sync ni magazine - winter 2012

Issue #08

Northern Ireland’s Technology, Science & Innovation Community

FREE

WINTER 2012

Issue 8q GOGAMINGO 07q SOLACATCHER 09q QUIZFORTUNE 16q MWC 2013 22

technology science innovation business gaming web finance apps mobile green www.syncni.com

Northern Ireland at Mobile World Congress

08 Colletta SmithOn the NI Tech Industry

14 Are you ready to take the next step?

Ruby Ball2013

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3SYNCNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2012

I have a confession – I’m a digital hoarder. I have filled laptops, iCloud , Dropbox and two Time Machines with all manner of digital content. I recently attempted to rationalise, but I can’t hit delete. Although

this aversion to digital order has maxed out my storage privileges, it has provided an unintended history of innovation in Northern Ireland. For fourteen years I have kept records of NI’s tech start-ups, pitches, business plans and economic strategies and have enjoyed looking back on the evolution of our innovation ecosystem. But what has changed?

First, the good news. There are a lot more tech companies than even at the dot com bubble’s most bulbous vintage, and the rate of tech company formation has dramatically increased. A best guess is that there are ten times more people working in technology companies than twelve years ago, and people are three times more likely to start one. As a founder, you are more likely to attract private equity, and there is more grant funding to help you through the early stages of development. As your company grows you will find an increasing science park footprint and ever-greater numbers of people working within the knowledge-based economy.

However, there are constraints. Local available capital for the commercialisation of early stage technologies has not increased in real terms since 2002, and the overall incubation space has decreased. The sector’s

Welcome to the Winter edition of the Sync NI magazine

foreword from Timothy Brundle, Director of Innovation, University of Ulster

Northern Ireland’s Technology, Science & Innovation Community

EDITORIAL Sync NI Team Phone: 028 90820944 Email: [email protected]

CONTENTEmma LeahyEmail: [email protected]

ADVERTISING Sales and Advertising:Louise McNally Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: [email protected]

DESIGN Graphic Design:Niall MooneyEmail: [email protected]

GENERAL ENQUIRIES Sync NINorthern Ireland Science ParkQueen’s IslandBelfastBT3 9DT Phone: 028 90820944 Email: [email protected] Website: www.syncni.com

COPYRIGHTNo part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyholder and publisher. SyncNi accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of contributed articles or statements appearing in this magazine and any views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of SyncNi , unless otherwise indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress associated to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this magazine can be accepted by the authors, contributors, editors or publishers. SyncNi does not endorse any goods or services advertised, nor any claims or representations made in any advertisement in this magazine. The recruitment agencies listed are acting as employment agencies on behalf of their clients.

growth has also put pressures on the availability of skills and venture capital.

The business community is responding to the challenges facing the knowledge-based economy by using technology in novel ways. Mobile technologies have provided business collaboration platforms at prices accessible to every start-up. In turn, such mobile collaboration is aggregating skills and experience from around the world to ensure the global competitiveness of local companies. Founders are also accessing start-up capital remotely as the principles of crowdfunding are becoming applied in private equity markets. There has also been a welcome flurry of private sector-led incubators based on the curricula of Silicon Valley’s best acceleration programmes.

The University of Ulster has also increased its support for business across NI. Today, the University works with over a thousand businesses each year and we put a new technology into the marketplace every month. Ulster is proud of its heritage of innovation and is honoured to work in partnership with our business leaders to support their business transformation plans and work together towards a brighter, buoyant economy.

Timothy BrundleDirector of InnovationUniversity of Ulster

4 SYNCNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2012

contents03 Foreword06 Cyber Investigation NI 07 Meeting Gogamingo08 Colletta Smith : NI Tech Industry09 Ulster’s SolaCatcher? 10 NI Science Park News12 NI at Mobile World Congress 13 Illuminating the Threat 13 Mobile Monday Belfast14 Cloud Consulting Ltd. 16 QuizFortune18 Asidua Celebrates 10 Years 19 CyberSource NI20 How NI Investors can Benefit 21 NICFC22 Event Preview: MWC 2013 22 Upcoming Events

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q Can you introduce Cyber Investigations NI?

Cyber Investigations NI Ltd is a next generation cyber security company formed in June 2012. We set up in response to the rising threat posed by cyber crime and its devastating effects caused by malicious hackers on businesses, individuals and families. We fully support the UK National Cyber Security Strategy which promotes being able to live and conduct business in a safe and secure cyber environment. Our pro-active, collaborative approach allows us to provide effective counter-measures and solutions to fight cyber crime both nationally and internationally.

q What specific services do you provide businesses with?

We provide Technical and Physical Penetration Testing, replicating methods used by malicious hackers and criminals when attacking security systems. Our clients receive a management report highlighting vulnerabilities uncovered and recommended actions, including staff training. As a form of defence our eForensics and eLegal team provides an investigative service for cases such as defamation, malicious attacks by competitors, or even data theft by disgruntled ex-employees. For additional security we can protect your employees worldwide, whether in or out of the office, using mobile devices for business or personal use by incorporating our Next Generation Firewall by Palo Alto Networks.

q What has been the biggest challenge that you have faced since starting up?

Keeping up with current technical training, law and compliance has proved the greatest challenge in a variety of ways, including lack of time, staff, money and experience. The required overall cost of professional training

Introducing: Cyber Investigations NI

and compliance can quickly drain your bank account. Still, it’s an important requirement, so needs to be addressed as a matter of priority. You have to think of it as an investment. The more you can show that your are compliant and have professional certified qualifications, the greater your chance of attracting business.

q What advice would you give a start- up company?

