how the partnership evolves.”