Industry & Business

New centre in Dublin expands operations and investment in Ireland’s Big Data economy

DUBLIN, IRELAND – 8 September, 2015 – SAS, the global leader in business analytics, is expanding its operations in Ireland with the opening of a new Inside Sales and Customer Contact Centre. Based in Dublin, the expansion will create 150 jobs over three years, equating to an investment of around €40 million. The move will see the workforce increase six-fold and significantly reinforce SAS’ presence in the region. This project has been supported by the Department of Jobs through IDA Ireland.

The centre will support sales of data analytics software into markets across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).  Roles will include multi-lingual business development and sales specialists, customer engagement specialists, data scientists and software engineers.  Employees will work with customers to demonstrate how analytics will add value in their business and support them as they deploy and implement these solutions.

The new centre will initially be located at NexusUCD, University College Dublin’s industry partnership centre.

There remains a huge opportunity for businesses that haven’t traditionally adopted big data analytics to drive growth through evidence-based decision-making, rather than relying on business instinct or ‘gut feel’. Research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has shown that big data analytics adoption could add around €27 billion to the Irish economy alone from 2013 to 2017 and will create up to 61,000 net new jobs.

Businesses are increasingly aware of the value data provides in helping them make better decisions, whether they relate to operational efficiency, understanding customers, identifying new opportunities or managing risk. Many of these organisations are mid-market companies that have no history of using data and no in-house expertise. The new centre will benefit these companies by making SAS Analytics more accessible to them, across a wide range of territories and industry sectors, leveraging the latest developments in cloud computing to make it possible.

Making the announcement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD said: “I have discussed investment opportunities with SAS executives at several occasions in recent years and I’m delighted to see this investment decision come to fruition.  Through the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government will continue to support the technology sector by investing in the right education & research programmes to ensure Ireland’s ongoing success as a technology hub in Europe.”

An Tánaiste Joan Burton TD said: “A key element of the work SAS does in the field of big data is about spotting patterns. The economic pattern in Ireland under this Government is one of recovery – of 1,300 jobs being added every week. SAS’s expansion will contribute another 150 positive stories to that pattern, and is another significant statement of confidence in Ireland as an excellent base for global business.”

“As a global company with offices all over the world, we wanted to expand in a city as vibrant as Dublin which has such a thriving technology ecosystem,” said Carl Farrell, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, SAS. “We are now experiencing a ‘democratisation of analytics’, where more and more organisations – including small to medium sized enterprises – are investing in analytical software and services that don’t require a significant up-front investment.

“Our new centre will provide the extra capacity needed to support customers as they embark on this data analytics journey. Organisations in the region will now have access to knowledge, advice and powerful analytics to enable them to make more informed decisions and improve their business operations.”

Speaking at the launch event today, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, who has met senior SAS executives in North Carolina as part of an IDA mission to the USA since taking office, said: “A key part of our Action Plan for Jobs has been attracting new software and analytics companies into Ireland through the IDA’s work. Crucial also has been developing a cluster of Irish start-ups to build off our success in attracting these companies to Ireland. Of vital importance in all of this has been talent – ensuring, through our education system and our work permit system that these companies, Irish and multinational, can access the skilled workers they need to grow. Today’s announcement by SAS, that it is creating 150 jobs in Dublin is a huge boost to this strategy and great news for the city.”

Welcoming today’s announcement Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland said: “SAS is a highly recognisable brand name in the global software industry and a leading player in data analytics.  The development of the Inside Sales and Customer Contact Centre in Dublin is the first of its kind for SAS within EMEA and as such, is an important win for Ireland.  SAS’s decision to locate here will further highlight our country as a centre for big data and data analytics – a key emerging sector targeted by IDA Ireland.”

SAS has worked closely with Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, the IDA, a non-commercial, semi-state body promoting Foreign Direct Investment into Ireland through a wide range of services. The IDA has been working with SAS over the last number of years, providing advice in a range of areas to make delivery of the new centre possible.  The close collaboration with UCD’s Centre for Business Analytics and NovaUCD also helped accelerate the project and plays an important role in future plans.

The new centre follows the investment SAS made last year with the opening of a research and development (R&D) centre in Scotland focused on combatting fraud and financial crimes.