21.02.2012

Over the next 12 months, 60pc of senior executives expect to increase the number of technology jobs, while 71pc are forecasting revenue growth. Despite this, confidence in the outlook for the technology sector overall is down on this time last year, according to the annual Eurocom Worldwide Survey out today, which involved interviews with more than 300 executives globally.

The online study of more than 318 executives was conducted in January and February 2012 and included Ireland. Circa 79pc of responses came from executives in European countries and 11pc from the Americas. The survey was carried out by Eurocom Worldwide along with Simpson Financial & Technology PR in Dublin.

Despite the euro debt crisis and global economic growth uncertainty, senior executives in global tech firms appear to be optimistic about growth in their own company's jobs and revenues over the next 12 months.

Sixty per cent of respondents expect the business they work for to increase jobs, while 71pc forecast an increase in revenues.
However, less than half of respondents (46pc) are more confident about the outlook for the technology sector over the next 12 months. This is down from 61pc last year.

The survey is positive on the outlook for tech jobs. For instance, 60pc expect to increase employment. Last year's figure was similar, at 57pc. Just 5pc expect to decrease headcount, in contrast to 9pc in 2011.

Tech skills gap

And the tech skills shortage is still an issue, with 30pc of respondents having indicated it is more difficult than last year to hire individuals with the right technology skills.

"Despite confidence in prospects for the technology sector in general falling from last year, senior executives remain upbeat about the outlook for their own businesses," said Mads Christensen, network director of Eurocom Worldwide.

He said this was "remarkable" considering that the survey was conducted in January and February against a backdrop of continuing concern about the euro debt crisis and amid slowing GDP growth across many economies.

Spot trends?

Ronnie Simpson of Simpson FT PR pointed to two trends that could be happening. "Exciting new technologies in areas such as mobile and the cloud mean that there is a stronger case than ever for IT investment. Secondly, it is likely that deferred IT spend can no longer be delayed if organisations are to maintain competitiveness," he said.

Carmel Doyle

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/item/25886-tech-sector-upbeat-on-jobs/

Merging console and PC video games with casual and social is a chance for Ireland to create 4,500 jobs. John Kennedy spoke to the chiefs of the world’s biggest games firms.

Any time I visit a video games store I get a surge of pride when I pick up the top selling game in the world that week and look for two logos - those of Irish tech firms Havok and DemonWare.

Havok has made the physics engines that drive realistic graphics in top games, from Battlefield to Halo 3 and movies like The Matrix, while DemonWare is the software that allows gamers to play each other across the globe online.

A battle is under way among nations to become the global games location of choice, and while Ireland has a long history in video games, going back to Atari in the 1970s, the country faces fierce competition from countries such as France, Canada and Scotland.

In recent years, key players like Activision Blizzard, Big Fish Games, Gala, Riot Games and many others have set up international operations here. In the past few months, they have been joined by EA Games' BioWare division, which is doubling its employment base in Galway to 400 to help launch the Star Wars: Old Republic franchise, Zynga is creating around 60 jobs in Dublin City and PopCap Games is expanding its workforce in Dublin to 110.

A report last week by Forfás said Ireland has the potential to more than double its employment in core games activities to 4,500 people if actions are taken to position the country as one of the most progressive and digitally advanced business hotspots.

Gaming chiefs in Ireland

Last week, local games industry association Games Ireland scored a coup by bringing some chiefs of the global games industry to Ireland, including senior management from Activision Blizzard, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, Walt Disney and Warner.

Games Ireland director Barry O'Neill explained Ireland's opportunity: "The games industry press has made a lot of the fact that the social gaming and casual gaming space may take up to 50pc of the games market next year. What's often lost in that message is the console industry hasn't necessarily contracted and social is bringing in a lot of new revenues into consoles.

"We have the scope for a very balanced industry here."

Activision Blizzard employs 1,200 people in Ireland and publishes games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the Warcraft series. It is the world's No 1 games company, with revenues approaching $5bn.

Brian Ward, senior vice-president of Worldwide Studios at Activision Blizzard, was at the Games Ireland event.

"We're focusing our new efforts on digital delivery. Call of Duty: Elite, for example, addresses the growing market shift towards social, casual and mobile gaming," said Ward.

"If you asked me two years ago what would attract more console investment into Ireland, for big-ticket games that would have been hard to answer because there wasn't really a console development ecosystem. But now with the predominance of social and casual games, the next wave and the next most popular games in those areas is likely to come from Ireland as much as anywhere else."

EA Games' European studio boss Dr Jens Uwe Intat noted: "To be an attractive place for people to work in this space you just have to continue to offer what you have been offering: a good education; a good place to live for the people who are already educated; and interesting conditions for companies, which Ireland is offering.

"You are in a very good space in terms of the prerequisites. Usually the culture phenomenon of getting studios into places takes a little while, but I think you are on a good path."

He said that ensuring gamers can enjoy the same game on any platform will mean greater revenues for the industry.

"Take FIFA 12 - 3m units were sold in Europe in the first week alone. There are 12 different platforms that the game can be played on."

The most exciting new field in gaming to open up in recent years has been the casual and social gaming business, as exemplified by Swedish firm Rovio whose cross-platform game Angry Birds has spawned a multimillion merchandise industry. EA, too, has moved into the space with Sims Social and it is now the No 2 game on Facebook.

