No room for ‘personal agenda’ in gov’t IT projects

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- If there’s any advice that the outgoing president of the Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) could give to government officials implementing large information technology projects, it is this: “Set aside personal agenda.”

Cynthia Mamon, outgoing president of ITAP, lamented the continued misuse of government funds in recent mega-IT projects, including the Commission on Elections' voided automated counting machine project and the aborted National Broadband Network (NBN) project of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Mamon who is also president and managing director of Sun Microsystems Philippines (SunPhil), stressed that projects like the NBN are good if government policies and processes, such as those identified in the government procurement law, are followed.

The IT executive acknowledged that the inconsistent implementation and varied interpretations of the current government procurement law have led to failed government IT projects.

She said that government IT projects could follow the example of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which has successfully implemented a long-term modernization program and has improved the agency’s operations.

“(Government IT projects) should have real, authentic objectives that set aside any personal agenda or motives or even the desire for personal enrichment,” she added.

IT projects can be successful with better cooperation between government and the private sector, she added.

She suggested that while agencies are expected to be accountable for IT projects, there should be another agency focused on just monitoring the impact and the success of government IT projects.

2008 US home-based IT spending valued at $52B

2008 US home-based IT spending valued at $52B


By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Who says small can’t spend big?

America’s home-based businesses are forecasted to spend as much as $52 billion in IT and telecom services, according to a study by AMI-Partners.

“The home-based business is rapidly becoming a significant sector that vendors need to pay attention to,” said Antara Jaitly, senior analyst at AMI. “More people may look to operating a home-based business as a means to supplement their income or fulfill personal aspirations.”

Home-based businesses (HBBs) can be considered a subset of the larger SMB market.

According to AMI estimates, HBBs account for about 15 million PCs. IT spending alone this year is expected to reach more than $32 billion.

These HBBs plan to spend on a wide array of hardware, software and telecom-related products and services ranging from PDAs and smart phones to PCs, printers, software applications, security and storage products and high-speed broadband services.

Vendors such as HP, Microsoft and Dell resonate well with these HBB owners, AMI's study shows. Google, meanwhile, scored high marks in online services.

The HBB market in the US has exploded with service-oriented businesses.

The Internet has played a pivotal role, spurring an increase in the use of websites and Internet-based electronic marketplaces such as eBay, which have enabled small service-focused businesses -- as varied as consulting, staffing, travel and catering -- to flourish.

“With median HBB annual revenues equaling $62,000, HBB revenues are 30 percent more affluent than the median US household income of $48,200,” Jaitly said.

He added there is a distinct HBB psyche, which is a synthesis of the owner profile, buying power and formation drivers.

“For marketers, understanding this psyche is critical to effectively targeting this segment,” he said.