Knowledge Peers

David Norris of Livebookings observes that targeted marketing can be welcomed by consumers rather than seen as obtrusive, and that location-based technologies help with accurate targeting.

This interview was recorded at Olswang's You+Technology event, held in London in March 2010.

Robert Epstein, Head of small business marketing at Microsoft UK, talks about how companies can reduce the environmental impact of their IT as well as using IT to reduce the carbon footprint of their business.

Ben Goss is CEO of Distribution Technology, a company providing financial planning software and a Deloitte Fast 50 award-winner, having achieved 18225% growth over the past five years. In this interview, Ben describes:

• The factors which have driven Distribution Technology’s growth to date
• Impact of the current economic environment
• Some of the challenges the business has faced as a result of rapid expansion
• Future plans, including his view of where growth will come from

Phil Walker is Managing Director at Thunderhead, a Deloitte Fast 50 award-winning company with a growth rate of 743% over five years. In this interview he describes:

• What has driven the company’s fast growth
• Plans for geographical expansion
• Possible market threats and factors limiting growth

This interview was filmed at the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards in November 2009, an event recognising the achievements of the UK...

Jim Buckle, Chief Financial Officer of LOVEFiLM, talks about the growth of the company from a small start-up in 2003 to a 450-strong company servicing 4% of households in the UK and 1% in Germany.

In this interview, Jim covers:

• Sources of growth finance the company has used
• European expansion plans
• Continuity in the company culture
• The effect of the downturn on LOVEFiLM

This interview was filmed at the Deloitte Tec...

David Smith is the CEO of Global Futures and Foresight, a strategic futures think tank, and an expert in business technology strategy (amongst other things). Here David describes how he worked with an insurance business to rationalize its messy and underperforming systems, focusing on the decision-making process and its results.

To see the second interview with David, focusing on lessons learnt from this case study, c...

Chris Averill is founder and Managing Director of we are:london, a usability and accessibility agency, and a Deloitte Fast 50 award-winner having achieved 2133% growth over the past five years. In this interview, Chris discusses:

• How we are:london achieved such fast growth
• The effects of the current economic climate
• His plans to raise external finance in order to keep growing the business.

This interview was filmed at the

David Smith is the CEO of Global Futures and Foresight, a strategic futures think tank, and an expert in business technology strategy (amongst other things). Here David describes the lessons learnt from a case study he worked on – an insurance business which was ultimately unable to rise to the challenge of rationalising its messy and underperforming systems.

To see the first interview with David, outlining the case study,

Maurice Bennett, CBE, one of Britain's most successful retailers, describes the transformative effect the Internet is having on retailing: an irreversible revolution, he says, describing its impact on one of his own companies, Long Tall Sally. It is having a profound effect on markets, on society and even town planning.

Maurice Bennett CBE, one of Britain's most successful retailers, shares the great secret of his success: his way of dealing with people.

Christian McMahon, CIO at GoIndustry DoveBid, a leading provider of asset management services, talks about the challenges of managing your IT in a tough financial climate.

In this interview, Christian McMahon covers:

• The areas you should be looking for cost savings in your IT
• The need to look at how IT is being used within the business
• The importance of supplier management and the need to ensure you are getting the best deal from your suppliers.

Philip Hargrave is CEO and director of the Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network, which is a government-supported organisation tasked with increasing the spread of knowledge and expertise about digital communications technologies throughout UK businesses. Here, he talks about the different sources of government funding available for companies engaged in research and development, and how to go about applying for them.

This interview was recorded at the

Christian McMahon, CIO at GoIndustry DoveBid, a leading provider of asset management services talks about the challenges of setting up the IT for a new international office.

In this interview Christian McMahon covers:

• His experience with a growing company setting up its first international operations
• Some of the surprises that may come your way
• The network management issues
• The impact on the IT provision at HQ once it is part of an international operation.

Philip Hargrave is CEO and director of the Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network, which is a government-supported organisation tasked with increasing the spread of knowledge and expertise about digital communications technologies throughout UK businesses. Here Paul gives an introduction to the DC-KTN, its work and how it can help businesses.

This interview was recorded at the Mobile Data Association’s conference, Monetising the Internet ...

Tushar Joshi is the director Turtle Networks, a software development company specializing in CRM, graphic design and hosting.

In this interview Tushar talks about his company.

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. Dharmesh has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• What Edge IPK specialise in
• How the company got started

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• End user development for small/medium sized businesses
• The skills needed
• What the benefits are for a company

Myles Gorton, Head of Technology at Oakleigh Consulting, describes how he worked with a client to address its IT function, which was perceived to be failing.