I strongly believe in the importance of planning, networking, timing, collaboration and partnerships with other like-minded companies to achieve my goals. Try to surround yourself with experienced and ethical professionals and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Listen and learn from what they say. Research your competitors and be prepared to undertake any professional training that may give you

the edge. Treat your employees and clients with respect and patiently build relationships. Be fair and honest in your business dealings, and finally, inspire others by your entrepreneurial vision.

q What is coming up next for Cyber Investigations NI?

We are partnering with Chris Hadnagy (Professional Social Engineer/Pen-Tester) and Robin Dreeke (FBI’s Counterintelligence Training Center) and their team at Social-Engineer to host a unique training event. This is a certified 5 day Social Engineering for Pen-testers Course taking place 8-12 April 2013 in Seminar Room 2 at the Innovation Centre, Northern Ireland Science Park.

q Finally, if you could sum up your company ethos in one word, what would that be?

Ethical.


Meeting:

score normalising technology based on various different in-game metrics to provide a universal score that allows people playing different games to compete against each other.

q What has been the biggest challenge that you have faced since starting up?

By far the biggest challenge is actually starting up. You spend so much time convincing yourself you have a great idea - a great plan for building the technology, and obviously people will want to use it. However, taking the step from having these thoughts in your head to actually stepping out and testing your theory with potential customers and being aware of the sacrifices you know you’re going to have to make over the next ‘x’ years is by far the biggest challenge.

q What advice would you give a start- up company?

Move fast, move smart and stay focused.

q What is coming up next for Gogamingo?

Gogamingo has just launched (November) in beta in NYC, so at the moment the company is maxed out supporting that launch and building out the platform, alongside adding additional exclusive global brand and games partners. Gogamingo also has begun raising a significant Series A round in the US, which is expected to

q What is Gogamingo ? Gogamingo is a casual gaming

tournament platform that drives monetisation and retention for games developers by allowing gamers to compete for exclusive, brand sponsored prizes.

Based in NYC and N. Ireland, gogamingo gives gamers the ability to use their casual gaming scores to compete in online tournaments for valuable, real world prizes, including broadway tickets, luxury fashion accessories, electronics and more.

Through our proprietary score normalising algorithm, gamers can compete to win, regardless of their game or platform preference.

q How does Gogamingo compare to other social gaming providers?

Gogamingo’s mobile tournament platform gives game developers a new way to monetise their games without impacting the gaming experience. Gamers playing any game, on any mobile platform, and pay a micro fee of 1-3 cents for the chance to compete against each other and win a valuable tournament prize. The game developer receives a large portion of this revenue, while the brands offering the prizes benefit from a new and completely frictionless way to engage with the highly sought after gamer demographic. In order to make this possible, gogamingo has developed a proprietary

close in Q2 2013, allowing the company to build out its business operations in New York and its development team in Belfast.

q Finally, if you could sum up your company ethos in one word, what would that be?

Make things happen. I know it’s not one word, but it encapsulates what we do. As a company, no matter what we do, we make it happen.

Aaron Taylor, Gogamingo


The honest truth is that the latest app which you’ve developed is not really a story that’s going to make our business news slot. However, being willing to talk about the latest innovations from Apple or Microsoft, or how the 4G rollout will benefit your business, or how to improve internet security after a serious hacking somewhere in the world, DOES make the news. The key, of course

is making sure that our Radio Ulster audience (many of whom are not very tech-savvy) can understand what you’re talking about. It’s so easy to lapse into ‘tech-speak’, but my best guests always, make a really conscious effort to keep things simple and conversational.

But of course, things happening, within your own company can also make interesting business stories, particularly when they highlight a wider issue. I featured the Bangor company Omnisoft, when they said they had 30 new posts they were trying to fill, and were having to appoint folks who fly over from England each week because there were not enough local applicants.

Nicola Bates from Emerald Valley in Newry featured when they had to

As the Business Reporter for Radio Ulster’s, Good Morning Ulster programme, I cover the full range of sectors within our economy,

and try and bring news that’s both informative for the business community as well as interesting to the wider public. It can involve anything from being in wellies on a farm to discussing the austerity protests across Europe, or how to leverage more capital for local start-ups. It’s certainly a broad brief!

The tech sector has become a much bigger part of the business news in the last year, partly because it’s becoming a more significant part of our economy, partly because in a number of instances tech companies are bucking the trend towards contraction, and partly because of course, technology lies at the heart of so many other sectors of the economy.

The Ulster Bank crisis this summer is the most obvious example of what happens when the underlying software of a firm undermines an entire organisation, and has massive knock-on impacts for the whole economy.

My main problem in reflecting the growing influence and importance of Northern Ireland’s tech sector is finding companies to comment on air.

search for more office space because their venture had been so popular. Allstate NI featured as they launched their campaign to attract IT career switchers to their firm and were holding open office days, and of course the Culture Tech festival in Derry-Londonderry was another opportunity to get the positive stories of tech sector growth into the public domain, on both Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle.

I have two business slots each day, and they only get filled by people letting me know their thoughts, comments and business stories, no matter what size their company is. Don’t be shy! Tweet me @collettasmith, or email me at [email protected]

Colletta Smith - BBC NI Business Reporter, gives her view on the NI Tech Industry

Colletta Smith, BBC NI Business Reporter

‘‘My main problem in reflecting the growing influence and importance of

Northern Ireland’s tech sector is finding companies to comment on air.’’


Sync NI caught up with Dr Mervyn Smyth and Dominic McLarnon from the Centre for Sustainable

Technologies (CST), part of the School of the Built Environment at the University of Ulster, to find out about their innovative solar technology system, SolaCatcher.

Q>What are your professional backgrounds and what inspired

you to develop SolaCatcher?

M<I have worked in the area of solar renewable technologies

for over 20 years. My main focus is the experimental characterisation of solar energy collecting systems under real and simulated conditions and the integration of passive solar systems.

