Ireland can continue in elite of software sector

Ireland is unlikely to be the incubation centre that gives birth to the next global consumer-facing tech giant, in the mould of Facebook, Google, or Twitter, but can continue to rival the world’s elite in other areas, according to Enterprise Ireland’s software chief.

Despite Irish software firms being “as good as or probably better than” many of their rivals, their success has largely come in the B2B (business-to-business) segment rather than as customer-facing (B2C) companies, such as the giants of global tech, Enterprise Ireland software division department manager Pat Byrne admits.

The financial firepower to propel a business of that kind into the upper echelons of the software elite — and onto the bookmark tab of millions of customers — is likely to be beyond Irish capabilities.