In this interview Myles discusses:

• reasons why IT is often perceived in a negative light by business people
• the importance of good communication between a business and its IT function.

Myles Gorton, Head of Technology at Oakleigh Consulting, explains why user acceptance of new IT systems is critical to their success.

In this interview Myles discusses:

• what can go wrong if employees do not accept a new IT system
• how to get employees involved and motivated to use the systems.

Myles Gorton, Head of Technology at Oakleigh Consulting, gives his tips for a smooth running IT project.

In this interview Myles discusses:

● typical things that go wrong with IT projects and how you can guard against these risks
● how to get sound and unbiased advice.

Chris Bryan, Founder of CJB Corporate Coaching, discusses approaches to IT cost reduction.

In this interview Chris covers:

• deciding what is important to your business
• determining which IT investments should and should not be cut.

Francis Thoday, a chartered accountant with 25 years’ experience of implementing IT systems in the companies where he has worked, discusses some of the typical frustrations that senior executives may face in implementing new IT systems.

The issues Francis covers include:

● common reasons why new IT systems may fail to deliver on business expectations
● establishing effective communication between business people and technologists.

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The challenges boards have What...

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Introduction to Yoomi Why IP prot...

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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Introduction What IP to protect

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History of Palmtree Technology Su...

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Growing companies Working globall...

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The successful technology venture

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The successful technology venture

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The successful technology venture

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History of AVEVA Working globally...

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History of AVEVA Working globally...

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History of AVEVA Working globally...

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The need for a great team Changin...

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Funding

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Introduction Having a good CRM sy...

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Introduction Having a good CRM sy...

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Introduction Having a good CRM sy...

Ian is the UK Country Manager for SAP. He runs Business by Design, SAP's SaaS offering in the UK. In this clip, Ian introduces us to the Business By Design package and what it offers.

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Self-funding your company Intelle...

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Self-funding your company Intelle...

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Introduction The need for a globa...

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Introduction Bringing in new busi...

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Introduction Bringing in new busi...

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About Predect Financing

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About Predect Financing

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About Predect Financing

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Aims and objectives Recent develo...

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Introduction to Worldsensing Appl...

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About the interviewee Critical su...

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Introduction The story so far...

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Introduction The story so far...

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Nadhim's career to date

Nadhim's career to date

Nadhim's career to date

Nadhim's career to date

Nadhim's career to date

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Being a new MP How can Government...

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Introduction Angel investment isn...

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Justin is a Director at Venus Business Communications ltd, who provide fibre internet and VOIP to London and UK businesses. Speaking at the Fast Growth Club event 'Protecting your brand and IP', Justin tells us that he found that the high quality panel and interesting attendees made for a great event, as well as having a chance to question the panel afterwards about trademarks.

Mandy designed the Anywayup Cup, a product that quickly took a 40% market share in the UK market. Taking this share from existing companies prompted several of them to challenge her intellectual property rights. She took them to court, and successfully enforced those rights, in the UK and the US, and as a result, companies started approaching Mandy with request for licenses.

• Large companies challenged Mandy's IP because she took a large part of their market share
• These companies s...

Lisa Irlam is the CEO of Swimovate who have developeda new product, the Pool-mate- a watch that tells you how many laps you have swam in the pool. In the following clips, Lisa explains that the decision to patent to the idea rather than keep it a trade secret was taken as it would add value to Swimovate being a technology company. Having the Pool-mate patented also meant Lisa has been able to speak to sports brands about using Swimovate technology in their watches, knowing it is a unique product...

Lisa Irlam is the CEO of Swimovate who have developeda new product, the Pool-mate- a watch that tells you how many laps you have swam in the pool. In the following clips, Lisa explains that the decision to patent to the idea rather than keep it a trade secret was taken as it would add value to Swimovate being a technology company. Having the Pool-mate patented also meant Lisa has been able to speak to sports brands about using Swimovate technology in their watches, knowing it is a unique product...

Lisa Irlam is the CEO of Swimovate who have developeda new product, the Pool-mate- a watch that tells you how many laps you have swam in the pool. In the following clips, Lisa explains that the decision to patent to the idea rather than keep it a trade secret was taken as it would add value to Swimovate being a technology company. Having the Pool-mate patented also meant Lisa has been able to speak to sports brands about using Swimovate technology in their watches, knowing it is a unique product...

