Qualcom, a leading Irish provider of IT and cybersecurity services, has increased annual revenues in Northern Ireland by 30%, with a further 15% rise forecast by year-end 2026. This is driven largely by demand from Northern Ireland's retail sector for secure digital infrastructure.

As reported by Irish Tech News, Qualcom is expanding its Belfast team by five new roles, including on-site and field-based engineers, bringing headcount in Northern Ireland to 21; recruitment has already begun.

The increased move to digital payment services has reduced reliance on traditional in-store payment methods. Qualcom is seeing growing demand among retailers for integrated, ultra-secure digital systems supporting card and app payments, loyalty card programmes and online ordering platforms, often across multiple locations, alongside reliable connectivity and regular software updates.

Due to the added complexity of these systems, Qualcom is providing increased on-the-ground support to retailers, reducing the burden on in-house teams. Engineers can remain on-site after implementation to provide day-to-day support, filling a skills gap for businesses without internal IT resources. This staff-as-a-service model is becoming a more attractive option for managing holiday and sickness cover. Qualcom is also managing device and hardware procurement logistics to reduce post-Brexit customs and excise complexity for Northern Ireland retailers.

Leeann Saunders, Managing Director for Northern Ireland, Qualcom, said: "As the retail landscape continues to rapidly evolve, there is a growing demand for resilient IT infrastructure that can support secure and streamlined customer experiences, regardless of how they may choose to shop." She added: "We are expanding our team in Northern Ireland to meet this increasing demand, bridge technical skills gaps and reduce pressure on organisations."

The structural driver is the growing complexity of retail payment infrastructure combined with post-Brexit compliance burden, a dual pressure favouring outsourced, on-site IT partners over in-house teams for retailers operating across multiple locations.

For the sector, this points to IT security and infrastructure resilience becoming a board-level priority in retail, with staff-as-a-service and embedded support models emerging as a scalable response to skills shortages across Northern Ireland.

Source: irishtechnews.ie