Don't miss a big announcement or the latest developments in the NI tech and business scene. Here are the top 10 most popular Northern Ireland Sync NI tech stories from March 2020
It's been an insane month in the NI tech scene, with the country going from business as usual to full-scale lockdown in a matter of weeks. Some businesses have closed their doors and put employees on temporary furlough to wait out the coronavirus outbreak, while others have adapted to a new work-from-home model, and some are helping amidst the disaster.
The month started with some big announcements, including over 200 new cyber-security roles opening at Rapid7's new Belfast office and 15 new tech jobs at Deveire's new software development centre in Derry. Contrast Security also announced plans to expand up to 120 staff in Belfast, and Kainos grew by about 40 staff when it purchased US company IntuitiveTEK.
When the coronavirus outbreak hit, several companies stepped up to help. Axial3D turned its 3D printing capacity toward helping with the crisis by printing parts for medical devices, and Unity Technologies gave everyone stuck at home 30 days free access to its online learning tools.
Global cyber-security firm Rapid7 announces 200 new Belfast jobs in new office
US-headquartered cyber-security firm Rapid7 has announced plans to hire an additional 200 staff as it signs a 10-year lease on a new Belfast office.
It seems as if every US-based cyber-security firm has its eye on Northern Ireland, with several major firms this year already opening offices or announcing major expansions in the region. Belfast's tech scene is known for its high standard of IT and cyber-security qualifications despite having a much lower cost of living than major US cities.
Rapid7 has now confirmed its commitment to investing in the local cyber-security scene with the signing of a 10-year lease on Belfast's Chichester House building. The recently redeveloped building contains 50,000 sq ft of office space built to modern standards, and is located right in the city centre. [Continue Reading]
Axial3D drives 3D printing for initiative for medical equipment parts to fight COVID-19
Belfast-based medical 3D printing company Axial3D has called for any COVID-19 initiative needing 3D printed parts to reach out for assistance, and anyone with 3D printing capacity to help.
Faced with the scale of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK, tech firms across Northern Ireland have been asking one question: How can we help? Digital donation platform ESTHER has opened for free to all charities and community groups dealing with the fallout, Queen's University has begun research on a treatment, and several companies have come together for the community-driven Open Source Ventilator Ireland initiative.
Belfast-based medtech firm Axial3D has released an open letter offering its assistance to any initative that can use its services to help against the outbreak. The company specialises in 3D printing for medical applications, and is currently prototyping parts for things such as COVID-19 test kits, swabs, masks, or ventilators, with the goal of mass-producing them at short notice. [Continue Reading]
Top tech companies to battle it out to be crowned Digital DNA Company of the Year
The shortlist for this year's Digital DNA Awards is now complete, with the organisers today announcing the 8 companies who will contest the coveted Company of the Year category.
For the second year running, the winners will be decided by a public vote and the overall winner revealed at the lively Awards evening on 26th March at ICC Belfast.
The Company of the Year award is the only category which is decided by a public vote, which will close during the live awards ceremony, and is made up of companies who have shown outstanding strength and depth throughout the entry and shortlisting process. [Continue Reading]
Irish tech firm Deveire to open new Derry Software Development Centre
Irish tech firm Deveire has announced plans to invest in its first Software Development Centre in Northern Ireland, aiming to create 15 new tech jobs in Derry.
Deveire has operated in the Ireland for over ten years, providing enterprise-scale web solutions to large organisations. The firm focuses on using the latest technologies to improve a company's digital presence, and has delivered the web-platforms behind big brands such as Walmart, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and others.
The company is now entering a period of expansion, and has chosen Derry to be the site of its first ever Software Development Centre in Northern Ireland due to the strong talent pool in the area. The new centre will create 15 new jobs for the North West over the next three years, and has been supported by £97,500 in Invest NI job creation support. [Continue Reading]
AI firm gains £700k to 'improve patient treatment' in healthcare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialist Sonrai Analytics has closed a £700,000 funding round to help towards delivering healthcare through big-data analysis.
