Innovation news from around the world.
The rewards of integrated communications
CELBRIDGE - Ever since Oracle founder and chief executive Larry Ellison declared in 2000 that his company would save millions by deploying its own technology to run its business internally, the phrase "eating your own dog food" has become a cliché in the technology industry.
But Celbridge-based Microsoft gold partner CDSoft is hoping that, by embracing Microsoft's new unified communications platform, it can demonstrate to other small businesses the advantages of integrating phone, e-mail, instant messaging and video conferencing. Since it launched last October, Microsoft has been making a big push on Office Communications Server 2007 and related products, but mostly to large multinational customers.
The 30 staff at CDSoft have embraced the technology for their own use in an effort to show it's not just for the big boys. From a situation where staff relied solely on e-mail and the telephone, communication is now through a variety of media, with a resulting boost in productivity.
The "presence" function of Microsoft's platform, whereby staff can see from their PC or mobile phone whether a colleague is free, has been a major productivity boost according to technical director Rob Davies.
Since 2006, CDSoft has embraced instant messaging as an internal tool. All instant messaging is archived in the same way as e-mail and if someone is not at their desk the message is automatically routed to their Windows Mobile-based phone.
CDSoft operates a telephone help desk to support customers of its IT services business. Although Davies was initially sceptical about the benefit of video conferencing, the company embraced it when one senior member of the support staff broke his leg and another decided he wanted to locate to the UK. Both are now able to dial in to CDSoft over a broadband connection to continue working as before - from home.
CDSoft has invested €30,000 in hardware alone to support the new system. But Davies says that, by retaining his senior helpdesk worker, the company has already made a return on the investment as he estimates it would have taken six months to replace him and €10,000 in recruitment company fees.
JOHN COLLINS
Ireland is far from e-ready
DUBLIN - Despite the progress Ireland is making in broadband penetration, the country has failed to increase its standing in a keenly watched annual ranking of "e-readiness" produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit and IBM.
Ireland was ranked 21st out of 70 nations in the E-readiness Rankings 2008, the same position as 2007 and well below the 16th position achieved in 2006. The country scored well for the business and legal environment, but was pulled down by our scores on infrastructure, government policy and vision.
"At 8.03 Ireland's score moved up from 7.86, but that was not enough to push us up the rankings because everyone's score has gone up," says Susanne Dirks, head of IBM's Institute of Business Value in Dublin.
According to Dirks, broadband availability and usage is the big issue for Ireland.
There are estimated to be over a million broadband users in Ireland following 18 months of double digit growth. But the figures for the study come from early 2007 as this was when the most recent data was available for all 70 nations. "It will be interesting to see what happens next year," says Dirks.
She cautions, however, that there are other areas where Ireland is not faring well - the use of electronic IDs and wireless hotspots being just two of them.
The annual study assesses nations' ability to absorb information and communications technology for economic and social enhancement.
The US topped the poll followed by Hong Kong, Sweden, Australia and Denmark, last year's top-ranked country.
JOHN COLLINS
"I'll just have to ask my general practitioner to keep me alive a bit longer"
Peter Higgs, 79-year-old British physicist who posited the existence of a subatomic particle - the God particle - 40 years ago, now says its discovery will come within two years thanks to the work of the CERN research centre.
Time to foster new ideals
LONDON - The European Union's new member states must move on from the economic achievements of post-communist transition and focus on fostering innovation and international competitiveness, according to the World Bank.
Liberalisation, privatisation and opening up to global trade were only the first steps to sustained economic growth, the bank said in a report. Recognising that transition was over was now important.
The authors say future productivity gains will be made largely within companies rather than in transferring resources across the wider economy.
They urge business executives to make their organisations more flexible, more innovative and more open to cross-border co-operation, among other recommendations.
The recommendations are directed at the more advanced ex-communist states of central Europe and at Turkey, which the World Bank includes in its coverage of the region.
However, the report urges the less developed ex-communist states in the former Soviet Union to continue to raise productivity by moving labour and other resources from weaker to stronger companies.
It urges governments to boost such changes by promoting labour flexibility, the development of financial markets and cutting red tape.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has warned that, whatever the region's long-term prospects, the global credit crunch poses significant short-term challenges for vulnerable countries.
In its Global Financial Stability Report, published last week, the IMF singles out eastern European states with high current account deficits as being particularly exposed to market fluctuations.
STEFAN WAGSTYL
China moves to block online mapmakers
BEIJING - Google Earth and Global Positioning System (GPS) means most Western car drivers have better access to geographical knowledge than any military commanders did during the major wars of history. But maps remain deeply political issue in China and keeping tabs on who is mapping what is a central issue of state security.
In late March, the Chinese government announced a major crackdown on illegal online map websites, with an official of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) saying they were a threat to state security.
