Thirty years — three decades — is a long time in business. It is veritable aeons in the world of technology. And yet, that is how long ComputerScope, and now TechPro, has been the publication of record for the Irish information technology sector.
“Defining technology for businesses” was the tag line for quite some time, and remains a central plank of the publication’s mission. “Insight for IT leadership” now graces the masthead, reflecting the fact that information technology has gone from being a business support to a force that can drive the business, enabling agility previously undreamt of.
An awful lot has happened in Ireland since 1985, and even more has happened in the world of information technology. To capture something of the time and the future, we asked key figures in industry, some from the giants with decades of history as well as those that represent the new generation of tech companies, to give us their reminiscences of those technologies that made an impact since 1985, and for those that may have a similar effect in the future.
The result is a record in itself of breakthroughs, discoveries and some unexpected successes — with a few failures — as well as keen insights for businesses in the future.
| IBM — from CEO Watson to cognitive analytics Watson In the span of a century, IBM has evolved from a small business that made weighing scales, time clocks and tabulating machines to a globally integrated enterprise with a strong vision for the future.IBM has been in Ireland since 1956 and grown to occupy a key position within Irish industry. Many of the country’s leading businesses, large and small, benefit from IBM ideas, business innovation, technologies and people.Through the years, the company has changed the ideas about how businesses should operate, and contributed cultural touchstones from the IBM Selectric typewriter to the System/360 mainframe, from punch cards to the Personal Computer, from CEO Watson to Watson cognitive analytics. The world, as well as technology, never stops moving onwards. Influential technology the past 30 years During the early 80s, IBM installed the first Irish retail laser scanner system in L&N’s new supermarket in Cork. While at Bank of Ireland, its Computer Centre became home to an IBM 3084, which was the largest IT system to be installed in Ireland at the time. Meanwhile, the results of a technological revolution that had been in the making for four decades was quite literally, hitting Irish homes and businesses — Ireland was being introduced to the IBM PC.Before the PC arrived, the effort to tear down the wall between professional and personal computing had been a movement — the PC made it a standard. The PC era also created an ecosystem for technology introduction and changed how businesses manage computer systems, applications and add-on hardware developments, plus how they approached distribution channels.Since the 80s, laptop and desktop computers have become substantially commodity products — low-cost means for accessing data and information. It is a sign of IBM’s ability to continually transform itself that it divested its PC business in 2004, to focus on higher value systems and solutions. Transformation and growth When IBM began its operations in Ireland there were just three employees. Over the years IBM has grown to be one of the largest employers in the country with close to 4000 full-time employees. In 1996, IBM announced the development of its Technology Campus in Damastown, Dublin. Since then the portfolio of operations at the Campus has transformed from its initial manufacturing base to now include: IBM Research, Software Development, the European Digital Sales Centre; plus an ever-expanding set of services businesses that includes Data Centres, Cloud Computing, Business Analytics and Security Services supporting clients in Ireland and around the world. Into the future IBM’s view of the future centres on the impact of data. We have all seen the statistics about the vast quantities of data now being produced on a continuous basis. Data has always been at the heart of computing, but the challenge has been how to make sense of the huge volumes now available, and the fact that most of it is unstructured. Crucially, the technologies to deal with those issues are now becoming available, allowing all that data to be used for informed decision-making. IBM believes that entire industries will be transformed by this shift. While computing systems to date have delivered tremendous business and societal benefits by automating data processing to deliver enterprise and personal productivity, the machines of tomorrow — cognitive systems — will forever change the way businesses & people interact with computing systems and data. Cognitive computing systems learn and interact naturally with people to extend what either humans or machine could do on their own. These systems will help industries expand their expertise across their domains of knowledge such as healthcare, science, engineering, and legal, in a fraction of the time it currently takes. This was demonstrated when IBM Watson won Jeopardy!, the TV gameshow challenge in 2011. With Watson’s cognitive analytics it is clear that a new kind of computing system is emerging — one that can learn, reason, and understand natural language, making complex decisions involving extraordinary volumes of fast moving Big Data. Far from replacing our thinking, cognitive systems will extend our cognition and free us to think more creatively. In so doing, they will speed innovations and ultimately help build a Smarter Planet. |
| Intel Ireland
Intel Ireland would like to congratulate ComputerScope/TechPro on reaching an important milestone of 30 years of publication. If you cast your mind back to 1985 when ComputerScope made its first appearance, it was almost impossible to imagine the explosion in technology and the impact it would have on society in the years to follow.At a similar time in the late 1980’s the Intel campus in Leixlip looked very different to the leading edge technology facility that it is today, and the eventual location of the Intel’s first advanced manufacturing investment in Europe was in fact a stud farm in an area still considered a small rural village. What was to follow would become the largest private investment in the history of the Irish state and make a significant statement about Ireland’s emerging role as a tech leader on the global stage.
