Increasingly, IT is coming up with business solutions or solutions with business problems. Information Technology has evolved remarkably and is now much more than simple automation. It has become a transformation tool in terms of driving the business, which has changed the entire landscape of how communication was being done earlier. But where exactly does the ICT sector in Pakistan stand today and where is it actually heading? Veqar-ul-Islam has some profound answers.
An icon in the field of IT and Telecom for nearly three decades now, Veqar-ul-Islam started his career when the computer industry transformed itself into the IT industry even as it is now further evolving into the ICT industry where the fine line between communication and IT is blurring as these areas of the IT industry converge.
Currently the CEO of Jaffer Business Systems and the President of TouchPoint Group, which provides ATM self-service solutions, business intelligence and analytics across multiple portfolios, Veqar-ul-Islam talks about his work. “My job at TouchPoint is a lot less operational whereas my role in JBS is very operational and I have to drive the operations myself. The portfolio of JBS is very diverse,” he says. TouchPoint, a relatively new organization, is growing at a very fast pace in the self-service solutions direction. Veqar’s role is more strategic and from a control view point ensuring that goals are set and then driving the company towards achieving them.
Transformation of IT and Computing
For Veqar-ul-Islam, the first of these transformations began around the time he started his career. Then there was often a ‘computer division’ in organizations. “Nobody knew IT. What it started doing was giving a realization to the techies or people heading the computer department that your role is to be driven by business and give them support rather than being in a glasshouse and thinking that I run the work. It doesn’t work that way. IT is there to support business. IT is there to help business thrive instead of driving the business and deciding that this can be done or this can’t be done,” said Mr. Veqar.
He goes on to explain that the simplest way to put it is understand that “30 years ago, computers were classroom products. Today it is a handheld product. It’s a huge transformation if you think about it. Now if it’s a handheld product and if I don’t interact with people who keep it in their hands, then I’m not being able to support my product or company. One major change that is happening is that IT people are learning more and more about businesses which they didn’t know before. They didn’t feel the need earlier to understand how banks, telco and manufacturing industries etc. functioned. That’s changing now,” he added.
At the organizational level, IT is no longer just an automation tool now, but is looked up to for good solutions to business problems and drive growth. And while Mr. Veqar may feel that CIOs and IT professionals have a long way to go before they claim that they are really supporting the business, IT heads need to become aware of the fact that businesses are not going to wait for technology products to spend time and energy coming up with solutions— businesses will move on, while they must learn how to keep pace with them.
“The understanding of business and its relation to the technology department has definitely improved, not to the level where you can be happy, but nonetheless improved,” acknowledges Veqar-ul-Islam.
Innovation
There has been a lot of innovation in the IT sector with businesses gradually trying to align themselves on one technology- friendly platform which will give them more customers as well as help to run day-to-day business processes in a better manner.
Talking about this trend, Mr. Veqar shared that while the innovation towards becoming more adaptable and technology-friendly is brilliant, it is still a little ‘patchy.’ “Some of the work that is being done on mobile applications is brilliant but still patchy for my liking. Organizations are still more operational. As some business comes in where the client wants a solution to a problem, we come up with a solution by doing RnD. We are not yet at the stage where one can say, ‘this is how I can solve your problem or grow the business!’ They are still very reactive. Again, I think they need to start moving towards being more proactive because the biggest innovation in my view in today’s world can come if IT starts becoming proactive. The only way to do it is when they start understanding the business plot better than what they do today. They have improved, yes. But there is a long way to go still,” he said.
Working at Jaffer
Jaffer Business Systems is being run by the 7th generation of people, a proud Veqar-ul-Islam tells us, consequently the reason for its being a traditional and old group. Yet it is committed to molding itself to the changing times.
“The best stents of my career are all multinational and this is the first time I have exposure in a local organization,” admits Mr. Veqar who brings to the table his exposure to globally-established processes and how they should function. He admits however that he was pleasantly surprised to see that Jaffer had some of the best processes going. Their slogan, ‘we are a diver group and we are dynamic,’ says as much about them.
