According to Kristina Lanuza, Iontas' public relations consultant, the area's reputation as a high tech center coupled with its Irish roots was a draw to the company. "When they were looking at where to settle in the US, Boston seemed ideal," Lanuza tells GlobeSt.com. "It is a high tech hub and has a large Irish presence."

In the company's released statement, company CEO Martin McCreesh emphasizes that the opening of an office here--and setting up a "local presence"-- is an important milestone in the company's development. Iontas has recently established a partnership with Minnesota-based CS Solutions, Inc., an IT solutions firm, and says Lanuza, it is also "working on a number of US partnerships." Lanuza declined to identify the names of those companies.

Among Iontas' clients are Esat Telecom, a subsidiary of British Telecom, Conduit Europe and Stream International.