Biztech Forum Showcases Telecommunication Possibilities
InfoGroup Participates in Jamaica Computer Society 2008 Event
The Jamaica Computer Society held its 24th annual Biztech Forum October 23-26 at the luxurious resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica. More than 200 people attended the event, which is the largest Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) forum in the Caribbean. This year's theme was "Telecommunications: Backbone for National Development?" and the workshops allowed industry specialists to examine current telecommunication innovations, and glimpse future technologies that will impact the business landscape.
InfoGroup made its presence known by being Oracle's sole representative at the event. In addition, InfoGroup CEO Glen Gill made a keynote presentation on the emerging trend, Software as a Service (SaaS), and the role of the telecommunication industry in this.
Gill pointed out that many companies are moving towards offering their software applications online. It's all part of cloud computing, the hip, new buzz phrase. This is a major shift from the traditional route of purchasing software and installing it on individual PCs. Users access and run the application through their browser, and save their files on the host's servers. Fees for the service are on a pay-as-you-go or on-demand basis.
Software giants Oracle and Microsoft have taken the leap. Their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, which manage business-critical functions like accounting, human resources, manufacturing, logistics and inventory, are now offered as hosted on-demand services.
- Product Manager Krystal Moodie (left) and Systems Analyst Sheena Wedderburn promote InfoGroup services at the Biztech Forum.
Gill believes small businesses and startups can benefit immensely from professional online applications. He gave the example of a new manufacturing company not having to lay down precious capital for business software. Instead, it pays a subscription fee to access online applications that handle accounting, HR and ERP tasks, but also functions specific to the manufacturing industry. At its fingertips are best-practise tools that get the company up to speed quickly and affordably, to compete in the global market.
Of course, SaaS providers and users need a robust telecommunications infrastructure to operate. Telecom companies must offer fast, secure and reliable service. Collaboration with SaaS providers offer additional revenue-generating opportunities for telecoms. They can extend unique services such as internet data centers, global network access and specialised hardware. Relying on telecoms to deal with infrastructure development and maintenance allows SaaS businesses to focus on strengthening their applications and serving clients.
The forum proved the Caribbean is on the right track, open to adopting the latest technology trends. With an eye towards the future, InfoGroup stands at the vanguard, ready to evolve with new developments in the telecommunication industry.
