Who, what, where…
Was anyone else as intrigued as I was by the recent announcement from IDA Ireland concerning Expel? If you missed it, the gist of the story is that managed detection and response (MDR) provider Expel announced plans to establish a fully remote workforce in Ireland, with up to 50 high-skilled cyber security jobs over the next three years.
The big takeaway for me is that these jobs are all remote, especially at a time when there seem to be quite a few stories of companies starting to mandate that employees curtail their remote working and return to the office.
Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, claimed the establishment of Expel’s remote workforce demonstrated “the strength of Ireland’s position as a hub for innovation and digital expertise. This commitment not only reinforces our reputation as a leader in the tech industry but also provides valuable opportunities for skilled professionals across the country”.
Professionals across the country. What’s not to like about that?
Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland, also welcomed the announcement, claiming that Expel’s decision “to establish operations here is a testament to the strength of our talent and technology ecosystem”.
Which is true. But it’s interesting that Expel chose not to establish operations in the traditional manner by taking out office space in Dublin, Galway or Cork which tend to be the mot popular destinations. Why not?
Perhaps it’s because of the country’s “rare mix of a world-class technology infrastructure, a highly talented workforce, and a cyber security culture that aligns with our own”, as Cat Starkey, Expel’s chief technology officer put it.
But that does presuppose that Ireland’s technology infrastructure is uniformly “world-class” and that, it’s fair to say, is not exactly true. Nevertheless, it does say something about the assumptions that usually apply for businesses seeking to establish an operation here.
First of all, it would appear that you really don’t need to invest too much in renting or buying property to do business in Ireland. Of course, it depends on the type of business you do but there are clearly cases where allowing the people who work for you to work from where they want rather than where you locate your office, usually with the help, assistance and advice of IDA Ireland, is a big benefit.
Second, it avoids falling into the lazy trap of siting your business in Dublin or one of the other big towns just because that’s what everyone else does. If you don’t need to, why would you?
Third, it spreads the work around. Too many people already face the pressures and expense of having to live in or commute to places like Dublin, Galway or Cork. It really doesn’t make sense to add to that burden when the infrastructure in all of those places is already creaking.
Hopefully, it also begins a trend where businesses (and the government and IDA Ireland for that matter) learn to appreciate there’s far more to Ireland than the triangle between those three places.
To end on a slightly lighter note, I must admit to doing a bit of a double-take at Starkey’s statement that Expel was looking forward “to welcoming some of the world’s best cyber security professionals and engineers as Expletives”.
I mean, imagine starting a job and telling the people you’re there to help: “Hi, I’m the Expletive.”
Some of the dialogue could be positively Pinteresque.
Customer: “Are you the expletive engineer?”
Expletive: “Yes, I am.”
Customer: “You are? Expletive.”
Expletive: “Yes, I’m the Expletive.”
Customer: “Yes you are the expletive. You took so long, I was beginning to wonder if I might need to call another expletive engineer.”
Expletive: “Oh no need for that. One expletive is enough.”
Customer: “Expletive.”
Expletive: “Exactly.”
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