A key player in the casual gaming space is PopCap Games. Founded in Seattle in 2000 by three friends, PopCap Games is the studio behind hit games Plants vs Zombies and Bejeweled, which can be played on the internet, smartphones and PCs.

It emerged in recent months that EA will pay $650m in cash and $100m in shares to acquire PopCap Games.

Co-founder Jason Kapalka explained that Ireland holds many of the right cards. "From where we did start - as a small group of like-minded individuals making something we were passionate about, that's something you can easily do in Ireland and many are starting to do that. You have a well-educated, passionate group of people here who have a lot of experience in related industries, like the internet and other computer-related things.

"All the conditions are right so I wouldn't be surprised in a few years if you saw a couple of home-grown Irish companies that came out of nowhere and went on to create great games."

But what does Kapalka think about Ireland's contribution to PopCap Games? "We've been here for five years in Dublin and it's been great. The operation has developed from localisation to now we're doing a lot more of the actual development for things like an iOS version of Plants vs Zombies, all of that is being done by our Dublin studios. We're seeing the team being a lot more creative and working on game-based content rather than localisation or customer support.

"That's been great for us and the idea is to let Dublin take on more of its own identity as a game development studio in its own right rather than be dependent on other parts of PopCap."

A tireless campaigner for Ireland to achieve its games potential is Dublin Central TD Paschal Donohoe. He urges parents to make sure their kids realise that without maths or science none of the video games they enjoy today would be possible.

"Games are powered by algorithms and quadratic equations. They need to know this if they want to create products of the future.

"This is an exciting industry. It's thrilling to see Ireland do well but we need to do better. The ball is rolling but we could kick it a lot harder," he warned.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/new-media/item/24119-ireland-a-global-games-hub/

07.02.2012

The creative genius behind video games like Gold, as well as the popular Godfather and James Bond video games franchises, Phil Campbell, is one in the impressive line-up of speakers at the forthcoming Games Ireland gathering in Dublin, where some 350 local games jobs will also be on offer.

Campbell worked on the Tomb Raider franchise and created games like Gold, as well as the design of two blockbuster James Bond games.

He was creative director on EA's The Godfather, where he created the interactive script, story and mission designs, as well as writing the dialogue for the game, which involved working with actors Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert Duvall to bring their famous roles back to life for the game.

Campbell, who hails from Portrush in Northern Ireland, is one of a stellar line-up of speakers at the Games Ireland gathering at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin on 15 February, where he will host the second in the series of Games Master Classes in association with Enterprise Ireland.

The event will be attended by executives from Activision Blizzard, PopCap Games, Havok, Big Fish Games, Electronic Arts and Microsoft.

Games entrepreneur Dylan Collins, who sold Demonware to Activision and Jolt to GameStop, will host a panel on user acquisition strategies, 'How to grow a business ninja style'.

Check out the green scene

A green screen will showcase the latest projects of games developed by Bitmith, Redwind, Openemotion, Tribal City and Ideal Binary.

The CEO of Games Ireland David Sweeney said more than 350 jobs will be on offer from existing start-ups and incumbent game development companies.

“Ireland already is an online hub for European games development but we need to get that message out around the world and deliver a single statement about all that is happening here and what is on offer," Sweeney said.

A recent report from Forfas said Ireland has the potential to more than double its employment in core games activities to 4,500 people if actions are taken to position the country as one of the most progressive and digitally advanced business hot spots.

“There has never been a better time to get into this industry and it shows from the number of companies here and hiring using the gamesireland.ie website," Sweeney said.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/item/25680-350-games-jobs-on-offer-as/

16.02.2012

For a long time we told ourselves that the notion of Ireland producing big-budget gaming titles was a myth, deluded even. But I’m becoming less sure that it is impossible. Let’s just say the Games Ireland Gathering 2012 this week revealed a wealth of pent-up ambition. The genie is out of the bottle.

I detected an energy and spirit that I hadn't seen or felt in this country for awhile and that instinctively feels a little out of place in recessionary Ireland. The word is hope.

Some 350 games industry professionals crowded a room at GIG 2012 in the Gibson Hotel in Dublin yesterday to attend master classes, demos, workshops, you name it, to put Ireland on the map for video games. In addition, there are understood to be 350 jobs available among the firms that attended yesterday.

Entrepreneurs rubbed shoulders with seasoned professionals from Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, PopCap Games, Demonware, Big Fish Games and Electronic Arts.

Opportunities for video game start-ups

I don't know who said it but someone in the crowd nailed it: "There has never been a better time to be a small independent games developer." Most of the crowd murmured in agreement. Dylan Collins, the entrepreneur who at 26 sold Demonware to Activision for US$15m, caught the mood and said emphatically to the young firms: "Enterprise Ireland has offices all over the world - use them as your own."

Forfas predicts that by 2016 the number of people employed in gaming companies will more than double to more than 5,000 people, driven largely by job creation through inward investment by players like EA Games (Bioware), Big Fish Games, Gala Networks, PopCap Games and many others.

