An initiative entitled Getting Irish Business Online launched today is targeting the 40 per cent of SMEs that don’t have an online presence. It aims to get 25,000 new Irish businesses online within a year.
Speaking at Google headquarters in Dublin today, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he was “astounded” at the high number of such businesses that did not have a website.
“For most businesses, having a presence online is no longer an optional extra: it’s an essential part of business in the 21st century.”
He said the presence of Google and other technology companies here forming a digital services hub was “a very real asset to the Irish economy”.
The Taoiseach said part of the new Government’s role was to bring public services into the 21st century and to deliver more services to citizens digitally. This had not happened to the extent it should have.
He said the plan would develop Ireland as a “digitial island” and would rapidly advance the provision of “e-government”. It would involve investment in technology, education and the examination of how concepts such as cloud computing could advance public services, while delivering them at a lower cost.
The government was also launching the final phase of the national broadband scheme to the final 1 per cent of the country that did not have access to it, Mr Kenny said.
He said the job of rebuilding the economy could not be fully achieved by government alone. It was the challenge of every business to increase market share, and the challenge of government to help them.
Ronan Harris, director of online sales with Google, said there was a “huge pportunity” for Irish businesses which they were failing to grasp.
“An online presence gives the potential to increase sales and revenues, not just locally but internationally,” he said.
Mr Harris said this ultimately helped to build stronger, more sustainable businesses that would ultimately benefit local, regional and national economies.
The campaign will support businesses and sole traders to build a free website in under 30 minutes.
Blacknight Solutions will host the site, with a .ie, .eu or .com domain name free for one year after it’s been set up. Google will provide a trial of online advertising to the value of €100. The other partners in the project are An Post and the city and county enterprise boards.
Also at the event were Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton and Minister of State for Small Business John Perry.
Businesses may create their website for free via the website gettingbusinessonline.ie.
---
Quelle/Source: The Irish Times, 09.05.2011
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
