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BSA WARN OF UNSCRUPULOUS INTERNET CAFES
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is warning users of Internet Cafes to be particularly vigilant of using computers which may have illegal software installed. The warning follows recent raids on two Internet Café chains in Dublin and Cork where software worth thousands of Euro’s was discovered to be in use illegally. As a result, judgement for EUR90,000 has been obtained against Colefield Developments Ltd, a Cork based company, and InterConnect Ltd, a Dublin based company with Internet Café’s under the “Call Connect” brand name, is being sued for the software licensing infringements.
The BSA, a not-for-profit organisation which represents software publishers, now believes illegal use of software to be particularly prevalent amongst Internet cafes since it has received a further two reports of illegal software use in Internet cafes in Kildare and Cork. The BSA suggests that consumers should seek assurances from the Internet Café owner or manager that all software installed on their computers is fully licensed before being forced to pay for the use of something that is illegal.
To combat the software piracy problem in this sector, the BSA has written specifically to Internet Café businesses across Ireland advising them to check that all software in use is compliant or risk prosecution. www.bsa.org
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3COM PHONES STAR IN HOLLYWOOD MOVIE ‘THE CORE’
3Com’s next-generation NBX® telephones feature in the Mission Control Center in the movie “The Core” from Paramount Pictures. 3Com also sponsored three charities that were honoured at the Hollywood premiere. www.3com.com
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INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING SPEND GROWS BY 19%
IAB Ireland has released the results of its quarterly survey carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers on Interactive Advertising Spend. The survey indicates a 19% growth in expenditure in Q4 2002 versus the same period in 2001, with the overall interactive market growing to EUR6.4 million for all of 2002. Although still accounting for just under 1% of overall advertising spend, the figures show the growth of Internet advertising versus all other media is gaining increased prominence amongst advertisers. Shenda Loughnane, a director of IAB Ireland commented that increases in online advertising spend will only continue through the development of a `common monitoring currency` which would give those spending on advertising easy access to relevant data, allowing them to effectively integrate the Interactive media into campaigns. IAB Ireland was set up in 2001 to promote and direct the growth of the Interactive advertising Industry in Ireland. Email: iabsurvey@us.pwcglobal.com
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NETSOURCE SECURES DEAL TO KICKSTART BROADBAND MARKET
Four months after launching its DSL service – the first large scale DSL offering by an independent ISP – Netsource has signalled its intention to aggressively expand the market for broadband among small to medium sized businesses in Dublin through a landmark deal with Smart Telecom. While DSL penetration remains disappointingly low – the latest figures from ComReg indicate that there were just 5000 DSL customers in Ireland as of December 2002 – the Smart Telecom contract will enable Netsource (formerly VIA NET.WORKS) to deliver high speed Internet access to thousands of customers. Netsource has also committed itself to offering better customer service. Businesses will be connected within 10 working days of signing up for the service and the sign-up process is very simple, with a single form to be filled in. Netsource also provides all the necessary hardware, pre-configured with full technical support and a single point of contact for customer account queries. www.netsource.ie
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT INTRANET AWARDS
The Local Government Computer Services Board (LGCSB), whose role is to advise on technology and implement common systems, commenced an intranet rollout project over 18 months ago. In order to promote these intranets the LGCSB held an awards competition. The judging panel consisted of representatives from LGCSB, Microsoft, Dept of Environment, Trinity College Dublin, Silicon Republic and eircom net. On April 10th Laois County Council picked up the award for ‘Best Innovation’. Leitrim County Council was awarded the prize for ‘Best Innovation’ and Donegal County Council scooped ‘Best Application’. The overall award went to Westmeath County Council. The main engine behind these intranets is Microsoft Sharepoint Portal Server. This is essentially a content management system that can replace all individual and localised versions of documents. The addition of graphic design, staff information and links to applications such as online planning systems, electoral registers etc and further enhances the site. www.lgcsb.ie
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FUJITSU SERVICES TACKLES IT SECURITY AT THE IRISH AVIATION AUTHORITY
Fujitsu Services has been awarded a three-year contract to monitor IT security at the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). Fujitsu will be working with the IAA to ensure the recommendations of its recently developed IT security manual, which details the organisation`s strategy for creating a fully robust and secure IT environment, are fully implemented. Fujitsu`s involvement will include periodic security health checks on the IAA`s IT systems over the three year period as well as keeping the Authority up to date with the latest security developments and recommendations. http://ie.fujitsu.com
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SIEMENS BUSINESS SERVICES TO UPGRADE GARDA TRACING SYSTEM
An Garda Siochana has commissioned Siemens Business Services to upgrade the Exhibit Tracking System used by the Garda Technical Bureau. The system, originally written by Siemens Business Services, tracks all crime scene exhibits needing examination by the Technical Bureau, as well as the movement of exhibits to the Forensics Science Laboratory. The upgrade was required to optimise the response time due to the increased volume of exhibits and to allow expansion of ‘user friendly’ functional capabilities of the system. www.sbs.ie/news/gardai.htm
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BUSINESS PEOPLE PREFER EMAIL OVER MAKING CALLS
According to an article in CyberAltas, 80% of business people prefer to use email rather than the phone. Flexibility of response, communicating with multiple parties and creating a paper trail were some of the reasons email won out for business communications. However, some professionals still prefer the phone, mainly because of too much email. Some business people are dealing with up to 200 emails a day. For more detail on this article see: http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/professional/article/0,,5971_2197331,00.html
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NEW RECRUITMENT WEB SITE LAUNCHED
ICDS Recruitment Consultants has launched a new web site. The web site includes engineering, electronics, IT and pharmaceutical divisions as well as marketing and sales. www.icds.ie
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KILROSS BECOMES ESOFT TRAINING CENTRE
Kilross Network Protection has become an authorised eSoft Training Centre to train and certify resellers to the standard of eSoft Certified Engineer (eCE). Resellers can now work directly with Kilross to acquire the knowledge and technical expertise necessary to support the InstaGate and InstaRak product lines. www.kilross.com