Profile I Cyrille Comar
as possible. The model works, we get 80 per cent of our customers renewing with us every year.”
The business model came out of a desire to save Ada as a programming language when it was facing intense competition from other languages and then to develop it further. Born primarily to address the needs of the military Adacore has established a very strong presence in that particular market. “We’ve around thirty to forty customers in the military space. We’ve been used from the beginning in part because of the various mandates that are in place, but now we’re seeing more demand across a host of different industries including banking - anywhere where there is a need for critical software. Ada is a programming language that was designed to help software projects succeed. A good language is all about helping developers do their jobs better and ensuring that a software project delivers on its objectives.” For Comar Ada has always tended to be an attractive choice in application domains where reliability, rather than speed to market, has been the overriding concern. Where many millions of lines of code are used in operational systems Ada has a strong presence. It is especially attractive in the safety-critical domain, with fielded systems conforming with the most stringent levels of standards such as DO- 178B.
Subscription model
The subscription based model it has adopted certainly appears to be working for the company.
“In the kinds of markets we’re involved
in the relationship certainly works,” Comar explains. “I mentioned the military space. They don’t want problems towards the end of a long, expensive project. They don’t want problems with their tool sets that could cause delays to projects and the associated additional costs that they could accrue. The strength of our model is that we guarantee that we will be with them all the way.” From an internal perspective the subscription model also provides considerable stability for the business. It provides a solid foundation and enables it to predict future revenues more accurately as well as to plan for future investment. “Absolutely. The subscriptions are due at the beginning of the agreement so we don’t suffer from cash flow problems, the money is there from day one. It was an approach that was established at the very beginning, but we had no idea as to how powerful a model it would prove to be for the business. Obviously it has been adjusted over time and we don’t deal with small businesses. Subscriptions do start at 15,000 euros.“
Adacore is a significant player across the US and Europe yet it only employs around thirty people in Europe.
The subscription model plays well in both the US and in Northern Europe, less so in Southern Europe and in the Far East. “We’re doing a lot of work to break into the Chinese and Indian markets,” Comar says. “They don’t have the same sense of ownership as you find in Europe or America.”
I suggest it must be frustrating. Comar replies, with a smile, “Not frustrating it’s a challenge. But we will find
the right way of getting into those markets in time.
“Our key strengths are that we are an engineering company at heart. When the business was set up we were just a group of engineers who were passionate about what we did and who loved working in this area. We’ve got customers who have stayed with us for 10 to 15 years now. They do so because we understand what they need as engineers. That’s where the value is in terms of the relationship we have with them.” A relatively small business there are no layers of management to navigate. The 20 odd engineers that it employs have been with the business for between 5-7 years and as Comar explains, “they don’t need to be micro-managed by me. They are more than capable of focusing on and managing their own projects.” He concedes that for non-engineers the company’s approach to business can be frustrating - at least to begin with. “For those with a non-technical
background the rigour with which we approach any decision is similar to that which we use when we develop software. It’s an approach that helps people develop their arguments, and it’s an approach that gives people a chance to reconsider and to come up with better alternatives. It certainly helps when dealing with customers and when you’re called upon to explain your reasoning.” Without a formal reporting system Comar likes to follow various projects by, as he explains, “casually dropping in, during the day.” He goes on, “As an Internet- based business I can follow projects easily and I like too. As we get bigger that might
become harder to do. I’m not controlling but I certainly like to know what’s going on.
“In terms of the kinds of people I look to employ I need proactive individuals with a strong background in software engineering. They need to be able to contribute actively to projects, be able to support our customers and help in the running of the business.”
He admits that he likes an argument. “I argue a lot with people. I don’t know whether that is a fault or not. I need to be convinced but I hope I’m always open to alternative solutions as long as they are well argued and logical. I do push people but I don’t try and direct them or interfere too much. It is more a question of asking questions and making people think about what they’re doing in a different way. I accept that can be frustrating at times but it’s crucial to the way in which we work.” Finding good engineers in France as in the UK is a challenge. “It is certainly difficult. As in the UK talented engineers and graduates in France have tended to go into the financial services industry and as a result I’ve had to look beyond France for staff. I’ve employed people from the UK and Germany. Research is fundamental to the company because with a subscription business model we need to improve our processes and continually innovate.” Adacore Europe has now been in business for over 16 years. Comar admits that when he first set up the business on his return to Europe from the US he thought it would last for, at most, 10 years and then he’d have to look for something else. I think that ‘something else’ will have to wait a good few more years. n
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Components in Electronics
September 2011 19
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