Tag: tech

Only a third of CIOs cite cyber-risk mitigation as a performance measure

While 94% of CIOs acknowledge some form of serious threat over the next 12 months, only 27% list business continuity and resilience as a top-three priority during the next 12 months and barely a third cite risk mitigation as a measure of performance. These findings come from the 2021 Global CIO Survey from Logicalis, a global provider of IT solutions.  

 The study which surveyed 1,000 CIOs from around the world, finds that nearly half of respondents (47%) see data breaches as the biggest risk to their organisation (an increase of 6% from last year). Following data breaches, CIOs state malware and ransomware (39%) as other key areas of concern. 

 The perceived risk of a data breach is likely to have risen due to the increase in borderless workforces as employees continue to work from home or adopt hybrid working practices. When they occur, data breaches can lead to a range of issues from loss of business-critical data and stalled business growth, and in the most serious cases – the complete shutdown of a business. 

 Less than a third of CIOs (30%) cite lack of staff awareness as a security issue, down from 50% last year. This perceived improvement in staff awareness is due in part to an emphasised investment in additional training and technology measures to mitigate security risks. In fact, over 50% of CIOs state their organisations invested in employee security training this year, likely to help prevent data breaches originating from employee activity.  

 Other areas of investment include:  

·         Security technology – 66%  

·         Business continuity planning – 40%  

·         Third-party support through expert MSPs– 35% 

 

However, CIOs still feel their organisations have a long way to go in investing in comprehensive security measures. Despite the rapidly increasing cybersecurity risks, more than half of businesses (55%) have yet to adopt a cyber-attack recovery plan.  

 Mark Benson, CTO of Logicalis UKI, said: “The pandemic led to a rapid shift to remote business frameworks and forced many organisations to set up temporary network security solutions in reaction to the larger cyber threat surface. One key element of the hybrid working structure is making sure everything stays secure—a task that is challenging in a decentralised workspace. Many measures have been implemented, but more action is needed to secure remote workers and increase business resilience. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Adopting a holistic cybersecurity plan ensures businesses are prepared for cyber-attacks and can quickly recover and resume critically affected systems and technologies. With a comprehensive plan, created with advice from a trusted partner, companies can rest assured, knowing they’re protected.” 

 For more information, and to explore additional key findings from the 2021 Logicalis Global CIO Survey, visit here. 

Zinkworks establishes software engineering hub in Co. Donegal

Zinkworks, a Telecoms & Financial Services Research & Development company has announced the establishment of a software engineering hub in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny I.T. Campus in Letterkenny Co. Donegal, creating 50 new jobs over the next 18 months.

Zinkworks was founded in 2018 and currently employs 180 people at its head office in Athlone Co. Westmeath. The company’s focus is primarily in research and development in Telecommunications, particularly on 5G, where it works with world leading clients, delivering its own portfolio of products to market.

This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD said “Congratulations to the Zinkworks team on this expansion which will see the creation of 50 new jobs over the next 18 months. This investment is a testament to the wealth of talent Letterkenny has to offer and indeed the hard work of the existing head office team in Athlone. The very best of luck.”

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Donegal T.D., Charlie McConalogue said “The establishment of a hub by Zinkworks in Letterkenny and the creation of 50 jobs in Donegal is a vote of confidence by the company and the IDA in Donegal and rural Ireland and will be a great support to the Letterkenny economy. I welcome this announcement and wish Zinkworks the best on its expansion.”

Paul Madden CEO of Zinkworks said: “As part of our ‘Bring the office to our people’ strategy, we are delighted to announce that we are opening a new branch in Letterkenny in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny I.T. Campus. Since our launch four years ago, we’ve grown to a 180 person company in our head office in Athlone and today marks an exciting new step on our journey. We work with some of the biggest companies in the world and are developing our own product portfolio in Telecommunications.”

Aileen Cramer, COO of Zinkworks said “The key to our success is our people. We build an environment where people can grow and be at their best. Instead of asking people to commute to us or asking them to work from home all the time, we’re bringing our office to where our people are.  We’re delighted to be in Letterkenny and look forward our future here.”

Denis Curran, Head of Regions, Property and Enterprise Development at IDA Ireland said “The decision by Zinkworks to establish a software engineering hub in Co Donegal is very welcome news.

