ULSTER Business [December 2007]: 
INSIDE STORY - editor David Cullen interviews the CEO, COO and Sales & Marketing Director of Asidua at the company's Belfast headquarters:
Taking Pole Position: Asidua rides the hi-tech wave
Northern Ireland’s fast-growing IT industry is in debt to the extraordinary talent, vision and commitment of a small but highly motivated army of technical and business pioneers – and few could argue that the brains behind Belfast-based software firm Asidua are leading the way.
The company, which Asidua Chief Executive Steve Brankin and Chief Operating Officer Angela Canavan helped to set up after a management buy-out of Fujitsu’s local research and development arm in 2002 – a fearless move considering the global dot.com bubble was starting to burst – was recently named as Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing business at the prestigious all-island Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards in Dublin. It was also the only local company to make it onto the UK-wide Deloitte Fast 50 list of entrepreneurial hi-tech firms.
The Deloitte award in particular demonstrates not only Asidua’s revenue growth but also highlights the company’s continued expansion – its head count has leapt from less than 60 to 120 in only three years and there are plans under way to push that closer towards 200 within 18 months through an expansion plan that takes in Birmingham and Dublin.
“The growth in revenue, headcount and margin is underpinned by a sound business model, set to deliver the right services and managed by a strong team,” said Steve, a former finalist in the Ernst & Young Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year. “Although all of these awards have come along at around the same time, they are the product of the hard work and preparation of the whole company.”
“When we carried out the MBO, we thought we would have a 20-30 per cent chance of success,” said Steve, who, along with a senior team of eight, became instantly responsible for a staff of 55. “We didn’t really have a service offering. We had no customers either. What we had was a bunch of smart people.”
Angela said that while that challenge was daunting, they were always confident about their plans: “If we couldn’t make a business out of this highly-talented, motivated group of people, then there was no hope for anybody.”
Asidua, which provides world-leading software consultancy services across a broad spectrum of business sectors, with clients in both the public and private sectors, has recently acquired an additional 6,000 sq ft of office space near its 12,000 sq ft headquarters in Belfast to enable further growth.
“It’s been a whirlwind year,” Asidua Sales & Marketing Director Bob McClean tells Ulster Business. “We’ve grown the company here quite significantly. We’ve recently opened an office in Birmingham with a staff of nine and we’re preparing to open in Dublin in the New Year. We expanded here in Belfast because we were simply running out of space.”
Bob said the company was keen to take its highly-successful model to new territories for several reasons. “Our application and data integration service is quite client-intensive – it’s not something you can do completely remotely. You need to be close to your customers. This way, public and corporate sector clients in both the UK and Ireland can be more easily addressed.”
Asidua has two key divisions - Business Services, which provides Application and Data Integration (ADI) services, which allows customers to streamline and automate business processes, and Device Services, which supplies Embedded Telecoms Integration (ETI) capabilities. This division designs and writes the software that provides network equipment makers the flexibility to integrate the latest offerings from hardware component manufacturers – it is this type of development and integration activity that delivers the dramatic changes everyone has witnessed in telecommunications services available today .
“A particular market of interest for Asidua Device Services is the DSL or broadband sector,” said Bob. “In fact, millions of broadband lines right across the UK are run across programme code that was developed by us for a key client. Our services are also supporting clients in Finland, Germany, China and the US – key export markets for us.”
Asidua reaches this global market through a range of leading device providers, including Austin, Texas-based Wintegra, which produces specialised network processor technology used in many modern telecommunications systems, and the giant German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon.
Partnering Strategy
Expanding globally can be a challenge for any fast-growing firm, particularly when it comes to language and culture, but Asidua said it has developed a model that sees most of the work for these international clients being carried out at its Belfast base.
The ability to develop and nurture strategic partnerships can make the difference between success and failure in the high-tech industry, a fact Asidua recognised right from the start.
“We only look for business in the two areas we are expert in,” said Bob. “We don’t try to be jack of all trades and a master of none. It also means we can easily fit in with other organisations such as industry heavyweights Hewlett Packard (HP), BT Global Services or Steria. They can see that we will add to their offering and expertise and not compete directly.
“Working with your partners, you have the stamina and flexibility of a full-service team. You can offer a broader range of IT solutions, maximize the value of your customers’ investments, and help ensure market success.”
Public Sector Focus
Public sector reforms are also creating opportunities for Asidua both at home and abroad. “Asidua has developed expertise and methodologies through our extensive work in the private sector, which if brought to bear, can assist the public sector in Northern Ireland as it improves,” Bob said.
Northern Ireland’s Review of Public Administration (RPA), established to “rebalance the economy to be less dependent on the public sector” is helping to underpin that local growth for Asidua and the experience it is gaining locally is helping it to make a similarly strong business case for its services elsewhere.
“We, along with our partner HP, have recently been appointed the preferred bidder on the innovative eSchools project for Northern Ireland – a solution that will see the information held about pupils put to more effective use,” said Bob. “It’s a five year contract and really what it means is it’s just another validation that our ADI offering has a direct applicability to the public sector and the corporate sector.
Bob said that in terms of public sector reform, the Republic of Ireland is starting to think along similar lines and that the company is hopeful of the opportunities that this might bring. “Public sector organisations tend to look at what their peers are doing in other territories,” he said. “All public sector bodies are facing reform agendas in each of their territories because there’s a desire to drive efficiency and become more citizen-centric.”
The NI Direct initiative, which will see all central government departments and many agencies become available via one point of contact, is a case in point. Asidua has joined BT and Capita in a joint bid for the multi-million pound contract which is expected to be announced next year.
Essential training
Steve Brankin said he recognises that the quality of Asidua’s staff has helped it to build its solid reputation and how its investment in training has helped ensure this remains intact.
“We set targets for every manager across the company to ensure that their people are expertly trained. Training is what gives us our depth and capability. Of course, it’s a big cost, but it gives us the flexibility and confidence to get on with it.”
Bob is in complete agreement. “As a service provider, all you really have is your staff and the only proof of how good you are is your track record,” he says. “These are two things that a company like ours should live by and it’s why we have put such a focus on investment into it.”
Indeed, the company was recognised for these efforts earlier this year, when Angela took delivery of a special award in recognition for the company’s programme to promote a culture of understanding and importance of employee health. In addition, at the same event, Asidua was short-listed for the ‘Innovation’ award and received formal accreditation for attaining ‘Employer of Choice’ status earlier this year.
“The work we do is interesting, challenging and varied,” said Bob. “We’re not a software factory. We’re a much more dynamic organisation than that. It’s why we attract top technical staff.”
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