ManageEngine is planning to expand its operations in Ireland after recording 25% year-on-year growth in the market.
The enterprise IT management and security company, which is a division of Zoho Corporation, said it intends to increase its Irish customer base by 25% over the next two years and expand its network of local partners.
Ireland and the UK together represent ManageEngine’s second-largest market globally, accounting for 10% of the company’s overall revenue, according to the company.
ManageEngine has operated in Ireland for almost 20 years and opened a data centre in Dublin in 2017 as part of its investment in supporting European customers.
The company said its growth in Ireland has been driven by an expanding customer base, deeper engagement with existing customers and continued investment in its product portfolio.
ManageEngine said it reinvests 40% of its global revenues in research and development.
The company has also highlighted the role of Irish IT services provider Servaplex in expanding its presence in the market.
Servaplex’s clients include McHale Engineering and Foróige and has helped ManageEngine develop its public-sector business.
Almost 80% of Ireland’s local authorities use ManageEngine’s products to manage and secure their IT infrastructure, the company said. Its customers include Cork, Kildare and Laois county councils.
ManageEngine now plans to broaden its Irish partner network, saying this will allow it to work with more local businesses and expand access to its IT management products.
Speaking with TechCentral.ie Rajesh Ganesan, CEO of ManageEngine, said Ireland’s technology sector, multinational presence and large SME base made it an important market for the company.
“We are here 18 years. Even though this is a small market, it’s a significant part of market for us. ManageEngine has a global perspective. We are looking how we can reduce our reliance on developed markets. So when we started in North America 20 years ago it might have accounted for close to 80% of our revenue, now it is less than 40%.
“We want it to be this way. And we want to be seen as the number one option in other markets. So that’s really the aspiration here. So not look at Ireland as a small market and let it go. Some of the parts are really important. Every small country on the map is a region that deserves to be served well.”
Ganesan said that being privately owned gave ManageEngine freedom to focus on long-term projects. “We want to be answerable to the customers and employees. Not investors and stakeholders,” he said.
He added that authenticity and local partnerships played an important role in the company’s evolution: “Servaplex is one example of a partner who has stayed with us for 18 years. So go to all these reasons I mentioned. We are very clear, we cannot scale ourselves globally. We need local partnerships. Servaplex not only bring their technical capability or their local knowledge. They also truly reflect our philosophy, our belief and our values.”
Tim McAlpin, founder and owner of Servaplex, said the requirements of Irish organisations had changed as businesses became increasingly reliant on IT.
He said organisations were looking for enterprise-ready IT management and security products that could address growing complexity without adding unnecessary cost.
“ManageEngine has continued to evolve its portfolio alongside these needs, giving organisations the breadth and flexibility to manage increasingly complex IT environments,” McAlpin said.
ManageEngine said its expansion plans form part of its longer-term investment in the Irish market.
Patryk Goron & Niall Kitson
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