The technology business week: world’s innovative companies in Ireland, Irish alliance with Indian IT giant


17 Feb 2014

Five of 50 World's Most Innovative Companies 2014 have Irish presence

A digest of the top business technology news stories from the past week, beginning with the news that five of the 50 companies on Fast Company’s list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies 2014 have an Irish presence.

Five of 50 World’s Most Innovative Companies 2014 have Irish presence

Five of the 50 companies on Fast Company’s list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies 2014 have an Irish presence, with internet titan Google taking the top spot for a second year.

Cloud storage company Dropbox, online accommodation service Airbnb, microblogging platform Twitter, and e-commerce behemoth Amazon follow further down the list, at Nos 4, 6, 13 and 18, respectively.

Google, whose EMEA headquarters is in Dublin, last topped the list in 2008. The company landed in the No 1 spot again “for becoming a US$350bn giant that lets loose almost too many innovations and milestones to count”.

Irish tech firm forms alliance with Indian IT giant Tech Mahindra

Indian IT giant Tech Mahindra has forged a partnership with AIMS Software that will see the Irish tech firm’s software deployed across south-east Asia.

The deal was announced during the latest Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Singapore.

“We are seeing an increasing need from government, NGOs and enterprises in the region for efficient and transparent administration and management of funds and grants,” said Ram Ramachandran, head (Enterprise Sales) ASEAN region, Tech Mahindra.

Limerick recycling tech firm AMCS buys US software company

Just weeks after raising a €23.5m investment round, Limerick-based waste management and recycling tech firm AMCS has acquired US software company PC Scale Technology (PCST) for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition is part of AMCS’ strategy of further consolidating its position in international markets as a provider of software for the waste and recycling industry.

The deal follows last month’s completion of a €23.5m investment round by Highland Capital Partners Europe and Investec Ventures through the Ulster Bank Diageo Fund.

Internet firm Rakuten buys communications app Viber for US$900m

In an effort to expand its digital content into emerging markets, internet company Rakuten has acquired chat and messaging app Viber for US$900m.

Japanese company Rakuten already owns online retailer Play.com and Canadian e-reader Kobo.

Cyprus-based Viber has 300m registered users. The acquisition will add that user base to Rakuten’s existing 200m users, Reuters reported.

Under the deal, Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani said, Rakuten users could, for instance, use Viber’s service to send an instant message to an online store while considering a purchase.

Dropbox appoints Google veteran Dennis Woodside as its very first COO

File-hosting service Dropbox has hired Google veteran and Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside as its first chief operating officer.

Dropbox has been around since 2007, but it has not yet had a COO. Drew Houston, Dropbox’s co-founder and CEO, had been running the company.

In his new role, Woodside will be responsible for growing Dropbox’s service worldwide, along with leading the push of Dropbox’s business software in an increasingly competitive environment, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Cisco’s profits fall by more than half in second quarter to US$1.4bn

Networking equipment maker Cisco ended its second quarter with revenue of US$11.2bn and net income of US$1.4bn, reflecting a decrease of 7.8pc and 54.5pc year-over-year, respectively.

The company’s earnings per share for the second quarter, ended 25 January, amounted to US$0.17.

In November, Cisco had pared down expectations for the coming year, citing shaky economic conditions worldwide and transitions in some of its product lines.

Dublin spire image via Shutterstock

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