Today's other technology stories in brief

Public sector not primed for crisis

New research conducted on behalf of Hewlett-Packard has found that 29 per cent of Government departments do not have a disaster recovery strategy in place and have no plan to implement such a strategy in the near future. In the private sector, 88 per cent of respondents said they have a plan in place to protect business data during a crisis.

The report is based on a survey of 250 senior technology decision makers.

Details of BT's IT awards announced

Research firm iReach has announced details of the third annual BT Inspired IT Awards, which recognises excellence in technology projects. Oisín Byrne, managing director of iReach, said the awards "mark the key contribution made by the IT profession to economic prosperity, to business efficiency and to our public services". Last year's winners included Standard Life, Heineken, Fingal County Council, Viacom, Fáilte Ireland, C&C group, and National Irish Bank.

Closing date for entries is October 4th and the awards will be presented at the Burlington Hotel on October 25th next.

CBE opens office in Claremorris

Mayo software company CBE yesterday opened a new head office and research and development centre at the IDA Business Park in Claremorris, as part of a €6 million development plan. The company, which develops electronic point-of-sale software for supermarkets, hotels, pubs and restaurants, employs 110 staff.

Chief executive Gerry Concannon said CBE's growth was being driven by a combination of new software products and expansion into Northern Ireland and Britain.

Seedcamp gives leg up to start-ups

A new source of early stage funding for Irish technology start-ups is Seedcamp. It is similar to Y Combinator in the US, with backers looking to work with small, early stage tech start-ups that leverage the internet and haven't previously had external funding.

Up to 20 European businesses will be selected to take part in a one-week event in London in September. Following that Seedcamp will make five investments of €50,000 in participating companies in exchange for a 10 per cent stake.

The initiative is the brainchild of Saul Klein, a vice-chairman at Index Ventures, an adviser to Skype and a co-founder of the OpenCoffee Club networking events.

www.seedcamp.com