Hewlett Packard Enterprise to add 150 new high-tech jobs over next two years

Company designates Galway operation the European hub for cybersecurity operations

Maeve Culloty of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar,  and Martin Shanahan. CEO of IDA Ireland. Photograph: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
Maeve Culloty of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, and Martin Shanahan. CEO of IDA Ireland. Photograph: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is to add 150 new high-tech jobs in Ireland over the next two years as the company expands its operations here.

This strategic investment underscores HPE’s long-term commitment to Ireland, and will enable the company to grow its operations and employee base in the country, increase its R&D, product development and global cybersecurity services, as well as continuing to make positive contributions to local communities.

The news comes as the company also designated its Galway operation its European hub for cybersecurity operations, and said it would establish a new hybrid cloud practice to help Irish businesses accelerate their digital transformation.

HPE is seeking to recruit experienced candidates for roles in cybersecurity, R&D, software development and cloud consulting. The jobs will be based at the company’s Galway and Kildare sites, but much of the work can be done remotely.

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"Like all companies we have been changing our shape and direction, and to be able to attract this inward investment is a great recognition of the Irish team and the value that we are creating within the country," said Maeve Culloty, managing director of the Irish arm of the company.

The hybrid cloud practice is considered a significant step for HPE’s Irish business and its customers.

“We’re Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We come with an enormous legacy of providing our companies with a lot of infrastructure, and we have been on a transformation to become a hybrid cloud company, and to deliver a platform as a service to our customers,” Ms Culloty said.

“From all the conversations I’m having with customers and partners, they are crying out for help and support around hybrid cloud. We are making deliberate efforts, resources and putting structure around putting that hybrid cloud practice into place.”

The announcement is seen as an indication of HPE’s long-term commitment to Ireland, giving the company the ability to increase its R&D here, as well as product development and global cybersecurity services.

“This year HPE will celebrate a 50- year legacy of operations in Ireland, so I am delighted to be building on our strong history of investing in Ireland with today’s announcement of new jobs and operations in the country,” said Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

“Ireland has an incredible technology-focused economy and a highly skilled workforce, and our investment in the country will further develop the country as a critical market for HPE’s global business, as well as benefitting our customers, partners, team members and the citizens of Ireland.”

The news was welcomed by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar.

New roles

The expansion of the Galway cybersecurity hub will mean new roles for data scientists and incident-response practitioners. The site is already home to HPE’s cyber defence centre, which protects HPE and its customers from global cyber threats through machine learning and AI technologies, and has the largest footprint of cyber professionals within HPE globally.

The investment is being supported by the Government through IDA Ireland. Chief executive Martin Shanahan said the announcement was an endorsement of Ireland's advanced technology ecosystem.

“This is a strategically-important investment by HPE for Ireland, and reflects the importance that the Galway and Leixlip sites play in the company’s global business.”

HPE was created in 2015 when the original Hewlett Packard entity split in two. HP took the PCs and printers business, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise built the servers, software, networking and storage business, the faster growing side of the business at the time of the division.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist