eir business has announced a new strategic partnership with .IE to help SMEs build customer trust in their online presence. eir business becomes a strategic partner of the Digital Trust Mark, giving customers, suppliers and business partners a visible sign that a company's website, email and domain have been independently assessed.

The Digital Trust assessment developed by .IE examines 28 indicators across a business's website, email and domain against modern internet standards and recognised best practice, open to businesses using any domain extension. An A-grade earns the Digital Trust Mark.

The structural driver behind the partnership is a gap in specialist resources among Irish SMEs, many of which lack the expertise to assess whether protections supporting their website, email and domain are configured correctly, leaving gaps even when a site looks normal to customers.

"Trust is fundamental for every SME. Customers increasingly want confidence that the websites they visit and the emails they receive genuinely come from the organisations they represent," said Susan Brady, Managing Director of eir business. "Our research shows that cyber risk is already creating a significant cost for Irish SMEs through lost time, operational disruption and reduced productivity."

eir business research found that cyber incidents could be costing Irish SMEs up to €3.4 billion annually, with more than 7.2 million working days lost each year through disruption and downtime. "As a strategic partner of the Digital Trust Mark in Ireland, eir business will combine .IE's independent assessment with the expertise SMEs need to turn findings into practical action," Brady added.

"An A-grade earns the Digital Trust Mark, giving businesses a simple and visible way to demonstrate their commitment to digital trust," said Louise McKeown, Chief Growth Officer at .IE. "Just as consumers look for trusted quality marks in other areas, the Digital Trust Mark helps customers identify organisations whose online presence has been independently assessed."

eir business is part of eir, Ireland's largest telecoms operator, headquartered in Dublin and majority owned by French investor Xavier Niel's NJJ Boru alongside Anchorage Capital, having invested more than €1 billion in its network since 2018. .IE is Ireland's non-profit national domain registry, responsible for managing the .ie namespace.

For the sector, the partnership reflects growing pressure on Irish SMEs to demonstrate verifiable digital trust as customers scrutinise the security of the websites, email and domains they interact with.

Source: Irish Tech News / Wikipedia / Data Center Dynamics