Success for inaugural IT & Telecoms focussed exhibition

The techmesh IT & Telecoms EXPO on the 30 September was an opportunity for delegates who wanted to gain further awareness of the Yorkshire and Humber IT & Telecoms sector. On the day there were 31 IT & Telecom companies from around the region showcasing their latest trends, innovations and services.

Skyrack Technology, based in Selby , showcased their Voice Connect range of products. They did a live demonstration of the High Definition features available over WIFI connectivity. Hosted voice and IP PBX services were high on the agenda of many potential customers and resellers alike.

Gavin Sweet from Skyrack Technology said: “techmesh provided an interesting regional conference and IT tradeshow forum for Skyrack to take the opportunity to do some early autumn marketing. The show was well attended, with particularly good crowds in the morning”.

Catherine Carlyle from Caltech CRM exhibited on the day, she said: “We met lots of potential clients and partners and a partner/client post event meeting has already taken place.

The quality of the delegates was great. We have done other IT focused events at the Armouries this year, but they didn’t bring us potential leads at all and delegate turn-out was very low.

techmesh expo had a vibrant feel to the day and there was lots of delegates there. The speakers were of a high calibre and we found the show invaluable. “

Mark Williams from Refractiv exhibited on the day, he said: “With guests from Google on our stand and the chance to win a 12 month subscription to Google Apps Premier Edition we were confident that the day would be a success.

In fact the event more than met our expectations. Visitors to our stand were keen to see Google Apps for themselves - with the collaboration potential of Documents a particular favourite. We also showcased a few of our most recent website and software development projects.

All in all, the techmesh EXPO was a roaring success. Thanks to everyone at techmesh and Connect Yorkshire for a great show, thanks to Alfred Biehler, Enterprise Channel Manager at Google for coming up from London to see us, and thanks to all who visited our stand. We look forward to next year!”

Running alongside the exhibition was a conference with opportunities to listen to keynote speakers from the largest IT & Telecom companies in the World. The conference attracted many delegates from as far afield as the United States of America! Pictures and Videos from the exhibition and conference can be found here: http://techmesh.org/expo/expopictures

techmesh will now focus on it’s monthly IT & Telecoms networking events held around the region. Each techmesh event allows members to network with other IT & Telecoms buyers, sellers and listen to industry keynote speakers.

The next techmesh event will be held in Sheffield on 20^th October at the Jurys Inn, with James Walker from Cisco as keynote speaker. For further information visit: http://techmesh.org/events/view/133

Talking technical with techmesh

Recently, techmesh held their second TechTalk event at the Aspire in Leeds. The evening began with networking and canapés as guests marvelled at the elegance of the prestigious Aspire building, which used to be the site of Yorkshire Bank.

The evening commenced with an introduction from Jim Pendrill, Editor of Yorkshire Business Insider and award-winning business journalist. Jim introduced the presenters and question time panel for the evening and announced the topic; ‘Cloud Computing and using Software-as-a-Service’.

James Akrigg, Head of Technology for Partners at Microsoft then took to the stage and began to unveil how Microsoft is innovating and developing their software to be more Cloud focussed. This included an exclusive demo of Microsoft Office 2010. Microsoft intends to completely reshape their software delivery approach, rather that just offering its software on premise, they are allowing over 400 million Windows Live users to access slimmed down, online versions, of its popular Office software.

Matt Holmes, Managing Director of Liquid Accounts, who are a new techmesh sponsor, discussed how Liquid’s accounting software was developed to be used in the Cloud. Matt decided to mix up the proceedings by using an alternative software provider for his presentation, Google docs. Matt’s presentation mapped out how Liquid Accounts began, raising investment to the sum of £770k and how they intend to capitalise on future trends.

The evening was then thrown open to a panel ‘question time’ format, taking questions from the audience. The main issue of concern was security in the cloud; will encryption be sufficient enough and what if data is lost? As with all web based services, there is no guaranteed security level for Cloud based applications, this was a heated topic on the evening. But in addition, there is no guaranteed security when a data server is destroyed at the office following a flash flood. One explanation that was suggested is that Hotmail have been operating their email service in the cloud for many years, this demonstrates that Cloud computing is not just a new development and is being tailored for more business and cost savings.

The event was a great success with nearly 80 delegates. We need your feedback on future events like this. Did you attend and was it useful? Did you not attend for any reason and what events would inspire you in the future? Send us an email info@techmesh.org

The next techmesh event is in Sheffield on 30th June at The Circle, S1 4FW. The keynote speaker for the evening will be from IBM. George Taylor from Digital Region will be discussing the services available for businesses in South Yorkshire. For further info visit: http://techmesh.org/events/view/60.

