Cork’s top IT companies join forces following International success

Leading Cork IT companies Digital Crew and Granite Consulting have joined forces following close collaboration and the international success of the project management software, TeamworkPM developed by the software development team at Digital Crew.

Digital Crew have signed a takeover agreement with Cork firm Granite Consulting who will take over the running of the web development side of the business following close collaboration between both companies over the last two years. Under the Agreement, Digital Crew will focus on its highly successful TeamworkPM business which has rapidly expanded over recent years while Granite Consulting will take over responsibility for all website development with the core website development team at Digital Crew joining the Granite Consulting business.

Speaking about the agreement, Sam Kidd, Director of Digital Crew said that “Due to success of TeamworkPM, our software development team made the critical decision to concentrate their efforts wholly on the successful application. Once that decision was made we needed to find a strong partner who could take over and improve the web development side of our business. We had worked well with Granite on a number of projects and knew that our web clients would be in very safe hands with them. They are also extremely strong on the web marketing side of the business, which is an extra service that we know our existing clients will benefit from”

Granite Consulting with offices in Mahon, Cork and Skibbereen are an award winning digital marketing company with expertise in the fields of Search Engine Optimisation, Online Advertising, Social Media as well as Website, E-commerce and Facebook application development. 100% Irish owned, Granite started with 4 people in the midst of the recession and now employ 12 people to service a rapidly growing client list, which includes Enterprise Ireland, Moran Hotel Group, Intel, PGI, Ceramicx, Newsweaver and Dawn Meats. Granite actively run campaigns in over 15 languages across every continent delivering millions in sales for their clients.

Granite Director Robert Carpenter who is overseeing the transfer of clients stated:

This collaboration is great news for both companies. We are looking forward to working with the Digital Crew web team and using their superb CMS system and we can also provide valuable online marketing expertise to those clients. We work well with the Digital Crew team and this was a huge motivation behind the takeover

TeamworkPM, which was initially developed 4 years ago, is an easy-to-use, online teamwork and project management software application that helps managers, staff and clients work more productively online. The cloud based application which helps teams to track and manage projects, share ideas and files and even provide clients with unique access has been a huge online success with large and small international organisations. TeamworkPM users include a diverse range of home and international clients including Dublin Corporation, Universal Studios, EA Sports, Ohio University, Pfizer, Oxfam, Forbes travel, Ubisoft, Sony and Pepsi. It is rapidly becoming the Project Management application of choice in the marketplace.

The Web development business continues to operate under the name Digital Crew.

]]> http://www.granite.ie/joining-forces-with-digital-crew/feed/ 0 http://www.granite.ie/irish-heritage-trust-announces-dynamic-new-partnership-with-promethean/ http://www.granite.ie/irish-heritage-trust-announces-dynamic-new-partnership-with-promethean/#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:01:44 +0000 admin http://www.granite.ie/?p=855 We were delighted to attend the launch of of an exciting new partnership between the Irish Heritage Trust and Promethean today at Fota House. This will add new interactive learning technologies to the now 1 year old Fota Learning Zone which has been a huge success for Fota House at the team at The Irish Heritage Trust.

We were delighted to be asked to attend by our friends Jennifer and Kevin at the Trust and celebrate the great work they have carried at out at this wonderful Irish Historic Attraction in our hometown of Cork.
The speeches by Minister Jimmy Deenihan and especially Lord Puttnam were enjoyable and very thought provoking.

Below is the official Press Release released for this event.

Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens logo

Lord David Puttnam, a champion of digital education in the UK & Ireland, will be keynote speaker at Fota House. Wednesday, 24th August at 10am

Fota House, Co. Cork, August 2011: The Irish Heritage Trust is mark the first anniversary of Fota Learning Zone with the announcement of a dynamic new partnership with Promethean, a global leader in interactive learning technology. The Irish Heritage Trust will celebrate the anniversary of Fota Learning Zone during Heritage Week 2011 (August 20th-27th), with the launch of three new learning modules which tie in with the curriculum. One of these, ‘Politics or Parlour Maids’, will encourage students to analyse and decide which historical source tells us more about life in a big house: social or political. Lord David Puttnam, a champion of digital education in the UK and Ireland, will be keynote speaker on the day and the new learning module will be officially launched by Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht.

Under the partnership, Promethean has worked with the Irish Heritage Trust to develop educational resources to increase the interactive elements of the new modules. Promethean has created tailor made classroom materials such as downloadable lesson plans, as well as access to online workshops through Promethean Planet, the world’s leading interactive teacher’s resource site with over one million members. The Fota Learning zone will benefit from having a partner site on Promethean Planet to hold these resources, allowing students and teachers to access learning materials after their visit in the classroom and at home, and enabling Fota Learning Zone to enhance its visibility to Promethean Planet’s online community.