Lisa Irlam is the CEO of Swimovate who have developeda new product, the Pool-mate- a watch that tells you how many laps you have swam in the pool. In the following clips, Lisa explains that the decision to patent to the idea rather than keep it a trade secret was taken as it would add value to Swimovate being a technology company. Having the Pool-mate patented also meant Lisa has been able to speak to sports brands about using Swimovate technology in their watches, knowing it is a unique product...

Tom is CEO of Raising IT, a company who help charities use technology to improve their marketing and fundraising. Tom was a speaker at our event on 'Developing your fundraising as products' in February 2011, explaining how IT can help charities to build relationships with their donors.

With 50% of UK trade happening online, Tom has found that corporates are developing a very good understanding of their customer's behaviour through real-time data analysis. He feel charities would benefit ...

Tom is CEO of Raising IT, a company who help charities use technology to improve their marketing and fundraising. Tom was a speaker at our event on 'Developing your fundraising as products' in February 2011, explaining how IT can help charities to build relationships with their donors.

Tom feels that charities should be looking to build relationships with their donors, to find new ways of engaging them. They should focus on what donors want, and what they can offer.


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What do MDS do?

What do MDS do?

What do MDS do?

What do MDS do?

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Eminent security threats Over...

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Digital money on a chip held in a phone is a promising future development but raises security issues – Rob Brown of ARM explains that it is working on a potential solution called 'Trust Zone'.

David Birch of Consult Hyperion explains that cash is not a politically neutral issue.

David Birch of Consult Hyperion says that just a small switch from real to digital money will represents a massive opportunity for e-payments providers.

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Speed and flexibility Building be...

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Common uses Giving up data

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Common uses Giving up data

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Common uses Giving up data

Mike Short, VP Technology, O2 talks about Mobile Content.

In this interview Mike covers:

● what sort of content Network Providers are looking for
● what the different business models are
● what share of income the Content Provider should expect to get
● how Content Providers should approach Network Operators and Content Aggregators
● what issues Content Providers should think about before approaching distribution channels.

Bola Rotibi, Principal Analyst of Macehiter Ward-Dutton, talks about working with multiple platforms.

In this interview Bola explains:

● whether it's worth working with mobile platforms
● the marketing challenges
● what to do for businesses going down this road.

In this audio podcast Richard Turner, Chief Executive of Clearswift, describes how the company has gone about optimising the performance and strategic focus of its engineering operations.

In this audio podcast Richard Turner, Chief Executive of Clearswift, describes how the company has changed the way it sells its products, by outsourcing a large proportion of its sales function to an external provider.

Hari Iyer is the director of ERP Advisory services at Mazars. He has over 10 years ERP experience gained in Australia and the United Kingdom.

In this interview Hari covers:

• How to move to ERP consolidation
• The benefits of ERP
• The size of businesses that should consider ERP

Dennis Keeling, a leading advisor on business software, talks about why all companies need to be aware of the government changing approach to e-audits.

In this interview Dennis explains:

• what an e-audit is
• what the impact is on companies
• which companies are affected
• what you can do to improve your readiness for e-audit.

Dennis Keeling, Business Software Analyst at Dennis Keeling Ltd, talks about the challenges you face when needing to meet new requirements for your business and accounting systems.

In this interview Dennis explains:

● how the requirements for new business systems are changing
● the common need for incremental improvement rather than wholesale replacement
● the best way to make changes to your systems
● ways to find solutions to fit your requirements.

Dennis Keeling, Business Software Analyst, reviews what companies need to do to prepare for an eAudit.

Francis Thoday, Managing Director of Magnus Ltd, highlights the top ten issues that Finance Directors need to consider when installing new business and accounting systems.

Richard Finn, Change Management Consultant, talks about managing the change when introducing new technology to a company.

In this interview Richard explains:

● the challenges of a change and what can go wrong
● how the IT supplier can affect the process
● how to manage change effectively.

Thomas Green is head of business development at MX Telecom, a provider of mobile solutions including a mobile payments gateway.

Here he discusses:

• How enabling customers to pay using their mobile phone benefits retailers and merchants
• A new UK mobile payments initiative supported by the five main mobile operators, called PayForIt
• What it costs to offer mobile payment

This interview was recorded at the Mobile Data Association’...

Paul Whiteing is CEO of PhonePayPlus, which regulates phone-paid services in the UK. These are the premium rate goods and services that you can buy by charging the cost to your phone bill and pre-pay account. Here Paul discusses:

• The consumer protection principles behind the regulation of phone-paid services
• What you need to consider before starting to offer phone-paid services, and the penalties you could face for breaches of the regulatory code
• How PhonePayPlus works with bu...

