Public servants need more IT empowerment skills

Indunil Hewage

Network Communications CEO - Larry Adams

Full Name : Larry Adams

Educational Qualifications : PhD, from Japan Theological College , Ph D in Business Studies., M.Th from Japan Theological College , B.Th From LBC Peradeniya , Dip-Th AGBC Colombo , MBA at ICFAI Colombo ,

Civil Status : Married, has three children.

Date of Birth : April 18, 1965 Favourite sport : Cricket

Network Communications (Pvt) Ltd, a part of the Adam Group of Companies, is one of the leading retail and wholesale providers of brand new IT and network equipment which is importing IT equipment from Taiwan, Singapore and China and the United Kingdom.

The company has an intensive distribution network in Sri Lanka. Netcom strives to offer quality brands to customers at an affordable price and has been building international partnerships with distributors and suppliers. Netcom product line up consists of renowned brands such as TP-LINK, Viewsonic, Biostar, EAST UPS, Suzuki Laptops and System X branded desktop computers.

Daily News Business interviewed Network Communications (Pvt) Ltd CEO, Larry Adams in this week's Tea with CEO column.

Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: Could you give us an overview of how you entered this industry and how you came to this position?

A: I am from a background of Theology, Psychology, Philosophy. I was thrown into the IT field suddenly after I came down to Sri Lanka from Canada and I saw a massive vacuum in the Sri Lankan IT industry in 1999 and a lot of people in the country barely knew about the IT industry in Sri Lanka and it was in its infancy. Some people think that IT people need to be extraordinarily knowledgeable and educated.

This gave me an opportunity to start my career in the IT field in Sri Lanka, I started my career at Tec Sri Lanka as the General Manager and Operations Head. In addition, I held many positions overseas and in local companies.

I was the Sales and Marketing Manager in Consumers Choice Home Improvements in Canada. Corporate Sales Head in PC House CEO in Neat Lanka, COO in Epsi Computers Sales Head and Marketing and Head of Operations Head in Lumen Technologies and Xerox Sri Lanka and at present I am working as the CEO of Network Communications.

Q: Can you elaborate on how the ICT can be deployed to increase productivity in government institutions?

A: I think government servants need to be empowered with IT skills since many of them are not familiar with computers. Public servants have to take collective initiatives to go with the ICT since it will increase productivity, efficiency of all government institutes. I think, they can be more professionals with the usage of ICT without going into book form any longer.

Q: What are your views on the IT industry in Sri Lanka?

A: The Sri Lankan IT industry has leaped beyond anyone can understand it.

The Sri Lankan IT Industry has witnessed a remarkable growth and sound development over the years. Sri Lankans have shown a keen interest in the IT industry and this has resulted in increased demand for PCs, smart phones, laptops and other IT related services in recent times. It is happy to note that Sri Lankans are becoming more tech-savvy as never before.

Q: What are the latest trends you see in the global IT industry?

A: On a global basis, IT purchases will be $1.69 trillion in 2011, with software accounting for the largest portion of the expense at $ 430 billion. The year 2010 was huge for virtualization in enterprise data centers. The era of the virtual data center is here, its effect has also extended far beyond traditional data centers. The past few years focused on server virtualization, the next few years will be spent on building cloud computing technologies. Server virtualization was primarily about containing hardware sprawl, and clouds are about optimizing IT and redefining roles and responsibilities. Clouds also offer flexibility, agility, availability, and with cloud technology, IT as a service is finally within reach. These technological changes are creating opportunities for qualified job seekers.

Q: Are you satisfied with the Sri Lankan initiatives taken by authorities to develop the IT industry in Sri Lanka?

A: Yes, we are quite satisfied with the initiatives taken by the government to develop the IT industry and it is making a great effort to take IT and English to villages. We do not find this kind of thought and effort from a President or government in any country to promote IT. I think, all Sri Lankans need to be empowered with soft skills to achieve our development targets.

It is an infallible truth that many industries in the world will not be able to survive without IT. As an example if we take a physician, he will not be able to perform a proper scan and operation without the proper IT contribution.

Q: What are your achievements in business?

A: I have been delivering lectures in Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technical Officer and Chief Operating Officer (COO) forums in various countries, I managed to educate people in the world on future information and technological advancements. As a Sri Lankan, I think I was successful in achieving my goals in my career by sharing my knowledge with the world.

Q: What are your interests and hobbies?

A: As a part of my hobby , I do teaching in marketing, CIO and CTO conferences and this gives me an opportunity to talk about Sri Lanka. I like to encourage and help people to achieve their goals.

Q: Where would you like to spend your holiday?

A: I would love to spend my holiday down south, specially in beautiful places close to beaches.

Q: What sort of investment plan does your company have in mind in Sri Lanka?

A: We are driven company, we are in the process of diversifying into various ventures. We have recently started a new division for hand phones and are bringing down new different phone brands. We are also planning to diversify into home appliances and air conditioning in addition to our branch expansion plan.