Eight Irish tech firms to showcase wares at Microsoft’s WPC event in Texas

8 Jul 2013

The scene last week in downtown Houston, Texas, as Microsoft set up the infrastructure for WPC 2013. Image via Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Facebook Page

This week, eight Irish technology companies are showcasing their applications, technology tools and cloud-based services at Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Houston, Texas. Enterprise Ireland is sponsoring the visit of the Irish firms who are looking to forge new global business alliances.

The WPC event, which kicked off yesterday, will run until 11 July. The conference is expected to attract some 16,000 technology leaders from 50 countries.  

Nurturing global digital innovation – goal

The group of eight Irish application developers and technology service providers at the WPC has a goal in mind – to build alliances and expand global distribution channels.   

Keith Byrne, trade development executive at Enterprise Ireland, said these technology companies represent the best of Irish innovation.

The WPC will provide an opportunity for these companies to reach out to Microsoft’s global reselling channel and demonstrate the value they can deliver to their customers, he said.

The Irish tech companies that are in Houston are:

  • Global Business Register – The company provides a gateway to official, live data on more than 55m companies across the European Union and the US, in 20 different languages.
  • iQuate – Around for some time now, iQuate has developed a software licence discovery platform that aims to optimise licensing and reduce costs, especially in data centres.
  • AppQuik – An enterprise app platform that aims to allow organisations of all sizes to design, build and deploy apps across iOS, Android and Windows Phone8 simultaneously.
  • CareWorks Software – A social care management platform, dubbed CareDirector, aims to transform social services delivery with State-wide client-directed service management.
  • HCS Business Solutions – This start-up delivers software, infrastructure and IT services, including Office 365, SharePoint Online and Exchange Online, to businesses of all sizes in Ireland.
  • CipherDocs – Deploying cloud document collaboration services, including Office 365, the company aims to provide secure and controlled access to hosted corporate data.
  • accountsiQ – This is a cloud accounting software that has been designed by accountants specifically to suit business environments where multiple entities – clients, franchisees, subsidiaries, branches – need access to a common platform.
  • SAM360 – This high-tech start-up has come up with software asset management tools and services with the goal of helping businesses manage software licence compliance, eliminate software under-use, and optimise software procurement.

Sharing ideas

During the conference, representatives from the companies will meet with Microsoft executives to align product development roadmaps.

Meetings with Microsoft channel partner organisations will focus on delivering high-quality technology solutions to end customers, Enterprise Ireland confirmed this morning.

Karl O’Doherty, CEO of SAM360, believes the WPC will provide the company with an “excellent platform” to identify and engage with key decision-makers within the Microsoft software asset management partner ecosystem.

Enterprise Ireland said its previous participation in Microsoft’s WPC has helped foster global partnerships, shaping Ireland’s position in the US technology market.

Software exports from Ireland grew by 19pc in 2012 to €1.02bn, with the US now accounting for 35pc of all software exported by Irish companies.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com