Tim Stone, Head of Collaboration Solutions at Cisco in Europe, talks about how new technologies can enable more flexible working practices in the workforce.

In this interview Tim covers:

• The business benefits of flexible working
• Technologies that enable flexible, remote and mobile workers to keep in touch with their colleagues
• What kinds of workers are best suited to such working practices

Tim Stone is Head of Collaboration Solutions at Cisco Europe and here he talks about how organisations can reduce their communications costs by implementing a converged network, including:

• What does it mean to consolidate separate networks into a single network?
• Practical considerations, including up-front costs
• Other business benefits of running a single, converged network

Robert Epstein, Head of small business marketing at Microsoft UK, advises on how technology can be used to make mobile working easier and cheaper.

Neil Garner, CEO of software vendor Proxama, talks about the growing use of near-field communications technology, why it is particularly attractive in the UK, and the opportunities it creates for retailers.

This interview was recorded at the Cambridge Wireless International Conference 2009.

Trevor Evans, Market and Business Development Manager for the SMB sector at Alcatel-Lucent, talks about how businesses can reduce their communications costs.

In this interview Trevor covers:

• reducing the costs of fixed calls, fax lines, mobiles and broadband
• reducing other costs, such as travel and office space costs, through better use of communications services.

Chris Lewis, GVP International Telecoms & Networking, talks about the challenges presented to growing businesses by developments in communication technologies and services.

In this interview Chris explains:

• The need for a holistic view of the four key areas of network infrastructure, fixed telephone services, mobile telephony, IT and telecoms integration
• The problems associated with the piecemeal way that most companies have acquired and manage these areas, and the way they ...

Chris Lewis, GVP for International Telecoms & Networking at IDC, explains why unified communications is an important trend in telephony and messaging services and what it means for growing businesses.

In this interview Chris explains:

• What is unified communications and why there is still considerable confusion in the market
• The benefits offers by integrated communications
• The advantages of taking an incremental approach to unified communications
• The need to selec...

Chris Lewis, GVP for International Telecoms & Networking at IDC, advises on strategies companies can adopt to help control the spiraling costs of mobile communications.

In this interview Chris explains:

• How mobile cost are becoming a major problem for many organisations
• Why the speed of innovation in mobile services makes them difficult to manage
• The benefits of moving to a managed service that gives greater control over costs and services
• An alternative approach t...

Dr Daniel Farb has invested US$2m of his own cash in developing Leviathan Energy, a business focused on generating clean power from Waves, Wind and Hydro. Here he talks about the challenges of building and financing the business, not least the mismatch between his naturally inventive nature and the more focused requirements of VC backers.

Duane Jackson has built a successful software company, with over 3,000 businesses using KashFlow’s accounting software. Duane tells us how he did it, how he financed it and the support he got from the Prince’s Trust

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses:

• The classic mistakes and pitfalls to avoid
• Where you should focus your time and attention

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses You Manages’ profile including:

• How You Manage got started
• The You Manage business model
• Why his business model works

Charles Weir, MD of mobile software development company Penrillian, talks about his approach to working effectively with very large customers, such as telecoms operators.

The issues Charles covers include:

● the benefits to large customers of working with a small specialist provider
● anticipating difficult demands a large customer might place on its suppliers
● how the small provider can demonstrate credibility.

Colin Clare, an experienced Sales Director in the technology sector, talks about working with a large company from a start-up’s perspective.

In this interview Colin explains:

● the key challenges when working with a large customer
● key tips for working with a large company.

David Wood, EVP and Co-Founder of Symbian, talks about the importance of customer-centricity in a development organisation.

In this interview David explains:

● why it’s important to be customer centric
● how to build trust with a customer
● important customer facing skills.

Adam Spence, Group development manager at the Vodafone group, talks about the large company's view of working with a start-up.

In this interview Adam explains:

● the pros/cons of working with a start-up
● what he looks for in a start-up company
● how to successfully manage delivery.

Jason Choy, Managing Director EMEA of SNAPin Software, talks about his experience as a small business working with a large customer.

In this interview Jason describes:

● how to be taken seriously even though you're small
● how to show you can meet large customer requirements
● how to continue to be able to support other customers.

Richard Turner, Chief Executive of Clearswift, describes how the company has gone about optimising the performance and strategic focus of its engineering operations.

Dr Chas Sims, Co-Founder and Director of The Technology Partnership (TTP), discusses open innovation, or the practice of working with external partners to develop new products and services.

