Posted 19 November 2010
Software company, JLizard scoops NovaUCD 2010 Start-Up Award
JLizard a new software development company has won NovaUCD’s 2010 Start-Up Award. The company has developed a cloud-based product to enable organisations to reduce the time required to analyse the log data of their IT systems from days to minutes. By detecting system problems more quickly organisations can make significant cost savings. The product also allows organisations to considerably increase the detection of bugs in their IT systems.
JLizard was established earlier this year by Dr Trevor Parsons and Dr Viliam Holub. It is a spin-out company from the Performance Engineering Laboratory in UCD’s School of Computer Science and Informatics.
Pictured far right: (L-R) Dr Trevor Parsons and Dr Viliam Holub, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics and co-founders of JLizard, overall winner of the NovaUCD 2010 Start-Up Award.
Log data, analogous to CCTV for IT systems, is currently the fastest growing data source in large organisations, and is a particular problem for those using cloud-based systems. Many large organisations may produce up to 10,000 log events per second across their IT infrastructures, ranging from mobile phones to large enterprise applications.
Log data contains information on the state of IT systems and is often reviewed in real-time to assist in the understanding of what is happening as a system runs. Such data is also often reviewed afterwards to understand what was happening at some point in the past, in the case of security threats, performance issues or system crashes.
However log data analysis can be difficult, time consuming and costly, especially when a critical issue occurs and a system requires a quick resolution. Complicating factors include that in typical enterprise systems log data is produced by multiple sources, is stored in numerous locations, typically in different formats, and the volume of data is enormous.
To solve this problem JLizard has developed a software-as-a-service log management tool (www.logentries.com) which is focused on the system reliability of IT applications, especially those running on cloud-based infrastructures. The tool, which is scheduled to go live later this year, will be the first to market logging-as-a-service tool focusing on cloud-based systems.
Using logentries.com, organisations can automatically collect, analysis and visualise live log data and automatically detect system problems in real-time. The product also enables organisations to avoid the need for complex log management set-ups in the cloud environment which can be difficult for them to manage and maintain.
In addition to the NovaUCD 2010 Start-Up Award, JLizard was also presented with a cheque for €5,000, €5,000 worth of legal services from Arthur Cox and six-months free desk space at NovaUCD. JLizard will also receive a year’s free subscription to AccountsIQ software which allows SMEs to manage their entire accounting requirements via the internet.
The start-up award is presented to the overall winner of the NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP) which is supported by Enterprise Ireland.
Two other ventures, Restored Hearing and Belfield Technologies participating on this year’s Programme, received runner-up awards, cheques for €3,000 and €2,000 along with €3,000 and €2,000 worth of legal services from Arthur Cox respectively in addition to six-months free desk space at NovaUCD.
"Enterprise Ireland is delighted to recognise the high level of entrepreneurial activity being undertaken in NovaUCD and to partner with NovaUCD in supporting the establishment of new market-led businesses,” said Michael Moriarty, Manager, Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up’s Financial & Enterprise Software Department.
“The enterprises which have completed this year’s CCDP have demonstrated great ingenuity in commercialising innovative technologies. They represent an essential element in realising the full commercial potential of the significant investment in research and development being made by the Irish Government.”
NovaUCD
NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, is the hub of knowledge transfer activities at University College Dublin. NovaUCD is responsible for the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD research and for the development of co-operation with industry and business. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx. www.ucd.ie/nova
NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP)
170 new ventures and 260 individuals have now completed NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP), which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, and which has run annually since 1996. Its aim is to assist academic and research entrepreneurs in the establishment and development of new high-tech ventures to commercialise the output of their research activities.
The Programme assists participants in defining, developing and transforming their innovative ideas into commercially feasible ventures and in preparing detailed business plans. Previous participants include BiancaMed, Celtic Catalysts, ChangingWorlds, Equinome and RendezVu.(Produced by UCD University Relations)
