The Information Technology (IT) Department of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has been upgraded with the donation of 10 computer systems, valued at US$8000.
The donation was made last Friday by the New York-based Zara Group of Companies, which also offered free IT consultancy as it seeks to help improve the Council’s current data management and computer integration systems.
Zara Vice-President Nardeo Singh said the donation was made after a needs assessment was carried out.
“With the changes that are happening in information technology, we will be offering the Mayor and City Council professional computer consultancy services with the intention of reviewing their entire IT infrastructure. We want to have them ready to use integrated property management software, which would allow them to identify all the properties in Georgetown and track every event for each property,” Singh explained.
He noted that the M&CC is currently stuck between what he described as the “non-digital era and the digital era.”
Highlighting City Hall’s lack of scope in the field of integrated property management software and data management, Singh emphasised the company’s commitment to provide assistance in getting the municipal body familiarised with the two fields.
He noted that the main concern was upgrading the City Hall to the point of creating an integrated computer system, which would ultimately allow it to be able to produce records for any building around Georgetown with the click of button. “I want to teach them to work smart and not hard, and with integrated systems, this can be accomplished,” Singh added.
Already, he said his company’s team has been receiving a positive response from the staff at the M&CC.
Singh noted that the company will seek to make donations in the future depending on how efficiently the donations are utilised. “Today is just the beginning and hopefully we will continue this partnership,” he said.
Town Clerk, Royston King expressed his gratitude to the company for the “civic gesture,” while expressing the hope that other companies would come on board and offer the same quality of support.
“This is part of what we need, particularly in our Information Technology Department,” the Town Clerk said.
Meanwhile, Singh described the security of data and integrated management systems as being “badly needed” throughout Guyana. Describing the state of information technology as being that of a crisis currently, Singh said it can be fixed if stakeholders come together to solve the problem.
He explained that by solving this crisis, Guyana could benefit from economic growth and also possibly IT and other IT related services. “We have the skill set, I have 25 years’ experience in the field and I’m bringing that knowledge base and training, free, to the Guyanese community,” he said.
Zara is run by overseas-based Guyanese, who are eager to give back to their homeland.
The company, which has been in operation for the past 20 years, has also been partnering with other organisations in a similar manner with over US$700,000 worth of donations having been made. Other organisations that have benefited include the Guyana Police Force, the CIOG, the Hindu College and the Saraswati Vidya Niketan.