In this interview Chas covers:

• What is open innovation and what type of companies benefit from it?
• What internal changes might a business need to make when starting to work with open innovation?

This interview was recorded at the

Dr Chas Sims is Co-Founder and Director of The Technology Partnership (TTP), and also a Board Director of the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network, a government body charged with promoting knowledge transfer amongst companies in the electronics sector.

In this interview, Chas discusses:

• How R&D tax credits work
• Bidding for funding from the Technology Strategy Board
• Support provided by UK Trade and Investment

This interview was recorded at the

Charles Weir, MD of mobile software vendor Penrillian Software, talks about his experience of working with innovative customers on new product development.

In this interview he covers:

● How innovative individuals typically operate within large and slow-moving companies
● Keeping on top of customer requirements which change frequently
● Agile development and working with partners.

This interview was recorded at the Ca...

Martin Adcock is managing director and co-founder of Experimentus, an IT solutions and services company that specialises in software quality management.

In this interview Martin discusses how Experimentus is responding to the economic downturn.

Tushar Joshi is the director Turtle Networks, a software development company specializing in CRM, graphic design and hosting.

In this interview Tushar discusses:

• Tackling research and development
• Identifying problems
• Dealing with the problems

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• What approach Edge IPK set took
• How the company dealt with problems

David Cleevely is a chairman and founder of various technology companies and is also a founder and member of Cambridge Angels and a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board.

In this interview David discusses the ineffectiveness of university spinouts including:

• Why universities are not full of brilliant ideas
• Where technology companies should rather be focusing attention on

Bola Rotibi, Principal Analyst at Macehiter Ward-Dutton, talks about the benefits and risks for companies in exploiting open source software, including:

- the importance of understanding the licensing issues.
- the dangers of over-reliance on the wider open source community

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About the interviewee IT skills i...

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David Wood, EVP and Co-Founder of Symbian, talks about building and running an effective development organisation.

In this interview David explains:

● his key advice for successful recruiting
● the best ways to measure performance of the organisation

Simon Bransfield-Garth, Managing Director EMEA of CarrierIQ explains that a different approach is required for larger software development teams:

● changes to make as your team grows beyond 5 developers
● changes to make as your team reaches 15-20 developers
● what mistakes you can anticipate and avoid.

Simon Bransfield-Garth, Managing Director EMEA of CarrierIQ , talks about how to run an effective development organisation.

In this interview Simon explains:

● which KPIs should be used to measure performance
● how to recruit and retain good developers.

Chris Wade is Executive Chairman of Mobile Acuity, a provider of visual location technology, and an experienced technology sector executive and entrepreneur. In this interview Chris discusses what it takes to secure external financing for a start-up company.

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses:

• How to understand your audience to find investors
• How best to target investors that fit with you

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses:

• How he went about raising money to start his company
• How he found investors
• The challenges he faced in raising finance

John Melotte is Director of Corum Group, a M&A house specialising in the sale of software and IT Services companies, and formerly CEO of a software company and VC.

In this interview he discusses the art of valuing a software company from the perspective of vendors and buyers. He considers:

• the usefulness of the vendor valuation
• the different metrics and ratios employed
• differences between sectors
• cycles of valuation in the marketplace as market conditions change...

John Melotte is Director of Corum Group, a M&A house specialising in the sale of software and IT Services companies, and formerly CEO of a software company and a VC.

In this interview he discusses the process of selling a software company. He considers:

• Timing of a sale: how to get it right for optimal value and why companies generally do not
• How long the process takes, normally, and the implications of selling in a hurry
• Ways of finding buyers, with or without the us...

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• How Edge IPK raised capital
• The challenges he faced
• Finding potential investors

David Cleevely is a chairman and founder of various technology companies and is also a founder and member of Cambridge Angels and a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board.

In this interview David discusses starting raising capital for a technology company including:

• The current funding environment for technology companies.
• How to find investors.
• The best way of attracting investment

John Rainger, CEO of telecoms software provider Tribold, describes the recent funding round that his company has closed with a number of private equity funds including Intel Capital.

In this interview John discusses:

• promoting your company to a potential investor
• the investment process Tribold went through, and tips for making this a success.

Gavin Isle is national head of Barclays Technology, Media and Telecoms group.

In this interview Gavin discusses:

• the availability of credit during the credit squeeze
• how the credit squeeze is impacting on different companies in the TMT area
• how companies are (and will) have to respond to reduced credit availability.

Gavin Isle is national head of Barclays Technology, Media and Telecoms group.