But what appealed to me yesterday was the sense that small, independent games companies could actually create viable employment for dozens of people in each instance and not just projects that employ hundreds. Think about it: viable employment in exciting entrepreneurial enterprises up and down the country. For this to happen we need belief - and lots of broadband!

Most of the conversations among the growing coterie of developers who produce mobile games centred on not only the style of games but tactics and strategies for publishing on platforms from iOS and Android to web, PC and consoles, like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

But ultimately, the sense of destiny that exists for independent game producers to sidestep publishers and go straight for the consumer fuelled the excitement.

What needs to be understood here is while Ireland's population size is quite small, the impact of our talent on industries like gaming and music is totally disproportionate. We punch above our weight, get used to it.

An example of this is Phil Campbell, an architect from Portrush who has allowed his imagination to roam free and has been instrumental in designing globally successful games like James Bond, The Godfather and Tomb Raider. He is starting up a new company in Belfast to focus on the opportunities he sees in augmented reality - or real life gaming, as he calls it.

Teen programmer and entrepreneur James Whelton recounted the intense focus and competition among the growing membership of CoderDojo, who are all vying to create next-generation gaming experiences based on whatever programming languages they can learn first. One kid in Kerry has managed to mash Pac-Man with Portal, while 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds want to be the next Harry Moran from Cork, who at 12 became the world's youngest Mac App developer and whose game PizzaBot shot to the top of the app charts. Bragging rights are on the line.

“Our CoderDojo on Arranmore off the Donegal coast attracted over 120 kids - that's more than quarter of the island's population!" Whelton said.

During the evening, a number of the promising young video-game start-up companies got up to strut their stuff and show just how they were beginning to go global.

Games studio BitSmith Games revealed how it raised €2,000 in just five hours via Fundit for its upcoming game Ku.

Galway games firm Tribal City Interactive, which is focusing on the casual iOS games market, said it is looking for interns and graduates and its latest game Into the Twilight is about to be published by Big Fish Games and another game, Flip the Switch, is to be co-published with US games firm MadToro.

Limerick-based Open Emotion, which employs more than a dozen people and has so far published 13 games, revealed how it has developed successful titles such as Mad Blocker Alpha and Ninjamurai, which have sold 30,000 and 40,000 copies respectively on the iOS platform. The company is planning versions of these titles for the PlayStation Vita.

Open Emotion's Paddy Murphy also revealed how the company has helped kick start music licence sales for chiptune artists via games like Revoltin' Youth and I Kill Zombies.

Murphy stunned and amused the room with his next news, that Open Emotion has been working with Limerick band Rubberbandits to develop a game - Revenge of Steven Forward - that will be demoed at the Games Fleadh in March and will be released in the Summer.

Redwind Software's Conor Winders and David McMahon swaggered onto the stage to recount how it could all go awfully well and horribly wrong and then right again in a heartbeat when it comes to developing iOS games. Winders told how developing trivia games allowed them to spawn successful franchises that ultimately landed major deals, such as the right to bring out the Official Broadway Challenge and Official Elvis Challenge games. They even created the Justin Bieber challenge, but let's not talk about that.

Their gaming creation prowess has landed gaming app contracts with Heineken USA and new games are on the way on behalf of the creators of Name that Tune and a new game called Name that Movie, which they demoed and which will launch next week.

Barry O'Neill of Ideal Binary showed the depth of design talent that exists in Ireland by showing some of the creativity involved in producing digital media titles. Ideal Binary, which recently raised €750,000 in venture capital, has produced at least two iOS book apps - Rumpelstiltskin and Red Riding Hood - and three apps in its 3D classic literature series. The immersive e-books are designed to be enjoyed by children on iPad, iPhone and Mac devices.

All in all, the spirit and élan demonstrated at the Games Ireland Gathering has been inspiring. I can only say that I think we're at the start of something big.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/new-media/item/25832-game-on-were-at-the-start/

NET RESULTS: From Irish start-ups to the large multinationals it’s the same story – they can’t find suitably qualified people for tech jobs – and something must be done about it, writes KARLIN LILLINGTON 

I’D LIKE to see 2012 be the year in which the State finally begins to address the serious lack of computing skills in schools.

Years of indifference are contributing to unnecessary emigration right now. The ICT sector is one of the few areas of Irish business that has expanded and increased jobs right through all the economic turmoil we have seen in recent years.

Yet business leaders in the sector have repeatedly indicated that lack of skills – particularly in programming but also extending across all sorts of related ICT functions – leaving both small indigenous companies and our largest multinationals unable to fill thousands of jobs. Yes, that’s right – thousands of jobs.

What that translates into is several thousand students who could have challenging and exciting, well-paid jobs at home, if they had the preparation for a jobs market that is ready and waiting for qualified individuals.

January has been a month that has highlighted this problem for me in particular. First off, when I recently asked six entrepreneurs who founded and run Irish-based technology companies, what they saw as their greatest challenge in the year ahead, almost every one raised the issue of the difficulty of finding employees with appropriate technology skills and qualifications.

Each person was approached individually for my January 6th story, and had no idea what the others had said.

This problem, which was also highlighted by ICT Ireland and Engineers Ireland last year at a special event, is clearly a very serious consideration for companies and will be an influencing factor in whether they decide to remain in, or invest in, Ireland.