The concept of SolaCatcher was a natural progression from my own research into solar energy. I discovered that many of the more effective solar heating systems available are expensive, high-end products.

My aim was to create something that was both cost effective and efficient, and which could be used in lower income housing or by housing authorities which need to upgrade their properties. I built several prototypes and the SolaCatcher journey began.

D<I’m a Mechanical Design Engineer with an extensive

industry background in the telecoms sector and private practice consultancy.

As a Research Fellow at CST, my focus is on renewable and low carbon technologies and their integration in the construction sector, all of which enabled me to contribute to the SolaCatcher project.

Q>What makes SolaCatcher unique and gives it the

competitive edge over other solar energy systems?

D<SolaCatcher is proving to be a very attractive proposition

for companies which supply and install solar and other energy efficient systems. Its easy installation and low maintenance increase the potential ‘value add’ for installers and customers.

M<SolaCatcher is truly passive. It doesn’t have any pumps

or controls which would require a power input. The fact that the unique operating principles of its technology are fully protected with patent pending makes it an attractive proposition to a potential investor.

Q>How did you initially finance the R&D phase of SolaCatcher?

M<Initially, undergraduate and, PhD students conducted

some of the early R&D investigation, and following an official technology disclosure, the Office of Innovation at the University provided some Proof of Concept funding. This then led to Invest NI Proof of Concept funding which provided a cash injection and impetus for the technology’s development.

Q>Were there any stumbling blocks during the development

of SolaCatcher, and what challenges lie ahead?

M<A major issue was the significant gap that exists

between university research-based design and industrial manufacturing. What is, in essence, a laboratory prototype needs manufacturer input,

and therefore promoting SolaCatcher as an attractive opportunity for an investor is challenging.

D<The stumbling blocks have typically been centred on raising

the necessary finance and support to build the initial laboratory prototypes and fund the installation demonstration tests.

Conveying to potential commercial partners our passion and drive can be challenging.

Q>What is your goal for SolaCatcher in the foreseeable

future?

M<We want to create a spin-out company to further

the development of the technology through SolaCatcher optimisation and certification.

We are very keen to secure the support of a manufacturer and/or investor and are finalising our business plan while working with the University of Ulster’s commercialisation team.

D<Over the next year we aim to develop strategic partnerships

with companies best placed to take SolaCatcher to market. Within three years we hope to have created a profitable, performance driven company with an international reputation for excellence in sustainable technology innovations.

Sync NI Shines the Spotlight on Ulster’s SolaCatcher


Here’s to the next one!doubt that Northern Ireland has the engineering, science and innovation potential to make it a world leader in innovation and the knowledge economy.

”More importantly, almost, was that audiences could see the progress we’re making turning research into new and improved businesses, as well as some of the innovative products we already supply into world markets.”

The two-day Festival was inspired by

Northern Ireland Science Park is celebrating the success of their first Festival of Innovation

in Belfast’s iconic Titanic Quarter by getting to work on organising the next one!

”The event was a huge success and we have already begun planning for a bigger and better Festival later in 2013,” said Norman Apsley, Chief Executive of NISP. ”Visitors, VIPs, business leaders and educationalists saw our world-class research, and were left in no

the first joint gathering of the Royal and Irish Academies of Engineering and the two presidents, Sir John Parker and Dr Tony Barry.

Sir John, former CEO of Harland & Wolff, said: ”I am delighted to be back on Queen’s Island and see all the exciting things that are happening here.

There is no doubt that Northern Ireland has the talent and the drive to deliver world class technology and innovation.”

MOF: the big winner...They have a range of high-value

applications, including natural gas storage in vehicles, carbon capture, catalysis and drug delivery. Sponsors in the Digital Media, BioTech, Hi-Tech and Clean Tech categories of the competition included Dow, IMB, Warner Chilcott, and Aepona.

The winners were: I-Innovations, University of Ulster (Digital Media); Expelliere International, QUB (BioTech); FireSERT Technologies, UU (Hi-Tech).The awards were presented at a packed

Arevolutionary new class of materials has put Northern Ireland innovation on the map.

MOF Technologies, a team based at Queen’s University Belfast, were the winners of this year’s NISP CONNECT 25k Award, sponsored by Bank of Ireland.

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are highly porous materials that can store, separate and capture specific gases.

VIP gala ceremony in the iconic Titanic Belfast building, next to Northern Ireland Science Park in the city’s Titanic Quarter.

A simple solution to a sticky problem?is possible by accessing ready markets that provide high volume distribution through mature channels with products that address need and add value.

Sales of chewing gum have been increasing steadily in recent years, with sugar-free gum the fastest growing sector. The global chewing gum market is worth $19n per annum, but the cost of cleaning it up is a massive $50bn, with chemical costs accounting for 30% of the total cleaning market, with labour the remaining 70%. The business has no direct competitor, with existing

The Managing Director of Expelliere International, winner of the Biotech category of the 25k

Awards, is Chris Lomas. ”The company is currently pre-revenue, but with development of the seed product now complete, we are set to take advantage of the high demand for our technology,” he said.

”This has already resulted in a letter of intent from a strategic and qualified distribution partner, as well as the company’s first purchase order.” Chris believes achieving high growth business

gum removal methods relying on high levels of heat and water, both of which carry high cost to the consumer and environment alike.

”Our proposition is unique and allows us to access the market in a way that offers both competitive and strategic advantage,” Chris went on. ”The opportunity, however, is to dominate the market space by replacing unsympathetic applications and methods, securing market share worth $1bn per annum.”


In the USA they talk about Silicon Valley. Northern Ireland has Silicon Dock. Around it lie the seven buildings over 25 acres which house the 115 companies, comprising NI Science Park in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

Software, telecoms, financial engineering, digital media, health/bio, gaming, clean tech, aeronautical and business services are all represented in this busy 1,900-strong commercial community. Mervyn Watley, Director of Corporate Real Estate, said: ”We have just completed Concourse 2 which is 55,000 sq ft and have all the statutory approvals in place for Concourse 3, which we are starting to market.