It is a strong endorsement of the high quality talent pool available in Donegal and across the North West region. It also demonstrates IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to winning jobs and investment for regional locations. I wish Zinkworks every success with their new investment”

The Letterkenny hub will provide software development services including 5G network consulting, 5G network deployment, telecommunications R&D, and ICT consultancy.  These 50 new roles will be across the areas of senior and mid-level software developers as well as a graduate programme.

For more information visit https://zinkworks.com/

15 Irish Schools First in Europe to Achieve Digital Education Award

A group of 15 schools from across Ireland have been recognised for their use of digital technology at the European Digital Schools Awards, an ambitious new educational initiative which aims to establish cross-border networks and learning.

As some of first to take part in the initiative, the group of Irish schools helped set the benchmark for others to follow. They were officially recognised for their digital education strategy at an event held at University College Dublin today (Monday 28 March), where the Minister of Education, Norma Foley, congratulated schools on their achievements via video.

The European Digital Schools Awards encourages and recognises innovation, collaboration, and skills development in the digital sphere. With support from the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme, leading technology companies such as HP and AMD, and a number of national education agencies, it is the only initiative of its kind in Europe and is aimed at providing pupils with the skills they need to flourish in the modern world.

A total of 100 secondary schools in five European countries took part in the pilot programme, with just 79 receiving the top award.

Following the success of the pilot, the initiative is now being made available to all schools in Ireland, Scotland, Lithuania, Serbia, and Slovenia, with plans also in motion to roll out the programme more widely across Europe.  As the programme expands, it will provide teachers and educational leaders with greater access to support and the opportunity to take learnings from other countries.

To achieve European Digital Schools status, schools must use the European Commission’s SELFIE self-reflection tool to assess their digital learning and teaching practices and identify areas where improvements can be made.  They can then access a range of expert support and resources to help them develop their digital curriculum in line with industry best practices.

Norma Foley, Minister of Education said: “The European Digital Schools Awards is an excellent example of industry bodies and educational organisations working together to support schools as they continue to incorporate digital technology into the curriculum.

“The success of the pilot programme across Ireland has been inspiring, and it is great to see so many of our schools involved. With the initiative now available to all Irish schools, we hope to see many more getting involved.”

Anna Doody from Digital Schools Awards said: “Technology has become embedded into our everyday lives in a way we never thought it would, and at an unimaginable speed. In schools, the transformation is especially acute following the proliferation of remote learning during the pandemic.

“As we guide our young people through their developmental years and into adulthood it is essential that we give them the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to navigate the digital world effectively and safely.

“The European Digital Schools Award is not about urging teachers to use technology in the classroom. It is about encouraging an inclusive, and whole-school approach to digital learning, where everyone in the school feels supported and confident to adopt best practices.

“Our pilot programme exceeded our expectations, and we are thrilled to be announcing the roll out of the initiative across our five participating countries.

“One of the key benefits of the European Digital Schools Awards is it creates a network of educational professionals that can learn from one another. The more schools we have within the community, the greater the opportunities for knowledge sharing, and over the coming year we hope to grow the initiative, welcoming new member states and more schools into the fold.

Annmarie Whelan from HP, a central supporter of the European Digital Schools Award, said: “Understanding digital practices and having a familiarity with technology is an essential part of young people’s development, and can open so many opportunities for their future.

“We have been working alongside Digital Schools Awards for a number of years and have seen first-hand the positive impact it has made on hundreds of schools. We are proud to be on this journey and to be a part of the official launch of the European programme. We would encourage all schools to explore the opportunities created through this initiative and look forward to working with others in our sector and educational leaders to roll this out across the continent.” 

Donal Harford from AMD said: “The possibilities are virtually limitless for what we can achieve through advancements in science and technology over the next few decades. School pupils across Europe are the next generation of innovators and it is through programmes like Digital Schools Awards that we can educate and inspire them to explore careers in digital technology.” 

To find out more about how they can take part, schools should visit www.awards4selfie.eu.