In this interview Gavin explains:

• what bank covenants are, and their purpose
• the importance of avoiding breach, and the need to discuss with your bank if breach might occur
• what a covenant breach entails
• the need for the whole board to understand how covenants link to trading performance.

Ashley Ward, CEO of the European Leadership Programme and executive search firm Nexec, discusses what technology companies can do to survive the downturn without sacrificing long-term growth prospects.

The issues Ashley covers include:

● the funding landscape
● prioritising areas of expenditure
● customer retention.

Barney Battles, Managing Partner of Balgownie Ventures, tells how he assesses a technology company for acquisition.

In this interview Barney describes:

● what makes a tech company a good acquisition target
● the most important KPIs for a technology company
● the hidden weaknesses to look out for
● where to identify a target.

Richard Holway, Chairman of TechMarketView LLP, talks about how to prepare for a downturn.

In this interview Richard Holway explains:

● the importance of being realistic-not living in denial
● what he thinks is on the horizon for technology companies
● key tips for surviving through good cash management.

Richard Holway, Chairman of TechMarketView LLP, explains the two key reasons why M&A initiatives so often fail

- companies 'biting off more than they can chew'
- performance related payment problems in M&A deals

Jouko Ahvenainen, technology entrepreneur and a Partner at financing services company Replicon, discusses the growing role of angel investors in the technology sector.

In this interview he explains:

● the current funding environment for technology companies
● the new ways in which angel investors are getting involved in the technology sector
● what angel investors look for in an investment opportunity.

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IBM's objectives Smarter Planet

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IBM's objectives Smarter Planet

Ben Wilcox is a Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Licensing Management Services practice. In this interview he:

• explains the reasons why many companies licensing their intellectual property fail to collect all of the royalty revenues due to them
• describes the key issues relating to royalties that companies need to pay attention to before licensing their IP to a third party
• discusses the benefits of carrying out an audit of existing IP licenses.

This interview was carr...

Ron Moscona is a solicitor at Dorsey & Whitney specialising in intellectual property law. In this interview he describes some of the common problems that arise when companies first start to license their IP to third parties, and what can be done to prevent them.

This interview was carried out at the Cambridge Wireless Legal SIG event in October 2009.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he discusses some of the technology areas in which Intellectual Ventures is interested in acquiring patents.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he provides:

• an introduction to the world of patent acquisition and licensing
• a list of organisations which may be of help to those who are looking at patent licensing for the first time

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he gives a brief introduction to formal IP and why it is important.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he talks about what you need to consider when filing a patent, including:

• Getting professional help with drafting the patent application
• When to file an application
• The importance of non-disclosure

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he talks about what you need to consider when defining an invention prior to patenting, including:

• What can you patent?
• Differences in treatment of patent definitions between the US and EU

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he outlines Intellectual Ventures’ current acquisition policy, and advises on what a vendor would need to demonstrate in order to successfully sell its patents to the company.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he outlines some of the reasons why an organisation might benefit from selling its patents.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he gives a brief introduction to copyright and design rights.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he gives a brief introduction to trademarks.

Dr Stephen Potter, an intellectual property expert and experienced tech sector executive, works with Intellectual Ventures to acquire technology patents and patent applications. In this interview he talks about what is involved in extending a UK patent into other countries, covering:

• What is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)?
• What is a search report?
• Cost implications

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses:

• How to find appropriate sales partners and resellers
• How to build them up
• What to do to make sure partners work well

Phil Brown is managing director of Youmanage. A company that provides businesses with an online HR toolkit for theirpeople managers and HR professionals.

In this interview Phil discusses:

• Where the original software came from
• How he commercialised the company and IP
• The challenges he faced

Tushar Joshi is the director of Turtle Networks, a software development company specializing in CRM, graphic design and hosting.

In this interview Tushar discusses:

• How Turtle Networks made the move from selling custom-built systems to selling products
• Altering marketing methods to respond to the shift
• Altering sales methods

Niko Nikolic is the technical director at Quanta Light, a company that provides innovative lighting solutions.

In this interview Niko talks about how Quanta Light is innovating with new products, despite the economic downturn.

Tushar Joshi is the director of Turtle Networks, a software development company specializing in CRM, graphic design and hosting.

In this interview Tushar discusses:

• Where Turtle Networks' original technology came from
• How he went about commercialising this IP
• The challenges he faced in doing so

John Melotte is Director of Corum Group, a M&A house specialising in the sale of software and IT Services companies, and formerly CEO of a software company and VC.

In this interview he discusses the value of patenting IP in a growing software company at the different stages in its lifecycle.