Our next goal is the North West Regional Science Park in Derry-Londonderry – that’s really putting the NI into NISP – and who knows where next!”

NISP tenant companies range from 1 person, 1 desk on a monthly deal, to single company whole building on a 15-year lease - and any number of combinations in between. New arrivals include Kana, Novosco, Dot Retailer, Dell and Automated Intelligence, while IBM have doubled space and moved their most recent acquisition Q1 Labs onto Park, and Autonomy has been acquired by HP.

”We take care of all tenants’ property needs from furniture, fit-out and telecommunications, to maintenance and utilities, etc, allowing companies to concentrate on growing their business,” Mervyn explained.

”We are the most connected location in NI on two scores: one, our superb telecommunications infrastructure enables

companies to have resilient connectivity; and two, having the tech community, entrepreneurs, business facilitators and finance providers all together in the one place makes it the ideal location to get the right people together and close deals.”

There are some frustrations, however. ”The unwillingness of banks to fund anything to do with property is really frustrating,” Mervyn continued, ”despite the fact that we are ‘full’ and further demand exists.”

”In the same way as the construction of Titanic’s dock 100 years ago allowed Belfast to build the biggest and best ships in the world, NISP facilitates this region in punching well above its relative weight on the world stage in the knowledge economy.”

More New Tenants ‘Drop Anchor’ in Silicon Dock!

Fifty science parks were represented at the first annual general meeting of the United Kingdom Science Park Association held in Northern Ireland.

The two-day visit, hosted by Northern Ireland Science Park, included a meeting with DETI as well as tours of Stormont and Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

Leading the UKSPA team was Chief Executive Paul Wright, who said: ”The Northern Ireland Science Park meeting of UKSPA was exceptionally well-received by all. The role of NISP as a catalyst for innovation by bringing together talented people, world class connectivity, mentoring and business support was exceptional.

Many delegates felt inspired by how NISP has successfully brought together industry, government and the academic community to create demonstrable benefits for the local economy.

We are really grateful for the opportunity to see such a clear demonstration of the value that our members are bringing to economic growth in the UK.”

Delegates were addressed by NISP speakers who included CEO, Norman Apsley; former Board member, John Allen, Steve Orr, Director of NISP CONNECT; and Alan Watts, Director of Halo.

First Visit for UKSPA


Mobile companies around the world are preparing for the largest annual showcase of mobile technology and innovation, Mobile World Congress (MWC), which will be held in Barcelona

on 25-28 February.

Northern Ireland technology companies have much to offer, and some of the region’s most innovative mobile tech companies will use the event to showcase their products and meet new customers and suppliers. Companies including Openwave Mobility, Jampot Technologies, My Tour Talk, FilmTrip, and Fern Software will be among those on the Northern Ireland stand.

The reach and influence of mobile technology has been relentless and there is still a way to go as mobile continues to converge with other key trends such as social networks, cloud computing, and the ever-increasing volume and speed of data. Gartner has titled this the ‘Nexus of Forces’, and predicts that this ‘confluence of several high-level forces will reshape the business and technological landscape during the next five years’.

During the last year, Northern Ireland’s technology companies have continued their strong track record of innovation in the key areas of mobile comms, internet technologies, data management, cloud computing, e-commerce and security solutions. Numerous high-profile acquisitions of indigenous software companies by multinational companies, including Omiino’s acquisition by Xilinx, provides further endorsement of the region’s innovation and technological expertise. The mobile apps market has been expanding rapidly with the growth in smartphones and tablet devices. Indeed, the App Planet event at MWC recognises the importance of mobile apps within the industry. Northern Ireland’s mobile app community is vibrant and growing, with success stories in a diverse range of apps, including entertainment, e-learning, and enterprise solutions for government, healthcare and financial services industries.

Jampot Technologies, with its AppBuilder platform, is at the leading edge of mobile apps. The company is making a return visit to Mobile World Congress after exhibiting for the first time last year.

”Mobile World Congress is a valuable event for export-oriented mobile organisations,” said CEO of JamPot, James Scott. ”Last year we used MWC to launch our product, TheAppBuilder.com. The show was the perfect platform for the launch as the eyes of the entire industry were on us;

from customers to potential partners, investors and the media.

The Invest NI stand provided a high-profile space in one of the busiest locations at the show. This assistance was invaluable for a start-up company. As a direct result of the show we achieved global press coverage, high value clients and a series of partner relationships,” he added.

BYOD - Bring your own danger?The UK’s leading research centre in cyber security, the

Centre for Secure IT (CSIT), at Queen’s University Belfast, will be exhibiting some of its world-leading research at Mobile World Congress. CSIT is applying its expertise in data security to industry-led research projects in mobile communications and mobile payments.

Recognising threats are not only caused by malicious activity but also by irresponsible behaviour around security procedures, CSIT is looking at the challenge of the Insider Threat. This is especially relevant given the increasing trend to ‘Bring Your Own Device’ such as tablets to work, accessing the organisation’s network systems and databases.

The Northern Ireland stand at Mobile World Congress is located in Hall 7; Stand 7B102.

Any companies located in Northern Ireland and interested in attending or exhibiting on the Northern

Ireland stand at Mobile World Congress can contact Terry Reilly for further information on support available at: [email protected], or visit: www.investni.com/MWC

Northern Ireland at Mobile World Congress


T he Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) is the UK’s largest university centre for cyber security research based at Queen’s University Belfast. Our vision is to build a global innovation

hub in cyber security.

