PERIODICALS

Article taken from the Volume 12, Number 3, 2000 issue of Atlantic Business

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY has burst into the spotlight in Prince Edward Island. After a quiet evolution, IT emerged with such vigor and diversity that the uninformed can't help but wonder if the boom has busted. Industry players are quick to set the record straight. "Some think the best is behind us," says Ed Lawlor, president of Delta Ware Systems, a company he began in 1992 after working in the industry for more than 20 years. 'Anyone who knows IT knows the best is still out there. This industry is in its infancy Saying it is at its peak now is like saying the automobile industry was at its peak when the model TFord was built."

A bent towards entrepreneurship, Ingenuity, hard work and a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps-and-get-on-with-it-approach, have long been recognized as traits which helped Prince Edward Islanders to prosper These qualities, as much as any other are responsible for a burgeoning IT. "Look at the history of PEI," says Lawlor as he refers to early entrepreneurs such as ship builders and silver fox breeders as examples. "Most sliced out their own living by their own hard work. Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is a way of life here. Islanders should do well in this industry. It's all about taking those natural resources, the brain and hard work, and turning them into value. Our ancestors did it. It should work today."

IT has grown so rapidly and brought about so much change, that many, particularly those over 30, can't seethe next plateau. To envision what the future holds, you should speak to young people in junior high, or high school. "We have to remember," says Lawlor, who began his own career as a visionary determined to work with computers even though he had never seen one, "that now is a given to them. Askwhere they see technology taking them. They will probably have different views from ours. They see as much growth in the future as we saw when we were starting. The difference is that they already think at that plateau which we can't even imagine."

INDUSTRY DEFIES DEFINITION

Attempting to define IT in the province is a challenging task, for it is an industry that, to the uninitiated, seems to go madly off in all directions. PSI has become known for a cluster of companies carving out markets in service-based segments: technical support for call centers, geographic information systems, community portal development, and e-business hosting. Local companies, however, have moved well beyond that and are developing new intellectual property to sup-ply innovative products and solutions to a global marketplace: remote data sensor technologies designed to reduce costs and ensure quality controls in agricultural, bottling and packaging communities, application software designed to manage administration of medications and treatments within clinical environments, and knowledge management solutions designed to match fund raising groups with appropriate philanthropic organizations. PEl has also seen success in film, TV and new media.

Lawlor likens the development to building a wall, saying a lot of bricks are being put in place. Things like a new technology center, an industry association, and innovative new companies are all part of the structure. "Some will fail, that's part of the risk, but things like software initiatives and new media are all bricks in the wall."

CATCHING GLOBAL ATTENTION

IT is taking its place in the Island economy gaining world-wide recognition along the way. Just what does it take to gain that position and to hold it? D. Scot MacDonald, director, New Business Development at Technology PEI, a Crown Corporation established to advance growth and development says PEI provides a competitive business environment where crucial location costs such as real estate and labour are significantly lower Access to skilled labour, high participation rates, high retention rates and competitive wage rates are some of the primary reasons why notable off-Island companies such as Unisys, Kodak and EDS are locating in Prince Edward Island.

Mike Ives, president of Information Technologies Association of PEI ('TAP) and a legal business analyst/consultant- with Unisys, says the ability to stay here and do business with the rest of the world on an equal footing must be recognized. "As far as working with various partners, it's much easier to get to the people you need. There is a flatter hierarchy, you can make things happen faster The government is not just talking the talk, they are walking the walk."

Ives also refers to the Island's geography and land mass as further location strengths. He notes that as an island, PEI has an enclosed geographical area, which isn't overly large, facilitating easy installation and monitoring of hardware. "Putting my Unisys hat on, we do work in justice technology. The intent is that you can set up a province-wide system here for much less, and much easier, than in large provinces. All of the same issues and things are dealt with on a smaller scale, thus it becomes a good testing medium. We have a million acre test bed. particularly in terms of community type systems."

OTHER BRICKS IN THE WALL

TAP is another important brick in the Island's IT structure. It provides services to members such as support for marketing, acting as an advocate for industry or looking at more effective delivery of what the industry needs to develop. "We have a number of projects benefitting members:

team attendance to Softworld, an internship project bridging gaps between education and jobs, and industry outreach programs to meet with other sectors such as tourism and food and beverage processing. That's a really good example of what ITAP has been doing.. as a catalyst or facilitator between industry and the IT sector."

"I don't want to move," a young voice worries. "I want to get a cool job here in PEI." With these words a glitzy video presentation and simultaneous webcast recently announced plans for a new Atlantic Technology Centre in downtown Charlottetown.

The complex will provide state-of-the-art offices, an IT Education and Training Academy, a business incubator, specialized research labs, multimedia theaters, digital audio and video editing facilities, smart boardrooms, a cafe and exhibition areas. "The Atlantic Technology Centre will be the most advanced facility of it's type east of Montreal," said Premier Pat Binns. "This is more than an investment in a building, it is an investment in an industry, one that we believe has real potential to thrive hi the province and provide new opportunities for Islanders and Island-based businesses."

What brought Canada's smallest province to such confidence in high tech? Talk to some of those who have worked towards the establishment of such a facility and it begins to become clear, "I'm very excited about the Centre," says Nigel Cuthbertson, an IT pioneer "We'll have a hub of IT research and development that will create new business opportunities which will help to keep our young people here."

Cuthbertson started The Business Training Centre, a private trade school, and N.R. Computronics Ltd. in Charlottetown, where he develops Interactive Computer Multimedia Learning Materials for the healthcare market. He led a team who developed a new healthcare information delivery system for the mentally handicapped, Smart Access Method (S.A.M.) Multimedia -Healthcare arid Life skills sold across North America. He sees no limit to the opportunities that await. "The limit is in the imaginative minds of our people. Thanks to the combined foresight of industry and government, we have a world-class communication infrastructure. Geography no longer impedes our distance to market."