While Roald Dahl's legendary fictional character, the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) captured the imagination of a generation of children, a different type of entity occupies Mr Fran Rooney's thoughts.

The latest US phenomenon, the GBF (Get Big Fast) mentality, is driving his company, Baltimore Technologies, forward at a rate of knots.

Having purchased the company which specialises in security and encryption software for less than £500,000 (€634,869) in 1996, the company was valued by Apax Partners in July at around £758 million.

From an initial workforce of six, Baltimore now employs 500 people and its shares on the London stock exchange are currently trading at a healthy £12.40.

Now Mr Rooney is aiming to make Baltimore's encryption and security software the leader in the US market, by taking on a couple of industry heavyweights in the shape of Entrust and Verisign.

"I would plan this company to be a several billion dollar business with over 1,000 people worldwide within a couple of years. I want us to be a leader in our space," Mr Rooney says with characteristic conviction.

Although he is acutely aware of the huge challenge involved in taking on the cut-throat US software market, Mr Rooney takes an unorthodox, and at times irreverent, approach to the perceived norm.

Take last year's RSA Data Security Conference in California, the annual Mecca for all players in the data security and cryptography sector.

At the time, there were just 15 people working at Baltimore. On a shoestring budget, 10 of the team travelled to the conference, and through use of a huge stand and Baltimore logoed polo shirts made their presence felt.

A Baltimore-hosted pre-conference party was staged in a large hotel suite hired for around $500 (€481) where a bar was stocked with duty-free drink carried through customs by each employee.

As Baltimore competitors arrived they were led to the bar area, where they were entertained - and detained - by friends of the Baltimore crew for the evening. Meanwhile, potential partners and customers were led away from the bar where they mixed freely with Baltimore employees, who stayed on water throughout.

Mr Rooney grins happily at the memory. "We made so many contacts at that party, for the next four or five days we knew people everywhere we went. On a basic budget of around $800 we managed to create a huge network, that fits our philosophy of getting bangs per buck."

Now 42, Mr Rooney qualified as a chartered accountant by night, while working his way through a series of IT related positions in An Post, several government departments, National Irish Bank and Meridian International.

It was at Quay Financial Software that he met Mr Dermot Desmond, who currently holds around a 15 per cent share in Baltimore. When Quay was sold in 1995, Mr Rooney went to work for Mr Desmond at International Investment and Underwriting (IIU). There he investigated emerging technology opportunities, and concluded there was a growing requirement for digital signatures, certification and encryption technologies for transmission of documents electronically.

"The question was when traditional mechanisms for trust, like passports, drivers licences, credit cards, become defunct in the digital world, what would replace them?" Mr Rooney says.

This is essentially what Baltimore's business is about today - providing tools which ensure electronically transmitted data is secure and authentic.

In choosing the team to expand Baltimore, Mr Rooney drew on his experience as a player with League of Ireland clubs, including Shamrock Rovers, St Pat's and Home Farm. Up to two years ago he coached Home Farm's Leinster senior league team, and was manager of the Irish women's soccer team from 1986 to 1992, when it was among the top 10 clubs in Europe.

"Player-manager skills help lead a team. You work closely, but retain respect as a manager," Mr Rooney maintains.

He says he was actively involved in the recruitment of the first 70 employees at Baltimore, but since then has had to delegate.

"If you find a strong team at the outset it dictates the type of people you hire. Key to me are people who want to enjoy working and are extremely ambitious. I've turned a lot of people away who didn't have the attitude to work in teams," says Mr Rooney.

And it's not just about the "feel-good" factor either, as Baltimore prepares for a listing on the US Nasdaq stock exchange in early November, it is understood that employees could be offered anywhere between a 20 per cent and 25 per cent stake in the company when the employee share-option scheme is finalised.

Probably Baltimore's biggest break to date was when its technology was used for the digital signing of an electronic commerce communique between US President, Mr Bill Clinton, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern in 1998.

"That was the culmination of a casual chat with the Department of Public Enterprise. We drew up a prototype and next thing it was happening. The exercise meant nothing for revenues, but did huge things for our profile," Mr Rooney says.

Shortly afterwards Baltimore was bought by UK-listed company, Zergo Holdings for around $60 million. Under the arrangement, Baltimore ended up controlling one third of the company, and very quickly Baltimore personnel took a number of the key positions within the company.

"A week before the merger we spent a week in Portmarnock with Zergo management covering our technical, marketing and sales plans as a merged entity. We had to be clear the two management teams could work together, otherwise it just wouldn't work," Mr Rooney says.

Since then Zergo changed its name to Baltimore, and it has worked to switch the product mix away from a hardware focus to software.

At the moment Mr Rooney - a father of three - spends around two weeks each month travelling. Fitness remains a very important part of his life and he tries to work out every day. Golf has started to turn into a passion, describing it as his biggest indulgence at the moment.

Refreshingly, for the head of a burgeoning software empire, Mr Rooney lacks the Valley sheen that normally permeates his peers.

"I would feel I've fulfilled most of my dreams. It's very important to keep perspectives in place, once work is over it's important to have fun."