A look ahead 2015 is not only a significant milestone for Mediateam but also marks the fiftieth anniversary of a predication that would become the foundation for the entire electronics industry — Moore’s Law. In 1965 Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every two years. The continuous pursuit of Moore’s Law over the past 50 years has created a remarkable impact on the tech industry and in turn has transformed our modern society. What is most remarkable perhaps is that Moore’s Law is all about human ingenuity, determination and creativity, which is sustained by talented people and their innovative capabilities. Moore’s Law is as much about belief as anything else, an unwritten agreement between the electronics industry and the world economy that inspires engineers, inventors and entrepreneurs to think about what may be possible. And it is this continued commitment to possibility that will shape the technology landscape of the future — a future that will be characterised by an ever changing world. Some examples of trends that are shaping the future include:
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| Microsoft celebrates 30 years in Ireland
This year, Microsoft marks its thirtieth year in Ireland. It is a milestone representing a distinguished track record of continued investment by the company in this country, which stands in the region of €1 billion.Immense change has taken place over that period in the company — and in the wider industry. From being an unknown company back then, Microsoft, and many other multinational and indigenous technology companies, have become global brands, employers of choice and are major contributors to the economy.Microsoft’s presence in Ireland has grown from 100 people at a manufacturing facility 30 years ago to one with 1,200 people working in software development; R&D; engineering; sales and marketing and the data centre. 
“There really is no knowing the heights we will scale over the next 30 years. Cloud computing has entered popular speech and ever more people and businesses are beginning to appreciate the capabilities it can provide,” Cathriona Hallahan, Microsoft Ireland As the only location outside our headquarters in Redmond which has every aspect of our business located in one place, the variety of disciplines and roles available offer fantastic career development opportunities. We’ve been in a position to attract and retain talent over the course of the last 30 years — I’ve worked with the company for the last 29 — and today we continue to bring new people with a diverse range of technology and non-technology backgrounds into the company. As a company Microsoft is an exciting and dynamic workplace with innovation at its core. To drive this innovation forward we have almost 50 nationalities represented in Microsoft Ireland today which reflects the diversity of our customers throughout Ireland and the Globe. As a company we are committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion. From my own perspective, I found tremendous mentors in the company who saw potential in me and encouraged me in innumerable ways. I joined Microsoft without a degree and it was thanks to the support and advice of those mentors that I pursued an accounting qualification, which opened up a lot of doors in my career. Before taking up my current role as Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland, I worked in a variety of positions — both financial and in operations, both global and regionally based. Strategically, as technology has changed and enhanced more and more how we live and work, as citizens, doctors, artists, scientists, business and IT people, Microsoft has evolved its focus. We’ve transformed from being a software company to a devices and services company embracing a Cloud First, Mobile First world. Innovation has been the one constant. Bringing new things to our customers like Windows 10, Office 365 and Azure as well as our Surface and phone devices, we continue to push at the boundaries of technology and ask how we can help people and organisations achieve more and do more. In Ireland, we’ve been fortunate to be able to put together a great team of people who are flexible and enjoy working in a transformative, fast paced environment. It is an environment that allows you to make a significant contribution — you can determine where the company goes and what it does next. For instance, our Irish team has steered innovation in the development and operation of leading edge Cloud Services such as Azure and Office 365. There really is no knowing the heights we will scale over the next 30 years. Cloud computing has entered popular speech and ever more people and businesses are beginning to appreciate the capabilities it can provide. One trend we will certainly see evolve further is the Internet of Things. It’s already with us today as