As recognition grows that market risk typically outweighs technical risk, the role of the product manager is one of increasing significance for Irish-based software companies. Software Skillnet in conjunction with DIT’s Postgraduate Diploma in Product Management is privileged to invite you to this seminar addressing compelling questions around Agile Product management and how that aligns with product ownership.

Rich Mironov is the author of “The Art of Product Management” and since 2002 he has been writing “Product Bytes,” a blog on product strategy, technology and product management read by C-level product champions around the world.  He writes and consults in the areas of agile product management, product ownership, and how to build commercially successful products with agile development teams.

Rich will host an open forum on agile product management and product ownership for those getting to grips with the challenge of working in an agile environment.

• What implications are there for day to day management?
• Do management roles need to change?
• Where now for product strategy?
• How do we derive market requirements?

Booking is Required as  Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. For more information and to book your place contact Susan Kelly at susan@isa-skillnet.com  or call 086-8067200.

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Over the past ten years, a new ‘Software Economy’ has emerged. Driven by fresh business models such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and reinforced by a wide range of Internet-based technologies such as Cloud, Open Source and Web 2.0, this particular economy-based process is transforming the software industry, enabling Irish companies to reach global markets with a pay-per-use revenue model.

Enterprise Ireland provides a suite of programmes designed to help companies make the occasionally challenging transition to SaaS, internet marketing and product management, and to this end is assisting with a Product Management programme that brings together international and Irish expertise to take, initially, 20 Irish software companies on the product management journey.

Product Management is a key organisational function that oversees a product through all stages of its life-cycle, from start to finish, as well as spanning both product development and marketing functions. Adhering to a product management process ensures that companies are able to identify the right market and the right customer, build the right product, clearly articulate the business value of their product to their target market, deliver the product to the customer through the most effective channels and business models, and – crucially – know when to cease investment in a non-viable product or service.

From the programme, companies will learn how to connect their marketing and product development functions in a manner that will ensure their products always reflect precisely what the customer wants – and what the customer will pay for.The programme is aimed at software companies that, typically, have been trading for at least five years, have a strong record of R&D and exports, and whose revenues (again, typically) should be in excess of €2m.

The Product Management Programme will start in early November, and will be completed in April of next year. For further information or booking please contact Eilis McNulty by telephone (01-8794000) or by email [emcnulty@dolmen.ie]

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As part of a suite of programmes in what we call the ‘New Software Economy’, designed to help software companies transition to new business models and development processes, Enterprise Ireland would like to invite you to an Awareness Session on Thursday 20th October, 2011 to learn how Product Management can benefit your business, and the supports that are available to you in introducing Product Management in your company.

We will also introduce a Product Management Capability Programme to be launched this month which will take an initial 20 software companies on the product management journey with industry experts.

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How does that saying go?

Well, if you want to get there, I certainly wouldn’t start from here

As a software company executive, does that even begin to describe your experience with SaaS? Try coming up with a definition of SaaS and see where that gets you!

Are you pulling out the last of your hair when thinking about compensation models, Adwords, trials, adoption, renewals, contracts, SLAs, liability, change management, customer led innovation … .should I go on?

But, in all seriousness, Enterprise Ireland would like to invite you to the following session to discuss all this SaaS stuff on Friday morning the 15th April in our offices in East Point.  All the details are there, including a link for registration. We hope to see you there! .Register Here

Software as a Service; Introductions & Execution

Venue: Enterprise Ireland, The Plaza, East Point Business Park

Time: 8.30 to 11 am, Friday, the 15^th April 2011

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In case you missed Last Weeks Cloud Computing Debate, Silicon Republic are now hosting the videos online.

Hasan Nasiri, from the Enterprise Architecture Group of the Bank of America, provided some very good insight into the challenges the Bank is facing in its consideration of using Cloud Computing. As with all large organisations, Hasan noted that the Bank does see the long term potential of using the Cloud but the notion of trust is extremely important; trust with vendors, trust with the Bank’s applications, and, most importantly, trust with their data and customers. Click here for the video of Hasan’s talk.

