An introduction to SharePoint

There are many tools out there that enable businesses to improve their processes, increase productivity and improve teamwork between their staff. It can be hard to know where to start.

As a provider of Microsoft centred solutions, we often point our customers to SharePoint.

A web-based, collaborative platform, it integrates with Microsoft Office applications to provide a document management and storage system. SharePoint is highly configurable and its use varies from one business to another. Businesses generally use SharePoint to create websites. These are then used as a secure place by organisations to store, organise, share, and access information from any device, from a desktop PC, to smart phones and tablets.

Sites in SharePoint are where you store your data. SharePoint provides several Site templates out of the box that can be used instantly, two such templates are Team sites and Publishing sites. Both have different uses and different capabilities. Team sites can be used by your teams and departments, this site template provides the ability to upload documents to a library with or without version control, monitoring of documents with check in/out, metadata and tagging facilities. Content can be targeted to specific business users with audiences. In addition, you have pre-built workflows that can be utilised straight away. Publishing Sites allow you to control when and how content is deployed to the site using content management processes. Publishing sites are used to create public websites, intranets and communication portals.

SharePoint communities enable the sharing of knowledge using Wiki’s and Wiki pages bringing people together to share and learn. Information can be shared across your enterprise. SharePoint also allows you to tag content, you can understand the content and it’s use from its tags. Users can subscribe to tags to get to the right information faster.

With SharePoint, your content is all stored in one place. Typically, organisations store data in folders in file shares, with the result, documents get lost, users then end up recreating the same document. You can manage documents, web content and records on a single platform with SharePoint. SharePoint allows document versions to be managed, apply retention policies to documents to archive or expire your document or run audit reports. Metadata can be added to a document library to better describe the content and to find it using SharePoint search. With SharePoint’s office integration, your existing working environment remains the same.

SharePoint search provides one platform to access all your information in SharePoint in addition SharePoint can also search file shares across your enterprise and Exchange mailboxes using E-Discovery and then export the results for an audit or legal case. SharePoint enhances the presentation of the results which is a combination of refinement, people and relevance. On the results page of a search you will have metadata and tags to refine your results on the left side, with the most relevant results in the middle of the page and people suggestions on the right. Tags can also be used in search queries to locate documents or people.

Visualisation of data in SharePoint is accomplished using reports, charts, worksheets, dashboards, scorecard’s and KPIs. Performance Point services, Reporting Services and Power Pivot enables reporting, analysis and creation of Charts, dashboards, scorecards, KPI’s. Visio services enables rendering of diagrams and charts in the browser. Excel Services enables you to manage Excel Workbooks as interactive reports.

SharePoint compsites enable you to create business solutions by connecting and configuring the basic building blocks of functionality, this includes combining data, documents and business process in a productive useful way. SharePoint compsites enable your Power Users to build complex business processes without the need for code. SharePoint compsites can be a simple as a document approval workflow, to a BCS (Business Connectivity Services) profile page displaying external data in SharePoint with create, read, update, delete operations.

Our team of experts have accomplished numerous SharePoint projects across multiple sectors such as Banking and Finance, Construction, Healthcare and Medical devices. If you are interested in any aspects of our SharePoint offering, contact us for a free consultation.

Connecting the dots

Connecting the dots: How I ended up at Aspira

One of my earliest memories is seeing the above picture of the Taj Mahal in a Ladybird book and being amazed. I stared and stared, wondering what this exotic building was and how a place like this could exist? This book showed pictures of the Wonders of the World and it completely captivated me. Fast forward to me as a seventeen-year-old, I sat in an office with my career guidance counsellor as he asked, “What would you like to do with your life?” I shrugged and said, “No idea”. He suggested “What about this IT thing?” and there I was: an IT thing guy!

Having spent my school years looking at maps, geography books, atlases and globes, imagining all the adventures to be had in the world… How was I going to be an IT thing guy? In my early twenties I got my first taste of foreign lands. On this trip bumped into and made friends with an Irish guy (Luca) who would return to this story twenty years later.

