EBS scoops top Inspired technology award


27 Oct 2005

The big winner of the first annual BT Inspired IT Awards was the EBS Building Society, which scooped Inspired IT Project of the Year for its Broker Mortgage Origination System at last night’s ceremony in Dublin.

The project, which links the EBS directly with its regional brokers, was one of a number of awards created to acknowledge the role of IT managers and their teams for creating business value through the inspired use of IT in Ireland. Set up by iReach, an indigenous research and market intelligence company, the awards were opened by Minister Tom Kitt TD and hosted by Fergus Finlay, chairman of Barnardos Children’s Charity. The event is expected to raise €25,000 for donation to Barnardos.

Dublin Dental School and Hospital won Inspired IT Team of the Year for its project, Clinical Information Mobility and Learning, which used text messaging, videoconferencing and wireless internet to improve the running of the business. The Inspired SME Award went to Osmosis for its project, Digital Cinema Ireland, which gives cinemas across the country access to high-speed digital downloads of movies.

Other winners on the night included Coillte’s Forest Information System in the government category, Aircoach’s M-Ticketing project for travel and transport and Arnott’s Project Merlin for retail and distribution. Idiro Technologies won the technology category for its Customer Intelligence project and Cork-based, GN Resound won in manufacturing and pharmaceuticals for its Quality Information Systems. Friends First won the financial services category for its project eTransformation.

“We’re delighted at the success of the awards especially as it’s the first year,” commented Oisín Byrne, MD of iReach. “It is really a tribute to the value IT has in modern Irish business particularly as the judges had such a hard time choosing winners.”

By Ian Campbell