eBusiness Live - Issue 144
Welcome to eBusiness Live, the fortnightly newsletter from Enterprise Ireland's eBusiness
Unit. In this issue, we examine ebanking and assess the benefits of moving your
transactions online. We continue our occasional series of profiles with an in-depth look at
the Irish Network Operators Group. We also provide tips on how to prevent spyware from
infecting your business machines. Please feel free to forward this issue to a colleague,
and let us know if there are any
topics you'd like to see us cover.
Karen Hynes
karen.hynes@enterprise-ireland.com
IN THE NEWS
Top eBusiness headlines of the fortnight
| SMEs targeted in domain name scam |
Over the past few days, small Irish
firms have been targeted by a domain name scam that has seen some companies defrauded of as
much as EUR1,500. That's according to the Irish Internet Association (IIA), which says it
has received six reports in the past week of a scam concerning domain name registration.
The victims have reported receiving phone calls telling them that a variation of their
company domain name will be bought by a third party unless they hand over as much as STG500
within the next 20 minutes. The IIA is advising companies not to panic if they receive
these calls; they should contact their current domain name provider, who will be able to
advise them how to proceed. The association said that if companies have any concerns, they
should contact the IIA directly. For more on this story read ElectricNews.Net.
|
| Staff take more online risks at work than at home: study |
Employees are more likely to engage in "riskier
online behaviour" on their work PCs than on their home computers, according to IT security
firm Trend Micro, which surveyed corporate users in the US, Germany and Japan. Some 39
percent of employees are complacent about the risk of viruses, spyware, spam and other
threats because they believe the IT department will protect them; while 40 percent of those
who admitted to engaging in riskier online behaviour said they did so because the IT
department was there to provide support if problems occurred. The security firm warned that
this cavalier attitude in the workplace often exacerbates problems for IT departments
trying to protect business operations from increasingly unpredictable and sophisticated
threats. "Eye-opening revelations like these highlight the security challenges IT
departments face within their own organisations and should motivate them to ensure greater
protection across their enterprise," said Max Cheng, executive vice president and general
manager of Trend Micro's enterprise business segment. For more on this story read Vnunet.com. |
| Companies fail to wipe sensitive data from old PCs |
Companies and consumers are failing to take note of the importance of properly
cleaning data off their hard drives before selling or discarding them, according to data
recovery specialist Disklabs. The firm recently bought 100 second-hand hard drives and 50
used memory cards and discovered that they contained sensitive documents such as CVs and
accounting spreadsheets with contact names and mobile phone numbers. Even more worryingly,
Disklabs also found credit card numbers cached on temporary internet pages which had been
saved on the hard drives. The issue of safely disposing of hard drives has perennially
tripped up companies, with similar experiments in the past revealing equally worrying
results. For example, in 2003 two technicians discovered more than 5,000 credit card
numbers on a discarded hard drive they had examined. For more on this story read Silicon.com. |
NEW FROM ENTERPRISE IRELAND
New information and resources for you
| Positive response to automation technologies event |
The Enterprise
Ireland-organised Automation Technologies
event (previewed in the most recent issue of eBusiness Live), was well-received by the 40 or so people in attendance on
7 September, according to Bill Kee of Enterprise Ireland's Automation Unit. Attendees at
the event included academics, technology suppliers from Ireland and abroad, as well as
end-users of automation technologies, said Kee, who noted that based on the positive
reaction, Enterprise Ireland has already begun planning next year's event. Speakers
including Andrew Bond, a journalist who specialises in the area of automation, and Declan
Lyons from Enterprise Ireland, made presentations on topics such as the future of
automation standards and methods of funding automation technologies. "Those attending the
event thought the topics were extremely relevant to their situations," said Kee. "Their
feedback also indicated that they learned a lot from the conference that they could go on
to apply to their businesses." |
eBUSINESS IN FOCUS
Addressing key eBusiness issues in depth
| Online banking: should you make the move? |
| Online banking has for years been touted as a way for companies to reduce administration costs and save time by cutting down on paper-based transactions. In Ireland, some 65 percent of Irish businesses conduct banking online, according to a study by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. While the bulk of these businesses are larger firms, small and medium-sized businesses are starting to follow suit, with many Irish SMEs expected to make the move online this year. In this article we ask what online banking can do for SMEs and assess the risks involved in making the switch. |
| Read the full story |
| In profile: Irish Network Operators Group |
| Network engineers are a sadly neglected lot when it comes to group representation in Ireland. However, a new Irish group known as the Irish Network Operators Group (IE-NOG) is following in its international peers' footsteps and making its presence felt. |
| Read the full story |
HOW TO:
| Combat spyware |
| Programs lurking on your PC, reporting your movements to a faceless, shadowy company may seem like the plot of a movie, but spyware is unfortunately a real threat. The bad news? It can cost your company time - and money - to repair the damange done. The good news is that you can easily minimise exposure to the risk. |
| Read the full story |
IN THE DIARY:
| Make Your Website Your 24/7 US Salesperson |
29
September, Enterprise Ireland, Merrion Hall, Dublin This half-day seminar, hosted by Enterprise Ireland, will focus on how companies selling software online should leverage the internet as a strategy for growth. Marketing expert Kris Palouda will speak on developing a plan to use the internet as a "scalable sales person". Business development expert David Taber will speak on the impacts of Web 2.0 on growing your business. Meanwhile, Jonathan Hill, CEO of Infacta, will present a case study on how Infacta sells, markets and delivers software applications online. A panel of Irish industry leaders will discuss lessons learned from experience targeting US online buyers. |
| Fr om Local e-Business to Global e-Commerce |
7 October,
Clontarf Castle, Dublin 3 The Irish Internet Association and Enterprise Ireland are hosting a morning seminar aimed at helping attendees to understand how to address the challenges and opportunities of global ecommerce. Speakers will address issues related to global ecommerce, including security, technology trends and needs, legal and tax issues, understanding different cultures and localisation, and other important market considerations. |
HOTLINK:
| Euro Info Centre |
Ireland's Euro Info Centres (EICs) offer support to SMEs in all phases of their
development by providing them with information, assistance and advice in all EU-related
areas, such as new legislation (the new WEEE directive, for example). This site has a range
of handy links, guides and services. The centres aim to help businesses to apply for
European funding, as well as assisting SMEs to export within the EU and internationally. In
addition, the Dublin EIC recently launched a Tender Alert Service for participating
companies in the Greater Dublin region. The service provides daily notifications of
upcoming tenders for public procurement contracts within the EU. Overall, the EIC site is a
handy resource for SMEs in Ireland who have ambitions to grow beyond the domestic market.
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