Promethean has also donated ActivExpression Learner Response Systems, handheld devices which enable students to work remotely and answer questions while on the go. These will enable students to learn interactively throughout the different rooms of Fota House.

Fota Learning Zone is a free digital resource for teachers and students based on Fota House & Gardens in Cork (www.fotalearningzone.ie). Funded with the aid of a grant of €28,000 from The Heritage Council in 2010, it is multidisciplinary in approach and has been designed to appeal to teachers and students of Transition Year and Leaving Certificate History, History & Appreciation of Art and English.

Jennifer McCrea, Learning & Access Officer with the Irish Heritage Trust, explains its appeal: “Teachers and students can enhance classroom-based learning by collecting and analysing on-site evidence via self-directed learning and project work. It enables students to learn in context in an historic house and helps them to understand abstract concepts on the curriculum. For example, Leaving Certificate students of English require a good understanding of the concept of cultural context and social setting. One way of comprehending this is to experience the living conditions and social rituals of landlords and servants first hand at Fota House. The Irish Heritage Trust has pioneered this unique method of engaging teenagers with heritage in a way that is real, rich and relevant.”

Ian Curtis, Head of Northern Europe at Promethean, said: “We were delighted to be contacted by the Irish Heritage Trust and asked to support Fota Learning Zone. Promethean Planet has grown to over one million members including over 14,000 in Ireland and our ActivInspire software has allowed the Irish Heritage Trust to create more interactive content and reach a wider audience. Having collaboratively built three modules which tie in with the Irish curriculum, more people can learn about Fota House and its heritage through the learning zone”.

“The ActivExpression devices Promethean has donated will enrich and enhance learning for students who visit Fota House. It will enable them to learn as they are walking around and ensure each student is able to take part in interactive learning.”

For further press information, contact: Evelyn Byrne, Irish Heritage Trust, evelyn@irishheritagetrust.ie

Promethean Press enquiries: Katie Eborall, Grayling PR (UK), katie.eborall@grayling.com

It is a great honour to represent West Cork in the national awards and we are very much looking forward to the awards ceremony in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on the 11th of November. There is a big contingent from Granite going up and win lose or draw we will fly the flag for West Cork. To follow in the footsteps of other great West Cork companies such as Glenilen Farms and Irish Yogurts is a great achievement for us.

To win the West Cork Enterprise Board’s Company of the Year 2010 and get nominated for the national award is a great endorsement of our expertise in this fast growing industry, our plans to continue growing the business over the next
3 years remain very much on track.
This can only help us to become one of the largest online marketing companies outside of Dublin and one of the top 5 in the country. We are also very focussed on trying to grow our business in export markets. At our current growth rate this is very achievable. Fingers crossed for the 11th !!

Alf  is currently Chairman of Granite Consulting Limited and Eolas International while also sitting on the boards of the Cork Airport Authority, Kedco PLC, and the Cork Chamber.

The Chartered Accountant by profession has spent twenty years in senior management positions in the international drinks and hospitality industry, having joined Beamish and Crawford PLC as Financial Controller in 1988. He is currently at the final stages of completing a Masters in Executive Leadership (Msc) through Boston College and the University of Ulster.

On his new appointment, Mr Smiddy said these are challenging but exciting times for Ireland’s largest hotel group, who own the four Moran Hotels and six Bewleys Hotels in Dublin, Cork, London, Leeds and Manchester.

“I very much look forward to working with my board colleagues as we unlock the opportunities that lie ahead and deal with the challenges faced by the industry”, Mr Smiddy said.

I hadn’t realised at the time just how emotive this issue is and would like to take this opportunity to urge as many as possible to sign the petition online at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/westcorktoday/

I was coming at this mainly from the point of view of a West Cork based enterprise and the economic value of having a dedicated local communications resource. Much of what has been achieved for the economic benefit of West Cork has been boosted by coverage on the West Cork Today show.

There is no better example than the recent creation of the West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Ltd to relaunch the Cork Swansea Ferry service. Several interviews on C103 with Conor Buckley, Chairman of West Cork Tourism, helped to get the message out and to mobilise the tourism community to get behind the initiative.

But this is bigger than just the business community in West Cork, the axing of the show affects non-business people greatly and especially the elderly.

To see the views of others (not as biased as mine perhaps?), check out the following:

Give West Cork its voice back……today!
West Cork Today (and Tomorrow?) – Sign Petition to Save Local Radio
C103 – not on our wavelength!
C103 loses the plot!
The service is a vital infrastructural asset in West Cork and I urge you all to support the petition.

I wonder what is the view of BCI who issued the license?