This unique environment encourages collaboration among academics, researchers, engineers, industry and government to accelerate cyber security solutions and their commercial application. We are solving some of the cyber security challenges of the present and the future, as well as creating a dynamic environment that fosters entrepreneurship. There are three areas of our research which are particularly applicable to the mobile space:

Network security - We aim to research and commercially exploit our advances in detection methods and algorithms, and derive a new generation of real-time defensive technologies for the protection of infrastructures, users, and online services from financially, politically and socially incentivised cyber threats. Implemented technologies include software and hardware accelerated content processors and deep packet inspection technologies for lawful intercept, automated anomaly detection systems,

Illuminating the threat

as well as novel malware and botnet detection methods. CSIT is a member of the Network Intelligence Alliance.

Data Security - CSIT has a strong track record in the creation and implementation of data security technologies and systems including novel biometric authentication mechanisms, high-performance cryptography technologies, homomorphic encryption for cloud based security, Physical Unclonable Functions (PUF) for smart cards and chipsets, side channel attacks, and countermeasures.

Insider threat - At CSIT we are researching and developing the next generation of insider threat detection tools for corporate/government systems. This includes extending existing SIEM technologies by incorporating anomaly detection that will also learn new rules governing insider behaviour and a reasoning engine that combines evidence from policy compliance, anomaly detection and behavioural profiling, using rules informed by an ontology of the insider threat domain.

For More info visit http://www.csit.qub.ac.uk

S tarted in Helsinki in 2000 as a social get-together of mobile industry professionals, Mobile Monday (MoMo), is a grassroots community that brings together developers, decision-makers, researchers

and entrepreneurs from the mobile sector in 150 cities worldwide. MoMo launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland in April 2008 with an event featuring leading speakers on ”Mobile Advertising”.

Mobile industry veterans Colm Hayden and Norbert Sagnard had the vision of bringing together the mobile and software people of NI in order to educate and inspire on the endless opportunities offered by the ‘mobilization’ of everything. Thanks to its industry focus and international spread, Mobile Monday was the ideal format, and so they created the MoMo Belfast chapter, which is now the catalyst for face-to-face and online networking (the LinkedIn group now has 700 members). In Mobile Monday spirit, Colm and Norbert have been organising regular gatherings and cross-border events on a voluntary basis. They usually cover topics before mainstream acceptance,

Mobile Monday Belfast: The Vision Realisedsuch as Mobile Enterprise Apps in 2008, Mobile Health in 2010 and Mobile Accessibility (disabled & senior markets) in 2011. Between 50 and 80 people take part every time, ranging from backgrounds as varied as telecom infrastructure, web and software development, and founding teams of innovative start-ups.

Through their connections within the Mobile Monday global network, they have also enabled NI businesses to present their ideas for free at other chapters’ events, to international audiences of mobile professionals, thus increasing their chances of cooperation or export.

Colm and Norbert currently see two emerging trends in the NI mobile sector: a move away from native apps to cross-platform apps, with cloud services; and industry professionals who become entrepreneurs and create mobile businesses, employing software technologists who work on commission and deliver world-class apps.

For further info visit: www.mobilemondaybelfast.org


Cloud Consulting Ltd. – Are you ready to take the next step?How will your business jump onto the Cloud? Where

do you start? What Cloud products will fast forward your business? Salesforce.com is the commercial

world’s equivalent of Facebook, Amazon or eBay: ubiquitous, flexible, user friendly, massively scalable and available everywhere. All you need to get going is a computer and access to the internet. Cloud Consulting (CCL) operates purely in the Cloud or ‘Software-as-a-Service’ (SaaS) arena, and provides services to take the Salesforce enterprise platform and mould it to your business processes enabling you to work faster, cheaper, better and safer.

CCL is here to kick-start your company’s transition to the Cloud.

In 2009 after successful careers running and building businesses in the UK and Ireland, Tim Pullen and Sinéad Leigh incorporated their new company in Dublin. Despite this being the height of the recession, their timing turned out to be just right. Companies were undertaking huge reductions in costs and striving for better efficiency - challenges that CCL could help them resolve.

Improvements in the global economy in 2010 saw CCL open a second office in Belfast then a third in London. In 2012 they added an office in Cape Town to capitalise on the surge in demand for Customer Relationship Management applications in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Today they are one of the largest Salesforce.com partners in Ireland and have fittingly located their new HQ a stone’s throw from the Salesforce EMEA HQ in Sandyford, Dublin.

”We’ve focussed on providing value for money services for the world’s most successful Cloud based enterprise application – and it has paid off. Our customers select the Salesforce.com software as it is the best in the world - and our resources for much the same reason. Being a young company with no legacy means that we can be really

competitive on price” (Tim Pullen Managing Director). CCL have worked on almost 200 projects, from small start-ups to major multi-nationals. Some of their more well-known clients include Manchester United, Toyota, Irish Life, Mazars, PropertyPal, Irish Dairy Board and Belfast Media Group. Projects can be very varied and range from business reviews and gathering business requirements to data clean-up and migration, designing, building and delivering applications and integrating with 3rd party and ‘line of business’ systems, plus providing training and on-going support.

In Northern Ireland in particular, CCL have worked with

a number of local companies. Tyrone Timber Frames saw the rollout of Salesforce to users using CCL’s ‘Quick Start’ programme. The objectives were to be more efficient in the management of sales opportunities, leads and marketing, and to provide management with real-time one-click reports and dashboards (also delivered to their inbox first thing every morning).

In comparison, Consilium had been using Salesforce for a number of years but felt they were not reaping the full benefits. CCL provided tailored training to each department, communicating best practices and processes. CCL helped to speed up otherwise laborious manual tasks with practical examples of how to use new features that Salesforce release every 4 months.

