Antigua Computer Technology (ACT)

ANTIGUA COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY (ACT)

SMART CARIBBEAN COMPUTING

ANTIGUA COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

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ACT

ISLAND Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Salomon Doumith, CEO of Antigua Computer Technology, about automation, cloud computing, and the ‘Internet of Things’.

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ACT’S DRIVING FORCE HAS BEEN AS MUCH ABOUT CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MARKET AS IT HAS BEEN ABOUT IMPROVING CLIENTS’ ECONOMICS.

ANTIGUA COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

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ACT

Antigua Computer Technology (ACT) is an information technology company headquartered in St. John’s, Antigua. ACT was founded in 1989 as one of Antigua’s first single-source computer technology providers, and today the company has built a far-reaching presence throughout Antigua’s computing sector, providing local and regional clients with technology, hardware, software, and repairs.

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With customers spread across home, commercial, and governmental users, and ACT representing a majority of Antigua’s market, the company offers hardware and software which not only improves efficiency but also decreases the demand for material resources for local companies. In this way, ACT’s driving force has been as much about creating an environmentally-friendly market as it has been about improving clients’ eco-

nomics. The company expects this market to continue to expand over the coming years as cloud computing and the ‘Internet of Things’ become more important.

EARLY AUTOMATION When ACT began at the end of the 1980s, its goal was to enable companies across the island to automate their inventories and accounting processes. “Of course, it was dif-

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ANTIGUA COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

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ACT

ficult to go paperless in those days, but we were able to automate, for example, a hotel guest folio,” says Salomon Doumith, CEO of ACT. “That meant that when someone checked into the hotel we enabled the establishment to capture the customer’s name, where they were from, how many beds they wanted, and other information that helped generate a bill and tax report. Small hotels at the time used hand-written entries to conduct all their business, so this automatic system was very popular. We also developed an application for automated payroll systems, which was also widely used.”

During the 1980s and 1990s, the cost of computer hardware in Antigua was very high. Parts and systems had to be imported, typically from the United States, meaning a single home computer could cost $5,000 or more. Commercial systems required huge amounts of investment. To make computers more accessible and affordable, ACT made the decision to begin building and selling its own line of computer systems using genuine parts from Intel, Samsung, Toshiba, Premio, and others. The in-house technical skillset enabled the company to offer a 24hour repair or replacement service. “Within three years we had 70% of the market,” says Mr. Doumith.

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By supplying not only intelligent software but affordable hardware, ACT cemented itself as the centerpiece of Antigua’s computing market. It continues to maintain this position today. The majority of servers and PCs currently being used in Antigua, whether at home, schools, commercially, or by the government, come from ACT.

INTERNET PIONEERS When the Internet started gaining traction as an important computing tool, ACT recognized the huge advantages the technology could provide users. “The Internet arrived in Antigua in 1995,” explains Mr. Doumith.

“Cable and Wireless (C&W) were the only ISP in the country at the time. It also required a lot of configuration; it was not as easy to

log on then as it is today. Our guys were spending a lot of time undertaking configuration and installation for people to be able to connect to the Internet. It was then, in 1999 we went to the government to be licensed as an ISP.” When ACT was awarded the license, they became the first indigenous Internet Service Provider in Antigua and Barbuda after C&W. “Importantly, our license enabled us not only to be an ISP, but also to bring our traffic in via satellite,” says Mr. Doumith. “ACT became a provider of satellite Internet, which was a big thing for us.

We could offer higher speeds at a fraction of the price to C&W. Home users especially welcomed it for offering inexpensive, reliable connections. We did this not because we wanted to be an ISP, but because we wanted to help the country gain access to affordable technology.”

Subsequently, ACT became the first provider of Wi-Fi in Antigua. Inspired by a company building Internet antennas for remote regions in Africa, ACT took the idea and scaled it down into a 6”x6” box which could be used in a home or office building.

Today, ACT offers Wi-Fi hotspots across the island, supporting thousands of locals and the important tourism industry.

CLOUD COMPUTING In 2002, ACT built its first data center. The infrastructure is able to withstand 200+ mph winds, flooding, and provides several stages of back-up power in case of grid failure. The data center initially gained popularity with the gaming markets. The company also participated in bringing fiber optic cable to Anti-

gua, and as the Internet became increasingly important to the running of daily life, ACT’s data center came under greater demand.

The advent of cloud computing has cemented the importance of data centers.

“Cloud computing can give you access to the horsepower you need any time you need, and at a fraction of the cost,” explains Mr. Doumith. “Our vision is to offer all of these services here in Antigua more competitively than what is offered in the US. It’s local, so your data is local. It’s not in the US; it’s not in another country. In terms of protecting that data, you can rest assured that it’s sitting in a data center close to you.”

PROUD ANTIGUANS ACT also contributes to several community projects. These include providing free Internet access to people with disabilities, as well as sponsoring many community and cultural events. Nine years ago, the company also built a number of mobile computer labs which could serve schools, nursing stations and communities. “We took a thirty seater bus, converted it, and installed tablets on the back of the headrests,” says Mr. Doumith.

“There are 17 tablets and wireless access point in the bus with Internet provided via antennas. Five of these buses were made in 2008 and the project won an award from the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications. The buses are currently undergoing renovation to update the technology.”

ACT is also a keen employer of local Antiguans. “For nearly thirty years, hundreds of people have learned technical and engineering skills working with us,” says Mr. Doumith.

“Our responsibility has not been just to hire,

but to train these employees in that skillset.

That is not something you get from college or university, it is a hands-on experience learned in a company like ours.”

ALL THINGS CONNECTED With cloud computing now a reality, the next wave that ACT is looking at is the so-called ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’. “For instance, imagine a farmer whose crops are dying because he isn’t able to properly monitor the necessary water levels,” says Mr. Doumith.

“We’re able now to put sensors in these farms and become capable of monitoring whether something is too dry or wet, or whether there is a water leak, or if you’re using too much water somewhere along the line. We can give you sensors that are able to better manage water supply or wastage, and even pinpoint the exact source of a leak.” That is the beauty of IoT. ACT is a rapidly evolving and maturing company that continues to be one step ahead as it introduces innovative and emerging technologies. Users won’t need their own servers and data centers, computer equipment, sensors and/or software any longer as ACT is able to provide this through its cloud computing and soon IoT services. “We’ll be able to help users keep track of valuable assets, monitor fuel consumption, for instance, or we’ll even be able to monitor your generator levels to maximize efficiency and so on,” Mr. Doumith concludes. “As our IoT offerings mature, ACT will deliver technologies to enable smart cities and a smart grid, which will be able to minimize consumer’s energy costs and our country’s carbon footprint. It’s a whole new world. Through these emerging technologies we will be able to make our country more competitive, efficient, and sustainable.” c ANTIGUA COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

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Antigua Computer Technology (ACT) Old Parham Rd. PO. Box 3090, St. John’s Antigua and Barbuda Tel: 001 (268) 480-5228 www.actantigua.com

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