Complete list of schools in Ireland to receive the European Digital Schools Award:

Blackrock College, Dublin

Borrisokane Community College, Tipperary

Castetroy College, Limerick

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair, Galway

Colaiste Bride Enniscorthy, Wexford

Colaiste Cois Life, Dublin

Dominican College, Dublin

Gaelcholáiste Phort Láirge, Waterford

Mercy Secondary School, Dublin

Muckross Park College, Dublin

Old Bawn Community School, Dublin

Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, Westmeath

St. Aloysius College, Cork

Saint Kevin’s Community College, Dublin

Saint Kevin’s Community College, Wicklow

 

As-a-service continues to grow in the UK market

Pure Storage the IT pioneer that delivers the world’s most advanced data storage technology and services, announced continued growth and customer adoption of its Pure as-a-Service subscription offering.

Unveiled in 2018 as the first true consumption-based service model for storage, Pure as-a-Service delivers flexibility, transparency, and simplicity, along with proactive monitoring and non-disruptive upgrades while satisfying performance and usage Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Throughout the last year, Pure saw increased customer adoption in key markets globally, including one of the world’s leading shipping and logistics companies, which selected Pure as-a-Service to build a secure, data infrastructure for its new offering. As a result of customer growth, in fiscal year 2022, Pure’s subscription services revenue made up 33% of total revenue, exceeding $738 million and representing 37% year-over-year growth. Pure as-a-Service’s momentum, combined with the growth of Pure’s Evergreen Storage subscription and Pure Cloud Block Store, which provides seamless data mobility across on-premises and cloud environments, is a testament to Pure’s expanding and unified subscription strategy.

Pure has continued to advance Pure as-a-Service to provide better pricing transparency and granularity by building an additional layer of self-service for customers. Customers can now take advantage of an extended version of Pure’s Cost Calculator, which has been built directly in Pure1, Pure’s AI-driven data-services platform for storage management. With the added ability to conduct advanced workload modelling, to request a quote, and to make purchases directly through the platform, Pure is providing customers with unrivalled price transparency for their storage needs.

Global organisations are continuing to benefit from the flexibility and simplicity of Pure as-a-Service, including the City and County of Denver, Wobcom GmbH, and Matrix Solutions:

“With the storage-as-a-service solution, we’re no longer guessing at what we might need in three to five years, investing in capacity and performance that may or may not meet our needs down the road. The OPEX model gives us a stable cost structure while avoiding time-consuming procurement processes and forklift upgrades.” – Sean Greer, IT Director of Service Delivery, City and County of Denver

“With Pure as-as-Service, we were able to choose the storage capacity we needed to start with, knowing we can scale easily to expand at any time.” – Giovanni Coppa, Head of Data Center and Cloud Innovation, Wobcom GmbH

“Pure as-a-Service eliminates capital expenditure surprises and enables us to scale up or down accordingly. I can redirect my attention and resources to cybersecurity and other strategic and high growth opportunities.” – Anthony Ridley-Smith, Managing Director & Founder, Matrix Solutions

Learn more at www.purestorage.com/products/staas/pure-as-a-service.html

The Arcade Industry Will Never Die – Here’s Why

The golden age of arcade games may have been more than thirty years ago, but the legacy of the classic titles still lives on to this day. Fewer gamers may hang out in arcade halls these days, but the simplistic titles from those clunky machines can still be found on modern platforms. In addition, there’s still a huge market for these pick-up-and-play style offerings, and it feels like there will always be a place for arcade games in the entertainment industry.

Arcade Style Games Live on in Slots Market

One of the best places to gauge the popularity of a certain genre of game is the online slots market, where it’s easy to spot trends based on the games listed. Because so many people log on to pages like the online casino at Paddy Power Games, developers need to do their best to make their games appeal to different demographics. One of the most striking games right now is Wild Arcade, a title from Red Tiger that instantly evokes feelings of nostalgia for the early days of gaming. This will undoubtedly appeal to older gamers who played the arcade games in the ’80s. It will also allure modern players who first connected with the arcade industry online, as it has contemporary elements as well. 

Slot games were prevalent alongside arcade machines, as they became electronic in the 1980s. The straightforward nature of both genres makes it easy to transition between the two, and it’s no surprise that there’s still a strong connection to this day.

The Games Have Evolved Alongside Technology

The emergence and surge of the home console industry ended the golden age of arcades, and by the mid-1990s, there was a much heavier focus on single-player experiences designed to be played on television screens. Still, this didn’t lead to the arcade industry disappearing, the games just took on a new form. Developers adapted to the emerging console industry and found ways to get these games to players on these devices. 

