Philip Maguire: How we outmanoeuvred the dotcom bust

Ireland's 'Celtic Tiger' economy provided the market for Philip Maguire's start-up business IT Alliance. And never one to miss an opportunity, Maguire sees massive potential in 'cloud computing'.

Philip Maguire first realised he really wanted to be an entrepreneur while working for a large engineering company. "I had gone there straight after university and I was responsible for setting up their software division." It was good experience but Maguire, now 48, felt constrained by the bureaucracy that goes with being "a tiny part of a large company".

As the software division grew, Maguire found himself managing more people and decided he needed to broaden his skills with an MBA. In 1991 his new qualification landed him a job at the Digital Equipment Corporation. "At that time in Ireland there was a shortage of IT skills. We were providing staff and training to help companies implement new IT equipment." With Ireland's Celtic Tiger' economy beginning to roar, it proved a growing market. Yet, despite the steady demand for the service, Digital decided to "step back" from the market in 1996. "Their new strategy was to focus on core' business areas." Maguire sensed an opportunity.

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James McKeigue

James graduated from Keele University with a BA (Hons) in English literature and history, and has a certificate in journalism from the NCTJ. James has worked as a freelance journalist in various Latin American countries.He also had a spell at ITV, as welll as wring for Television Business International and covering the European equity markets for the Forbes.com London bureau. James has travelled extensively in emerging markets, reporting for international energy magazines such as Oil and Gas Investor, and institutional publications such as the Commonwealth Business Environment Report. He is currently the managing editor of LatAm INVESTOR, the UK's only Latin American finance magazine.