Today's other stories in brief

Supplierforce signs up six customers in Britain

Supplierforce, the Dublin provider of software services, has signed up six customers in Britain and is now working on funding for further expansion, writes John Collins. The company has received backing from Enterprise Ireland and property investor Derek Quinlan, and other private investors in the past.

Chief executive Declan Kearney said the firm had already had exploratory talks with potential partners in the US who might resell its products and services.

Supplierforce provides software and services to large companies and the public sector to help them more efficiently manage relationships with suppliers.

'WSJ' charge for mobile access

The Wall Street Journalis to charge readers for access to its stories on mobile devices from October 24th.

The Journal’s mobile application will remain free to download and offer both free and subscription articles, similar to the WSJ.com website. A mobile-only subscription for access to all stories would cost $2 a week, the Journal said.

The Journal, which already charges for online and print subscriptions, is among newspapers seeking new sources of revenue to counter falling ad sales.

Users who register before October 24th will get a 90-day extension before they have to begin paying, the Journal added.

Ireland moves up IT industry index to 11th

Ireland has moved up the ranks in global IT industry competitiveness, according to an annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The IT Industry Competitiveness Index of 66 countries assesses the quality of the local technology infrastructure, the quality of IT talent, the innovation environment, the legal regime, the business environment, and government technology policies,

Ireland is currently 11th in the table, rising from last years 15th.

Ireland also performed well in two areas of RD, the most important of which is IT-related patents.