Arcade titles have had their biggest resurgence on the Internet, where players are often in search of simplistic games that don’t require too much investment. The games have proven to be perfect for mobile as well, which led to the inception of Apple Arcade and Netflix Games.

It has become clear in recent years that players want variety in their games, and arcade titles are able to offer this. There is likely to be a greater influx of services like Apple Arcade in the future, as they give players a chance to experience a wide range of different games for a low monthly subscription fee.

Arcade Games Will Have a Place in the Metaverse

There’s a strong chance that arcade games will have a place in the metaverse, and these future offerings may even represent the machines that were once found in arcade halls – in virtual form, that is.

 

Ernest Cline’s novel, Ready Player One, provides the best example of how the metaverse could look, and arcade games are still alive and well within it. Indeed, a key part of the story involves the protagonist playing a perfect game of Pac-Man.

It seems fair to say that as long as there is gaming, there will be arcade-style offerings. The genre has been so adaptable so far, and it will continue to evolve alongside technology.

Control your Instagram Feed with Favourites and Following

Today, Instagram is introducing Favourites and Following, two new ways to choose what you see in your feed. We want you to be able to shape Instagram into the best possible experience, and giving you ways to quickly see what you’re most interested in is an important step in that direction.

What are Favourites and Following?

Your Instagram feed is a mix of photos and videos from people you follow, suggested posts and more. Over time, we’re going to add more recommendations to your feed based on your interests — Favourites and Following are new ways to catch up on recent posts from the accounts you follow.

Favourites shows you the latest from accounts that you choose, like your best friends and favourite creators. In addition to this view, posts from accounts in Favourites will also show up higher in your home feed.

Following shows you posts from the people you follow. Both Favourites and Following will show you posts in chronological order, so you can quickly catch up on recent posts.

To use Favourites and Following, tap on Instagram in the top left corner of your home page to choose what you see.

instagram feed views

How your favourites list works

Use Favourites to see the most recent posts from the accounts you’ve added to your favourites list. You can add up to 50 accounts to your list, and make changes to this list at any time — people are not notified when they are added or removed. Posts from accounts on your favourites list will also show up higher in your home feed, as shown by a star icon.

More choice and control over what you see in your feed

We’re always working on new ways to improve your Instagram experience. We’ll continue to build features like Favourites and Following to give you more choice and control over what you see, and help make the time you spend on the app feel more intentional.

Don’t forget you can follow us too on Instagram

Storing Your Activity Progress in Salesforce Explained

If you are involved in a small, medium, or large business and have worked with a CRM system to simplify task management of your sales and services, you probably know what Salesforce is. This American cloud-based software was specifically designed to provide its users with efficient enterprise tools for case, task, and issue management. Einstein Activity Capture and Revenue Grid tools also help automatically integrate data from clients’ mailboxes, calendars, and other services to Salesforce.

With all the handy functions Salesforce offers, you can monitor how your business is doing and store your activity progress on the platform. Data capturing services help to make these processes more efficient. Read on to find out the details.

How to Monitor Your Activity Progress? 

You can benefit from the Activities dashboard, which is built on Tableau CRM. It displays a summary of your sales activities, including those added manually to Salesforce. If you wonder how long activities are stored in Salesforce, you should note that Events and Closed Tasks that were due more than a year ago are automatically archived. So are Closed Tasks with no due date created more than a year ago.

In Salesforce Classic, you can view the Activities related lists on the associated records: 

  1. Address the “My Tasks” component on the Home tab. 
  2. Click on a particular date on the Calendar on the Home tab.

 

In Lightning Experience, you can monitor the Activity Timeline on the associated records:

  1. Press the Calendar tab from the app menu.
  2. Observe the “Today’s Tasks” and “Today’s Events” components on the Home tab.

What Has Changed?

There has been a new location for activity storage information in Salesforce since summer 2021. The Activity Storage page that revealed the number of activities captured by Inbox and Einstein Activity Capture has been removed. Now you can find the activity storage data on the User Status page. This modification applies to a bunch of editions: 

  • Lightning Experience in Essentials; 
  • Enterprise;
  • Professional;
  • Performance;
  • Unlimited. 

