No News, good news.

Since the financial crisis has started (more than a year ago) and as it escalates to recession for several countries, I can’t ignore the ‘rape’ of information that media is producing day in day out. Mostly radio and TV stations, as they have the most impact, present news the worst way possible, developing and climaxing a rage and sorrow from anyone that looks and listens.

Banks with no money, governments that collapse, companies that are bankrupt … are all presented thoroughly and all have their ‘own conspiracy theories’. Almost a century after the last recession, the new recession came to remind us, the main principle of growth: production.

TV stations however are not interested in understanding and tackling issues revealing the real causes behind the problems. They really care about one thing. Selling airtime, selling bad news.

My answer to all this, as with the luster of the banks, is that eventually GOOD will prevail. A typical Greek drama always ends with ‘catharsis’.

Companies with vision and people with skills will generate a new era of wealth, based on production. Consumption will be realigned with real demand and we, the humanity, will have learned another good lesson. The stereotype … that money is not everything !!!

IBM Redesign ...

DATA CONCEPT S.A. CORPORATE VIDEO

Sizing upppppppp

Reassembling and restructuring are in our genes and even though the real estate market is shaking we are ready to buy !!! The new property fulfills all the necessary criteria (location, furnishings, etc.) as it adds up harmonically to our existing premises giving us almost 600 sq. meters of working space and the capacity of 40+ people. Financial terms are also in our favor making this temptation even bigger. Maintaining high quality infrastructure and high working standards are the main tiers of our company’s sustainability.

Everything seems right. However is timing right? Will someone look in the magic sphere and let us know what the market will be in the next 2 – 5 years? Does anybody know? Business Plans and wish full thinking sometimes is not enough. The only thing that makes the call … is one and only one, RISK.

We will take it for one more time, trusting our guts and our entrepreneurship skills.

Product Development. What a Strategy !!!

From time to time, I come to the conclusion that no matter how much effort I consume to succeed on a goal, the goal always changes, superposing itself to something else, another goal, and continuing this effort endlessly. At the end -if such an end exists- I forget the most important steps and those particularities that make the “trip” to the goal meaningful.

Innovation and R&D are not the means to an end in terms of product development. Qualitrak is a very good example. Investing thousands of EUROS, Drachmas at the older days, to develop a software product for construction has been cannibalized to a document management system in order to serve a more keen market segment. The sad part of the story is that we woke up from that dream (the production phase) just to realize that either the market is not ready (construction), or as ready as we thought it was, or we dream something that has no commercial value. What we do then ? We cannibalized it. We try to make it something useful by taking advantage of each building block of software code and reshape it to something different, something that is “time correct”.

While this phase is in progress, evolution hits the door and we add more goodies on it. Now its not a document management, is a file management, workflow, CMS, …. and God knows what else. So now, what we do? We break it down again … We make new modules. And back where we were we make a module for the CONSTUCTION industry.

And we wish … that timing is appropriate, this time !

Παρουσίαση του Qualitrak για τα Έργα Υποδομής

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New Years Resolution

Reprioritizing and setting new commercial goals is something we always do through out the year, however it actually takes substance just before the new fiscal year begins.

2008 is our 7th year in the market. I feel that the rule of thumb that applies to dogs (1 dog year equals 7 human) it also applies to companies, however instead than 1 equals 7 this rate changes to 1 equals 2. In other words each company year is equal to 2 humans, a conclusion that derives from the maturity level that we fell that we have reached. We are in adolescence, just 14 years old.

As youngsters of the millennium generation (generation Y) we pledge internet, secondlife and gadgets, java and .net and all the goodies of the web. This year we will focus on our products rather than services, this year will have to run as fast as we can to meet the deadline. All Greek ICT have a deadline for 2008; November 2008, this is the end. The end of the 3rd community support framework.

