Technology's top names: GreenButton

Cloud computing server and software services
Revenue: $3.4 million

Cloud computing is the fastest-growing sector in IT, worth about US$47 billion worldwide this year and expected to top US$107 billion ($127 billion) in 2017, according to a forecast from industry analysts IDC.

Software company GreenButton is riding that growth wave, coming in at No 185 in the TIN100+ list with revenue of $3.4 million, and claiming the No 7 spot in the Vodafone "Ten Hot Emerging Companies" list.

While growth in the ICT sector has helped its success, what sets the privately owned GreenButton apart is the elegance of its systems, argues chief executive Scott Houston.

"Our goal is to take really complex things, whether it be in the biotech, manufacturing, or oil and gas business, and make them so easy that you can just push a button and the system does all the work."

In keeping with this goal, the firm operates on a "platform as a service" (PaaS) basis, meaning customers can buy software when they need it, instead of paying a one-off lump sum, which can be a problem for newer firms, which often don't have enough capital to support such costs.

Founded in 2006, Wellington-based GreenButton has offices in Germany and Australia and is looking to expand further into Asia and the US. Its growth rate has been about 23 per cent year-on-year since it began, says Houston.