US security software company establishing product development team in Vilnius

Trackforce, a global company which develops software for management of physical security, has chosen Vilnius as the location for its new product development unit. The company plans to assemble a team of 15 software developers and quality assurance specialists.

As Guirchaume Abitbol, Trackforce’s owner and CEO explains, the company is looking for more than just technicians for their new team: they need skilled specialists that show creativity and initiative. “We develop solutions which enable us to compete worldwide,” says Mr Abitbol. “For this reason, we are looking for talented people who can contribute to the development of the product not only in terms of technical matters. In this regard, Lithuania was the best choice. IT specialists in Lithuania not only have good technical skills, but are also able to contribute significantly to business solutions themselves. We, therefore, believe that Lithuania’s talents will help us to ensure our future success,” he concludes.

Trackforce was established in 2000 by former security professionals. Aware of the drawbacks of the solutions offered by companies providing security services, and seeing the potential for efficiency increases, they started developing software to help optimise the activity of security companies. Trackforces’s revenue grew by 35% annually for four consecutive years, and last year totalled €7 million.

In Lithuania, the company plans to develop solutions both for old and new products. In addition, the team in Vilnius will also contribute to the improvement of the company’s technical platform. Since the company’s main office is in San Diego – a 10-hour time difference from Vilnius – the Lithuanian team will work autonomously, making most of its decisions itself. Mr. Abitbol believes that this level of responsibility will lead to greater results and better motivation of employees. “We want people in Vilnius office to feel that they are full-fledged part of the company” told Mr. Abitbol.

“In recent years we have seen big interest in Lithuania from US IT companies,” points out Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Lithuania’s Economy Minister. “This is of paramount importance for the local labour market. These companies create innovative products and, thanks to their open work culture, employees are given the freedom to innovate and the responsibility to make decisions themselves. The country’s specialists then bring this culture to start-ups, helping companies develop their own working cultures,” says the Minister.

The office in Vilnius will be the company’s seventh unit outside the US. It’s headquartered in San Diego, and has customer service offices in France, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Mexico and South Africa.

“The decision to set up in Lithuania shows an interesting trend,” comments Mantas Katinas, General Manager of Invest Lithuania, a Foreign Direct Investment Development Agency. “Lithuania is becoming the location of choice for second offices in terms of importance for innovative companies. Recently, Trackforce, Trustpilot and others have set up in Lithuania. They all have offices in the world’s big business centres, yet they are choosing Lithuania as a competence centre for the most complex functions. This is an important indication of how the country’s labour market is evaluated worldwide,” argues Mr Katinas.

The company has over 150,000 end users. Some of its well-known customers are G4S, Bayer, Chanel, and several international airports.