Bright ideas: Paul Martin

The word ‘concurrent’ means to operate or occur at the same time as something else. It’s fitting then, that a company dedicated to making the ‘real world’ and tech realm function in tandem, goes by the same name. Concurrent General Manager for the EMEA region, Paul Martin, is inspired by the progressive technologies being developed at the global software and solutions company. "We build solutions that require low-latency performance using the power of our real-time Linux OS and our advanced storage solutions," explains Paul.

While Concurrent’s products are already used to power applications in a wide range of markets, Paul cites the company’s growth potential and capacity to benefit a significant number of organisations as attracting him to the role, which he took up at the beginning of this year. "Having previously worked in the telecomms and broadcast industries, I was observing a convergence of how people deliver content, and how it’s being consumed," says Paul, reflecting on what drew him to Concurrent. "And what Concurrent had, was the opportunity to take its heritage of streaming video and combine it with its high performance computing and data storage to create a very compelling package that would benefit a wide number of companies."

Specifically, Paul could see Concurrent pioneering solutions for businesses that want to work with video, something he predicts will be at the core of content consumption for at least the next 10 years. "Given what I could see in the industry, Concurrent sounded like a great company to get involved with."

We work hard to make sure off-the-shelf hardware, in conjunction with open-source software, equates to a good solution in a high-performance computing environment.

Of course, with 50 years of operational excellence to its name, Concurrent has an established reputation. And while a company’s past performance doesn’t necessarily indicate its potential for future innovation — particularly in the ever-evolving software sector — Concurrent has a long list of technologies in its pipeline, which Paul believes will prevent it from becoming stale. "While Concurrent has a long heritage, it definitely has some very progressive technology. The team at Concurrent are incredibly passionate about providing solutions based on open-source technology. We work hard to make sure off-the-shelf hardware, in conjunction with open-source software, equates to a good solution in a high-performance computing environment," says Paul.

Specialised and diverse computing environments

Servicing a broad range of industries — aerospace and defence, automotive, energy, finance/banking, manufacturing/automation and media — these high-performance computing environments are as specialised as they are diverse. In the defence sector, Concurrent’s real-time Linux tools and operating systems have been used by military in the US, Europe and Asia for applications such as defence system simulation and testing and radar data analysis. While in the manufacturing sector, real-time technology has been used to assist with product design, industrial testing and plant production control. "Concurrent was early to recognise the benefits of open-source technology, introducing one of the world’s first and most advanced real-time Linux operating systems," reflects Paul. Recently, the company entered the enterprise storage market with a new software-defined storage platform called Aquari. "Concurrent’s focus is on disrupting the status quo," he says. "Specifically, we see opportunities to introduce open-source software into markets that have historically relied on proprietary technology.

"Concurrent’s open-source commitment is incredibly important to businesses in these sectors. And they need a solid technology partner that has done this before, which is what puts Concurrent well in the lead from a competitive point of view."

This competitive advantage is particularly beneficial when it comes to driving the business’ growth; one of Paul’s chief accountabilities.

Well established in North America, where Concurrent’s headquarters are located, the company has big expansion plans for EMEA and Asia in particular. "In Asia, Japan is our core market," says Paul. "And in EMEA, our biggest presence is in Western Europe.

Bringing world-firsts to the technology market

"My goal at the moment is to establish the company more firmly in the European market, and there are a number of opportunities for that. Our storage product, which is based on the open-source Ceph^TM storage engine, is a new generation product for the market," explains Paul. "While we already have a lot of big name companies in our chosen sectors within Europe — the automotive, aerospace and media sectors — there is a long way we can go to establish ourselves with this next wave of technology."

Although Concurrent doesn’t currently have a presence in the Middle East, Paul considers the region to be a big opportunity for the company, citing the gulf countries as principally interesting. "Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the way in the region, especially in the media sector," says Paul. "When you consider Arabic language programming, big companies like Al Jazeera and beIN Sports are huge, and that’s something we’d like to tap into."

When establishing the company in new markets, Paul is quick to recognise the importance of collaborating with regional technology and channel partners. "Working with trusted partners in the region, and companies that are already established — that have a strong track record of integrating systems, or providing services in the industry that we are targeting — is vital," he explains. This partnership model is evident in Concurrent’s established markets, where the company delivers a range of software and hardware through alliances with reputable third-party partners such as SatCab (media), In-Tech (automotive) and SNECMA (aerospace).

Ultimately, however, Concurrent’s ongoing success and growth into new markets is dependent upon its capacity to keep developing exciting new technology. "If you’re taking the same technology into the market as everyone else, then it’s a really tough battle because the question becomes: ‘Why choose you?’" says Paul. With a lengthy history of world-first developments — from 32-bit micro-computers in the 70s to its pioneering software-defined video and storage systems today — innovative technology is really what is at Concurrent’s core. And with the recent advent of its next generation open-source based solutions, it is clear that Concurrent is living up to its business mission of powering brighter ideas.