Beyond meeting the “public” deadlines, this year our company will focus on:

1. Online Applications and software - as - a - service. We will integrate ZOHO products to ours (especially our document management suite, Qualitrak) and we also operate as resellers.
2. We will commercialize our software building blocks, making Hypertrak and Qualitrak, the best Greek software for document and content management respectively.
3. We will invest in Qualitrak for PPP and BOT projects, in terms of integrating more features and expand their scope to GANTT - PERT and ERP features, integrating MS Project Server and MOSS.
4. We will create strong partnerships with business experts and promote our products to channels (in and out of Greece)
   
   Adolescence is a wild period full of changes, risks and transformation the next 2-3 years will be interesting !!!

From dataconcept.gr to dataconcept.eu

I think this is the 5th one. Most certainly dataconcept.eu is the 5th web site of our company, launching officially 27/11/2007.

The all new dataconcept.eu is a new concept of a company portal all together. Loaded with corporate information, well structured, constantly updated and with a corporate look and feel intends to challenge all Greek and most foreign enterprise corporate portals and become the pioneer in terms of effective interaction between our company and its partners, customers and employees. The dataconcept.eu was designed with the concept of effective corporate communication in terms of attracting new potential customers and transmitting our corporate vision and culture.

Powered by our new version of the web content management system, Hypertak™, dataconcept.eu offers effective data harnessing and facilitates easy access to all information to any visitor, according to its role.

Soon will be translated beyond Greek in 3 other languages (English, German and French), indicating the new strategy of the company to expand outside the borders of this country with a globalization attitude … and challenge other IT companies in the field of “software as a service” solutions and digitized construction management.

With Hypertrak™ , DATA CONCEPT intends to compete in the area of enterprise content management solutions for middle size companies and organizations that want a tailor made – unique web portal with well structured, easily retrieved and well protected information.

With Qualitrak™, DATA CONCEPT intends to serve the construction industry, especially companies that operate under BOT and PPP project specs, to facilitate document handling and make them realize that by readjusting the hierarchy of successful project management from Cost – Time – Quality to Quality – Time – Cost will earn more money in the healthiest way possible: Making their customers happy!

2008 its going to be an interesting year, as most of the ones before!

Blogging Visibility

This blog is nothing more than a post of ideas and opinions regarding our company. We have created it in order to reveal our secrets and our thoughts, opening up to any comments and suggestions and benefit as much as possible from these. Some people see and comment on what we write; this is excellent.

We have Blogging VISIBILITY.

People see us, they visit our company blog and our site way more often than we could imagine and guess what. They keep track of our opinions and our thoughts.

We gonna keep up the good work … somebody is listening !!!

"APOCALYPSE"

Apocalypse as a term means: to reveal something. As a religious term "Apocalypse" has to do with the end of the world as we know it. Burning Greece it was an apocalypse. An apocalypse in terms of the size of disaster and an apocalypse about the Greek organizational chaos. The same chaos we live in the last 40 years and guided us to this disaster. We all responsible for this. All. Nothing more to say !!!

Save Public from energy consumption, so Private can work !!!

A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to a friend on the phone and I did something that I always try to avoid. I complained.

Even though I always pledge the "Never Complain, Never Explain !" moto, that day I couldn't help it. The reason of my complaining was that due to high temperatures, the Greek Public decided to release all public employees at 12 o' clock mid day for 2 consecutive days. They wanted to avoid the over consumption of energy (due to the operation of all A/C) and to protect all employees from heat exhaustion !!!

OK, and how about the "losers" of the private sector ? How are they getting compensated about this ? With all public sector closed at 12 (basically closed ALLDAY) how can you possibly do anything. And why if I may ask the Public doesn't compensate the private companies to close too, and release their employees. Private employees can get heat exhaustion too !!! and they use the A/C a lot, believe me !!!

So should the salary of the private employee be compared with this of the public employee ? And should the private sector go on strike to demonstrate against SOCIAL INEQUALITY.

I am always wondering who is privileged Public or Private ? You know I just realized: Iam not a capitalist, I am something worst … a REVERSED COMMUNIST.

