ComputerScope on 30 years of technology in Ireland

When PFH started in 1985, we were selling an obscure brand, Sord Computers, which provided accounting solutions to businesses. IBM and Microsoft DOS was the operating system of aspiration. The first real game-changer for us came when, in 1991, PFH was awarded the IBM PC dealership. We quickly leveraged this brand to expand beyond the traditional accounting market and gain acceptance within larger corporates and multi-nationals. I remember on one occasion coming back from a UK trade show in 1992 with a Novell Network Box of Network cards and software under my arm. We quickly established a reputation for networking personal computers and integrating them into legacy IBM and Digital systems.

The next big leap forward was following the launch of Windows 95. By then PFH had a firm foothold in the mid-market and corporate base providing a full range of services, particularly around Microsoft technologies. The real transformation here was when PFH achieved Microsoft Gold Partner Status — the first in Ireland, in fact one of the first in Europe. Large migration projects to Windows 95 followed with MNC and indigenous companies. We used a multi-pronged approach of designing, testing, piloting and then implementing large scale migration projects allied with our ability to provide 24/7 nationwide and UK support. It was a strong differentiator.

 

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PFH grew in this period to be one of the largest IT suppliers in the country. My team and I recognised the need for consolidation within the industry and with this in mind we bought CK Electronics in 2006, which helped turn PFH into a large, nationwide provider of true scale.

With the further acquisitions of Siemen’s networking and telephony business and Redstone’s storage business in 2010 PFH became a fully-fledged ICT Services provider of depth and scale, with the capability to effectively and efficiently service any organisation in these islands.

Ground-breaking developments came in taking on the IBM PC to gain credibility, attaining Gold Standard with Microsoft and the technical skills of real depth to deliver on MS technologies. A key tipping point was the vision to expand nationally through the acquisition of CK and then to grow the breadth of offerings in telephony, networking, and storage by acquiring Redstone and Siemens. All of this coupled with the great people that joined and believed in PFH from the start, as well as those who joined along the way through acquisitions, helped us to service and develop with the market.

As PFH Technology Group celebrates its thirtieth year anniversary this year, I can see that, the more I look at this ICT business the more see that it really is all about the people we hire and the people we work with. People make change happen. People are our strength. It is our people who create our milestones. Attracting and growing talent allows us to address the cyclical waves and challenges of the ICT industry and to successfully serve our Customers.

Paul Hourican, CEO

The most significant technology milestone has to be the Internet. It transformed how we conduct business. Technology enthusiasts used to travel to Cebit in Hanover to experience the latest innovations. Now with a simple internet search, one has access to videos demonstrating the hottest technologies.

The second has to be mobile communications, from smart phones to products such a Skype for Business. Advancements in collaboration and productivity tools such as Office 365 have revolutionised how we work.

Work is no longer a place we go, it’s what we do.

In 1997, as a printer specialist company, we realised that print was only one form of output. This led us to workflow solutions, marking the start of our professional services business.

The recession was a tipping point to grow off-island – now 35% of our business is done outside of Ireland. The financial crisis presented a curve ball, when we changed from providing services to banks to focusing on productising a client on-boarding solution, now a spin-off company, Fenergo.

Our FlowForma BPM product was born out of the need for organisations to become more process driven post-recession, it enables our clients to be more efficient.

The big influencers for me are the ones that are making change happen. Richard Branson is a great example. We are also seeing amazing work from start-ups in Ireland, it’s fantastic to witness such a culture of innovation. I’ve just returned from the Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 retreat, where I was overwhelmed by the 24 finalists.

John Purdy, CEO, Ergo

Who can forget that piercing, high-pitched sound?I smile with fond nostalgia when reflecting on the days of the humble 1200 baud modem, when we patiently sat and waited, and waited until finally the connection succeeded and we were able to pick up our email or access a bulletin board or browse a very basic web site. Of course, these were the days of text; no question of exchanging high resolution images or viewing media rich web pages or video streams.

How far we’ve come in such a short space of time. And it’s all down to developments in telecommunications connectivity. In fact, the wide availability of high speed connections has spawned another industrial revolution, facilitating the explosion of cloud services and changing consumer and organisational buying behaviour forever.

The geographical accessibility and speed of the internet is one of the most disruptive forces in our recent history and as an entrepreneur and managing director of unified communications specialist, Intellicom, we’ve been able to capitalise on that.

Ireland’s high speed digital footprint is the fundamental building block of our business model, based on hosted or on premise unified communications solutions; designed to help our clients to better manage their customer relationships and keep their enterprise telecoms costs down.

And with ever increasing, more reliable bandwidth and a steady flow of talented, creative software developers emerging, the future looks bright for those willing to embrace it.

Over the years, TechPro has helped us all to exchange ideas, debate viewpoints and appreciate some of the finer complexities of the technology industry. I for one, hope to be still reading it in 30 years’ time.

Neil Wisdom, managing director, Intellicom