A round-up of this week's technology news in brief
Network access app top seller on iTunes
A piece of software that allows access to insecure wireless networks of Eircom broadband customers has become the top-selling app on the Irish version of iTunes. The software, called dessid, runs on the Apple iPhone and retails for €1.59.
It exploits a flaw in hardware supplied by Eircom, which was first revealed in September 2007. Unless the customer has changed his set-up, it is possible to generate the password from the network using the unique eight-digit name that it broadcasts. Since the existence of dessid was revealed in The Irish Times last week, the description of the software has been altered warning that it should not be used for illegal purposes. Eircom said it would be in touch with Apple.
Group says IT should form part of State recovery
The Government could reduce the public sector technology bill by as much as €150 million annually, according to a report by IT services group Sogeti Ireland.
Sogeti said the strategic implementation of information technology should form part of the State’s economic recovery.
Sogeti chief executive Declan Kavanagh said the €265 million public sector IT bill could be more than halved by effectively using external consultants, enhanced ICT procurement, more IT shared service centres of excellence and outsourcing of some aspects of IT.
TerminalFour completes €900,000 investment
Web content management specialist TerminalFour has completed a €900,000 investment which it describes as the single biggest advancement in its technology to date.
The company says its new Site Manager 7.0 addresses the latest demands of the global content management audience as it is easy to use, multilingual, integrates with external systems and is available on all major platforms.
TerminalFour says the new technology allows users to quickly publish and share documents, photos and video stored in third- party systems.
The product was developed in collaboration with TerminalFour’s clients.
Supplierforce wins contracts
Supply management solution provider Supplierforce has announced that it has won five strategic procurement contracts worth more than €600,000.
The company said it had secured contracts to source technology and provide professional services to clients in Ireland and Britain including An Post, Bord na Móna and Woking Borough Council.
Supplierforce chief executive Declan Kearney said its customer base increased by more than 100 per cent over the last year because of increased pressures on businesses to turn a profit or survive in a difficult market.
“This is the result of changing attitudes of decision makers and recognition of the cost and broad business benefits that procurement can deliver,” he said.
