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Good2use.com is all about knowledge used in a productive manner.
Consequently, it makes sense to let you know something about me - Eddie Reader.
I started my working life, having gained a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University College Cardiff, working in various parts of the world for a French oil-services company, Geoservices.
This work involved monitoring borehole conditions during the drilling of 'wildcat' (exploratory) oil and gas wells. Whilst the main non-technical requirement was fluency in English, I worked for a number of years with French and Italian drilling crews. Consequently my French is still passable, albeit rusty, and I can get by in Italian - just.
Not wishing to lose these skills I have begun to use my IT knowledge to support the productive use of foreign languages.
I returned to the UK in 1979 and began work with IBM.
Initially, I worked on the first stored-program digital PABX in the world. My job-role was to install and support the PABX including managing the process whereby support responsibility passed from IBM to the then Post Office.
In 1981 I transferred to IBM's core business - mainframes. From then until 1996, when I moved into Testing Services, I supported software in those IBM customers using mainframes. This meant I would address myself to ANY software problem in my customers, whether that software was written by IBM or not. These customers paid for the all-embracing local software support and assistance that IBM delivered at that time. In fact, because of my security clearance, I continued this function with various government departments even after moving to Testing Services.
Whilst certain technical skills were mandatory in this role it was also vital to be able to understand the customer's business and how IT was being used to support that business. Often a problem could only be solved by achieving the business goal via a different technical route.
From 1994 to 1996 I worked on special projects to use IT to enhance the way employees of both IBM and its customers used knowledge at work. The experience I gained there I use today in order to support my own business and customers. This makes for a far more productive service than simply relying upon individual memory.
From 1996 to 2001 I delivered consultancy on the testing of computer systems. My main role was to derive test plans in an effective manner. This meant using a number of statistical approaches in order to derive the most cost-effective testing plan.
Key to this process is the ability to understand and manage risk.
I worked on a variety of contracts for IBM including Internet banking and systems for companies delivering financial services.
Having left IBM in 2001 I now deliver local software support to businesses and individuals. As a result of my experience of IBM customers, this service goes beyond simply providing a basic technical support. It also entails developing processes for understanding the business/IT relationship
In particular, the analysis of data collected via the Sage accounting package is offered.
Within this data is likely to be a gold-mine of information as to how a business is being run. But every business is different, so it is unlikely that the standard Sage reports can fully mine this data. I can offer expertise in extracting and analysing the data relevant to your business.
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