I could not help but think about this last week, too, when students from all over the country came together for the annual, wonderfully energetic and inspiring BT Young Scientist Technology Exhibition. No one can doubt that the capability is there for the nation’s students to tackle science and technology problems.

Indeed, one of the most impressive things about the competition year after year – and superbly reflected in this year’s winners, Eric Doyle and Mark Kelly from Synge Street CBS in Dublin – is how Irish students take on and solve some real world and extremely complex problems.

Showing breathtaking ability and smarts, these two 17-year-olds have done work that is likely to benefit organisations like NASA. These young scientists and all the category winners are the people who will be tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and researchers, to the benefit of us all.

But it’s also clear how hard so many of these students in schools struggle to learn, and teachers to teach, science and technology subjects that for the most part are not properly funded or in the case of programming, even included in the curriculum of most schools. It’s dedicated teachers and parents that often fill the gaps.

Recently, someone in the technology sector pointed out to me that he could not find a single transition year course on programming in Ireland.

Students could learn all sorts of weird and wonderful things, but not computer science and programming – skills and interests that could create an exciting future for students who typically have so little programming exposure that they have never had the chance to discover if they have an interest and ability in the area, much less to pursue it if they do.

What does that say about the State’s attempt to give its students the education and the opportunities they need? In an era when digital literacy is going to be paramount for any citizen in the future, how can students complete their education and not understand the basics of computer coding and design, or how to productively use and be creative with digital technologies?

Last week, the UK’s education minister Michael Gove said his country would overhaul the way in which ICT is presented in the curriculum, as it was creating a nation of students “bored out of their minds being taught how to use Word and Excel by bored teachers”.

Instead, he said, students in the near future should be able to make their own 2-D animations and know enough code to create their own smart phone apps.

And I will guarantee that those students will be so much more engaged with how and what they learn. Many – thousands – will find in coding their own app, that they fall in love with the beautiful logic of programming, for life.

We need to do the same overhaul here. I know from talking to teachers, how few resources they are given, and from talking to students, how few opportunities they have to ever sit down and play with code in a school, or any other, setting.

One small glimmer of hope in the coming year is the new EU-funded SAILS (Strategies for Assessment of Inquiry Learning in Science) programme, which will provide €3.75 million to support teachers in moving towards a more creative, enquiries-based approach to teaching science in schools.

But that’s not enough. The entire curriculum in science and technology needs creative restructuring. Not one single Irish student should be able to finish their years of schooling without knowing some basic programming.

One thing is for sure: unless something is done, our poor showing in ICT, starting at schools level, will increasingly limit this nation’s creative capabilities and economic possibilities.

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper

LAURA O’BRIEN - Silicon Republic 10.01.2012

The total number of technology jobs advertised online increased in the fourth quarter of 2011 in areas such as Dublin, Cork and Galway, according to the Irishjobs.ie Jobs Index.

The index found that in total, the number of jobs across all industries advertised during this quarter was down from the previous one, but the number of jobs in IT increased.

“Just below 200,000 people have now been unemployed for more than a year,” said Dr Stephen Kinsella, a lecturer in Economics at the University of Limerick and the author of the report.

“With so much apparent doom and gloom, where are the jobs in Ireland and where are they likely to come from? The short answer is technology.

“The Jobs Index figures for the stronger jobs categories reflect the IDA’s recent announcement of 13,000 new jobs created across 148 investments in export oriented and high technology companies,” he said.

www.siliconrepublic.com/careers-centre/

SUZANNE LYNCH – Irish Times Friday January 9^th 2012

IRISH STUDENTS should switch their focus from traditional careers such as medicine, law and teaching, to emerging industries such as technology and bio-science, which offer better job opportunities, the head of IDA Ireland has said.

His comments came as the agency, which is responsible for attracting international companies to Ireland, reported a record year for foreign direct investment.

More than 13,000 jobs were created by international companies operating in Ireland last year. However, 7,000 jobs were shed by IDA-supported companies during the same period, bringing the net increase in jobs to just over 6,000. This compares to a net increase of 1,400 in 2010.

The majority of the new jobs were in the field of technology, biotech and life sciences, prompting the IDA to urge Irish students to consider job opportunities when making education and career choices.

“We have visibility on what jobs are going to be in demand,” IDA chief executive Barry O’Leary pointed out. “For example, 40 per cent of new jobs over the next few years will be in the field of technology. In fact, we believe the number of new jobs last year would have been higher if the skills set had been different.”

His comments were echoed by Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton. “Career opportunities in the new Irish economy are in very different areas – technology, science, software development,” he said, adding that students beginning the CAO application process should “recognise the change that is happening in the Irish economy”.

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/

BRIAN O'CONNELL

From the Cork suburb of Bishopstown, online security specialist Robert McArdle works with an international team to combat new developments in cyber crime

THE LEAFY Cork suburb of Bishopstown, a mix of established estates and newer student complexes, is not where you expect to find an online security unit liaising with the FBI to tackle some of the world’s most serious cyber criminals.

Yet, here in the offices of Trend Micro, 28-year-old Robert McArdle, manager of “advanced threat research”, is leading a team of 18 employees, based around the world, who are attempting to thwart online criminals.