CCL have particular business competency and skillsets in HR and Recruitment, Financial Services, Retail & Distribution and Hi-tech, Software & Telecommunications. Their consultants have broad technical expertise, including Salesforce automation, CRM systems, Subscription Management, Financial Accounting, Personnel, Online Signing, Project Management and Data Cleansing.

So - are you ready to make the move to the Cloud? Cloud Consulting can help you find your feet and maximise your potential! www.ccltng.com | [email protected]

We have exciting new opportunities for C# Developers to join our Application Development Centre of Excellence in Belfast.

You will be part of a small team with plans to grow into a large leading edge Microsoft development centre.

You will have excellent opportunities to progress and enhance your skills using the latest technology.

We are also looking for:Application Support Specialist (C#)

MI Data Architect (SQL)Reporting Specialist

Test Engineer

Apply at www.concentrix.com or call 02890 921717

QuizFortune APP-tly Meeting the Needs of Social GamersQuizFortune is a multi-platform, online quizzing

company specialising in trivia-based quizzes, packaged in enthralling and stimulating games

formats, covering a multitude of both general knowledge and niche topics. Having successfully launched the QuizFortune website in 2012 and watched visitor numbers and site registrations rocket, QuizFortune are now launching into the app market to provide a more unique and innovative gaming experience for their online community.

The Social Gaming market is currently valued at $8billion and is forecast to rise to over $15billion by 2015. Market research has revealed that there has been very little competition in the online quizzing space due to a lack of imaginative product development. QuizFortune have uncovered an opportunity to reinvent the quizzing space, and believe they have the innovative ideas and expert knowledge to enable their quiz app to positively contribute to that $15billion growth target.

The first QuizFortune app, to be launched in December 2012, will be launched in the ‘4 in a Row’ quiz format already featured on the QuizFortune website. The app will initially feature 14 main quiz categories, from film to music, to history and sport. Each main category will then have different genres within that category; for example, the music category will then feature 1960s music and music from other decades, to give a deeper quizzing experience for the player, whilst providing a more advanced quizzing product for the app market. Further QuizFortune apps will be released throughout 2013 incorporating the formats of other quiz games currently in operation on the QuizFortune website.

QuizFortune have an in-house team of writers who will create additional content to be added to the categories on a regular basis, meaning content is on-trend and relevant, providing a better quizzing experience for the user and offering a totally up-to-date quizzing product for the app market. The QuizFortune app will also feature complete social integration to allow users to interact and share within their social circle.

QuizFortune’s decision to expand into the mobile app market is based on a set of very strong statistics and solid research. Market research has shown that players on mobile platforms and Facebook are 50% more engaged


with a product in terms of sessions than players on the Web. Average ‘play time’ statistics help support this finding, showing that iPhone users spend 14.7 hours per month gaming; and Android users, a little less at 9.3 hours per month. Vincent Rainey, founder of QuizFortune, is confident of the app’s success:

”Research shows that 64% of app users play their games apps on a daily basis, and that 93% of app users pay for their games apps. When games apps are being played this often, it’s important to keep the content fresh and current which QuizFortune have the ability to provide and customers have the opportunity to purchase. Our app is a fun, challenging and interactive app that’s totally unique to the market.”

Adding to Vincent’s confidence on the product, the BBC has also spotted the potential of this multi-platform quizzing experience and awarded QuizFortune the ‘Creative Collisions’ award. This award is presented to a company whose concept is innovative and original and one that the BBC believes can be developed on a broadcasting platform. As well as working in collaboration with the BBC, QuizFortune are also in discussion with a number of other organisations regarding some B2B opportunities and ventures.

‘QuizFortune 4 In A Row’ can be downloaded now from your app store, or for more information on QuizFortune products, go to www.quizfortune.com


Leading Northern Ireland IT software services company, Asidua, is celebrating a significant anniversary: their tenth successful year of

operations! Formed in 2002 from a management

buy-out, Asidua specialise in delivering IT integration solutions and telecoms services to the local and global market place.

In October 2012 the Belfast-based

IT services company, who also have offices in Birmingham and Dublin, completed their tenth year in business. To help mark this significant milestone, the company organised a James Bond themed anniversary formal for employees to join in celebrating this success.

”Since 2002 the company has gone

from strength-to-strength,” explained Asidua Chief Executive, Steve Brankin. ”Owned entirely by people who work in the company, today we proudly employ 130 technology professionals and continue to export our leading technology solutions and services to many leading worldwide brands.”

Asidua Sales and Marketing Director,

Bob McClean, continued: ”Since formation, Asidua continues to provide market leading IT software integration solutions and services across a number of business sectors.”

”In the enterprise and public sector

arenas our ADI (Application and Data Integration) and CCP (Customer Contact Platform™) solutions help clients to improve their business processes and

Asidua celebrates 10 successful years!

increase customer satisfaction whilst actually reducing operating costs. In the global telecoms equipment market, our WanStaX product portfolio, coupled with our niche professional services, accelerates the development of new products and allows clients to fully harness the capabilities of underlying hardware technologies.”

Asidua, an Investors in People (IiP)

Gold company, attributes much of it’s

continued success to it’s award winning methodologies and high calibre people.

”As a worldwide IT services

provider, we have always placed a strong emphasis on the continuous development of all our employees,” explained Angela Canavan, Asidua Chief Operations Officer, ”and we have introduced a number of processes, aimed at not only improving the quality of our services, but also helping to ensure that we can provide all our

employees with the tools and resources to meet and exceed their potential.”

Steve Brankin went on to conclude:

”In celebrating our tenth year, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our employees, customers and business partners for their continued support, and indeed we look forward to our joint future with confidence.”

Asidua, who employ over 130 staff, is headquartered in

Belfast, and has offices in Dublin and Birmingham. As a current Investor in People (Gold), the company delivers world-class software consultancy and services to clients across a broad spectrum of business sectors.