Currently, your activity storage information is displayed when using Inbox with/without Einstein Activity Capture.

Are There Any Alternatives to Einstein Activity Capture?

Among various productivity-boosting tools you can use, Einstein Activity Capture can help you keep data between Salesforce, your email, and calendar applications up-to-date. Though this feature is widely used, some clients are concerned it stores sales activity information on third-party databases. 

Since emails captured by Einstein Activity Capture aren’t stored in Salesforce, they aren’t displayed in standard Salesforce reports. You can’t delete emails from Einstein Activity Capture, and the data is lost forever once you decide to migrate from it. Besides, the captured activities won’t show up on standard Salesforce reports, so you won’t be able to create accurate reports in Salesforce based on the data in this tool. 

However, other services like Revenue Grid can provide you with maximum data security and full analytics, by storing your data directly in CRM. Therefore, your data and your client data will never leave your business’s servers.

Keep Track of Your Business Data

This platform has provided its clients with an opportunity to reach maximum success, and using efficient tools will help you control your data. However, don’t forget about the importance of programming skills. You will need to master your knowledge of the Apex language (Java clone) and Visualforce (template language). Besides, you will require HTML, CSS, Javascript (jQuery) to succeed. Store your activity progress and make the right data-driven decisions.

Tech21 launches its Evo Hardshell cases for MacBook Pro offering the ultimate in style and protection

Tech21, the leader in impact protection for smartphones, tablets and laptops, today launches its new Evo Hardshell cases for the recently introduced 14- inch and 16- inch MacBook Pro. They are now available in Clear and Ash from all Apple stores, from Apple.com and Tech21 for an RRP of £79.95/$89.95.

The Evo Hardshell cases offer incredible levels of protection against everyday bumps and scratches whilst at the same time being lightweight and ultra-thin, so ideal for those commuting to the office or heading to a local coffee shop. Tech21 combines science, engineering, and unrivalled British design to create cases that address three core benefits: style, protection and performance.

There is a choice of an ash colour, designed to complement MacBook Pro, or a clear case which is made with an anti-yellowing formula that keeps things clear for the lifetime of the device. It also has low-profile non-slip feet for a stable typing platform and offers comfortable access to all ports and functions.

Tech21 Ash case for the Macbook Pro

Tech21 is one of only a few case manufacturers to have an in-house science and materials team and the only one to have been tested by physicists at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory. Each case collection is rigorously tested to Tech21’s own demanding standards to ensure compatibility with the  MacBook Pro. When buying an Evo Hardshell case, users can thus be fully assured of incredible impact protection, super-smooth scratch resistance and easy access to every connection needed. They are now available in Clear and Ash from all Apple stores, from Apple.com and Tech21 for an RRP of £79.95/$89.95.

 

Tech Review – Goodmans 30W compact bluetooth soundbar

We are all aware most speakers on our TV are not the best but they are getting better, still today we see some very expensive sets with the speakers firing down which is useless unless you have a home stereo system with it and then the additional cost on top of that is what would put some off buying,. Soundbars though have grown in popularity and come in several sizes and of course prices to suit all pockets, once they where and expensive kit but now relatively cheap however there is some that command huge money today and even more than a complete surround system..

This little guy is compact and clean with buttons on one side should you loose your remote control and this are tactile buttons too and work well, the unit is finished off with a glossy plastic and an aluminium grille which looks clean and will suit most compatible TVs.

This works well with your TV and not only this you can also use your smartphone to blast out the tunes too, with a HDMI port on the back it is the best way to connect to your TV as there is no optical present here, the speaker does sound good and does enhance the listening experience and plays music well via your smartphone or streaming service, it is not the loudest soundbar I have had here in for review but easily outperforms poorly placed speakers on older TVs and so on but you can check the sample sounds below for more. Goodmans also offer bigger sized soundbars here but they cost more but the fact there is sizes to pick from is a good one compared to others who do not offer this.

Features:

  • HDMI Input
  • 2.0 Channel Stereo Speakers
  • 30W
  • 41cm Width

Includes:

  • Remote Control
  • Power Adaptor
  • Wall Mount Fixings
  • 3.5mm Line-In Cable
  • 3.5mm Line-In to RCA Cable
  • RCA to RCA Cable

BUY

Video Link