Author: Practicenet

It has become the bane of many office workers’ existences: being forced to use complicated and difficult-to-remember passwords laden with random numbers and symbols. But the man who originally came up with the rules on safe passwords has admitted that his guidance was totally wrong, 14 years after it was first published. Bill Burr wrote […]

Almost three in four Irish companies have made changes to their IT security as a direct result of the WannaCry ransomware incident, according to a survey by IT solutions distributor DataSolutions. The research, carried out among 112 senior IT professionals and decision-makers, also found that one-fifth of senior IT decision-makers in Ireland would pay up […]

A big gap has opened up between the numbers getting approved to take out a mortgage and those who end up drawing one down. Experts said this reflects the chronic shortage of properties for sale. Banking and Payments Federation figures show that more than 8,000 people were approved for a mortgage than actually drew one […]

Household disposable income increased fractionally in the first three months of this year compared with the end of 2016, official data shows. The seasonally adjusted quarterly gross disposable income of households and non-profit organisations increased by 0.5pc, or €128m, to €24.911bn, figures from the Central Statistics Office show. Gross savings for the total economy increased […]

Household disposable income increased fractionally in the first three months of this year compared with the end of 2016, official data shows. The seasonally adjusted quarterly gross disposable income of households and non-profit organisations increased by 0.5pc, or €128m, to €24.911bn, figures from the Central Statistics Office show. Gross savings for the total economy increased […]

German retail chain Lidl could boost its footprint in Ireland to as many as 200 stores in a move that would probably involve an investment of at least €300m. The spend is in addition to the €400m the company is investing in its network here between 2016 and 2018, which includes the €80m cost of […]

The overall Economic Pulse reading in July stood at 96.6, up 0.2 points on the June figure and 6.9 points higher than the reading taken following the UK referendum to leave the European Union last year. The overall figure remains lower than its pre-Brexit reading, however. The survey queries 2,000 businesses and 1,000 households on […]

Weak sterling has continued to push down gas prices for Irish businesses. The Vayu Energy Report, published this morning, shows wholesale gas prices are now at levels not seen since 2016. The wholesale price of gas for the key period of October 2017 to March 2018 is more than 7pc cheaper than during the corresponding […]

If you’re targeting North America, the chances are that your digital marketing budget includes an allocation for advertising. Last year, US digital ad spending surpassed television for the first time. Fortunately, the adage about half the money in advertising being wasted – but no one knowing which half – applies less and less in the […]

Bank of Ireland has reported an underlying profit of €480m for the first six months of this year, rounding off a busy week of results for Irish banks. Bank of Ireland also reported operating expenses of €881m in the first six months of the year, which are broadly flat in comparison with the first half […]