His work involves assuming different aliases and posing on forums where sensitive data, such as credit card details or PayPal accounts, are traded by criminals. For a company like Trend Micro, McArdle and his team are the eyes and ears of the operation, building awareness of new online threats and trying to keep pace with sophisticated criminals.

It’s a constant battle. “Criminals have the advantage of using multiple jurisdictions,” says McArdle. “We don’t even have coherent European-wide laws on cyber crime. It’s a cat and mouse game really. We come up with a defence for these crimes, that defence holds in place and then they find a way around it and off we go again. It’s a classic arms race. One guy invents a tank, then the other side invents a bazooka to blow it up and on it goes.”

So what is the expert team trying to combat and how safe are we online? McArdle says there are essentially two types of online criminal: “You have your highly skilled classical hacker type and then you have someone with zero skills who buys the information from someone else. So if you want to access the detail on say 10,000 machines, you can buy that for €1,000. Anybody can do that, once you find the right forum.”

The cyber security unit is less concerned with those “zero skills” people as they can’t cover their tracks.

“The major cyber criminal gangs are trickier and many are technically skilled,” says McArdle. “It is said that the only difference between a security researcher and a cyber criminal is ethics. Our skill sets are very similar. The difference is though if I find a hole in a server, I’ll call the company and let them know. If a cyber criminal finds a hole, their response is: how can I make money out of this?”

McArdle shows me forums he is tracking. Most are in Russian and have been translated into English by eastern European colleagues. A menu pops up offering everything from individual credit card numbers to e-mail spams. One hacker is offering bundles of European credit cards for $10 (€7) or US equivalents for just $2 (€1.40). These credit card numbers are then used to shop online, generally for large items such as TVs or computer equipment.

Also advertised on the forums are “denial of service attacks”. These enable a person to pay a hacker to attack a competitor for a week and cripple their server or take down their website. The prices range from $50 (€34.60) for a day to $1,200 (€830) for a sustained attacked over a month.

You can buy spam accounts, fake e-mail addresses, login passwords, fake anti-virus programmes and programmes which install expensive dial-up connections to home computers. It’s a cyber criminal’s paradise.

“We track a lot of details about bad guys or cyber criminals and put these on an internal system where we build up our database,” says McArdle. “We track forums all over the world and work with several law enforcement agencies. It involves trying to get access across all sorts of jurisdictions. One criminal recently had a server in the US. We followed the trail and it went from there to Iran, then Pakistan, India and ultimately China. So you get a sense of how difficult they are to track.”

Another anti-virus scam the team has been tracking threw up a bonus when the unit was able to see how many visitors the scam attracted per month. It highlighted the potential revenue available to criminals and why online crime can be so lucrative.

“We found the ultimate landing page on these guys’ servers and it was left unsecured, so we could see their own statistics,” McArdle says. “It was a fake anti-virus page that looks very authentic. It had 116 million unique visitors in one month. You get directed to a website and are asked to install a programme. To fully install it, you must pay a $50 contribution. If just 1 per cent of those people who did this paid, that brings in $50 million revenue, for just one month’s work.”

The day after we speak, McArdle is flying to Taiwan to meet the rest of his team for one of their regular conferences. As they are all based in different parts of the globe for strategic reasons, they meet several times a year for updates on cyber threats and anti-virus developments.

“It’s good to grab a few beers and talk about the bad guys,” he says.

Cyber crime: the changing ground rules 

2011 has seen attackers move back to the traditional targeted attacks of the past, with highly public breaches such as those on Sony and Epsilon.

At the same time the less targeted banking trojans and botnets continue to be a major problem.

THE RISING THREATS 

Location aware attacks: Mobile devices know where you are all the time. Even with GPS, they can work out position based on cell towers, nearby Wi-Fi networks, etc. Attackers will look to exploit this knowledge.

More and more data losses: The desktop PC is all but dead, and most of our data is now stored in the cloud, or on an expensive (and easily losable) electronic gadget in your pocket. Even pickpockets will soon begin to realise that the contents of that stolen phone far outvalue the device itself.

Targeted attacks will rise: These attacks will not only be carried out for the criminals’ financial gain, but also at the behest of rival companies (espionage). How valuable is it to company X if their competitor’s site is inaccessible for a week? Or if their brand is damaged by a massive compromise?

WHY IT’S SO BIG 

Difficult to prosecute: Every cyber crime will normally involve at least three jurisdictions, if not more. It is easy for attackers to set up an infection chain that crosses international boundaries (normally of countries with poor diplomatic relations).

Ease of entry and communication: Most cyber criminals have never coded a piece of malware, and would not know how. For as little as a few hundred dollars anyone can purchase a DIY toolkit that allows theft of financial data, such as Spyeye or ZeuS. Cyber criminals also communicate very well, with competitors regularly swapping tips on public forums.

Lack of awareness: The largest flaw in any computer system is still, to quote one expert, “securing the nut between the keyboard and the screen”. A large amount of malware, especially fake anti-virus, is installed accidentally by humans. Cyber crime needs the same level of public awareness that drink driving and anti-drugs campaigns generate.

IS THE BATTLE BEING WON? 

The law is catching up: Laws, such as the European convention on cyber crime, are very important so that we can face this threat with common international laws.