Join techmesh today to attend techmesh: Sheffield for free!

techmesh: Hull report

This was the first time techmesh had held an event in Hull and what an exceptional turnout it was!

techmesh: Hull was organised with support from Jon Moss at Hull Digital and Hull University Business School.

The evening proceeded with refreshments, food and plenty of networking as the other delegates arrived. Guests where then encouraged to take a seat in the presentation room where I (Gary Rowbotham, techmesh Programme Manger) introduced techmesh and the many benefits of becoming a member. The agenda then moved to Nick Riley, Director of the Logistics Technology Group, who gave a synopsis surrounding Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) implementation in logistics and freight handling. An interesting insight from the presentation was that a RFID transmitter can be equivalent in size to a grain of rice!

Mike Harlington, a techmesh sponsor, introduced telecoms company MediaSat3, who are striving to provide an alternative telecoms provider in the Hull area. Mike discussed how MediaSat3 are negotiating the use of new telecom satellites which would allow remote speeds of 100mb download and 10mb upload. Once MediaSat3 services are fully implemented they will be capable of moving an impressive 1 million terabytes of data every second.

The presentations were rounded off with an introduction from Jon Moss at Hull Digital, who discussed how he hopes to expand the digital community in Hull. Jon encouraged the audience to attend the highly anticipated event ‘Hull Digital Question Time’ on the 26th May at the Donald Roy Theatre in Hull. The event is an opportunity for delegates to join the conversation and hear about current topics that matter in digital, technology and the web.

After the presentation session, guests were invited to look at the Hull University Business School technology showcase. The showcase was exceptional and in some cases breathtaking; the enormous 3D TV that greeted visitors as they entered the room was amazing!

The techmesh team would like to thank everyone that helped to make techmesh: Hull a success, including: Jon Moss at Hull Digital, Hull University Business School for the venue and Nick Riley for introducing the audience to future technologies in RFID.

Join us at the next techmesh event on 25th May - focussed towards Cloud Computing and using Software-as-a-Service. The event will feature keynote speakers from Microsoft and Liquid Accounts. For further information visit http://techmesh.org/events/view/55

techmesh: York

David Riggall, a potential member of techmesh, has kindly sent us his account of techmesh: York on the 25th March.

The event was the third regional IT & Telecom collaboration event, focussing on experienced keynote speakers along with an opportunity to network with other sector professionals.

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Techmesh: York – 25/03/2010
By David Riggall - Partner at Rose & Bridge Associates – dedicated to making a difference – T: 01904 720334

Following the success of previous launch events in Leeds and Sheffield, the meeting last night at York University Science Park Innovation Centre was a definite win for delegates, speakers and techmesh, alike. The York event was held in association with IT and Digital York.

techmesh - supported by Yorkshire Forward, aims to become the largest and most focused IT and Telecoms business network organisation in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Gary Rowbotham, techmesh programme manager, introduced the agenda and explained the potential benefits of being a Techmesh member and / or associate. Current associates of techmesh include: Green Communications, Inter-vention, Lee & Priestley, Knowles Warwick and MFL Science & Technology.

The first speaker of the evening was Dan Croxen-John, from Applied Web Analytics, his presentation explained how extracting value from a web presence was an evolutionary process, best achieved from regular analysis and on-going assessment.

Ian Newall from Huthwaite International, the sales improvement training company, shared an insight into the benefits of Spin Selling and business application. Ian is offering all techmesh members a 15% discount on Huthwaites Spin Selling courses.

Finally, Marcus Robinson, the founder of MR-ICT, a York and Leeds based company offering outsourced ICT support, discussed how he intends to utilise his techmesh membership to benefit his business and shared his thoughts on the advantages of joining techmesh.

Overall the event was a great success with sufficient opportunities to network after listening to the speakers, all this including great food and wine! The focus is now on the next techmesh event in Hull on 29th April at Hull University Business School.

Come and meet up at techmesh:York

If you work in the IT and telecommunications sectors in Yorkshire and the Humber then we would love you to attend techmesh:York – a free networking event organised by techmesh.

Backed by Yorkshire Forward, techmesh is a new business network for the region’s fast-growing IT and telecommunications sector – the largest outside of London

Companies and professionals operating in the sector are being invited to attend the first techmesh: York event at the York Science Park on March 25th at 6:00pm.

For the York event, techmesh are teaming up with Science City York’s local sector network IT & Digital York. York Science Park has kindly sponsored the venue.

There will be a key note speech from Allan Dunn, Director of ioko, who will talk about ioko’s successes and the pitfalls of the industry.

ioko designs, builds and runs technology platforms for media and entertainment companies worldwide, delivered across broadcast, broadband and mobile networks to televisions, computers, mobile phones and other digital devices. ioko began business as a small venture, run by two University of York students, it grew rapidly to where they are now.

Gary Rowbotham, techmesh Programme Manager, said: "Collaboration and working together is the best way of driving the sector forward and techmesh: York allows those people working in North Yorkshire and beyond a chance to network, swop ideas and make business connections.
"We are also offering three, five-minute presentation slots and inviting attendees to discuss how they would like to partner and collaborate with others as well as give a short talk about their business and what services they can offer. All this and free drinks too.”

Heather Niven, IT & Digital Sector Specialist at Science City York, said: "The value of sector specific networks in promoting collaborative working has long been recognised. We’re particularly pleased to partner with techmesh for the York event to extend the reach and impact of local network activities across the region.”

There are a limited number of tickets available for techmesh:York and tickets are available by registering here or contact Events Coordinator Dawn Kelly on 0113 384 5641 or dawn@techmesh.org

techmesh: Sheffield – another great event

We had another great techmesh event in Sheffield this week at the Workstation were more than 50 people attended to hear about BT’s plans for investment in fiber-based superfast broadband, reaching more than one million homes in the UK in 2010 and linking up more than 40 per cent of the population between 2011 and 2012.
Speaking at techmesh: Sheffield delegates from Yorkshire’s IT and telecommunications sector heard how BT plans to transform broadband access in the region and beyond.
Trevor Higgins, BT Partnership Director, and the telecom group’s ambassador for the region, said: "Superfast broadband access is already being trialed and proven in areas like Pudsey, Calder Valley and Halifax and we are seeking to role that out further over the next couple of years."
He told the audience: "The challenge to you as specialists in IT and telecommunications is to develop the applications and software that will benefit from superfast broadband. It will have a major impact on the region’s economy if you do."
He added that other areas already announced to receive optical fibre investment included Armley, Shipley, Low Moor, Castleford, Pontefract, Guiseley, Lofthouse Gate, Beauchief and Ranmoor
Further announcements of the next areas to receive fibre investment across Yorkshire and Humber would follow shortly.
Guests at the techmesh event also heard from techmesh member Peter Hopton, Managing Director of VeryPC, who used the techmesh members time slot at the event to inform the attendees about his UK’s leading environmentally-friendly desk top company.
Established in 2004 in Sheffield by several electronic engineer graduates from the University of Sheffield, VeryPC has pioneered “green” computing in the UK and is now a supplier to a wide range of public and private organisations globally having been endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust.
techmesh Project Manager, Gary Rowbotham, said: "The Sheffield event was the first of several we shall be holding around the region bringing together IT and telecommunications professionals where they can meet and build business connections and collaborate on projects."

Bonfires, Dry Stone Walls, Clouds, Inches & Death Computing

Colin Beveridge spoke at the 20/20 Vision event organised by Sandford Technology/Virtronix on Fighting the Trillion Dollar Bonfire (effective information systems for the 21st Century). His conclusion seemed to be that system integration is the way forwards. I have to agree. Most IS systems seems like good old Yorkshire stone walls - they require immense intricacy to put them together and great skill to build, then they fall down after a while because there's nothing but air and friction holding them together. What we need is some 'cement' to hold the functional bricks together and facilitate process, workflow, data sharing and increased productivity. Yorkshire Forward seem to have woken up to the fact that each 'brick in the wall' they fund is replicating data and not sharing it effectively with each other. They are introducing a CRM that all agencies can tap into, leverage and generally use. Great idea! I have been saying this for three year's and every other agency seemed to wave the data protection act at me as to why we can't share information more!!!

The death of the corporate datacentre seemed to also be on the vendor agenda with all our data being entrusted to third parties (like this blog and my emails). Ian Weatherhog and Mike Briercliffe waxed lyrically about how the PC was the root of all evil when it came to data security (he also spoke at our recent TechTalk event). I can remember far enough back when I accessed the old cloud i.e. our corporate IT server from a remote PC and the data could be viewed, but not manipulated. We used to say all this valuable data was "an inch from the desktop" and spent ten years going that final inch and start turning data into information, albeit with security and integrity compromised. Now we seem to be poised to unify the competing factions with the eventual promise of network computing and Larry Ellison's vision of thin clients that all they do is the final rendering.

I suppose it's only a matter of time before we all have enough certainty that "till death us do part" our data is safe and backed up in the cloud and not deleted when our credit card expires. Now that's what I call security.