Strategy to boost software output

ENTERPRISE Ireland is hoping its new five-year development strategy for the country’s indigenous software industry will drive combined revenue in the sector past the €2.5 billion mark by 2013.

The development agency launched its Best Connected: Software from Ireland blueprint yesterday, saying that the sector’s current profile of around 500 companies with combined sales of €1.4bn could be doubled by 2013.

However, at yesterday morning’s media presentation, the new development plan came in for some criticism — basically for being too similar to Enterprise Ireland’s last industry outlook published back in 2004.

While acknowledging this, to an extent, the organisation said that the new plan was a reaction to market changes in the past few years and aimed — among other things — to promote more collaborations between multinationals and Irish-owned companies.

It added that Ireland should be in a position to benefit from the so-called new software economy, characterised by changes in the demands and needs of end-users.

The strategy is to be reviewed on an annual basis and its success will be measured in a variety of ways including revenue increases, profitability of the sector and the level of international expansion by indigenous companies.

Calling the new Enterprise Ireland report “a significant piece of work” with the direction needed to ensure Ireland is a serious contender in the industry on a global basis, Irish Software Association (ISA) director Kathryn D’Arcy said: “Ireland has a unique advantage in having a strong eco-system of innovative indigenous software companies as well as the leading names in European, American and Asian global software companies.”

Yesterday’s presentation included news of a jobs boost for one local technology company. Dublin-based firm Accuris — which specialises in roaming solutions for international telecoms operators — announced the creation of 27 R&D jobs and €1.5m in R&D funding, coming from a mixture of existing private investors and Enterprise Ireland.

The firm employs 51 people across its Dublin headquarters and offices in Malaysia and the US.