IRISH-OWNED company HiberniaEvros has invested €1.6 million in a new division that will offer computing infrastructure over the cloud.

The company said it had already gained a number of customers, including classifieds site DoneDeal.ie, and expects the new venture to create 50 jobs in the next three years.

Referred to as an infrastructure- as-a-service offering (IaaS), this new division will allow a company to outsource the management of almost all of its IT equipment to HiberniaEvros. The only thing required on-site after that is a network connection and terminal so the remote hardware, and what is on it, can be accessed.

“This allows companies to take advantage of expensive technology without any up-front investment on their end,” said Brian Larkin, operations director of HiberniaEvros. “What we’re trying to do is replace the requirement for computer rooms and reduce businesses’ overheads.”

Mr Larkin said the service also offered rapid scalability for firms looking to add servers or storage space almost immediately.

The number of cloud-based services available has increased dramatically in recent years as companies seek ways of reducing capital expenditure costs. However, in many cases these services have offered software over a network only, with customers still requiring servers and network devices on-site.

Customers using HiberniaEvros’s IaaS will be billed monthly for the service with the cost differing depending on what they use. Those on their public cloud will pay based on usage while those on a managed cloud will pay a fixed monthly fee.

With a company’s entire infrastructure accessed remotely, companies will be dependent on internet access to function, however. According to Mr Larkin, most already have that kind of dependence on connectivity anyway.

“Nine out of 10 companies in Ireland are wholly dependent on their internet connection already,” he said. “The important thing for many is the connectivity on our end and so far, customers have experienced a huge increase in speed since switching over.”

HiberniaEvros already offers managed services to 800 companies in Ireland and reported sales of €22.4 million last year.

The company came into existence after the merger of IT firms Hibernia Technology and Evros in 2008.