My IT career had taken off and I somehow fell into contracting in software testing. Truth be told I never really enjoyed my job, but I quickly learned I could use it to achieve my goals, not career goals but life goals. I worked and travelled, worked and travelled again… my life was truly a roller-coaster, from the lows of work to the highs of travel. Work was tolerable because it allowed me to live out many of the dreams that were started in that Ladybird book all those years ago.

Throughout this period of my life mentioned, I had become the ‘go-to’ guy for solving IT problems amongst my friends. I could spend hours or even days fixing something I knew nothing about. Eventually I would fix it, and it felt good, I couldn’t really understand why I got such a great feeling from this achievement, but I liked it – I fixed something that wasn’t working! How on earth can I do this for a job? Where do I start? Or am I too far down the line to make a career change?

Step back in the man I met almost exactly 20 years previously – Luca, who was now a director with Aspira. At this stage Luca knew me well and knew I liked resolving IT-related issues, so he asked me “Do you want a job?” I said “Yes”, then suddenly I was in a job doing what I discovered I loved: fixing things! I had finally become the IT thing guy – how could that counsellor have known? I’ve since hung up my backpack and swapped it for a family, I couldn’t be happier, and I never have to work another day in my life. It’s funny when you step back and look at life’s big picture… there are dots to be connected all over the place.

P.S. I made it. In more ways than one.

If you have an IT-related issue that needs solving, please reach out to Aspira today at info@aspira.ie.

Author: Kevin O’Donovan, IT Engineer, Aspira.

Power of Project Management: Linking strategy to action

Organisations are facing significant events and uncertainties such as GDPR, Brexit, adoption of Artificial Intelligence and President Trump’s new America. These uncertainties give rise to a dilemma for established businesses. Should they adopt transformation programs within their organisations and risk cannibalising existing profits, or should they preserve what has made their organisation great?

Many organisations are opting for major transformation programmes in pursuit of competitive advantage. These programmes may require a shift in strategy, structures, systems, processes and culture while maintaining critical assets.

So if you are considering such a transformation, you need to ask yourself:

How widespread is the required scope of change – does it affect the entire organisation or is it concerned only with a particular division?

Who are the stakeholders that can have a positive or negative influence on the transformation? Who are the people you need to engage with?

Do employees see the need for the transformation and understand the importance of the change? In times of change, our autopilot mode stops working – choices suddenly proliferate, decisions need to be made – and this creates uncertainty. Sometimes what looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. So you need to create clarity by communicating a compelling vision with a real sense of urgency.

Are you communicating for buy-in? Organisations need to appeal to employees emotional side, ‘find the feeling’ and make people feel something. People must feel they are capable of change and need to be encouraged to accept the challenges the transformation brings despite the complexity and risks.

How much time does the organisation have to achieve this transformation? A realistic schedule with clear deliverables and milestones will be required to shape the path and provide the plan for action. Achievement of these milestones will create short-term wins and build confidence and momentum for change within the team.

Sustaining competitive advantage has never been more challenging, and the stakes have never been higher. That means you have a tremendous opportunity. By making the right big-picture, strategic decisions, you can chart your company’s course amid great uncertainty.

Aspira consulting services can help you navigate this complex environment. Our clients’ testimonials demonstrate the value of strategic input in realising their vision.

The move towards Intelligent Business Applications

Pivoting to Success

Since Aspira was founded in 2007, it has had a Software Development team who design and deliver software solutions. Initially, the company was product-focussed, and then pivoted to be a services company – delivering a software development service amongst others.

Aspira’s software development offerings are great for clients who wish to have a new application developed or who require someone to manage the maintenance and development of their legacy products.

However, in many cases we find that a client specifically does not want software developers to build a whole new system for them. Such clients prefer to avoid the pain of dealing with a new product, new supplier, longer-term product roadmap, future compatibility and maintenance issues that always arise with bespoke software.

