Erin Technology Profile
Linking Information Technology to the Internet
Luxembourg Business - Feb 2000
ERIN was launched in 1996 by Geoffrey Thompson who had arrived in Luxembourg in 1989 having worked in the IT service sector in Dublin. He recognized a major gap in the electronic communication and computer services industries, and set out to provide a range of services to suit emerging market requirements. In particular, he identified a concept to apply traditional Information Technology practices to the area of dynamic and interactive WebSites, the main component of which resulted in Content Management solutions.
In late 1999 ERIN moved office from its original base at the AirCargo Centre in Findel, to its new premises in Bonnevoie. The company had expanded to a staff of fifteen and had outgrown its original offices. The enhanced facilities provided by the new building enables ERIN to offer and service a broader range of Internet Technology and traditional Information Technology solutions.
Early on, ERIN recognized the traps into which many organizations were falling. Some were blindly developing a WebSite for a quick launch without analyzing the medium- and long-term requirements (like trying to build a skyscraper on a foundation of sand). Others developed a site based primarily on graphical presentation without due regard for content issues or ease-of-use.
ERIN now offers a comprehensive range of services in the area of WebSite Content Management, tailored to meet specific requirements and built using tools such as DynaBase, ColdFusion, ASP, and other scripting environments. These solutions always encompass scalability and robustness, as well as dynamic, interactive, and (in an increasing number of cases) multilingual components.
Recent Projects
In 1999, ERIN was involved in many projects throughout Europe. The following examples illustrate ERINs range of services:
- WebSite redesign for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon, covering presentation, graphics, structure, navigation and content management;
- WebSite restructuring project for the Irish Rugby Football Union in Dublin, involving creating complex database structures, data population, restructure and redesign of entire WebSite with most data residing in database format. Also, design and development of secure Data Management facilities for remote content management and incorporation of dynamic and interactive features, including WebCasting;
- Project for the European Commission in Brussels, to disseminate information about E-Commerce throughout the European Union in new and dynamic ways; using interactive WebSites, multimedia presentations, publications, public relations and other means; to publicize Commission E-Commerce projects and actions; to encourage innovative organizations to participate in Commission research and technological development programmes;
- Intranet-Extranet strategic studies and implementation of secure content management tools for the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao, Spain, and their National Focal Points and Topic Centres. The Internet Expert Institute project for the same client comprised management and operation of all Internet tasks, including designing and developing Internet projects;
- Multilingual publishing projects for various clients in all eleven official EU languages (including Greek) as well as Russian and Mandarin-Chinese.
- Since the beginning of 2000 ERIN has, along with servicing its existing client base, continued to adopt leading edge concepts and products to provide technological solutions for new and evolving client requirements. In this area, XML and WAP projects are underway, laying a continual foundation for further growth and technical achievement.
Range of Services
ERINs range of services is structured around the following (and inter-linked) components:
- Electronic Publishing: information management, database publishing, HTML, XML, WML, multilingual, and multimedia;
- E-Business: E-Commerce, E-Transactions, E-Branding, and E-Marketing;
- E-Communication: WebSite design, development, maintenance, support, and hosting, Intranet / Extranet strategy & realization (including Business-to-Business applications) and Internet connectivity;
- Information Technology: Client-server system design and development, and systems integration and maintenance
- Training: Multilingual, structured and tailored courses, in the areas of both Internet technology as well as IT (operating systems, desktop software), for Managers, Users, and Technicians.
- In order to complement ERINs capability to provide total solutions and to offer added value to leading technological products, ERIN has forged Alliances, Value Added Partnerships (VAP), and Value Added Reseller (VAR) arrangements with various organizations. Examples of these include recently becoming VAP for eBusiness Technologies, specifically in relation to DynaBase, its leading XML and OOD-based WebSite Content Management software product. Other VARs include SUN Microsystems, ORACLE, HP, Compaq, Axent Raptor for firewalls, Allaire for ColdFusion, and ConvertAll for its EURO converter.
Corporate Strengths
The strengths of the ERIN organization are as follows:
ERINs comprehensive understanding of the technical and managerial approach required in Internet, Intranet and Extranet, multilingual electronic publishing, and information dissemination activities;
Our technical expertise in the rapidly-evolving domain of Internet and related technologies;
The technical and linguistic quality of our personnel;
Our corporate support, which ensures that additional qualified and experienced staff can be brought in to assist core project staff with specific project tasks and ensuring deadlines are met.
ERINs in-house technical infrastructure includes both NT and UNIX platforms on which its staff design, develop, host, support, and maintain many client systems.
ERIN places a strong emphasis on close client liaison, enabling the company to design solution architectures from specific project requirements. To aid them in this area, they regularly hold workshops and seminars with client representatives, including technical and managerial staff.
This approach provides ERIN with the necessary understanding to design and develop total solutions in the Internet and Information Technology domains, from the conception and design of robust and scalable solution architectures, through to the development of database systems and applications, to integration, hosting, and training, both here in Luxembourg and throughout Europe.
