Dot_IE

02/03/2026

'New digital trust mark for Irish organisations 'like an NCT'

The wolfhound symbol will appear on accredited businesses online

Irish Examiner

The wolfhound symbol will appear on accredited businesses online

02/03/2026

We are delighted to announce the launch of our latest initiative, Digital Trust .IE.

Once a business decides to invest in their digital reputation and applies, their website, email and domain setup is assessed using a proprietary scoring evaluation that checks against industry defined best practice.

These checks confirm that digital fundamentals are correctly configured, responsibly managed and set up to support trust and reliability online.

Applicants will receive a grade by the next working day and if a high rating is achieved, businesses can display the Digital Trust Mark on their website or in their email signature for the rest of the year.

For more information: https://digitaltrust.ie/

18/06/2025

🗣️ Alex Cooney: “𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩-𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 - 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

Online safety for children is one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

In our latest podcast episode, Alex and Declan dive into this issue, discussing who is accountable, and how we can create safer, more supportive online spaces for children.

🎧 Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/67EPPJpKZzH3HsYxMYrCBS?si=vm3DUTQTS_ygryG0hgjzWg

18/06/2025

🗣️ Liz Maguire: "𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐦𝐧𝐢-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧."

In this episode, Liz and Seán unpack why relying solely on social media isn't a winning strategy, and why your website should be to the core of your digital presence.

If you're serious about staying ahead of digital trends, this is one episode you won't want to miss.

🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UPGbBRLwCR4nJtYIY67bW?si=u8w6n-uvQbK3a9WJAhwMwg

18/06/2025

🗣️ John Durcan: "𝐒𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥."

Just because a tool works for others doesn’t mean it’s right for you. In this podcast episode, Seán and John discuss how to evaluate digital choices based on your unique goals, the importance of asking the right questions, and how getting advice can help avoid costly mistakes.

So tune in to hear practical insights on making smarter, more strategic tech decisions.

🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lb7l32DnaJDU4VMfpNXiX?si=WLKTOuy0SRuBEb68T4-YiA

18/06/2025

🗣️ Jennifer Cox: "𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 "𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲", 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 "𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲""

Many small business owners overlook "cybersecurity", assuming it’s too complicated or “not their problem.” That mindset is exactly what cybercriminals count on. The truth? Protecting your business online doesn’t have to be hard - simple steps and accessible resources can make all the difference. Don’t wait for a breach to take action.

Listen to our latest Thrive Online podcast to learn how easy it is to start securing your business online today.

🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/24drGGCQp2Ibvex6toiAfB?si=eeAm4AcMS5mJSL0KHOqFVQ

18/06/2025

🗣️ Paul Delahunty: "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫"

You can listen now to our latest episode of Thrive Online, "Protect Your Small Business Online". In this episode, our guests break down the biggest risks and share practical tips you can use today to boost your digital security.

So don’t wait, protect your business now. Don't be the unlocked car.

🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/24drGGCQp2Ibvex6toiAfB?si=YByuqWqrR2ihb6qXW5Iu6g

18/07/2024

🆕 E-Book: A Guide for SMEs 🆕

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫

In today’s digital world, your business can benefit enormously from the vast array of online tools at your disposal, boosting your efficiency and productivity.

In this e-book, we’ve selected some top digital tools to help you work smarter and grow faster.

https://lnkd.in/eTXNj5y7

01/07/2024

🆕 Why your organisation can’t afford to ignore new EU cybersecurity laws

NIS2 becomes law in October 2024, and compliance will be mandatory for organisations that meet or exceed a specific size and/or turnover threshold. Those that don’t reach the Directive’s cyber risk management and incident reporting standards — among other requirements — could face potentially punitive fines. That’s why Irish businesses should be asking themselves: will this new legislation apply to us? If it does, are we ready for it?

David Curtin, CEO of .ie — the trusted national registry for over 330,000 .ie domain names — is concerned that they might not be prepared. “NIS2 is an update of NIS1, the previous EU cybersecurity directive,” he explains. “While NIS1 only applied to around 100 Irish companies, approximately 3,000 Irish entities will have to comply with the new legislation, according to the NCSC.”

Another difference is that only seven sectors were affected by NIS1 (including healthcare, energy and transport); but NIS2 will cover 15 sectors (including manufacturing, digital providers and food production). “Plus, this time around, the supervisory regime will be strictly enforced, and failure to report breaches will be harshly punished,” warns Curtin. The maximum fine for violations is €10,000,000 or 2% of global yearly revenue — whichever is higher.

The new legislation poses challenges from a regulatory enforcement standpoint, he admits. “To be able to do their jobs properly, regulators will need to be fully resourced with the right staff and facilities,” says Curtin. “This will take time, which is fast running out.”

https://lnkd.in/eiFqVvgy

20/06/2024

🆕 BLOG | Is a social media platform like Facebook truly enough for your small business, or should you have a website?

On the surface, relying solely on a social media platform like Facebook for your business’ online presence might seem like the most straightforward and least expensive option.

But let’s dig a little deeper and challenge that assumption. Yes, Facebook (and other platforms like Instagram and TikTok) can be great for building visibility and capturing your audience’s interest. However, they’re limited in their ability to help you build lasting relationships with your customers and, more importantly, convert them into sales.

So what is the case for creating a website?

▪ Reason 1: Your website is fully customisable, while Facebook is a “walled garden”
▪ Reason 2: You don’t have any control over social platforms like Facebook
▪ Reason 3: A website lends your business far more trust and credibility with customers
▪ Reason 4: If anything goes seriously wrong with your business’ Facebook account, your options are limited

✍ https://www.weare.ie/blog-website-vs-facebook-which-is-better-for-your-business/