Picture this: your organization has recognized the advantages of scaling into a new market outside the US, and the business case for a new HQ in or EMEA has been approved. But to make your expansion plan a reality and ensure a seamless setup process, you need to prioritize building an IT infrastructure that’s fit for purpose in Europe—ensuring there’s no supply chain downtime or loss of workforce productivity. That means having a strategy in place that combines localized vendor knowledge and relationships, with rapid scalability.
In this blog, we highlight the most important IT infrastructure management considerations you need to make before establishing an HQ in EMEA, and how outsourcing to a specialist vendor can help save costs and boost efficiency.
There are several advantages to setting up an HQ in Ireland when you want to expand into EMEA. One of the chief reasons is the manageable time zone (which positions it well between Europe and the US). Another great reason is the ease of access Ireland provides to the large European, Middle Eastern and North African market opportunity. But it’s vital to ensure you’ve considered your strategy, policy, organization, and systems carefully.
So, we’ve come up with four top tips to help you execute your IT procurement, support your offices and people, and ensure your operations hit the ground running from day one.
Traditionally, many organizations would have chosen the UK as their European base—not least because it’s English-speaking. But Brexit means there’s a real risk that running intra-Europe operations from the UK will become more difficult in the near future. The solution is finding a country in EMEA that’s primarily English-speaking, and that offers freedom of movement across borders—as is the case with any European Union member state. You also want to make sure that whichever country you choose, it has widespread multi-language capabilities. Ireland ticks the box on all of these considerations.
Speaking of which…
It’s also vitally important to consider how you will operate across other European countries. This is even more important if your organization has its sights set on future expansion into these territories.
Because Ireland attracts a significant number of highly-skilled workers from all over the world, it makes working with other countries a lot easier, and helps you gain a competitive advantage in IT procurement in Ireland.
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Ireland has a rich technology heritage and attracts some of the world’s biggest and most influential organizations to establish HQs in the country. But why is this important for your procurement efforts?
It means the skills base available in the country is significantly higher than many other parts of EMEA. You can get the best people for the job on your new doorstep. What’s more, the advantages localized knowledge provides can’t be overstated. It not only gives you unique insight into how your new market works, but also offers a rich understanding of legislation and trade (which often differs significantly from the US).
So the business case for EMEA, and specifically Ireland, is strong, but what’s the most efficient way to hassle-free IT infrastructure management?
You could manage the process internally and source local vendors yourself, but this can be a slow process and will require a significant up-front investment. A better way is to use an experienced outsourced IT procurement vendor. A partner with established networks in EMEA will understand your exact requirements. And be able to meet them.
As we discussed in this article, outsourced IT procurement vendors, based in Europe, give you the best foundations to scale your operations.
At Presidio, helping US-based organizations establish a base in Ireland and EMEA is in our DNA. Indeed, we’ve worked with some of North America’s biggest companies to give them the necessary tools to scale and prosper in Europe.
For example, we’ve been working with technology giant Google for over 14 years to help it source, design, and build its IT products and solutions across EMEA. We’ve worked alongside Google as the tech giant has moved into new markets.
And it’s not just US companies that take advantage. Dublin-based law firm ByrneWallace worked with us to help support its in-house IT function with effective and secure IT services. The firm is now exploring how to expand its infrastructure using Presidio.
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