Min Yiren, deputy director of the SBSM, said almost 10,000 online map websites operated in China, most without approval.
"Some websites publish sensitive or confidential geographical information, which might threaten national security," said Min.
A total of eight government departments, including the SBSM, have indicated they will tighten supervision over online map and geographical information service websites.
What has particularly irked the Chinese are websites that refer to Taiwan as a "country" - Beijing considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan a renegade province and very much part of China.
The campaign is also targeting websites that give different views on various islands near China over which it claims sovereignty.
Just to show it's not all about blocking access though, the SBSM put 418 Chinese and world maps on its website for the public to check and download.
CLIFFORD COONAN
Into the west for creativity
MAYO - Mayo's new Ideas Lab aims to foster enterprise growth in economically marginal areas by developing a culture of creativity and innovation.
Launched earlier this month by Minister for Innovation Policy Michael Ahern, the Belmullet-based centre will "explore innovative ways to secure the future," said Joe Greaney, director of Westbic, the Business and Innovation Centre for the Border, midland and western regions which is the agency leading the Ideas Lab. The project is being overseen by the Mayo County Development Board.
To sow the seeds for innovative ideas, Greaney said it is important to get young people involved through school projects and linking in with organisations in other countries. Getting children involved in science subjects is very important, he said, as it would help develop an interest in them "from a passionate point of view".
Greaney is also chairman of the association of business and innovation centres in Europe, Eubics, a network of more than 200 organisations.
"We are developing some things ourselves, but are also working with other organisations outside Ireland," he said.
The Ideas Lab has an incubation space offering office facilities for new entrepreneurs. Greaney said that a network of such spaces in the west, including Gaeltacht areas, would provide facilities for such entrepreneurs if they needed to work away from their base.
"People have associated the Gaeltachts with the donkey and baskets and coláistí samhraidh. The opposite has become the case," he said.
The Ideas Lab was part of a development strategy to counter the movement of "people, wealth and creativity" to Ireland's urban centres, said Greaney.
ÉIBHIR MULQUEEN
Wyeth to make Irish pneumoccal vaccine
DUBLIN - A vaccination against pneumococcal disease that's due to become part of the childhood immunisation programme from September is to be made in Ireland.
Prevenar is a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine designed to protect children from a number of pneumococcal infections such as pneumonia, septicaemia and bacterial meningitis.
Wyeth Ireland will manufacture the vaccine at its Grangecastle plant in Dublin.
Matt Corcoran, managing director of Wyeth Biotech, said the decision to produce it in Ireland reflects well on the expertise of its 1,270 staff.
Corcoran said the Grangecastle plant beat competition from other Wyeth sites to secure the project, which required an investment of €80 million to build a new manufacturing suite.
Once manufacturing in Ireland commences in the autumn, it will double Wyeth's worldwide production capacity for a product that has already passed the two billion mark in volume terms.
DAVID LABANYI
GLOBAL ICONS - Gambling
Fueled by global economic growth, millions of new gamblers in developing countries and a flood of new casinos, the world's gambling industry is booming in cities like Macau, Las Vegas and Atlantic City - as well as online. We take a closer look at gambling
How large is the global gambling industry?
Global revenues were €65 billion in 2006. They're estimated to grow to €92 billion by 2011.
Where is the industry growing fastest?
In the Asia-Pacific region, revenues are forecast to more than double by 2011.
Which city stands out as gambling's rising star?
Since China resumed sovereignty over Macau, the casino industry has tripled.
What is notable about America's Indian casinos?
In 2005, there were 391 casinos and gambling rooms on Indian lands in the US, with total revenues of €14 billion - more than Atlantic City and Las Vegas put together.
Who gambles away more money - Americans or Europeans?
In the EU, people spent 0.52 per cent of their GDP on gambling, compared with 0.69 per cent in the US in 2003.
What is notable about gambling in the Philippines?
Filipino law permits gambling only at funerals. The kin of the deceased receive a percentage of the take - and use it to help pay for the burial.
- theglobalist.com
FACTFILE
30%
The percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by agriculture - Deutsche Bank
14
The number of Russians in the world's 100 richest individuals - Financial Times
1 tonne
One tonne of computer scrap contains more gold than 17 tonnes of ore - Foreign Policy
25%
Percentage of youth unemployed In the Middle East, nearly twice the global average - Financial Times
80%
Percentage of world trade that still moves by ship - Business Executives for National Security
112%
Percentage increase in world population since 1961 - Newsweek
3 floors
The height of Dubai's tallest building, as recently as 1971 - United Press International
5%
The percentage of the world's population ever to have flown - Atmosfair
28
The number of cars per 1,000 people, roughly the same rate the US had in 1915 - The New Yorker
14 months
The average lifespan of a mobile phone - Foreign Affairs
By Stephan Richter atThe Globalist - theglobalist.com