The firm uses AI to develop bespoke applications and interfaces for healthcare organisations to filter and transform data sets in real time. The platform delivers data visualisation and predictive analytics to workflows, which help accelerate organisational processes and improves performance.
Sonrai, which was established in 2018 by co-founders Dr Darragh McArt and Deva Senevirathne, is a spinout from QUBIS, the commercialisation arm of Queen’s University, Belfast. [Continue Reading]
Kainos: NI software firm buys US company IntuitiveTEK
Belfast-based IT company Kainos has bought a US firm for an undisclosed sum.
The indigenous NI business acquired Colorado-headquartered IntuitiveTEK, which has about 40 employees and specialises in financial consulting through technology. BBC News reported that the deal is aimed at improving Kainos' position in the provision of Adaptive Insights, a business planning software product.
The deal is an “important step” for the expansion of Kainos’ business in the US, said its chief executive Brendan Mooney. Kainos employs 1,550 people across 12 offices in Europe and North America. It is one of Northern Ireland's largest companies and reached a stock market valuation of more than £1bn in January of this year. [Continue Reading]
Contrast Security aims to reach 120 cyber-security jobs in its Belfast office
The Belfast office of global cyber-security firm Contrast Security has reached 18 staff, with plans to hit 120 in the next several years.
Belfast's cyber-security industry is currently undergoing a period of rapid growth and investment, with several new cyber-security centres opening in the city and new jobs being created. US-headquartered software security specialists Contrast Security is one of the firms investing in Northern Ireland, setting up an office in Belfast last year to take the lead on some of the firm's key projects.
Contrast Security provides a DevOps-Native Application Security platform that can integrate into a software development company's existing projects and help expose security vulnerabilities in software before they lead to data breaches. Its products can automatically find known vulnerabilities in things such as open source library dependencies that you may not know are a problem. [Continue Reading]
Northern Irish scam-buster shuts down Indian scam call centre
Northern Irish scam-buster Jim Browning's investigation of a New Delhi scam call centre led to the successful arrest of the centre's owners.
While the internet has brought us the benefits of e-commerce and social connectivity, it also enabled a new breed of criminals to thrive: scammers. Online scams range from fake products and services to more insidious schemes in which victims are tricked into giving someone else access to their computer.
One such scam was recently thwarted by professional scam-baiter Jim Browning, who investigates online scams and posts detailed results on YouTube and Patreon. The scam begins with a fake browser popup window saying that your computer has a virus and has a false tech support phone number to call, and victims who call the helpline are asked to install remote access software such as TeamViewer or RescueAssist. [Continue Reading]
New NI-built app will help people with dementia hold onto their memories
Lisburn-based tech firm Scaffold Digital is developing a new smartphone app designed to help those living with dementia to catalogue and hold onto precious memories.
Over half a million people in the UK currently suffer from some form of dementia, with over 14,000 people in Northern Ireland currently having a dementia diagnosis. Those living with dementia can have problems with everyday living and may require a carer, but one of the most distressing parts of the illness for many is losing precious family memories.
Northern Irish tech firm Scaffold Digital, based in Lisburn, is now in the final stages of developing a new app that it hopes will help those with dementia hold on to their memories. The InspireD app helps those living with dementia or their carers and families to build a digital memory book full of important photos, videos, and audio. It allows users to organise and preserve their memories and record voice notes. [Continue Reading]
Unity makes 350 hours of game development tutorials free for those stuck at home
Unity Technologies has announced that all users will now have free access to Unity Learn Premium, with 350 hours of professional game development tutorials and courses.
While many of us in the tech sector are able to work from home with a few adjustments, many of us are finding ourselves with extra time on our hands. Schools being closed across the country also means that there are now thousands of children stuck at home with not much to do but go online or play games. So why not use that time to learn how to develop computer games?
If you're interested in game development as a career, right now is a great time to start learning. There are hundreds of discounted courses on Udemy covering everything from 3D modelling and programming to developing your first game with Unreal or Unity, the two most popular game engines among independent developers. [Continue Reading]