What a majority of clients want is an ‘out of the box’ solution – where they will incur no development costs and where the long-term support is straightforward.

A Solution from the Inside

In response to this demand, Aspira set up the “Business Applications” team. The task of this team is to not write software, instead they must build up deep expertise with many of the ‘out of the box’ software solutions out there. They must become trained and certified implementers of these systems. This foundation creates the ability to deploy, configure and customise solutions so that it will work effectively within the client environment, which ultimately addresses the client’s need(s).

The Aspira Business Applications team carry out these steps precisely – utilising technology such as CRM, SharePoint, PowerBI, Project Server etc. The team can rapidly deploy an industry-hardened solution in a way that retains a client’s satisfaction.

Integrating the Past with the Future

In some incidents, we pull in the Software Development team too. Often, there can be a small amount of legacy applications or home-grown applications, to which clients need the new ‘out of the box’ system to connect.

Being equipped with a development capability – the Business Applications team can apply this to their advantage. It is here where our developers can not only build the interfaces but also configure the system to function with the legacy systems if required. Rather than a zero-code solution, it becomes a low-code solution.

Aspira is a company that focuses on delivering the people and technology to solve problems – the new Business Applications team is a fantastic addition to that capability.

If you would like more information on this topic, please contact info@aspira.ie

How to manage your organisation’s digital security in the age of the cloud

Internet based technology and cloud is now central in everything we do, shaping growth, disrupting industry landscapes and providing the catalyst for transformation. Digital Transformation can be considered as the next industrial revolution. We now have a digital landscape where there are no defined borders and data is the new commodity to be bought, sold or stolen. The Internet is there to connect, not protect so it is inevitable that, as data is now king, securing it is a huge challenge.

Before the cloud, we could rest assured that our data was protected sitting in a data centre behind our firewall. Our security challenges were simple – how do I secure my network and prevent intrusions. We secured internal user access to resources locally, and we had a known security perimeter.

Today, with the internet and the cloud, the user can choose applications at random, store data anywhere, applications are increasingly external, and IT departments have limited visibility to provide protection.

So how do we enable the benefits of cloud while still being assured that our data is protected in a world where even organisations with enormous security budgets and elite security analysts are struggling to address modern threats?

To start, you need to change your perspective and work from the assumption that your security will be compromised. Plan for the eventuality by adopting an approach that focuses on protection, detection and response. Adopt a security posture that is:

Comprehensive in terms of understanding your environment and weaknesses;
Well-informed in terms of what the modern security challenges are;
Prescriptive in terms of what steps to take to protect your environment and respond to security events.

To begin to develop your security posture, it will help if you separate your environment into:

The devices you use, how and where they are used, from data centre to end user;
The applications you use, where there are located and how they are accessed;
The data that is updated and manipulated by applications:
The users who access the data, through the applications, that is stored on the devices.

Then develop your plans and strategies for each layer. Make sure you address your specific needs keeping in mind any internal, regulatory or legal requirements that affect your business directly. And remember, when developing your plans always keeping in mind, what do you do if you are compromised.

Author: Jason Boyle, Operations Director, Aspira

6 ways Resourcing can solve hiring needs

In recent months, the talent pool in Ireland has become more competitive. Many multinational companies have set up their European headquarters in Ireland. We regularly speak to client companies about the benefits of hiring for specific skills gaps during specific projects, on a long-term, or short-term basis, through a trusted partner like Aspira.

We put together project delivery teams with a blended mix of our expert permanent staff and our experienced associate consultants. Many of our associate consultants are active in the contract market, and have a long-term association with us.

The companies we work with all have similar challenges:

• It is very difficult to find permanent people for niche IT Role.
• Experienced and qualified Project Managers and Business Analysts are hard to find.
• The talent pool in Ireland is extremely competitive, making it more difficult to source staff.