Public is Good ... lets invest in Private

In the next few months, Greece will look like a contsruction site, again. 3 + years after the Olympic Games and Greek construction is starting again. This time mainly with PPP projects.

Public Private Partnerhips is what we need not only for the construction industry but for most of the activities of a modern economy. Ionia Odos, Central Greece Highway, Thessaloniki Submerged Tunnel as well as Maliakos and all Peloponnese highways are the ones that will start in the next 2-3 weeks. DATA CONCEPT is basically monopolizing this crucial sector as the only IT company that develops and operates specialized applications for PPP construction. Our clients the largest construction and design companies such as OMEK, Scott Wilson, Jacobs, AKTOR etc. Having a significant amount of ongoing public projects and with the upcoming load of the private ones we target 3 years down the road to go public. Lets see !!!

Dealing with Ninja Programmers

I have been buzzed myself lately as I see that a service oriented company, such as, can only become successful through its Ninjas. The devotion and the effectiveness of these Ninjas is the main factor that turns a “lost” project into SUCCESS. Our latest Ninja – heroic example is the OAED project.
The client, who else, the Greek Public – OAED “Greek Manpower Employment Organization”.
The objective, very simple: Do everything possible to develop a custom made software solution that we don’t know what exactly is suppose to do, we have it in our minds but no one wants to deal with it and lay down any specs.
Schedule: One year, but we basically want everything yesterday
Cost: 100.000 € (roughly).
… and YES we managed the unmanageable and through our Ninjas we delivered on time our deliverables.
Best regards to our Ninjas programmers then. They are heroic and glorious but not so easily managed and detained, they have their own … Ninja attitude!!!

A companys' Idenity

Engineering applications | Web Communication | ICT Networks.
How do you identify a company that does system integration and has engineering solutions as a specialty, with ONE phrase?It's very difficult to establish a company’s identity!!!! especially when there is a co-existence of diverse fields such as: collaborative project management solutions for construction and civil works and system integration for IT. OK maybe will go this way, or maybe not.

How about ... engineering solutions | systems integration. We still have to work on it. We still have to re-establish ourselves and our corporate identity. Any suggestions ?

Moving to a new era

It seems like yesterday, however it’s more than 5 years that we first came to our new offices in Melissia moving then from a tiny little apartment in Katechaki. And now we are moving again. We are going to Vouliagmenis 15, in Athens. A 260 sq.m. space that is really amazing. Overlooking Parthenon and the Olympius Zeus Temple just behind the Andrianos Gate, the new office is currently under refurbishing in order to mold into the new inhabitant. Us. DATA CONCEPT.

New offices with a flair. That’s what DATA CONCEPT needs. Roomy new offices with a concept. This office has it. As the old one did and maybe even more. It has the flair. When Andreas spotted the building, 3 weeks ago, we both agreed and with no second thoughts I called so we can have a look. It was really amazing. New, build on 2000 with big glazing all over, overlooking the best hill in the world. The hill of Akropolis. An inspiration for anybody to create and to dream. This office we feel that is absolutely suitable to incubate our company’s philosophy for the next 5 years and to drive us to the new era as the leader in IT systems integration. This office maybe last us for more than five years, Something like 10 years where we hope to be listed in the Stock Market, getting money and move to a newer era … and so on.

Early June will be out of Melissia and a new DATA CONCEPT will start its journey with a new boat. For one more time our entreprenuism is revealing and overwhelming us. 10 people and 500.000 € per year, no good. 20 people and 1.200.000 € per year, no good. More let’s do more.

Everyday we are investing more of our lives into this company. We still feel is the best investment ever. For everybody. For us and for our people.

IT Project Management

To RAP or not to RAP that is the question. Rapid Application Development is not rapid at all, when client (mostly the Greek Public) is altering project specifications on daily basis. How can anyone program or schedule anything? How can a good project manager assist if the contractual agreement of the project is not solid and mostly is intentionally ambiguous towards the client -- the Greek Public !!!

