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Accomplishing IP Success: An Ergo & FlowForma View
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Professional Service
- Software
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Predictive Quality Analytics
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Ergo, a four-time winner of Microsoft Partner of the Year Ireland, recognized the importance of building its own IP early on. In 2008, the company started building its own IP with a product called Fenergo. At that time, the company had a turnover of €20m and 140 staff. Today, Ergo is an IT Solution Provider with global reach, headquartered in Dublin with 400 employees and turning over €60m annually. It has been successful in spinning out two product companies, Fenergo and FlowForma. While working on a software development project in late 2012, Ergo recognized an opportunity to develop a new product from a solution it had created for a customer. Neil Young, Ergo’s Software Solutions Practice Lead at the time and now FlowForma Managing Director, approached the Ergo Board with a proposal to develop IP for a business process management tool that would work on the SharePoint platform.
About The Customer
Ergo is a four-time winner of Microsoft Partner of the Year Ireland. The company started building its own IP as early as 2008 with a product called Fenergo. At that time, the company had a turnover of €20m and 140 staff. Today, Ergo is an IT Solution Provider with global reach, headquartered in Dublin with 400 employees and turning over €60m annually. It has been successful in spinning out two product companies, Fenergo and FlowForma. FlowForma, the leading provider of Process Automation tools for Microsoft Office 365® has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award-winning products that empower users to create and streamline processes smarter and faster, utilizing the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding.
The Solution
At the early stage, Young needed to test the market for his FlowForma concept and commissioned market research in the UK and Ireland. Once the scale of opportunity was proven and board buy-in was obtained, Ergo took a very considered approach to making this new venture work. It was important for the business to see results fast, so it quickly created headspace for this new team to develop its concept. The market research and third-party opinion obtained by Ergo made it plain that a clear customer value proposition would be crucial to product success. Using analysis of the competitive landscape in target geographical and vertical markets FlowForma quickly created profiles of customers for whom its product would add most value. This meant the new company had a strong platform for building the right go-to-market strategy and that its sales and marketing were fully aligned.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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