To discover more about Asidua, visit www.asidua.com

CyberSource NI – An Agile Development Environment Waterfall has been the chosen

software development environment of choice for

both small software houses and Multinational Corporations for many years. CyberSource, in establishing one of its core development sites here in Belfast, recognized the benefits of an Agile approach to development and embraced this as its environment of choice. The approach has impacted positively on both CyberSource’s innovation within the Payments arena and its internal culture.

CyberSource, a Visa company, is a leading provider of secure eCommerce payment management services. The Belfast Centre’s 70+ person strong team has responsibility for the development, evolution and transformation of CyberSource’s global payment security and payment acceptance technical platforms. Embracing an Agile approach to every aspect of product lifecycle development, the team has created an environment where collaboration and innovation are nurtured.

Working in the Agile way, the Belfast office embraces change. Utilising best practice principles such as continuous integration and iterative development, our autonomous teams channel their combined knowledge, skillset and abilities to evolve CyberSource’s product portfolio, nurture the organisation’s ethos of technical excellence, and cement its position within the eCommerce payments market.

The positive impact of adopting an Agile approach is evident in all roles and througout all levels of the organization. Employees who made the transition from Waterfall to Agile

and embraced the evolving nature of the workplace have experienced accelerated growth both at a technical and personal development level.

Aligned with the Agile Manifesto, the focus of CyberSource’s development centre is to deliver valuable software, while uncovering better development practices along the way. CyberSource encourages the pursuit of technical excellence; it equips its staff with the resources and the freedom to map how they envisage this to be achieved. Eugene McCullagh, Staff Software Engineer who first experienced Agile within CyberSource, says, ”There is a tremendous energy and drive to do things the right way, which I noticed right from my first day in the company. Agile helps us focus that energy on delivering solutions that provide real business value to both CyberSource and its clients.”

At a personal development level, an Agile development environment provides a hotpot for knowledge sharing and innovation. CyberSource’s true Agile environment stretches preconceived thinking; it nurtures a platform that promotes thought leaders; it advocates challenging the norm. As Eugene McCullagh notes, ”Everyone is encouraged to suggest new ideas and constantly challenge solutions and approaches. We don’t constrain what our engineers can do based on their experience. Rather, they are urged to take on deliverables that will stretch them.”

An Agile software development environment provides many benefits to its advocates: it offers collaboration, responsiveness and a true focus on the art of development. It empowers individuals to make a difference and to

C SYNCNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2012 19

Eugene McCullagh, Staff Software Engineer at CyberSource NI

About CyberSource

help shape the future of CyberSource’s technology, processes and product. For CyberSource NI’s vision of creating a culture of technical excellence alongside personal growth, the choice to pursue an Agile approach to development was a simple one.

CyberSource, a Visa company, is a leading provider of secure eCommerce payment management services.

CyberSource services enable customers to:q Reach more customers, faster;q Protect and capture more revenue;q Reduce the cost and complexity of business expansion

The company is headquartered in Foster City, California, USA, with offices throughout Asia in Japan, Singapore, China and Australia, as well as across Europe, the Middle East/Africa and Latin America. CyberSource NI is one of the primary development centres within CyberSource’s global development network, and is integral to the continued growth and success of CyberSource worldwide.


How Northern Irish Investors can benefit from Alternative Finance

T raditional investment opportunities have been in the doldrums for quite some time now: how can an investor gain higher rates of returns than offered by financial institutions while also participating in the upturn of the economy? Here’s

how Alternative Finance options can turn you into the VC or the banker.

Crowdfunding has been gaining a lot of press recently as an option for funding creative projects. Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) is a US firm that specialises in pre-financing events and product launches via a reward and donation model. Some innovative consumer products and niche computer game launches have raised over $2 million. Campaigns on such platforms usually make good use of social networks and fervent user support. A number of platforms have evolved the concept to allow investors to invest in exchange for equity. Allowing investors to spread their investment risk over several projects, interacting with a wider range of fellow investors, allowing investors to gain early access to startups and interacting with the company on a much greater level than simply owning shares in a large multi-national are all attractive reasons to invest using crowdfunding.

Seedups (www.seedups.com) is an equity crowdfunding platform for tech startups. Launched in 2011, accredited investors can invest in startups raising between £25,000 and £500,000. Research shows tech startups find it difficult to raise seed stage finance less than £250,000. Studies have shown that with a managed portfolio, tech investments can return between 18 and 34% interest - a high risk but high reward asset class. The firm puts emphasis on ”Wisdom of Crowd”, allowing investors to conduct due diligence and help value startups on the platform as they invest.

Seedrs (www.seedrs.com) is a UK based equity crowdfunding platform. The first FSA regulated crowdfunding platform, it allows non-accredited investors to invest, promoting returns of up to 25%. It offers startups in a range of industries.

Equity crowdfunding has been highlighted by President Obama as key to the recovery of the American economy. Reforms to startup financing rules; the Jumpstart. Our Business Startup (JOBS) Act is set to come into effect early next year. It is estimated small companies are responsible

for 65% of all newly created jobs in the US economy. It is predicted that the equity crowdfunding market could be worth $4.3 billion in 2013. A less speculative and timelier approach to alternative finance is Peer to Peer (P2P) and Peer 2 Business (P2B) lending, which offers more stable and secure income. US-based Lending Club (www.lendingclub.com) have facilitated $1 billion in loans since 2007, with 45,000 investors enjoying returns between 5.7 and 13%. This company allows borrowing up to $35,000 for a variety of needs.

Peer 2 Business loans are offered by Funding Circle (www.fundingcircle.co.uk), who allow established businesses with solid credit scores to borrow up to £500,000. Average returns are 8.6%, with around 3.3% bad debt reported for the lowest risk class. Since launching in 2010 they have funded over £57 million in loans.

Zopa (www.zopa.co.uk) have facilitated over £245 million in personal loans, with investor returns over the last 12 months averaging 5.4%. Both Funding Circle and Zopa have worked hard to reduce their prospective bad debt, and Zopa currently boast rates of less than 0.1% for loans issued in the last 12 months.

These are just some of the alternative finance options available to investors, and with a carefully managed portfolio they can offer much better returns than traditional options, while allowing investors the chance to help others in these tough economic times.


In difficult financial times, everyone likes to see their money do more, especially when it’s for a good cause. Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children (NICFC) supports

local children, teenagers and young people who are living with cancer, and we really understand that a little bit of extra cash goes a long way.

A small amount can make a huge difference, especially to a local family who are living with a childhood cancer diagnosis. By donating through Payroll Giving, you can make your money go further for NICFC.

Payroll Giving is a scheme run by the UK Government which allows anyone who pays UK income tax to donate regularly to a charity, tax free! Payroll Giving, or Give As You Earn donations, are deducted from your pay packet before tax, so every £1.00 that you donate, will only cost you 80p – 60p if you’re a higher rate tax payer.

The remaining amount is paid by the taxman. It’s cheaper for the donor because it’s tax free – so, for example, a regular donation of £5.00 will actually only cost £4.00 for a basic rate tax payer.

A regular gift to NICFC makes a huge difference, and is a valuable and long term income allowing us to plan our

budgets and services more effectively. We know that we can rely on our regular givers at difficult times, to allow us to continue helping children who are living with cancer, or who are perhaps living with a sibling or parent with cancer. We also support bereaved families.

Cancer may try to steal a childhood, but NICFC is here to help. We ensure families are not facing this nightmare alone. One local father told us about how he felt when they were told their daughter had cancer, and how NICFC stepped in. ”It’s every parent’s worst

nightmare; we went through shock, denial, grief and numbness. It was an extremely anxious time for us and it was impossible to relax. When our daughter was in treatment she couldn’t spend time with her friends due to the risk of infection.

She became immobile and her speech was affected which added to the sense of isolation she felt. However, visits from NICFC Specialist, Lynn, never failed to brighten her day. It was great to see her smiling and laughing with someone outside of the family.

” We have lots of families in Northern Ireland who we need to help, but we can’t do it without support

NICFC Specialist Lynn providing one-to-one support to a child

from local people. The reality is that every month another 12 families are told that their child has cancer. It is a never ending cycle and one which NICFC cannot ignore. By signing up to Payroll Giving, you will help us to ensure that these families are not alone.

To find out more about Payroll Giving, please contact Sorcha from NICFC on 028 9080 5599, or email [email protected]. NICFC can set up your Payroll Giving for you, and make it easy for you to support this great local cause. If you’d like, we can also arrange to come to your offices and present to your staff, encouraging them to donate to NICFC through regular Payroll Giving.

Childhood cancer devastates lives. Together we can make a difference and help to rebuild it. To find out more about the work that Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children does, visit www.nicfc.com, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Make Your Money Go Further for NICFC

‘‘Cancer may try to steal a childhood, but NICFC is here to help.’’


The mobile ecosystem is expanding at lightning speed, with endless innovation and new applications

of mobile technology. From contactless payments and augmented reality to embedded devices and connected cities, mobile technology is changing the landscape. The impact mobile will have on the world is limitless.

Join us in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress 2013, as together we explore the New Mobile Horizon. Even the landscape of Mobile World Congress will look different in 2013. While the Mobile World Capital Barcelona remains our host, we’re moving to a state-of-the-art new facility, Fira Gran Via. Learn more about our exciting new venue here.

Depending on the type of pass you select, attendees can take advantage of the many components that make up this industry-leading event:

q A world-class thought-leadership conference featuring visionary keynotes and panel discussions;

q A cutting-edge product and

Event preview: Mobile World Congress 2013

technology exhibition featuring 1,500 exhibitors;

q The world’s best venue for seeking industry opportunities, making deals, and networking;

q App Planet, the Centre of the Mobile Apps Universe, where the mobile app community gathers to learn, network and engage with innovators;q mPowered Brands, where marketers, advertisers and global brands explore the possibilities in mobile marketing; and

q The Global Mobile Awards programme, where we recognise advancements and achievements in the industry

The 2012 Mobile World Congress was

the largest and most exciting event to date , and 2013 will be even better! Mark your calendars now for 25-28 February 2013 – you won’t want to miss it!

To book tickets, vist www.mobileworldcongress.com

1 Gathering of LightningBY BCS & Farset Labs WHEN Thursday, 17 January 2013 (18:00 - 20:00)WHERE Farset Labs, 1 Weavers Court, Belfast

2 ITLG: Silicon Valley comes to IrelandBY Chartered Institute of Marketing WHEN Tuesday, 22 January 2013 (09:00 to 17:00)WHERE City Hall, Cork

3 IoD Womens Leadership ConferenceBY IoDWHEN Friday, 08 March 2013(09:15 - 15:45)WHERE The Grand Ballroom, Ramada Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast

4 Ruby Ball 2013 BY NI Cancer Fund for ChildrenWHEN Saturday, 18th May 2013WHERE The Culloden Estate

Upcoming Events

LOCAL FOCUS GLOBAL REACH

WWW.SYNCNI.COMTEL: 028 90 820944

EMAIL: [email protected]

LOCAL FOCUS GLOBAL REACH

WWW.SYNCNI.COMTEL: 028 90 820944

EMAIL: [email protected]

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Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

You know Northern Ireland has an impressive

landscape, but did you know our ICT professionals

are even more impressive?

Our people are highly-educated, hugely talented,

and proven to succeed.

We also offer competitive operating costs, an

advanced business infrastructure, and generous

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1 in 5 of the world’s computer driveshas a part created in Northern Ireland.

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