Borland Software Corporation is relocating its European technical support centre to Belfast in a multi-million pound investment supported by Invest Northern Ireland that will create some 50 additional jobs by 2008.

Borland’s software and solutions are designed to help IT organisations transform software delivery into a managed, efficient and predictable business process.

The Belfast base will become one of Borland’s three worldwide support centres, with the others located in Atlanta and Singapore. By 2008, Borland expects to increase the number of high-level technical support employees in Belfast from approximately 30 to approximately 80.

Senior Vice President of Field Operations with Borland, Dave Packer, said: “We have ambitious plans for the Belfast operation and working with Invest NI, we plan to take this initial investment beyond technical support by exploiting other business development opportunities in the future.

“The quality of ICT graduates in Northern Ireland was one of the key factors in our decision to move the operation to Belfast and we are confident that this skills base will help us to deliver on corporate objectives and secure the Belfast centre as one of Borland’s core global operations.”

Invest NI worked closely with Borland to ensure that existing jobs, resulting from Borland’s acquisition of Segue Software Corporation, would be safeguarded.

Invest NI Chief Executive, Leslie Morrison, added: “Borland’s reputation for innovation and quality will fit well with the expertise and capability of our rapidly growing software sector. It will add significant value by utilising our highly skilled workforce and will highlight Northern Ireland’s ability to develop and support advanced software solutions for a competitive global market.”

Borland Software is one of the world’s leading vendor of Open Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions.

(SP/KMcA)