Despite these issues, we find that companies are reluctant to use day rate consultants, considered to be ‘too expensive’, ‘not a long-term solution’, ‘don’t understand the company culture’ and so on. However, sometimes you face a business project that needs urgent delivery and this is where an experienced Aspira consultant might just be the answer.

The benefits of hiring a daily-rate Aspira consultant include:

1. You only pay them for days worked.
2. If hired through Aspira, all the payroll costs are handled which is less work for the finance department.
3. No additional hidden costs because a daily rate is all inclusive.
4. Costly employee benefits such as training or bonuses are not charged to the client company
5. Less of a notice period in case projects are cancelled.
6. If you hire an Aspira team member, you can expect results and delivery in a shorter time. They are experienced at quickly evaluating client challenges and ensuring minimum delays through long learning curves.

For more information on resourcing and how it can benefit your organisation, contact our resourcing team at info@aspira.ie or visit the website www.aspira.ie

Author: Russell Moore, HR & Resourcing Manager, Aspira

Embracing the digital transformation

At Aspira, we are constantly seeking new ways to make a positive impact on our surroundings and one of these decisions came in 2017, when the company committed to solely purchasing and using electric cars.

This decision seemed like a natural progression for Aspira, as we recognised the positive impact electric cars have on the environment. As a project management firm, in recent years, we have also noticed a digital transformation occurring within the industry. Technology has heavily influenced how project management is now practiced – and the same can be said for motor vehicles. In this blog we look at how these changes mirror each other.

The digital transformation of the motor vehicle

Initially, motor vehicles were not equipped with features such as indicators – a feature that we now take for granted and heavily rely on to drive in an efficient manner. In addition, manual windows/manual unlocking have now transitioned into electric windows and immobiliser unlocking. Nowadays, your car acts as an entertainment centre – with features such as sat-navigation, Wi-Fi and even technology to parallel park or even drive.

There has even been a digital transformation in the way vehicles are produced. With Henry Ford’s invention of the production line concept, bringing the vehicle a long a belt to employees, digital advances have replaced these employee roles. Instead of supporting traditional methods, new types of innovation and creation, such as robotic arms, create industrial advantages:

Time efficiency – Robotic arms are tasked to do specific tasks. There are no interruptions as there is no need for human speech – once the robotic arm is programmed, it operates effectively
Safety – Less chance of an injury occurring – no human errors occurring during process, once it is programmed correctly
Financial savings – Although, a high initial cost may be required, there is no on-going wages – although minor servicing costs may be incurred

The digital transformation of project management

In a similar manner, project management has undergone a digital makeover. Technology has enhanced our ability to be more efficient and we now rely on mobile apps and social media to instantly connect with our team members and communicate key messages to one another. This reduces waiting time and speeds up the delivery of projects. We can also share documents with one another from different locations. No more waiting for faxes and documents to arrive by post!

Technology allows teams to operate in various locations, adhere to project deadlines and stay on budget.

At Aspira, we celebrate the advancement of technology to support the practice of project management and understand its importance to contribute to a better work environment. Our decision to purchase electric cars which rely on technology to positively impact our surroundings echoes our sentiments.

Article by Dean Murphy, Marketing Intern, Aspira.

Three Tips To Influencing Without Authority

The 2019 PMI EMEA Congress kicks off in Dublin next week, where I will deliver an interactive session on the crucial project management skill of influencing without authority, alongside my colleague and Aspira CEO, Pat Lucey.

Getting things done on time, on budget and not leaving a trail of dead bodies while doing so is always a bonus!

The old style of command and control hierarchy is gone and project managers have to manage by influence, especially in a matrix environment. Often as a project manager you are managing people who don’t typically report to you and may have never worked with you, who are in separate locations and are likely to be at least working on more than one project.

Therefore, to deliver your project successfully, you need to manage by influence.

Make a good first impression

From the start of your project, you need to assume everyone is a potential ally and that the uncooperative will cooperate. You must suspend judgement and be curious about their world.

