Guyana's young entrepreneurs are increasingly looking to information technology(IT) as an area for profitable ventures.
"This is the trend forward," says Gerhard Ramsaroop of NT Computeac, at 45 High St., Kingston.
Charles Sweatnham, who opened the family-operated computer store after 20 years as an accountant says every business has to introduce technology or choose to remain stagnant. For example, fitting your business with 'point of sale' system to cash items or using a computerized system to record your inventory or to evaluate trends, are all efforts to embrace available technologies.
At GuyExpo 2K4, the company spent over $100,000 to get their booths constructed and saw strong sales of their AMD Athlon 64 computer. The NTC home computer edition and game machines also sold well.
Five years ago NT Computeac began selling a few computers, ink cartridges and printers and has since expanded to wireless items, networks, cameras and more advanced IT systems.
The company has moved from walk-in sales to catering for various organisations. Expansion has come based on the strength of their sales and from their business ethics, says Ramsaroop. He says they do not sacrifice a customer's satisfaction to get a sale.
For example, a customer may need a specific part for their computer but they will conduct a general assessment of the entire computer system to offer the best service. The company is particularly known for repairing computers. Repairs normally take two to three days to complete but if a part must be imported this will extend the time.
"Our company insists on using the right amount of memory," says Ramsaroop, since this will ensure that the computer speed remains the same. For computers that run XP applications, the company advises that an average of 256 MB of memory be used instead of 128 MB.
The business designs 'clones' tailored computers which are fitted according to the customers' needs or an assembled computer from NT Computeac. The computers are built on anti-static mats. Some persons believe clones are not good because of the bad marketing strategies used by some to sell their clones and in the end they do not deliver on their promises.
For customers who cannot afford to buy the computer systems in cash, NT also offers the option of financing through a bank.
The business installs and sells non-integrated systems where the processor, memory and keyboards are separate.
NT Computeac is partnering with the American Power Conversion (APC) company which manufactures electrical devices to offer protection to computers. "This is a key, key element to IT in Guyana," he says, adding that poor electricity supply in many cases results in computer breakdowns. Some say either a surge strip, stabilizer or battery back-up system can be used, but Ramsaroop recommends having all three types of protection. NT is the authorized dealer of APC products which offers a life time warranty for certain products.
"Our business is really growing," he says, adding that so far there has been no need to advertise.