Croft's Managing Director Phil Renton's column in the Journal's NE Digital Section:
Two British men recently attempted to break the world land-speed record for a wind-powered vehicle. Eco-entrepreneur Dale Vince and engineer Richard Jenkins were aiming to beat the current record of 116mph at Lake LeFroy in Western Australia using their British-designed and built craft Greenbird. The carbon-neutral craft uses air flows over its vertical sails to push the vehicle forward, similar to an aircraft, enabling the craft to travel between four to six times the real wind speed.
So did the British pairing break the world record? No – after much time and preparation they failed to even to even make the starting line, with constant delays caused by rain and no wind. After waiting over a month the team gave up.
Then it was the turn of the Large Hadron Collider – the most powerful physics experiment ever built and more commonly referred to as the big bang machine. Some of the finest minds in the world took 20 years, at a cost of £4.4bn, to build it and its initial launch attracted media attention across the world. However, just over a week later it was shut down due to a failure and it now looks unlikely to be back up and running before 2009. You may be wondering what land-speed records and weather have to do with technology or IT?
We all have technology at our fingertips but if it isn’t used properly, or in the right environment, it can make even the most expensive and mind blowing technology useless. These are both dramatic examples but many business across the North are purchasing technology and for one reason or another, it isn’t fully utilised. I am sure many of us have wondered why we have invested in certain technologies which promised the earth but delivered very little. Firms need to understand the importance of implementing technology that will work in harmony with other technologies used within the organisation. It really is a balancing act – making sure you keep up to date with developments in technology and keeping ahead of the competition whilst also making sure that the technology you are implementing will have a positive effect on your business. The problem is many businesses dive in head-first when it comes to new technology – without an expert opinion. Think of it as an M.O.T or a health check for your business – you need a specialist to give you a full assessment, a balanced view and to make professional recommendations.
Talk to experts and find out which IT systems and technologies will complement your business. Once these are in place you should be up and running, utilising the technology on offer and reaping the benefits. Phil Renton is the Managing Director of Croft Technology.
