Ruby McKenzie
Ireland may not be one of the first countries that you think of when you consider technology and innovation, but actually, when you consider their achievements over the years they really should be. There are many things that place Ireland amongst the countries leading the way with technology but the fact that many global tech leaders such as Google and Facebook have large operations there certainly helps.
Technology in Ireland
Businesses in Ireland certainly aren’t alone when it comes to embracing technology. We have seen some massive strides in technology over the past 5-10 years and companies throughout Ireland have needed to embrace this in order to keep up. The pandemic drove customers to use online services in their masses and businesses that were not able to adapt in order to keep up with this new demand were simply left behind. Online entertainment is more popular than ever with people opting to stream movies and play at online casinos rather than visit land-based venues.
When you consider what a massive part of our lives technology plays, it is really no wonder that businesses want to do the same. In fact, Technology Ireland has recently revealed that its mission is to make Ireland a global technology powerhouse. They want to work with agencies, industry leaders and the appropriate Government departments to drive technology development and promote the growth of the technology sector throughout Ireland.
Start-up Businesses in Ireland
As a country that is so willing to embrace technology and move with the times, it is no wonder that so many big-name brands choose Ireland to be home to some of their offices. Not only that but it is also deemed a great choice when it comes to countries that are a good home to a start-up business. Ireland’s emergence as a tech hub has been notable, with new startups appearing in high numbers at a similar rate to the rise in PayPal casinos in recent years.
Last month saw the Start-up Awards Nation Series take place, which looks at entrepreneurship in several regions. The Northern Ireland final took place in Belfast and saw 14 different accolades awarded to Irish businesses – a fantastic achievement.
There were various winners of new business awards such as Scanmatix, which won the business-to-business start-up of the year category and has been extremely successful since its launch in 2020. They also won the Consumer Services Start-up of the Year award. Other categories included:
- Digital Start-up of the Year – Sheer Blooms
- Innovation Start-up of the Year – The Mind Tribe UK
- Belfast Start-up of the Year – Digital Stylist
Director of Corporate Affairs within the Enterprise Division at BT Tara Pollock said: “It has been a pleasure to be a judge for the Awards Series and see the incredible work that startups have been doing across areas such as B2B, professional services and future innovation.
What Does This Mean for Tech Businesses
The technology sector is one that simply isn’t going to go away. Consumers are demanding more from the companies that they shop with and the services that they use, so any business that wants to be successful needs to pay attention to this. One thing that has developed over recent years is the Irish Government and their approach to new business, they are very much thought of as a pro-business organisation with different schemes and policies making it easy for businesses to get started in the country. No wonder 16 out of the top 20 global tech giants have venues in Ireland. Big-name brands such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and LinkedIn all have large offices in Ireland that act as their European Headquarters. It’s a part of the world that embraces both technology and business and this is evident in the number of household brand names that are happy to call Ireland home to the headquarters.
Brexit most definitely had a positive effect on business within Ireland. There were plenty of companies that wanted to remain part of the EU and no longer had cities such as Manchester and London as an option. With Ireland staying an EU member, this allowed businesses to remain there and still be part of the EU – win, win. Dublin continues to be a popular place to host business premises and to start up a new one – it has undergone massive redevelopment over the last 20 years which has helped firmly place it as a city that is good for business. The people of Dublin have really embraced this and it’s now full of talented people who want to make their mark within their chosen industry and will be using technology to help them along the way.
The Future of Tech Within Business
It is always hard to predict the future and technology is no exception. We simply do not know what technological advancements we’ll see in the next few years and how this might affect business. However, what we do know is that it isn’t something that is going to go away anytime soon – technology is a massive part of our day-to-day lives and this will continue to be the case.
What we are likely to see is businesses doing more to automate and streamline the things that they offer, using technology to ensure that their business is as efficient as possible. Many believe that we’ll see an emergency of AI technology and that businesses will do more to automate things within their production lines.
What we do know is that as a country, Ireland has embraced technology and it is this passion for the industry that has helped Ireland become a recognised global tech help. With so many technology based companies calling cities within Ireland home it is no wonder that the country has emerged as a technological leader and a tech hub – with many countries using Ireland as an example of how to run businesses and how to help various industries thrive! Let’s wait and see what the future brings for Irish businesses and technology.