This is also your time to establish yourself as a credible leader by speaking about your experience of leading similar projects and highlighting your skills.

Your ability to influence is at its highest point at the start of the project, so this is a crucial time to impress your stakeholders.

Communicate the right messages

Begin by communicating what you are trying to achieve and help each person understand the vision and mission of the project and how they are connected to it.

Each person whether down the corridor or across the ocean needs to know, believe in and feel connected to the project story.

Understand your stakeholders

It is important to schedule time with each of your stakeholders to understand their priorities, concerns and objectives.

This will allow you to see the project through their eyes. You will learn how they are rewarded and measured, what is important to them, what keeps them awake at night and what they are passionate about. It will also give you insights into their preferred working styles and methods of communication.

This information will allow you to build rapport and communicate in a way that resonates with them, mapping project benefits to their needs.

If you would like to learn more about how you can influence without authority, click here for an insight to our dedicated training course.

Author: Norma Lynch, Head of Training, Aspira

PMI EMEA Congress comes to Dublin

PMI EMEA Congress comes to Dublin

This month will see the biggest international event in the project management (PM) world come to Dublin. It will also be the largest PM event for the next ten years to come to Ireland and Aspira is delighted to participate in the event this year.

What is all the fuss about?

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the biggest PM professional body in the world, and was founded 50 years ago in Philadelphia. There are two big events held every year; one in North America and one in the EMEA region. This year, the North American event will be back in Philadelphia to mark its 50th anniversary, while the EMEA event will be held in Dublin.

Because project managers are good at managing resources, the PMI actually roll up two events into one. On the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they hold what is called the Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM for us lovers of three-letter acronyms). The LIM is an invitee-only event, and it is where the leaders of the PMI from all over the world come together to share ideas, initiatives, discuss new trends, and go networking.

Aspira at the Congress

As CEO of Aspira, along with my colleague Norma Lynch, who is Head of Training at Aspira, we will deliver a session on ‘Influencing Without Authority – An Essential Skill for Project Managers’. In most organizations, project managers need to manage people by influence rather than by control, and this can be a hard thing to achieve if you don’t have authority in an organization.

Aspira offer a two-day training course on ‘Influence without Authority’ and the core concepts shared in that course have been distilled down into a 75 minute interactive session. There has been a huge amount of interest expressed by Congress attendees – so much so that we have been asked to deliver an encore presentation on the same topic on Tuesday. Special prize for anyone who attends our keynote on both days!

My involvement at the Congress as President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI

In my role as President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI, I am honoured to deliver the welcoming address as part of the opening keynote session to the LIM, where I will also introduce ‘The Sky at Night’ TV presenter Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who is a fascinating speaker. As part of the social setting we will introduce our PM Leadership colleagues from around the world to iconic Irish cultural activities, such as pouring a pint of Guinness and trying out for a Riverdance troupe. It will be interesting to see if project managers can bust a few Michael Flatley moves!

In my PMI role, I will deliver a talk on Sunday morning on the subject of Sponsorship and Project Management. This is a topic I am very keen on, as establishing and maintaining a good relationship with sponsors can deliver a real win/win for all concerned.

On Monday, the Congress commences. Attendance is not restricted to this – basically anybody interested in project management can participate. The Congress attracts a huge crowd from all over the world – it is the most geographically-diverse group in the PMI annual calendar. It runs from Monday, 13 May to Wednesday, 15 May and will include a number of site visits to real-life working projects in the Dublin area.

The Congress will wrap up with a TED session on Wednesday, exploring aspects of Project Management. I am a huge fan of the TED format so I have high hopes for the event to have a fantastic finish.

It is exciting to welcome so many people with a passion for project management to Dublin. Ireland has deservedly established an international reputation as a centre of project management excellence and this event gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our expertise and talent in project management.

The four ways your leadership is killing your project, and how to change it.

