Helping Irish SMEs build greater trust online
A new partnership between eir business and .IE helps Irish SMEs strengthen customer trust online through independent digital trust assessments.
September 23, 2026
Dublin, 21 September 2026: eir business has today announced a new strategic partnership with .IE, Ireland’s national domain registry, which will see eir business become a new strategic partner of the Digital Trust Mark in Ireland.
The partnership will help small and medium-sized businesses strengthen trust in their online presence by providing an independent assessment of their website, email and domain. Businesses that meet the required standard can display the Digital Trust Mark, giving customers, suppliers and business partners a visible signthat their online presence has been assessed against recognised digital trust standards.
Developed by .IE, the Digital Trust assessment examines 28 indicators across a business’s website, email and domain against modern internet standards and recognised best practice. It is open to businesses usingany domain extension, not only .ie domains.
Susan Brady, Managing Director of eir business, said: “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.
“Yet many SMEs do not have the specialist resources toassess whether the protections supporting their digital presence are configured correctly. The Digital Trust Mark provides a practical and accessible way for businesses to understand where they stand and, importantly, demonstrate to customers that they take digital trust seriously.
“Our research shows that cyber risk is already creating asignificant cost for Irish SMEs through lost time, operational disruption andreduced productivity. By giving businesses independent visibility of theirwebsite, domain and email configuration, the Digital Trust programme helps organisations identify improvements that can strengthen trust and resilience.
“As a strategic partner of the Digital Trust Mark inIreland, eir business will combine .IE’s independent assessment with the expertise and support SMEs need to turn the findings into practical action. It is another way we are helping Irish businesses make the complex simple,strengthen customer confidence and operate with greater certainty in anincreasingly digital world.”
The partnership responds to a growing need among SMEs forstraightforward, accessible ways to understand their digital exposure. Recent eir business research found that cyber incidents could be costing Irish SMEs upto €3.4 billion annually, with more than 7.2 million working days lost each year through disruption, recovery and downtime.
The Digital Trust Mark gives SMEs a practical way to demonstrate commitment to trust and gooddigital practice. The assessment focuses on three parts of a business’s digital presence: its domain, which establishes its identity online; its website, where customers interact with the organisation; and its email, through which employees communicate with customers, partners and suppliers.
These areas can contain gaps even when a website looks normal and email appears to work correctly. Missing or inadequately configured protections can, for example, make it more difficult for email providers to distinguish authorised messages from communications that impersonate a business
Louise McKeown, Chief Growth Officer at .IE, said:
“An A-grade earns the Digital Trust Mark, giving businesses a simple and visible way to demonstrate their commitment to digital trust.
“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 against recognised standards.
“For SMEs, that trust can be a valuable differentiator. It shows customers, suppliers and partners that the organisation is taking practical steps to maintain atrustworthy digital presence.”