I.T. Alliance invests €750,000 in cloud infrastructure

12 May 2011

Technology outsourcing player I.T. Alliance is to invest €750,000 to build a new cloud computing division with support from Enterprise Ireland’s R&D fund. Seven new jobs have already been created.

This is the first expansion  by I.T. Alliance into the cloud. The company, which employs approximately 400 people, increased revenues by 15pc last year.

“Companies are adopting the cloud in unprecedented numbers but they need dedicated support. Our new service will provide a virtual support service,” commented Philip Maguire, CEO, I.T. Alliance.

I.T. Alliance is part of Enterprise Ireland’s scaling programme designed to support indigenous firms with the potential to grow revenues in excess of €100m.

Leadership for growth

The company is also participating in Enterprise Ireland’s Leadership for Growth programme, run in conjunction with Stanford University, whose primary focus is to develop the leadership skills to enable transformative growth by Irish companies.

Gartner last year reported that worldwide cloud services revenue would reach almost US$150bn by 2014.

I.T. Alliance’s cloud support services will be available to those using Microsoft’s Windows in the cloud operating system, Azure. The Seattle headquartered company announced in October that its Azure subscriptions had grown by 40pc over the previous quarter.

“Ireland has the potential to be a global centre of excellence in cloud computing,” Greg Treston, Enterprise Ireland’s divisional manager of Scaling.

“I.T. Alliance’s track record and long experience in outsourcing services makes it an ideal candidate to build a global virtual support business,” Treston said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com