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• Where Edge IPK’s original technology came from
• How they commercialized their IP
• They difficulties they faced

David Cleevely is chairman and founder of various technology companies, the founder of Cambridge Angels, and a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board.

In this interview David discusses starting a technology company, including:

• Classic mistakes and pitfalls to avoid
• What to focus your time and attention on

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Introduction Protecting designs

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Introduction The role of IP in developing a product

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Shakeel Ahmad, Partner of Keltie, talks about protecting your intellectual property.

In this interview Shakeel explains:

● whether it's worth getting a patent before going to market
● the process of filing a patent
● the cost and length of the patent process.

Shakeel Ahmad, Partner of Keltie, talks about dealing with the infringement of intellectual property.

In this interview Shakeel explains:

● what to do when you fear patent infringement
● the process after the involvement of the patent attorney
● the cost of patent protection
● guarding against future infringements.

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• How Edge IPK approached outsourcing in India
• Why they choose to outsource

Dharmesh Mistry is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Edge IPK. He has experience in leading product development and professional services.

In this interview Dharmesh covers:

• Why Edge IPK set up in America
• The challenges they faced

John Rainger, CEO of telecoms software provider Tribold, describes how the company has expanded its operations into the US and its plans for further development.

In this interview John discusses:

• why and how Tribold originally set up its US operation
• the challenges of operating in the US
• what US customers expect.

John Rainger, CEO of telecoms software provider Tribold, describes how the company outsourced some of its engineering function to a partner in India.

In this interview John discusses:

• Reasons for working with a partner rather than setting up your own operation
• Challenges during implementation and running of the outsourced operation
• Tips for a successful outsourcing process

Louis Hall, CEO of telecoms software provider Cerillion, talks about his experience of recruiting technical staff in India.

In this interview Louis covers:

• managing an overseas recruitment process
• ways in which smaller companies can attract good technical staff.

Louis Hall, CEO of Cerillion, a telecoms software provider, talks about his experience of setting up an offshore operation in India.

In this interview Louis covers:

• the rationale for setting up an offshore operation, and why Cerillion built its own rather than using the services of an outsourcer
• how the offshore team was integrated within the rest of Cerillion
• his experiences of recruiting technical staff in India
• how their success was measured.

Charles Weir, MD of mobile software development company Penrillian, talks about how his company competes with cheaper providers based offshore.

The issues Charles covers include:

● building a customer-centric culture
● agile development methods.

Avi Azulai, Chairman of Blackbay Ltd, talks about preparing to internationalise a technology company.

In this interview Avi explains:

● factors to consider before setting up in a new country
● how to decide on the right approach
● his advice for those looking to expand overseas.

Sarika Patel, Head of Technology at Grant Thornton LLP, talks about the opportunities for technology companies to internationalise.

In this interview Sarika explains:

● why UK technology companies should internationalise
● the different approaches to internationalisation
● which business functions can be conducted overseas.

Robert Epstein, Head of small business marketing at Microsoft UK, talks about the advantages of ‘cloud computing’, where you can access the software applications that your business requires over the web rather than run those applications in-house.

In this interview Robert covers:

• The business benefits of cloud computing
• Costs, cost savings and risks
• Impact on your existing IT investments and IT staff.

Jorgen Rode, CEO and Co-founder of b2bCRM, talks about his experience of buying and using a hosted CRM application.

Jorgen explains:

• how he got involved in providing hosted CRM
• his typical customers, and what they look to do with CRM and their concerns
• the main benefits offered by a hosted solution
• what to look for when selecting a provider.

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Advantages Things to consider...

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Neil Ward-Dutton, Co-founder of Macehiter Ward-Dutton (MWD) Associates, talks about why IT is important for a growing business.

In this interview Neil explains:

* why he thinks most business people have a prejudice against IT
* how common problems can affect smaller businesses
* how to create a good relationship with IT.

Neil Ward-Dutton, Co-founder of Macehiter Ward-Dutton (MWD) Associates, talks about why outsourcing IT is important.

In this interview Neil explains:

● why the choices of outsourcing matter
● the critical issues for a growing business
● recruiting for internal IT expertise.

Chris Bryan, Principal of CJB Corporate Coaching, talks about the process of choosing a provider of software-as-a-service.

In this interview Chris explains:

● the factors to consider before starting the selection process
● the key factors to look for in the procedure.

Chris Bryan, Principal of CJB Corporate Coaching, talks about the quality of the service levels when using software-as-a-service.