organisations grapple with gaining business insight through big data, and considering where sensors can play a role in their product or service solutions to bring more value to their customers. It’s something which is going to touch every business and consumer in the Country. The potential is big and exciting, and Microsoft is poised to help customers decode and take advantage of this opportunity. It will also be thrilling to see the impact of all the young coding enthusiasts that are being created through organisations such as CoderDojo. Clubs around the country are introducing children to technology at a young age and ensuring that this interaction is enjoyable and creative. If you have an idea, the attitude is, go and turn it into a reality. It’s a very natural way to promote the acquisition of IT skills and I’d be surprised if it did not give rise to an increase in the number of people pursuing STEM type courses such as engineering as well as entrepreneurial careers in the years to come. Microsoft has come on board as the official European partner for the CoderDojo Foundation and Movement, and we think that with our support, the experience will be enriched for participants and volunteers alike. Our children are our future, and, ultimately, where technology takes us in the next 30 years is up to them. At Microsoft Ireland, armed with 30 years of experience innovating in this country, we’re looking forward to playing our part in reaching that frontier. Cathriona Hallahan, managing director, Microsoft Ireland |
| Google — Transformation of Irish business
The world has changed utterly in the 30 years since ComputerScope/TechPro first published, and technology has been a huge driver of that change. The rapid evolution of the Internet and mobile is phenomenal. Consider that Google as a company is only 17 years old; with that came Google search and YouTube, the platform on which 300 hours of video is uploaded every minute is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. 
“The biggest technological change yet to come from an Irish SME perspective will be the transformation of Irish businesses that fully adopt the online marketplace as a driver of sales and business growth. At our current digital adoption rates, the Internet is expected to account for 10% of our GDP by 2020, or €21 billion euros,” Ronan Harris, Google Google took some big bets on emerging businesses early on that have paid off, not least Android, the mobile operating platform. Indeed Google’s innovation in creating the Android open platform was a game changer in driving the development of mobile. The average Irish consumer is now using three connected devices daily to search, read news and shop. The ability to analyse and track large quantities of raw data (Big Data) has given organisations deeper insights into their businesses than ever before. Even very small companies, using the range of free Analytics tools available can track web site engagement in order to deliver more online sales. Indeed the biggest and most impactful change which the internet has wrought over the past few years has been the breaking down of the traditional barriers to selling products across borders. It is now easier than ever to access far flung customers online and sell to them. In my time at Google, I have seen first-hand the impact of working with businesses to advertise online. Small businesses our teams in Dublin work with on a daily basis go on to hire more people, build out more units and increase their revenues. I have long advocated for businesses to get online, and Irish businesses are taking heed — 75% of them now have a web site. But the next step is to ensure these businesses are selling online, and selling globally. Research shows that only 24% of these SMEs are currently doing so — and fewer still, just 11%, export. The biggest technological change yet to come from an Irish SME perspective will be the transformation of Irish businesses that fully adopt the online marketplace as a driver of sales and business growth. At our current digital adoption rates, the Internet is expected to account for 10% of our GDP by 2020, or €21 billion euros. By next year estimates suggest over 20% of retail sales in G-20 countries will be made online. This is only going to grow in the years ahead and speeding up the adoption of online by Irish companies would mean even greater economic gains for our country. We have all the components in Ireland to be the best in class at exporting online. A strong national brand abroad and trade links into the world’s largest consumer markets, an English speaking marketplace, a young, educated workforce and most importantly, a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. The Internet means that Ireland’s businesses have the opportunity to be global players more than ever before.
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