“Purely from a JBS viewpoint if you ask me whether we are an innovative company, today I will say no. We are a trusted company which will deliver if you tell us to deliver. We will do things that businesses will tell us to do. And exactly there, are challenges which I mentioned above – typical CIO. We won’t go out and say I have these solutions which can solve your business problems. We started making initial efforts to get there, but the culture change is always an interesting journey,” he says.
Significance of Cloud
Cloud is another innovation that Veqar-ul-Islam talks about. There is a lot of skepticism surrounding cloud computing… just as there is every time you introduce some innovation in Pakistan. “When ATMs came in this industry, I remember very, very senior people in the government and in the banking sector saying that this would not work here because we don’t have educated people. Interestingly, even in those days when I would travel to Dubai, I would see Pakistani drivers, taxi drivers, laborers standing in the queue to get money. They were able to do it there, but somehow our mindset has been that they cannot do it here. I think as a nation, we are not so easy to accept change. We resist change quite a bit,” he reminisced.
He goes on to explain how the reservations are more in the way we think rather than problems or hurdles that actually exist. “Cloud Computing is the next big thing and interestingly we are using it even as we speak. Consider for instance, how all social media, including applications such as Whatsapp are all run on Cloud. If personal interaction can easily (and popularly) take place on Cloud, why can’t business transactions?”
From a financial point of view, Cloud would be a more viable option also. Due to the way technology is growing, there is a need for infrastructure in every organization, but this is difficult to maintain that kind of infrastructure as an individual. According to Mr. Veqar, “If there is an organization that covers 200 organizations having setup on Cloud, you get economy of scale and a lot more time to think about your business rather than your technology. Cloud has come in already. Consider how you do all transactions online!”
IT Collaboration
Discussing IT collaborations, Veqar-ul-Islam is of the opinion that dedicated CIOs and IT heads are the need of the hour. “They know your business well, the fundamentals of conducting business, irrespective of the industry or the company they work with and consequently they can better solve your problems, bringing efficiencies in the organization and helping refine processes and help people make better decisions using the tools, data and technology available. And I still believe as I have said, we have some distance to cover in this area,” he said.
Talking about his future plans, Veqar-ul-Islam shares that he is passionate about excellence and quality because he believes we have cost advantages as a country, although not from an excellence perspective! “Quality is not an acceptable concept in our country in true sense of the word. I mean, you will get these individuals who are very conscious about the quality but it’s a selected brand of people. As a general rule, we are not very quality-conscious. So whatever I intend to do, it has to be with quality. It has to be with excellence and touch of precision and finish, he adds.
Discussing the work that is being done at Jaffer Business and at TouchPoint he talks at length. Jaffer Brothers is closely working with HP, Oracle and Emerson for their Data Solutions. They are also increasing engagement with Microsoft. The objective is that because all these companies have a huge portfolio in terms of products line and the solutions they offer, JB is in the process of selecting solutions from their portfolio. “We already do ERP, HP Solutions, Networking, Laptops, and we are moving towards HP solutions as well. In Emerson we do data center. With Microsoft we do more license selling and moving towards implementation. In Oracle we do more ERP and are amongst the leaders in ERP implementations in Pakistan. So whatever areas we will select, I would like to draw a small and very simplistic equation: I want to be in my areas of operations. I want to be a mini Oracle, HP, Emerson and Microsoft,” explains Mr. Veqar.
He continues by outlining the work at TouchPoint also where they represent Deebo, the world’s number 2 ATM. “We want to be seen as the best self serving solution company in terms of products and solutions that we are making and any new ideas that we can come up with. So in three to five years time, I see us as a strong technology player in this market who’s trusted and a company which are also there to solve business problems at the speed of the business.”
So, for his three to five years vision, where does he want to see Jaffer Businesses and TouchPoint Group? Coming from a multinational background, he hopes to get the best out of his team by challenging them as well as the leadership to maximize their potential. “How do I see these two companies growing? In three to five years, I see them in their areas of operations as absolutely top IT companies in the country expanding internationally as well in their areas of operations.”