The Concept behind Data Concept !!!

The numbers for the 1st quarter of this fiscal year are promising. Data Concept has acquired and contracted several IT governmental projects. Eventually … after 3 + years of intensive biding work, the company has gained the necessary momentum in the public IT sector.
Getting involved with public IT projects is "a must" for any Greek or eastern European software company (system integrator), in order to survive. The small number of populations (market share), the heterogeneous languages, the intense cultural diversifications and the European Money Funding (e-Europe) are a few of the reasons pointing to one direction … e-government.

With the completion of the 2004 Olympic Games the Greek Construction Market, that since then was blooming, came to an end. Construction companies were not getting paid by the Greek Government as the expenses for the Olympic Games were outrageous. Data Concept a 2000 startup, was specializing in this market, developing web based software for the PPP projects. Our clients were large infrastructure developers and construction consortia that were utilizing our Project Information Systems in order to get on demand reporting, justifying real progress and quality.

With the obvious upcoming closure of the construction works (late 2003) Data Concepts’ future was in danger. Andreas and I, were facing a very big dilemma. Do something different or get out!!!

Engineering applications was not an option as engineering and construction for that matter wasn’t there. Options such as working abroad with other contractors will require severe money investing and that was not an option either. We updated our business plans and we approached venture capitals and business angels. The result was “null”. Financial and personal destruction was just in front of our eyes as we owned a significant amount of money in the banks. Loans were increasing as we were maintaining a working group or 5 people and we still had to cover all other running costs. We took a decision to cut all expenses. We started by waving out our salaries …

6 months after (mid 2004) and for the next 2 years Data Concept was changing face, becoming an IT company that was bidding for public IT projects. We turned around our software development skills and from a product based company we became project based company. Even though the public bids were scarce, we were biding in everything possible. We used our web based philosophy in order to create a competitive advantage against large Greek IT integrators. We started utilizing our partnership agreements with Oracle and Microsoft in order to get any possible leverage and to establish an IT integrator profile. We even created –virtually- 3 business sectors (Engineering Application, Web Communication and ICT networks).

2,5 years after the company was getting awarded the first public job !!!. A 11.000 € project, maintaining and supporting the network for Zografos Municipality. A new era was starting for Data Concept as the company switched business goals turning from engineering software development (product) to IT project management.

Greek government; to e- or not to e- that's the question !!!

If somebody had to use just one word to describe the operation of a public Greek Agency that will be ... Chaos.

That's where IT comes. We digitize Chaos and we deliver e-Chaos. Information Technology is about digitizing procedures and operations and NOT the total re-engineering of them while in progress. The Greek government reforms its self while the installation of major operating systems takes place and further more ... while integration of all these is in progress.

At the end we will succeed producing interoperability in Chaos. Let's find out if we will manage, we still have a 1 and a half to go.

Visiting Paris !!!

Early this month I have visited Paris. It was an absolutely amazing experience .... Christmas flavour everywhere. One of the best European capitals in terms of Western Civilization and history. The wine is also amazing. Enjoy... always with a good company !

DATA CONCEPT, 2006 was a good year !!!

At the dawn of the new new year, DATA CONCEPT has successfully completed a significant number of e-government projects and has participated in numerous public bids. The financial figures show that the company has reached almost 1M€ and has been well positioned to take over new IT projects for the Public and Private Sectror, the PPP infrastructure Projects. We all anticipating the results of the first quarter of 2007 in order to verify our new business plan.

2006 has been a good year for the company as has completed major IT projects such as Paros island Wireless Network, the database aggregation for the Passport Agency of Greece and several Public Portals, acting as a System Intregrator. The company has also signed commercial aggrements with Metrosoft (IBM), Infoquest and e-NET.

Anybody that feels that can be a member of this team is more that wellcome to send a resume at info@dataconcept.gr. We are looking for accountants, engineers and programmers.