Communication is improving: Law enforcement agencies are working more closely together than ever. There is some top-notch talent in the world’s cyber investigation units.

We are becoming more wary: Generation Y rushed to put its entire personal life online. Now people are becoming more concerned about their privacy.

www.irishtimes.com

16.06.2011

Currently in Ireland there are in excess of 2,500 unfilled jobs in the ICT and gaming industries, a cloud computing forum heard today.

This was the stark figure announced during Part Two of the CloudArena Trilogy ‘It’s CRM Jim, But Not As We Know It’, which took place today at the National College of Ireland, featuring keynote speakers from Microsoft, Fujitsu and IBM.

“The NCI have just launched their Springboard Programme, which addresses the lack of expertise available in this country in cloud-based technologies,” said David Feenan of CloudArena.

“The CloudArena Trilogy of events aims to bring people together to discuss the rapidly evolving technology of cloud computing.”

“As was published in the Fine Gael Plan for Government, cloud computing has been highlighted as a potential pillar of growth for the Irish technology industry – we need to exploit this opportunity,” Feenan said.

There has been growing concern at the rising skills shortage in the ICT sector, a situation exacerbated by the low number of students opting for technology courses at third level. The number of students attending these courses has not recovered since 2000.

The reason for this has been Ireland’s over-the-top reaction to the dot.com downturn of 11 years ago and the subsequent property bubble that steered students into professions such as law, retail and property, where jobs are as rare as hen’s teeth.

75pc of Irish ICT employers have job vacancies

At a recent Intel Forum on Education, the CEO of Fujitsu Ireland Regina Moran, said 75pc of ICT employers in Ireland have job vacancies.

Moran said IT employment in Ireland was up 6pc year-on-year, at a time when high unemployment is of high concern.

“The ICT industry in Ireland has 74,000 people employed with a further 200,000 supporting the sector, representing huge value to the country.

“But 75pc have vacancies and more than 50pc have at least 20 vacancies.”

Moran said it was a huge problem for the industry in that the skills shortage means firms are competing against one another for suitably qualified graduates.

Article courtesy of Siliconrepublic.com

03/05/2016

There has been an increase in the number of Irish graduates gaining work straight out of college.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) said 58% of those with an honours degree went straight into full-time work in 2014.

That's up from 51% the previous year, and 45% in 2009. Starting salaries have also climbed slightly, with 51% earning more than €25,000 year..

The body said studying to be a teacher or to work in IT will offer you the best chance of a job. Computer science students are most likely to earn most after graduation

Computer science and information and communications technology (ICT) honours bachelor degree graduates were the highest earners, with 62% earning €29,000 or more.

Next on the list were engineers, health and welfare graduates and agriculture and veterinary graduates.

Arts and humanities graduates earned the least, with one in four earning less than €13,000.

The HEA also found fewer college graduates are emigrating, though one in 10 are still leaving the country after graduation.

CEO of the HEA Tom Boland said: "Graduate employment levels for honours graduates is back at 2006 levels. That trend is very strong, and very positive."

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/leap-in-numbers-of-graduates-getting-work-straight-out-of-college-733398.html

Donegal Leaving Cert students should consider Computer Science / ICT Course, says Higher Education Authority (HEA).

In its recent publication, 'What do graduates do?', the HEA provided insights into the lives of ICT graduates of Irish universities and colleges of education, nine months after graduation.

Key findings included:

• At Honours Bachelor Degree level, Computer Science / ICT graduates are the highest earners, with 62 per cent earning €29,000 or more.
• 73 per cent of Computer Science and ICT got jobs in Ireland – the highest proportion of any discipline. Another 11 per cent got jobs abroad. 

• 78 per cent of ICT Honours Bachelor Degree graduates reported high levels of relevance between their education and area of employment.

Commenting today, Tom Boland, CEO of the HEA, said, “The Leaving Certificate is over for another year and many students and parents are now turning their attention to the CAO change-of-mind facility. I urge students to consider the strong employment opportunities in Computer Science and ICT, particularly as graduates in that area report high levels of employment and pay. It is an area of continuing growth with Ireland facing an average increase in demand for high-level ICT skills of around 5 per cent a year to 2018. 

“Traditionally, young men have pursued careers in ICT, but these exciting and rewarding careers are very much open to young women too where they will find an enthusiastic response from employers.  Since 2009, women account for between 13 and 15 per cent of enrolments in ICT courses in year one. Given the excellent career prospects and their undoubted ability, young women should buck that trend and take up one of the many fantastic ICT courses available in higher education Institutions throughout Ireland when completing their ‘change-of-mind’ form this week.” 

As part of the ICT Skills Action Plan, which sets out key actions to establish Ireland as a global leader in the availability of ICT talent, the HEA have encouraged the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to provide additional places in their computing courses. As a result, a number of HEIs have increased capacity on computing courses for autumn 2016 including Athlone Institute of Technology on their Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software  Design (Cloud Computing) and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology on their BSc. in Computing (Software Development). 

