A local information technology (IT) service provider is preparing to launch a small business development centre to train and equip emerging entrepreneurs to apply performance-enhancing IT systems in the day-to-day running of their business operations. Starr Computers which, two weeks ago launched its new, low-priced X-Finity Light computer at a ceremony held to mark the inauguration of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s (GT&T) new submarine fibre optic cable says that it expects to have the centre operational at its Brickdam premises in a matter of months.
“The whole idea is to target new businesses, retailers, ventures that are now getting started and to educate them about the value of implementing IT- driven business solutions to their operations,” Starr Computers General Manager Rehman Majeed told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week. Majeed says that the centre will serve as a “one stop shop” that will advise commercial enterprises of the broadest possible range of IT-related business support systems including point of sales, payroll, accounting, and security mechanisms.
Work is already well-advanced on the physical creation of the centre which will see Starr Computers introduce new businesses to both hardware and software designed to support the efficient management of their operations. “The whole idea is to give business owners a much greater measure of control over their operations,” Majeed told Stabroek Business. According to the University of Guyana–trained Computer Science graduate while some small businesses have been implementing IT management systems in an incremental manner, the idea behind Starr’s small business centre is to provide a “one stop shop” that will provide a “total package” for business owners.
Meanwhile, Majeed says that the launch of the centre will be preceded by “consultations with organizations that would be considered partners in the initiative” including local private sector umbrella organizations and institutions like the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) which have a wealth of experience in working with small business enterprises. Majeed says that the success of the new centre will depend on the ability of Starr Computers to persuade business houses of “the significant role” that IT-related services can play in adding value to new enterprises. Majeed asserted that Starr Computers has been one of the local pioneers in providing business solutions to commercial enterprises. “We have actually been providing these kinds of services to local enterprises for more than twenty years. Our services have included billing, tracking and point-of-sales services and we would like to think that we have made a contribution to the growth and development of those business enterprises,” Majeed says. Other local IT service providers including technicians are likely to benefit from the introduction of Starr’s new business centre since, according to Majeed, “the work of the centre is expected to create greater demand for some services which Starr Computers does not provide. That is another significant thing about this industry. The expansion and the new initiatives that are taking place are creating more employment opportunities in the sector.”
Meanwhile, Starr Computers expects to launch its X-Finity Business System – a sister computer to the X Finity Light system – by the end of the current week. Majeed told Stabroek Business that the X-Finity Business would provide yet another tool that will support the growth and development of local business enterprises. Majeed told Stabroek Business that the company was ‘particularly pleased” with consumer response to the X-Finity Light computer. “The whole idea was that the X-Finity Light would benefit schoolchildren and would, in various ways, support the development of the education system. We have Republic Bank on board with us in this venture and the bank is only too well aware that, in this case, when it gives a loan to a customer for the purchase of a computer what it is doing is investing in education,” Majeed added. The company is currently working on the production of the X-Finity Games personal computer but has so far provided no time frame for its completion.
Evolution
Meanwhile, Majeed, who has worked as a lecturer and programmer with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) says that he continues to marvel at the evolution of IT development in Guyana. “Perhaps the most significant development has been the continual decrease in prices and the fact that the technology is now available to most people. “Because of the nature of the technology we are likely to see a growth in demand for computers. While in developed countries the life of a computer is probably around three years, people in developing countries tend to hold on to their computers for much longer. That is likely to change since greater access to new software means that machines will have to be upgraded in order to enable software compatibility.
Meanwhile, Majeed says that the inevitable growth and expansion of the IT sector resulting from the ‘firing’ of the new GT&T submarine cable will challenge businesses to make changes to their operational practices. “The reality is that more universal access to the internet means that the same information now becomes available to businesses that are competing for customer patronage. What this means is that competition will become more intense and businesses will have to adapt. Product information which, in the past, would have been available only to some businesses is now freely available on the internet,” Majeed says.
And according to the Starr Computers General Manager the growth and expansion of the local IT sector also creates “new training needs” in the industry. “These days there is no shortage of technicians who are capable of servicing, repairing and upgrading computers. What we need are more programmers, people who can create software and work in areas like the development of programmes and websites.
Acquiring those skills requires different types and levels of training and apart from having people who are able to teach those skills we also require students with more formal training in some of the conventional academic areas including mathematics,” Majeed says.
