Mantra for high business growth

Azmat H Anis

The seminar on "Trends in Development of Information Technology and Opportunities for Bangladesh" was held at the BRAC University (BU) on July 6. The keynote paper was presented by Azmat H Anis, chief technologist, Corporate Accounts Business, Hewlett Packard (HP), USA.

Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, vice-chancellor, BRAC University, Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury, executive director, BRAC, senior faculty members, students of BU and scores of IT professionals were also present.

The seminar started with the welcome speech by Dr. Md. Sayeed Salam of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), BU.

In his keynote address, Anis focused on the end products and achieving customer satisfaction, which is of prime importance. In this respect, he presented the concept of Customer Value Creation (CVC). The CVC consists of assisting customers in evaluating/enabling IT projects to meet business needs.

Changing customer business environment and applying technology were some factors that could act as 'enablers' in achieving CVC. Putting emphasis on Business Process Reengineering (BPR), he said, "The three P's of software project management, People, Process and Problems, have substantial influence on the end-result and thus have to be carefully coordinated to achieve maximum return". He provided some BPR models that have been successfully applied for increasing revenue and reducing costs.

Asked what steps Bangladeshi software companies could take to get a stronghold in this sector, he said Bangladesh does not have to look afar, and can instead emulate its neighbour's efforts to achieve higher returns.

Also exploring the market needs and researching on future trends could provide them with the insight of where the laurels are hidden. "In the US", he said, " 80 per cent of the costs are associated with labour, and the rest 20 per cent, with infrastructure. In Bangladesh this relationship is the exact opposite. So there is ample opportunity for Bangladesh to come up with effective low-cost solutions."

The paper was basically one to update would-be entrepreneurs and IT professionals interested in utilising IT knowledge and skills for business gains. It highlighted the various hazards and pitfalls frequently experienced by chief technologists, and cleared commonly held misconceptions about IT projects.

The BU VC in his concluding remarks congratulated Anis on his accomplishments, adding that it was an honour for the country as well. On the question of prospects of IT in Bangladesh, he said, "Though Bangladesh had shown a lot of promise, not much has been achieved, as had been envisioned. It is time that the new generation came forward and played active roles in developing this sector".

Anis has an illustrious career having served in Hewlett Packard, Sun Microsystems, Ford Motor Co. and SAP. He credits his success to his continuous passion for customers, technology and solutions.