EuroCloud Ireland, the first Irish cloud computing representative body, has started operations in Ireland. It will be an organisation “for the cloud computing community as a whole while working with the public to enhance its understanding of the role, capabilities and importance of cloud technologies,” says Noel Shannon, EuroCloud Ireland’s chairman.

EuroCloud Ireland plans to, among other things, provide policy statements on cloud computing best practice, conduct periodic surveys to gauge how the industry in Ireland is competing effectively, use sub-groups to research specific topics and issue white papers and provide a framework where service providers can benchmark themselves against industry best practice.

EuroCloud, a European network of cloud computing communities, includes vendors and industry experts and has a presence in 15 other European countries.

Further details can be found at http://www.eurocloud.org or it can be followed on twitter via www.twitter.com/eurocloud.

Telefónica O2 Ireland has hooked up with email specialist Mimecast to offer large and small businesses a new cloud-based email management service.

The service will provide businesses with a solution for email archiving, security and continuity. Users can search 10 years of archived or deleted email without needing support from IT staff.

Recent research by Forrester Consulting, on behalf of Mimecast, measured the financial impact of using the cloud-based service. It estimates an 86% return on investment in seven months. Not a bad return.

Watch the video explaining cloud computing (in very simple terms).

NovaUCD-based e-learning company RendezVu has won the 2009 David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Award.

RendezVu developed a next generation learning platform to to teach students different languages using virtual world and gaming technologies.
RendezVu was co-founded in 2008 by Paul Groarke and Garrett Hussey, both ex-Baltimore Technologies employees, and the company was the overall winner of NovaUCD’s 2008 Campus Company Development Programm

The company will receive €10,000 in cash and over €100,000 worth of mentoring and consultancy services from a variety of blue chip companies.