Growing up, my favourite Star Trek Next Generation character was Commander Will Riker. And I’ll admit it, I may have modelled my own beard on Number One’s impressive facial hair. But apart from the trendy beard, here is why Commander Riker should make you rethink how your leadership style is affecting the projects you sponsor.

‘Command and Control’ style leadership is something many of us grew up watching on television and in movies, and it’s still the approach many of us encounter and expect today in our organisations. But in a modern dynamic digital world, ‘Command and Control’ leadership is killing projects.

Statistically 32% of projects fail to meet expectations, and the leaders sponsoring those projects are the number one issue. So here are the four ways your leadership is killing project success, and how you can change it:

First, you are only human and like all humans you have insecurities. So although being a project sponsor demands a different approach, it’s common to default to your ‘business as usual’ way of working because you are afraid to fail. But the leadership approach that works so well in your day job as Sales Director, Account Manager, CEO etc. doesn’t transpose to the project world. In that world as a project sponsor you must be the team’s champion, not their captain. It is your job to set out the vision, and get the team fired up about bringing it to life. Your biggest achievement is not getting started, it is binding together as a project team to work through issues together as they arise. Plan for some setbacks, accept the team’s support, and persevere for success.

Second, avoid the HIPPO effect. The Highest Paid Person in the Office is the one people usually defer to, rather than listening to the most capable person in the office. Your project team have special skills and responsibilities in their roles, different from their ‘business as usual’ functions. Just because you have more stripes on your shoulder doesn’t mean you have the right answers. Unnecessary hierarchy constrains innovation and project delivery success. So if you run into one of the project team in the corridor and are tempted to over-reach your sponsorship role by acting as the high commander, remember that dictatorial decision making is almost always counter productive.

Third, embrace the fact that projects can often be seen as a disruptive and loss making entity at the start. This can be very confronting and stressful for an executive leader used to running a profit making unit, especially when this costly project is changing core business. I have seen leaders lose sight of the overarching vision amidst all this change, and interfere with the project plan causing chaos. Stay focussed on the vision and benefits of the project, and facilitate the unlocking of your project team’s immense skills so they can deliver successfully.

Fourth, be willing to release control and take a ‘belly of the beast’ approach. Support self managing teams because they will be more innovative, more empowered and will deliver change faster. Traditional top down ‘command and control’ is disproportionate, time consuming and less effective. I have supported leaders to release control, and those project teams having failed to deliver their KPIs initially, went on to exceed them. There is no situation where control becomes irrelevant however. Instead it’s about the boundaries to that control and how those are interpreted. Good governance, agreed responsibilities, and inclusive ways of working are the key to productive dynamic project teams.

Follow my four recommendations to relinquish your ‘Command and Control’ leadership style, and make the move to a more people-centred project approach. You may not satisfy all of your requirements, but your organisation will evolve to become more nimble and more innovative, and better able to respond to rapid technological change.

For all your PM Consultancy needs, please contact aspira.ie or aspira-europe.nl

Author: Peter Ryan, Managing Director, Aspira-Europe

Making the dream of Aspira Europe a reality

When I flew into Amsterdam recently, I had plenty of time to think about what Aspira has achieved over the last number of months as a company.

Our objective for the project was to launch Aspira Europe in 2019, something which even with my overly optimistic persona was finding hard to grasp at that time. The numerous legal, financial, tax, company formation and HR challenges aside, my own ongoing concern was how we would bring our unique mix of services to a new market. It was a great idea, but it had to be commercially viable, and we would need to be attractive to Dutch clients, in a tight and competitive marketplace. When we opened the office in Dublin, at least it was familiar territory. I had clients, consultants and the right language to make it all possible.

But then, Aspira is an expert in project management and delivery. As the plan started to unfold, with the local guidance of Enterprise Ireland (EI) in Amsterdam Zuid, we located an office space, legal advice, marketing assistance, HR assistance, formed a BV (a private limited company in the Netherlands), and eventually identified a candidate who would lead from the front on the ground. Peter Ryan, the Aspira BV MD, is a lifelong Programme Manager, of course. We never intended to stray away from what we do best!