The ‘Change of Mind’ facility allows CAO applicants to add, remove or re-order course choices until the deadline on Friday, 1st July 2016. Applicants are encouraged to place all of their courses in their genuine order of preference and not make choices based on how they feel they have performed in their examinations. Full information is available at www.cao.ie. 

http://www.donegalnow.com/news/donegal-leaving-cert-students-should-consider-computer-science-courses-says-hea/100305

Friday 24th of June 2016

Policymakers out to encourage ICT careers ahead of Friday’s change-of-mind deadline

Even before the ink had dried on her thesis, Deirdre Corr had a dilemma: which job offer should she take up?

She wasn’t alone.

The tech sector is facing a severe skills shortage and the education system is not able to produce enough graduates to meet demand.

That is why policymakers are desperate to try to encourage more Leaving Cert students to consider a career in computer science or ICT (information and communication technology) ahead of this Friday’s Central Applications Office (CAO) change-of-mind deadline.

Officials say the single biggest trend from the last four years has been the growth of the ICT sector.

“This is a global issue,” says Una Halligan, chairwoman of the expert group on future skills need, which advises the Government on employment trends.

“We are bringing in overseas workers but that is still not enough, so it may be worthwhile for young people to look at careers in this area. They are lucrative, in constant demand and very mobile, in that people can travel the world with them.”

A recent report by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) that followed the progress of the class of 2015 bears this out.

At honours bachelor degree level, computer science/ICT graduates were the most likely to get jobs and to be the highest earners, with 62 per cent earning €29,000 or more; some 73 per cent secured jobs in Ireland within six months.

Employment opportunities

HEA chief executive Tom Boland has urged students to consider the strong employment opportunities in the sector given the high levels of employment and pay.

Latest projections indicate there will be continuing growth over the coming years, with an average increase in demand for high-level ICT skills rising by about 5 per cent a year to 2018.

There is a problem, though: very few women, in relative terms, are opting to move into the sector.

In Ireland, as in many other countries, only a quarter of people working in science, technology, engineering and maths are women. In the education system, the situation is not much better. Since 2009, women have accounted for between 13 and 15 per cent of enrolments in ICT courses in year one.

“Traditionally, young men have pursued careers in ICT, but these exciting and rewarding careers are very much open to young women too where they will find an enthusiastic response from employers,” Mr Boland said.

Deirdre Corr can see why some women might think twice about applying for a course in a male-dominated sector. She is currently working as a technology analyst with BearingPoint Ireland.

No maths genius

By her own admission, she was no maths genius and did not know the first thing about computer programming when she started her computer science degree at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

But she says creative thinking and a passion to use technology to solve problems has helped her flourish.

“I think young women have a perception that they won’t fit in on a computer science course, but women can bring great balance and new ways of thinking to the industry,” she says. 

Her interest in computers and the fact that a family member had a mild diagnosis of sleep apnea prompted her to create a wearable device to help detect the condition. She went on to win an award for the device at the highly rated Undergraduate Awards.

“My advice to anyone considering a career in this sector is not to be afraid of it,” she says.

“There is no need to feel intimidated if you’re a woman. They need to know that computer science and ICT has the potential to make a contribution to improving our world – and young women should be part of that.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/cao-countdown-tech-graduates-in-demand-amid-skills-shortage-1.2701990

21.02.2012

Friday, 9th March 2012 - IDA Ireland today welcomed early indications that students and parents are increasingly opting to study science and technology courses at third level, as demand for graduates in these areas continues to grow.

Earlier this year IDA Ireland called on students and their parents to reflect upon the varied employment opportunities now available in ICT, social media, games development and programming. Early data released by the Central Applications Office (CAO) indicates that demand for computer science courses in particular is buoyant, with a range of science courses also attracting strong interest from applicants.

While students can change their mind later in the CAO process, these early indications suggest that students and their parents are increasingly becoming aware of opportunities at Ireland’s hi-tech companies, many of whom have located here in recent years.

Commenting today, IDA Ireland’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Emmet Oliver said: "It is gratifying to see students, with input from their parents, identifying technology as an industry they would like to work in long term.

IDA Ireland has brought many of the biggest names in ICT and social media to Ireland in recent years and we are aware that many of these companies have vacancies at present or plan to expand further over the next five years. Students are also clearly recognising this trend and are opting for courses that will allow them to exploit these opportunities later on. Despite this early shift in thinking, more work needs to be done to inform Ireland’s students (and their parents) of the opportunities present in the industry’’, he concluded.

For the original article see: http://www.idaireland.com/news-media/press-releases/ida-welcomes-strong-deman/index.xml

CIARA O'BRIEN

With the arrival of well-known names and emerging firms, the future looks bright

The downturn may have hit the Irish economy hard, but there was at least one sector that continued to show some growth: the high-tech industry in Ireland continued to generate new jobs in 2012 as State agencies collaborated to bring new companies to the country.

2011 had been a tough act to follow, with 4,000 new jobs announced throughout that year. But announcements came thick and fast in the past 12 months, as more firms were attracted by the big names already operating in Ireland.

Joining the crop of established technology firms – Google, Intel, Microsoft – and newer recruits such as Facebook and LinkedIn, the reasons given by each of the firms were nothing new. Some cited the talent pool available, others were more concerned by the ease of access to European markets and the proximity to the US. A favourable tax environment and the co-operation of Government were also frequently given as reasons for choosing Ireland over the competition.

