What was your first encounter with IT?
I recall men in white coats, a hushed almost church-like atmosphere, large metal boxes with intermittent lights behind glass partitions, keyboards unlike any typewriter I had ever seen and an overall sense of privilege to have been allowed within the hallowed halls of the computer section of the sugar factory in Thurles where I worked.
Are you fond of technology or do you find it a necessary evil?
Fond is not a word that I would use now. However, when I think back to long days and late nights slaving over handwritten business projections, where one change set off a chain of rubbing out and replacing in pencil, the repetition sometimes leaving holes in the manuscript, the advent of the business computer and Lotus 123 was a godsend.
Is there any particular technology that you find indispensable in your working life?
I think that the humble phone is almost indispensable, followed closely by the laptop with email,
which allows me to be in contact
with our members and source information for them even when I’m on the road with our business briefing sessions and conferences.</p>
Have Irish companies been slow to embrace IT?
Most small and medium businesses have now taken to IT like a duck to water. I use the word ‘now’, because initially, many slick sales people sold IT to customers through exaggerated promises of increased efficiencies, with little or no technical backup or advice. This situation has mainly sorted itself out in the last few years and now the advantages of IT are being seen and used to enhance productivity in all areas. The leaders in this area are SMEs who are trading internationally, but the domestic companies are catching up.
Is e-business the way forward?
It is one of the ways forward and allows business to be done faster and over a wider marketplace. For many SMEs it offers a challenging opportunity for growth. Here again the premature promises are now coming through and in most cases owner managers have replaced their skepticism with genuine enthusiasm, using the web for more than just research.
What are the main hindrances to conducting business online?
Gradually the perception of security of e-business cash transactions as being dodgy is being addressed and more and more people are comfortable with the technology. The major hurdle has been the over-hyped promises of so-called experts, who in my opinion have set the e-business model back five or six years.
Will broadband change the way we conduct business in the future?
Yes is the short answer. The answer from many companies in the West [of Ireland] is ‘when we eventually get it’. The roll out of broadband is like everything else in IT; big promise, big hype, slow delivery, under achieve initially.
What do you think will be the ‘next big thing?’
I still think that for many SMEs the possibilities that wireless technology has to offer has not yet been fully exploited. One area that will emerge however is smaller and smaller drives that will have the capacity to hold 15Gbyte or more. These installed in the mobile phone will open up enormous markets in consumer electronics.
What are your favourite websites?
For all serious and budding entrepreneurs the ISME site (www.isme.ie) is full of relevant data and the members section a mine of information from product sourcing to networking. (I would say that, wouldn’t I?). Seriously though, check it out, it is well worth while. Google, Yahoo, the economist, Amazon and Bloomsbury are some other personal favourites.
What do you think are the main benefits of technology for SMEs?
Technology allows small and medium businesses to punch above their weight as it increases efficiency and response times and allows a better utilization of people skills. For the future, knowledge will be the currency and for those who can manage it, the sky’s the limit.
19/04/04
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers