Thomas Lyons 
Viatel Technology Group, a digital services powerhouse, is set to expand its operations in 2023 by creating an additional 50 permanent positions across software engineering, systems development, and technical support. The company already has a workforce of 275 employees and supports over 5,000 enterprise customers. Viatel’s customer base spans several industries, including financial services, healthcare, and retail. The new roles will focus on key strategic areas, including cybersecurity, which is a significant focus for the company over the coming years. Viatel also plans to expand its cloud capabilities, which will put it in a unique position from both a hybrid public and private cloud perspective.
Eilish O’Connor, Viatel’s CTO, said that the company’s recent organic growth and acquisitive expansion have put it in a position to hire 50 extra people. She added that the company’s acquisition trail will continue overseas, with plans to expand globally in the next 12 to 18 months. Viatel has already consolidated a number of companies similar to itself and has integrated them quickly into the business. Ms. O’Connor said that the company is proud of what it has accomplished so far in the Irish market and will look to replicate its success in the UK and Europe.
Cybersecurity is a significant area of potential for Viatel, particularly in light of high-profile attacks on organizations such as the HSE. There is a growing awareness of cybersecurity because it affects everyone, from individuals to small businesses to large government bodies. Ms. O’Connor said that cybersecurity has become so broad and vast that people don’t know where to start and how to bring it all together. She added that cybersecurity has completely flipped on its head from how it was five years ago. Back then, the IT manager might have been trying to build a case to buy security services, only to be blocked by the board. Now, boards are saying, “You have to do something—we will give you the money.”
Ms. O’Connor said that the problem with cybersecurity is that it has become so broad and vast that people don’t know where to start and how to bring it all together. She added that Viatel has gone through this pain and knows that there is no silver bullet when it comes to security. Viatel has led its teams through the growing and ever more sophisticated threats inherent in the cybercrime universe. The company’s focus over the past few years has been on how to make itself cyber resilient in the best possible way.
Viatel has added further to its sector profile with the recent publishing of Ireland’s first ‘software-defined wide area network’ report. The report looks at the maturation of SD-WAN technology, a type of virtual network architecture that employs software to manage network communication across a variety of sectors, and its future development. The market for SD-WAN has increased exponentially, with the technology now a mainstream choice. The global market for SD-WAN was estimated at €1.6bn in 2020 and is projected to reach €25.5bn by 2027. Its popularity derives partly from the fact that its design is far better suited to how people now use the internet.
Ms. O’Connor’s passion for Stem began at a young age and later became her field of study at university. She has been working in the technology space for almost 20 years and has amassed business experience in telecoms, software, and investment management. She was selected by a distinguished panel of judges for her innovation, creativity, and key successes in uniquely positioning Viatel Technology Group as the most complete cloud, connectivity, and cybersecurity solutions provider in the market. The coming year has also brought a further personal distinction to her career in being short-listed on the CIO & IT Leaders Awards 2023.
Viatel’s expansion plans are a testament to the company’s continued growth and success in the digital services industry. With its focus on cybersecurity and cloud capabilities, Viatel is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of its customers and continue its upward trajectory in the years to come.