The arrivals were a mixture of well-known names and emerging firms targeted by IDA Ireland as the agency sought to lay foundations for future growth. The new entrants were part of a larger campaign to grow the high-tech sector in Ireland.

One of the best-known names to arrive in 2012 was microblogging site Twitter. The announcement that it would open here was made in 2011, but it was only early last year that the site began recruiting in any significant way.

An air of mystery initially sprang up around the location of Twitter, although it is now known that it is operating in Dublin’s Harcourt Road – Google Ireland’s former location.

The Dublin office was the third Twitter had opened outside the US and it continued to expand throughout 2012. At the CareerZoo event in the Convention Centre, the company was one of several seeking to expand its pool of employees, inviting potential applicants to join the company to be among the first 50 employees in the office.

But Twitter wasn’t the only big brand lured to Ireland. In November, LogMeIn said it was opening a new office that would employ up to 50 people within a year in Dublin. The company, which allows users to access computers and files remotely, started recruiting immediately for sales, customer support, marketing, finance and human resources staff.

Marketing software company Hubspot has earmarked at least $5 million (€3.8 million)in investment for Ireland as it seeks to grow its international base. The company is establishing a 150-strong workforce in Dublin over the next three years to oversee its international operations. The office will be responsible for supporting more than 600 customers and 100 resellers.

Late additions to the IDA’s wins for the year were Dropbox and Kobo. The online storage firm said in early December that it planned to open a European base in Ireland next year, creating about 40 jobs initially. Head of European business operations Mitra Lohrasbpour said that figure could rise if the company continued to grow at its current rate.

It’s the first office outside the US for Dropbox, with the Dublin operation looking after sales, account management and users’ operations, providing technical support to customers in Europe.

E-book technology firm Kobo was also keen to set up in business here, announcing mid-December that it would establish a software development centre in Dublin. The move will create 30 jobs when the Irish arm is up and running.

Emerging companies

IDA Ireland’s work on the emerging company front certainly paid off in 2012. The agency set up a dedicated division over two years ago to attract emerging firms to Ireland and has been quietly working away ever since.

In April, Culture Translate said it would establish a games localisation and testing centre in Dublin, bringing 30 jobs with it. At the same time, business consulting and software application firm Diaceutics said it would set up operations in Dundalk Institute of Technology’s incubation centre, creating 20 jobs over three years.

Another addition was customer support software firm Zendesk, which is locating its finance and development centre in Dublin, bringing 30 jobs over the next two years.

Although the numbers are small, the agency hopes these companies will deliver further growth in the future, eventually becoming major employers.

The security sector has been another area of intense interest for the Government as it tries to deliver on its promise of creating 100,000 jobs by 2016 under its employment action plan. There were some wins, with US firm Total Defense opening its European sales office in the capital, its first expansion into Ireland. The firm makes anti-virus and anti-crimeware software for business and consumer markets, covering everything from mobile to desktop products. Up to 100 jobs will come as a result, with the office in Ballsbridge to deal with customers across Europe. That expands the IT security industry here, which already includes Symantec, which owns the Norton anti-virus brands, and Webroot, which began operations in Ireland back in 2010.

Although many of the jobs were located in either Dublin or Cork, there were some firms interested in venturing a little further afield. Cloud company Imosphere chose Limerick for its international headquarters, creating 17 jobs in euro sales marketing and tech support. Also heading for Limerick was Extensys, which was set to employ 25 people at a sales and technical support office.

Another cloud firm, KeyedIn Solutions, is moving further north, locating its European software development, sales, marketing and technical support centre in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, bringing 20 new jobs to the area. And Drogheda will get 120 jobs as epayments firm Yapstone sets up its EMEA headquarters.

Established companies

The good news for the tech sector wasn’t just confined to new firms coming to the country. Well-established businesses were also increasing their staff numbers. In February, global online payments firm Paypal said it would add 1,000 extra positions to its Dundalk operation, with 300 roles set to be filled by the turn of the year. If all goes to plan, by 2016 the company will employ 2,400.

E-commerce giant Nextag, which opened a data centre in Dublin in 2011, is already recruiting staff to fill 125 positions at its Drogheda-based international headquarters as part of a three-year plan.

HP, meanwhile, said it would add 150 research and development roles, and 130 technical and support jobs. Apple said it would create 500 jobs in Cork, and Amazon said it would recruit more than 100 support, systems and network engineers, software developers and technical managers for its Irish operations.

It seems that Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton’s meetings with IBM paid off in 2012 too, with the company deciding to open a new global services integration hub in Mulhuddart, Co Dublin, creating up to 300 jobs.

While there were several blows to the games sector throughout the year – Popcap’s decision to close its Dublin studio in September, and the loss of 200 jobs at Blizzard announced in March – there were also some high points to celebrate too. Less than a year after Bioware’s Galway operation opened its doors, recruiting 200 people, parent company EA announced 300 more positions would be added over time. Separately in Cork, Big Fish Games decided it would beef up its cloud gaming and research and development in Ireland, recruiting 30 software engineers.

High-profile setbacks haven’t been enough to deter tech firms from coming to Ireland. As efforts continue to build a stronger, more resilient indigenous tech industry, it may continue to be one area that the Government can count on to deliver jobs.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2013/0104/1224328418946.html