IBM to open new Cork facility

16-11-2007

by Charlie Taylor

Technology giant IBM is to establish a multi-million-euro Business Continuity and Resilience Services centre in Cork, the firm announced on Friday.

The state-of-the-art facility is to be based in Blackpool Business Park, which is situated on the outskirts of Cork city. It will provide customers with support to ensure business continuity and resilience in the event of an interruption to business functions.

IBM already has several operations in Ireland, including five offices in Dublin, and one each in Cork, Belfast and Galway. The company currently employs more than 3,000 people across the island.

In March, just weeks after IBM acquired telecoms software firm Vallen Technologies for an undisclosed sum, the company announced an IDA Ireland-supported investment in its software development operations in Cork and Galway over the next three years, leading to the creation of around 130 new jobs. The new announcement is a follow on to the company's commitment to invest in operations in the Munster region, though IBM did not outline how many jobs would be created at the Cork facility.

Speaking on Friday, Anne Fitzsimons, IBM Global Services - Integrated Technology Services Country Manger for IBM Ireland, said that business continuity management had become a high-priority issue across all sectors, adding that globalisation, online commerce activities and new networking technologies had made companies more vulnerable to disaster.

"Business continuity is not just about recovery from a disaster such as one caused by fire or the failure of IT systems; it can also be about the collapse of a key supplier, fraud or reputation management," said Fitzsimons.

"The business impacts of a failure to plan appropriately for a disruption are severe, no matter what the cause. Inadequate disaster recovery plans will also cost -- with customers, with shareholders and with regulators," she added.

The latest IBM investment follows on from a series of announcements from the firm in which it has reiterated its commitment to Ireland.

In July, the company opened a new innovation centre at its facility in Mulhuddart in Dublin, while in March IBM announced it was to establish one of its international business value units in Dublin to work alongside Irish universities and government agencies to research global economic trends.

Back in July 2006, IBM also revealed that it planned to inject EUR46 million into its Irish operations and create 300 new jobs.