In this interview Chris explains:

● the factors to consider regarding service levels and resilience
● how to deal with service outages.

Chris Bryan, Principal of CJB Corporate Coaching, talks about using software-as-a-service, and looks at the experiences of small companies who have used it.

In this interview Chris explains:

● why his clients used SaaS
● how it helped them address their issues
● the challenges they faced when using SaaS.

Myles Gorton, Director of Technology Consulting at Oakleigh Consulting, talks about the options for outsourcing IT.

In this interview Myles explains:

● what can be outsourced
● why you would look to outsource
● factors to consider when outsourcing
● things to watch out for.

Jim Shaikh is director of Yoomi, an engineer by background, with kids. He invented a bottle and warmer in one: Yoomi warms baby's feed to the natural temperature of breast milk in 60 seconds, at the touch of a button. The product now sells through the John Lewis chain.

Jim explains how the company went about securing a contract with John Lewis, as a start-up new product business.

Kevin Coleman is Managing Director at Alliantus, a consulting firm which helps companies partner successfully. In this interview, he talks about some of the key considerations for forging a successful relationship when establishing a technology licensing agreement.

This interview was carried out at the Cambridge Wireless Legal SIG event in October 2009.

Richard Turner, Chief Executive of Clearswift, describes how the company has changed the way it sells its products, by outsourcing a large proportion of its sales function to an external provider, improving both cost and effectiveness.

Duncan Brown is managing director of Influencer50, a company that advises technology companies on marketing and sales strategy.

In this interview Duncan discusses:

• How influencer relations is different to traditional public relations
• Why influencer relations may be a more effective use of your marketing budget
• How to measure the effectiveness of influencer relations

Roger Wilson, Chairman of telecoms company Adept Telecom, talks about the company’s drive to improve customer retention. In this interview he covers:

• The need to invest in both people and systems
• Practical challenges to overcome
• Important performance indicators relating to customer satisfaction

Steve Dorey is responsible for Sun Microsystems' telecoms sector activities in emerging markets, including China, India and Russia, and here discusses motivating and incentivising a sales team.

In this interview Steve covers:

• how to get the best out of a sales team
• what to do if people are not performing well or hitting targets
• designing incentive plans.

Louis Hall, CEO of Cerillion, a telecoms software provider, describes how Cerillion works with its two biggest channel partners, IBM Global Services and Nokia Siemens Networks.

In this interview Louis covers:

• how the relationships were first established
• how to ensure a beneficial and smooth working relationship with partners who are much larger than yourself.

Swayne Hill, CEO of Cloud9 Analytics, a company which provides sales pipeline analytics tools, discusses the increased importance of effective sales management in a difficult economic climate.

In this interview Swayne covers:

• improving executive visibility and understanding of current sales performance
• different approaches to managing sales performance.

Jessica Figueras is the Knowledge Centre Director covering Technology Companies at Knowledge Peers. She formerly worked as a technology analyst at Ovum, one of the leading analyst companies in the sector.

In this interview Jessica talks about:

• the importance of analyst relations
• how the quality and quantity of analyst coverage can impact on customer relations and ultimately sales
• how to build an analyst relations strategy
• finding which analysts are important to yo...

Bob Apollo, Chairman of Inflexion-Point, talks about his experience of transforming the sales organisation in an underperforming software business subsidiary.

In this interview Bob describes:

● the signs that the organisation was underperforming
● the main causes of the underperformance
● what actions he took to understand and tackle the problems
● what he's learnt from the experience.

Bob Apollo, Chairman of Inflexion-Point, talks about building an indirect sales channel.

In this interview Bob explains:

● when a technology company can benefit from using a indirect sales channel - for instance when moving to new markets
● how to recruit and manage partners
● building the relationship
● types of partners
● typical pitfalls.

Nick Smith, Director of Epion Consulting Ltd, talks about the importance of a strong elevator pitch.

In this interview Nick explains:

● why a strong elevator pitch is important to a CEO
● when a CEO should think about a new elevator pitch
● how to handle an new elevator pitch
● the challenges you could face with a new pitch.

David Barroso, e-crime director and security expert with S21sec highlights the main digital threats to businesses and recommends what actions companies should take to reduce their vulnerability.

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Specific issues for growth businesses

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Specific issues for growth businesses

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Specific issues for growth businesses

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Prioritiy issues How best to...

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Security challenges of mobile employees

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Security challenges of mobile employees

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Security challenges of mobile employees

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Current security issues How to pr...

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Needs of growing businesses The i...

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What is server availability? Mini...