Phase 2 International, a Honolulu-based technology firm targeting the "software as a service" market, said it has opened its first Mainland sales office and moved into a larger corporate space here to accommodate growth.

The company said it opened an office in Chicago as part of its push to sell its services outside Hawai'i. The company said it also took a 3,200-square-foot space in Pioneer Place in Downtown Honolulu after outgrowing its previous offices on Union Mall.

Phase 2, founded in 2002, concentrates on offering software services such as applications for customer relationship management, accounting and human resources to small and medium-sized businesses. But instead of selling the software to companies, Phase 2 hosts the applications on its own computers and allows customers to access the programs as they are needed.

The 17-employee company's sales are about 50 percent higher than they were last year as a result of its decision to offer applications to Mainland and international customers, said Kevin Doherty, Phase 2 chief executive officer. He said the company has been increasing its development team and adding to its data centers.

The company's products include ShareCAD Pro, a platform that allows contractors, architects and manufacturers to share drawings and project data via the Internet.