INNOVATOR
ORIGINA, Unit 2, Bracken Court, Bracken Road, Sandyford,
Dublin 18. Tel: 01 2942300. www.origina.ie
Original
thinking
Acommitmenttoongoinginnovation
andastrongemphasisonhelping
customersdrivedowntheircostshave
contributedtothegrowthof
Sandyford-basedITservicesand
consultancycompany,Origina
‘Our Rapid-Support platform
allows us, in a very secure
way using the internet, to
deliver our services to remote
sites anywhere in the world’
Tomás O’Leary
E
MPLOYING just under 30 full-time staff, in Taking an innovative approach has also been reaping us far more flexibility and to be much more cost effective.”
addition to contractors, Origina has three main rewards. For example, Origina’s development over the Lack of confidence in the market is a challenge, says
strands to its business: consultancy; delivering past few years of Rapid-Support, a platform that uses O’Leary, but he’s encouraged by continued growth in the
projects; and providing ongoing support. Set up generic technology to deliver its support services, has business.Healsobelieveshiscompany’sabilitytoprovide
as Unitech Systems in 1998, it was rebranded last year to openedupnewmarketsandhelpedreducetimeandcosts value is an advantage in the current climate.
reflect a shifting emphasis and customer base. for both the company and its customers. “In a downturn, we’re able to step in where an organi-
“Overanumberofyearswehadbeenchangingourfocus “In the past, our support services would typically have sationmayhaveemployedthird-partycontractorsonafull-
from a typical value-added reseller to delivering services been provided onsite — and we’re talking about very sen- timebasis,butnowtheyonlyneedthemacoupleofhours
for our customers,” explains managing director, Tomás sitivedatainenvironmentswhereyoumighthavetohave a week. They can take those few hours and move them to
O’Leary. “Also our operations in Ireland and the UK went highsecurityaccess—eitherthroughretinaorfingerprint us and only pay for what they use.”
under different names. We now have customers in Lux- scans,” explains O’Leary. Fortheimmediatefuture,O’Learysaysthecompanywill
embourg, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, the US, France, “OurRapid-Supportplatformallowsus,inaverysecure stick with its approach of delivering value for customers
SingaporeandtheMiddleEast,soweneededanamethat way using the internet, to deliver our services to remote and looking at new ways of doing things.
was more easily transferable.” sites anywhere in the world. We have one client in partic- “We will be focusing on our current customers and
Customersaretypicallylargeorganisationswithaheavy ular where we deliver these services into the US, into findingoutwhattheywanttodo,”hesays.“I’venodoubt
relianceonITsuchaslargefinancialinstitutionsandpub- mainland Europe and into Asia. new ideas will come out of discussions with our cus-
lic sector bodies. The Department of Communications, “We’ve been developing the platform over a number of tomers. We will look to provide any new services and any
Energy and Natural Resources, the Health Services Exec- years,primarilybecausewefoundthatthetypeofskillswe new projects that fit into our capabilities and will drive
utive, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, havearehardtofind,andourstaffwerebookedoutallthe down peoples’ costs, drive down their risks, making their
Department of Education, Institute of Technology, Tal- time,” he continues. IT landscape more flexible.
laght,HibernianInsuranceandRoyalandSunAllianceare “Asweextendedgeographically,wefoundtraveltimewas “Weseeourselvesasserviceinnovators.Whenyou’refrom
just some of the entities Origina has worked with recently. eatingintoourabilitytobeabletodeliverourservices.We a small island on the periphery of Europe, it can be chal-
According to O’Leary, the company’s success to date is alsofiguredthatitwaswastingalotofourcustomers’time, lengingtohoponaplaneandlandinaforeigncountrywith
largelydowntoastrongcustomerfocus.HesaysOrigina’s where we might have two or three hours work to do, but a different language, bringing technology that’s quite
mainobjectivesaretohelpclientsdrivedowntheirITcosts, itmighttakeafulldaytogetthereandbackandwe’dend generic, with skills that they can get locally. We’re selling
whileensuringtheyalwayshaverisk-freeaccesstotheirdata up having to charge them for that. servicesthattechnicallytheycouldbuyintheirlocalmar-
and their systems are flexible enough to deal with any “Goingbacktoourgoalofdrivingdowncosts,wethought ket,butyettheywanttodobusinesswithus.Theprimary
changes in their business. theremustbesmarterwayofdoingthis.Theresulthasallowed reasonforthisisbecausewethinkdifferently.”
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SFA NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS 35
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