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Coordinated inter-ministerial approach vital for ICT sector growth -R.B.Ekanayake

by Sudarshana Perera

An ICT policy needs to be established, if Sri Lanka is to fully benefit from Information and Communication Technology said IT Consultant to the Bank of Ceylon and Chairman of Lanka Clear PVT Ltd R.B. Ekanayake in an interview with the Daily News held at Hotel Taj samudra. Ekanayake who pioneered electronic banking or Universal banking and professional ICT development in Sri Lanka said that the ownership of policy on ICT and well co-ordinated inter ministerial applications are a sine quo non to further the ICT development in Sri Lanka. As an initial step, the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages should be performed online.

The software ICT companies and other ICT firms should become more innovative to meet diverse market needs, he said. A BCS representative was also present at the interview. He also emphasised that a coherent approach on ICT and a well-laid Implementation strategy are vital for the success of e-Sri Lanka initiative which Government has embarked upon to take the ICT to the grassroots level, focusing rapid growth in all sectors.

Following is the interview:

Q: How did you come to choose IT as a profession? When did you start and how did you start?

A : My career at State Engineering Corporation laid the ground for me to switch on to Information Technology (IT) from Civil Engineering and there I started my forte as an IT professional. The Chairman of State Engineering Corporation wanted to get down computers (3rd generation) in 1967. After undergoing the necessary training, I joined the first computer division of the engineering corporation.

Q: Could you tell us about the use of computers and Data processing as IT was known when you started out your career?

A; The computer at that time did not have hard disks, terminals and screens unlike today. The communication was done in two ways. The input was done by punching cards that was to feed information through card reader. Since there was no hard disk also the program and data ran on magnetic tape. What was significant during those days, was that we had only one program running at a time , on the computer , no Multi Programming or Tasking. The process was mainly co-ordinated by a console operator.

Q: Over the years the face of IT and the role it plays in everyday life has changed considerably. You have been in the forefront in the field of IT in Sri Lanka for more than 30 years. It would be interesting if you could tell us about the development of IT in Sri Lanka over the years?

A: The Information technology (IT) or computers were mainly used for engineering and centralised commercial application in late 60s and 70s. During that period it was the Engineering Corporation which made the designs and constructed most of the buildings with magnificent architectural significance. For architectural designs and other important building plannings the computers were made use of and we were able to come out with fine results. The entire research on Mahaweli diversion scheme was also based on computer data analysis. We were deprived of getting American computers at that time in 1967 for the reason that IBM did not want to share the latest technology with this region. So we did not receive computers with higher capacity and performance. The computer we had were British based ICL .

With regard to commercial applications we used IT for payroll preparation and stock control. The Department of Examinations and telecom sector too made use of these computers for their commercial activities.

Q; Your comment on present ICT sector and its development?

A: Going back to IT Industry in 70s, the IT sector faced enormous challenges and difficulties from the Government and other parties because certain elements had the doubt that computer might take away white collar jobs. In 1984 a new era dawned for IT sector with former President J.R. Jayawardene establishing a committee on IT development under his ministry. So this initiative spearheaded the further development of ICT sector in Sri Lanka. The ownership of policy on ICT and well coordinated inter-ministerial applications are a sine quo non to further the ICT development in Sri Lanka. As an initial step, the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages should be automated.

Q;How do you envisage IT would be in 10 years from now ?

A:I am very optimistic that if we can implement these long-term measures with much deliberation, the country can achieve expected targets in coming years.

Q: What would your advice be to young professionals starting out in IT ?

A: These professionals engaged in ICT sector should continue to update their knowledge with the development and changes taking place frequently in ICT industry. They must also prepare themselves to face the challenges confronted when competing with other international ICT giants.

Q: You have seen the IT Industry grow in Sri Lanka over the years. What would be your advice to the IT Industry in Sri Lanka?

A: The software ICT companies and other ICT firms should become more innovative to meet diverse markets available.

Q: Brief personal background-family, schooling, tertiary education, values and beliefs in life ?

A: Yes. my hometown is Kandy and my family consisted of 8 children (three sisters and five brothers).My father was engaged in business while my mother was teaching. My first school happened to be Girls High School, Kandy.

I had my primary schooling at Dharmaraja College, Kandy and secondary at Trinity College ,Kandy. Though I liked to do engineering for my university degree I did Physical Science at Colombo University since I was selected to that stream. Just after that I joined Colombo University as an Assistant Lecturer in Physical Science. I too started working at State Engineering Corporation.

Venture capitalists: Who needs them?

By Richard Sharpe

The UK software industry is hardly renowned for its management packages. The single example of Autonomy sticks out like a sore thumb.

Now three of Computing's Acorns, specialising in UK software product development, are aiming squarely at delivering software to help others to manage.

Solcara is aiming its applications, built on core software, into vertical markets which need assured knowledge management packages, such as the legal profession and the police force.

Police investigating a string of murders are going to be inundated with media calls; they need to keep the media informed with consistent and legally correct information. Solcara's Press Bureau allowed the force which investigated the Harold Shipman murders to do just that.

Change is constant; the lack of integrated software tools to support strategic change is also constant. Until now.

Tapster Rock has a window of no more than 18 months before the big boys of software applications bring out their versions of strategic change management (SCM) products to compete against Tapster's Oriel.

Physician, heal thyself, is the age-old saying thrown at those who suggest cures for others. IT has been proposing that management be supported with integrated software. So why is the IT function not fully supported by integrated software?

That's the question John Gibert posed and answered when he launched Be-st, which is in talks to get the first round of customers for its integrated IT management package.

These three Acorns are aiming to support the management of parts of business with integrated packages. They have another common feature: they have no venture capital (VC) funding.

They are being funded by the efforts of the founders because, they claim, VCs may bend the young company out of shape to satisfy their own needs, rather than those of the customers. It is by winning customers and satisfying their needs at a profit that they will survive and grow.

How is electronic marketplace different from physical markets?

The answers to this question provide us with a preview to what we try to achieve in this FAQ: comparing the digital economy with the physical economy, and coming up with a better understanding of the new market. Business strategies must be based on a sound understanding of the market dynamics, for which we rely on standard economics.

Is the electronic marketplace a perfect, "friction-less" market? Will transaction costs become zero? Will the market be perfectly competitive, yielding lowest possible prices? Should the market be left alone to march toward those predictions?

On the surface, the electronic marketplace appears to be something of a perfect market, where there are numerous, worldwide sellers and buyers, who in turn have bountiful information about the market and products, and where no intermediaries are necessary. Such a market is very competitive and efficient (with no need to regulate or intervene arbitrarily). However, closer looks indicate that consumer searches are not very efficient (due to the cost of having a complete, easily searchable database, and because sellers may not provide all information necessary). Although wholesalers and retail outlets may not be needed, other types of intermediaries appear to be essential for the electronic market to function adequately (e.g. certification authorities, electronic malls who guarantee product quality, mediators for bargaining and conflict resolution, etc.). All these brokers add transaction costs.

Will prices be lower? Digital products are highly customizable due to its transmutability, i.e. easy to revise, reorganize and edit. With information about consumer tastes, products will be differentiated (or "customized", e.g. custom news). The number of potential sellers may be low, or even only one, in a highly differentiated and segmented market, and the price will tend to approach the maximum price the buyer is willing to pay. (In economic terms, sellers practice "first degree or perfect" price discrimination, which is exact opposite to the result we get in a perfectly competitive market.)

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