Other speakers at the evening event included  Conor O’Riordan (CEO, Tradefacilitate.com) and Tim Willoughby (Assistant Director, LGCSB) and Torstein Harildstad.

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There are many things that are up in the air these days – including the interesting matter of cloud computing. For those unaware of the topic, cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. Inspired by the cloud symbol that is frequently used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams, cloud computing has three distinct characteristics that distinguish it from traditional hosting: it is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour; it is ‘elastic’, in that a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider (in other words, the consumer needs nothing but a computer and Internet access).

Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet and a weak economy, have accelerated interest in cloud computing, which makes it an intriguing if not timely topic for debate. To this end, in recognition of the important opportunities that cloud computing can bring to all businesses, large and small across all sectors, Enterprise Ireland, along with Irish Internet Association, Irish Software Association, Irish Computer Society, IBEC, Irish Software Innovation Network and EuroCloud Ireland are collectively presenting the Definitive Cloud Computing Debate.

Taking place on Thursday February 10 at Dublin’s Westbury Hotel, (more…)

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Like many business, Enterprise Ireland depends on feedback from client companies to tell it what it is getting right, and what it can do better. Which is why I’m delighted to get the following feedback from Kelly Murphy, CEO of Gridstore, on the EI supported work that Paul Solski carried out with his company.

Gridstore provides next generation storage grid solutions that enable small and medium businesses to meet their ever increasing storage and bandwidth capacity needs seamlessly and less expensively than traditional systems. We see an opportunity to address a gap in the market that exists between enterprise storage and standalone network attached storage (NAS) by building a Managed Services Provider partner channel that can displace traditional storage systems in tens of thousands of small and medium businesses.

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I’d firstly like to thank the Ash Cloud for kindly moving out of the way so Charles Cameron could travel from London and give his presentation yesterday!

I’d also like extend my thanks to our speakers Jennifer, John, Philip, Gerry, and Charles, to my Enterprise Ireland colleagues and their fine organisational skills, and to everyone who took time out of their busy diaries to come along yesterday morning.

Some of the key points that were made include:

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Best Connected Software Event – The Commercial Realities of SaaS

Venue: Enterprise Ireland, The Plaza, East Point Business Park

Time: 8.30 am to 12.00 pm, Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Software as a Service is here to stay. SaaS has continued to gain commercial acceptance by users and buyers across all industry sectors. The Software as a Service market is expected to triple by 2012 when it will be worth $17 billion.

This event complements June’s Managed Services & Solutions Cloud event also hosted by Enterprise Ireland.

Growing a company to scale on a SaaS business model requires a range of skills that extends beyond the purely technical. There are equal, if not greater, challenges in Financial Modelling, Sales & Marketing, and Organisational Development.

Enterprise Ireland invites you to participate in a seminar in Dublin on Wednesday the 19^th May from 8.30 am to 12.00 pm to understand more about the challenges in the SaaS business model.

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If you’re a software company, cracking the US Market is hard. One option is to work with a partner, but finding a partner is the easy part. Understanding the partner, and making it successful for both parties takes a lot of time and effort. Microsoft is the partner of choice for many software companies, which is why Enterprise Ireland has been running joint events with Microsoft to enhance the partnering experience.

The latest, and one of the most important joint Microsoft – EI events, is Paul Solski’s visit to Ireland. It will be useful for existing Microsoft Partners and companies partnering with other vendors both in the US and other key export markets. There will be a public event ‘Succeeding in the US Market – Best Practices for Software Companies’, 23rd March 2010 at Enterprise Ireland, Eastpoint , Dublin.

Paul Solski is the Managing Director of The OpenBorders Group in North America. Together with The OpenBorders Group executive partners in Germany and the UK, he build Microsoft’s Open Borders Program which helps Microsoft ISVs expand internationally, four years ago. Paul worked at Microsoft in the roles of ISV Strategy Director and Dynamics ISV Sales Director from 2004 to 2008. Paul has over 25 year experience in international business development having worked in prior roles at HP, Intel, Compaq, Digital and SCO distribution in Australia, Asia and USA. He holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia.

If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Irene[dot]Sadleir[at]Enterprise-Ireland[dot]com .

Full Agenda

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