NI BUSINESSES TOLD TO EMBRACE IT ERA OR LOSE OUT

AT the opening of a new Internet solution centre in Lisburn the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sir Reg Empey called upon Northern Ireland’s business sector to embrace the Internet and e-commerce age.

Announcing the launch of the first impartial E-solutions Centre in Northern Ireland, Sir Reg Empey said: “Northern Ireland must position itself as a leader in the Information Age and incorporate e-commerce into the bloodstream of all our businesses.”

He said: “The Information Age impacts on all our lives and, in particular, on how we conduct our businesses. Organisations and companies that ignore the challenges and opportunities offered by rapid technological developments will quickly get left behind.”

The new centre is designed to help businesses make informed decisions about their technology needs before making expensive purchases. The centre, which is a unit within the Industrial Research and Technology Unit in Lisburn, represents a primary source of Government expertise and advice on information and communication technologies in Northern Ireland. The centre intends to act as a conduit for informing, encouraging, supporting and demonstrating new and emerging technologies to Northern Ireland industry.

The minister added: “This new E-solutions Centre is the only centre of its type where businesses can compare and contrast the different systems available, from ISDN to ADSL, to broad band internet connections.

“It is imperative that Northern Ireland businesses embrace Internet technologies and the e-business culture. But, in addition to being users of this technology, we must also be creators.

At the launch Sir Reg announced that the Industrial Research Technology Unit (IRTU) will run a specific campaign aimed at promoting a significant increase in the level of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) related Research and Development (R&D). A key feature of this will be the provision of a fast track appraisal service for near market ICT projects. The minister said: “I want to see IRTU’s commitment to ICT R&D projects increasing to at least £2m per annum and I believe that this new campaign will help raise the level of interest from our companies.”

The Centre will also target Small and Medium Enterprise’s to encourage their take-up of the available technology. The seminars and events will continue through June and recommence in the autumn. In addition, the Centre will be an exhibitor at the Northern Ireland Engineering Show in November. (AMcE)