The offerings development and market penetration plan was much easier once Peter joined the party. Based on his own experience and contacts, we were able to articulate what Aspira in the Netherlands is offering today in country. We also listened to the advice of EI clients who had been here before, hiring a local Business Manager, Nancy Nieuwenhuis, and taking an office in a central location near Amsterdam International Airport (Schiphol).

As I flew in today, I was incredibly proud to be able to walk into a busy office, and contribute to a number of meetings focussing on delivering various project management services, and some business analysis consultancy projects for our Dutch client base. The dream is actually reality.

Aspira in the Netherlands offer a range of PM services in consultancy, training, resourcing and all this delivered in classic (Waterfall) and Agile methods. Our leaders are senior contributors to the Project Management Institute with Pat Lucey (Group CEO Aspira) being President of the PMI in Ireland and Peter Ryan Director at the PMI in the Netherlands. Most critically, our clients testify to the value added services that we offer with so many joining us at our 14 February Netherlands launch. If you would like to hear more, please connect with me, Peter or Nancy. I am sure you will be just as excited as I have become with what Aspira and the Netherlands has to offer.

Author: Russell Moore, Head of Resourcing, Aspira.

Irish Enterprise IT Company opens office in Amsterdam and announces 30 new jobs

Irish Enterprise IT Company opens office in Amsterdam and announces 30 new jobs

Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands officially opens Aspira’s new European office

14 February 2019: Aspira, the wholly Irish-owned consulting and IT project specialists, today announced the opening of their new mainland Europe Headquarters in Amsterdam and the creation of 30 new high-level jobs. The award-winning company experienced accelerated growth, more than doubling in sales over the past three years, driven by a number of new project wins.

The 30 new jobs, which will be based primarily at the new Amsterdam office with some in Aspira’s Irish offices in Dublin and Cork, will be rolled out over 18 months and will include project management, business analysis, data analysis and software development roles. This office opening is in response to the rapidly expanding client base in Europe and Middle East.

The Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, His Excellency Kevin Kelly, will officially open Aspira’s new state-of-the-art headquarters in Strawinskylaan, Amsterdam today.

Speaking about the jobs announcement, Aspira-Europe Managing Director Peter Ryan said, “The Netherlands is in the EU Top 3 for IT and project management and demand for these services is expected to grow significantly over the next four years. However, Dutch business leaders have identified that the shortage of good IT professionals represents a major challenge to that growth. Aspira bring deep bench-strength and experience in both IT and project management to the Netherlands and so this announcement of 30 new jobs is very welcome news.”

Aspira Group CEO, Pat Lucey said: “The new roles we are announcing today will strengthen our delivery capability and our management team at a time when we are expanding rapidly to international markets. We forecast overall sales to double again over the next three years, with international sales growing at an even faster pace.”

Aspira was established in 2007 and currently employs over 100 people. Its accelerated growth has seen it named in the Financial Times Top One Thousand Growth Companies in Europe for the past two consecutive years. Mr Lucey continued, “For twelve years we have consistently provided best-in-class enterprise solutions for our clients, ensuring their delivery on time and on budget. We will continue to offer a world-class service that will address our clients’ growing needs for deep technical knowledge, data analytics and an Agile approach to delivery.”

Aspira caters for a diverse, international client base, including leading players in the IT, financial services, pharma/med devices, healthcare and energy sectors. Aspira is supported by Enterprise Ireland, the state agency for developing Irish business globally, which has provided the company with international market entry assistance and will work closely with the company to accelerate its position in global markets over the next phase of its growth.

For further information, or to arrange an interview with Peter Ryan or Pat Lucey please contact:

Clodagh Geary, Aspira Marketing Manager

Clodagh.geary@aspira.ie
087 232 7668, 021 235 2550