FROM BUSINESS PARTNER
TO CHANGE MAKER

Working as an IBM Business Partner and reseller, Origina Founder and CEO, Tomás O’Leary, came to a worrying realization: B2B technology OEMs hold almost all the cards in their customer relationships, and the narratives they push regarding updates, maintenance, and end of life software rarely benefit anyone but themselves.

It would’ve been easy to dismiss the problem as another case of “that’s how it has always been,” a line of thinking that is all too common in the business world. But in speaking to IBM customers over his decades of partnership with the software vendor, Tomás discovered just how much financial and electronic waste occurred due to a lack of viable alternative options.

Companies were spending millions to maintain software and support models that simply didn’t suit their IT roadmaps or growth trajectories. And many customers struggled to understand their rights and entitlements to IBM® software.

Tomás observed the heavy-handed tactics that characterized vendor relationships, such as forced upgrades, diminishing support, and inflexible pricing models. Many customers were paying the same amounts year after year, even if they had reduced their license needs or faced product support gaps.

This was more than a business problem; it was a waste problem. Unnecessary upgrades, along with a lack of support for older software, pushed customers into purchasing new hardware far sooner than needed, contributing to the environmental waste of viable technology.

The turning point came in 2014 when IBM began laying off tenured employees, losing a wealth of valuable support talent. This opened the door for a new, innovative approach to enterprise software care.

With a growing understanding of the challenges in the software ecosystem, Tomás and his co-founder, Rowan O’Donoghue, saw an opportunity: could an independent software maintenance model provide organizations with a way to break free from the constraints of traditional OEM relationships?

After securing a legal opinion, the founders discovered that an independent vendor could provide robust support and maintenance for software even after the original OEM’s interest waned. They soon identified that hundreds of IBM and HCL software products could continue to be maintained by a skilled independent partner without any OEM involvement.

Tomás and Rowan tapped into a network of experienced engineers and product experts who had been displaced during the industry’s shift toward newer talent. These professionals brought deep expertise in enterprise software, and together they formed the backbone of Origina’s innovative approach to IT lifecycle management.

Early trials proved the model was successful, and over the years, Origina expanded its services into new areas. Today, we help some of the world’s largest companies, including several Fortune 500 and Global 1000 leaders, manage their IT ecosystems with confidence.

Today, our mission remains clear: To change the software world by helping organizations eliminate technical debt, maximize the value of their existing IT investments, and put control back in the hands of the customer — enabling future-ready growth on their terms.