4S Information Technologies which is based in Ankara decided to empower İstanbul operation and take a complete IT consultant task besides many projects and studies that have been done with public sector for many years.
4S Information Technologies was founded in Ankara in 1996 for producing IT solutions to improve business efficiency. Over the past 16 years, it has become one of the leading IT companies in our country. Since the day it was established, 4S Information Technologies have been providing supply, integration, technological solutions, business intelligence, business continuity and business technologies management services. The company has a wide network serving all over Turkey.
We had an interview with General Manager Melih Akyılmaz in order to get a deeper look at 4S Information Technologies which has been rapidly rising in IT sector as IT advisor.
How do you comment on today’s situation of IT sector?
Even big IT brand names do not structure properly, do not develop them in right direction, they cease their commercial life. People should define their expertise in this sector. They should review their structures. Since these organizations do not meet the requirements anymore, they should define their positions and role in the sector. In my opinion, this is more important. Our viewpoint is different.
Can we treat this as a self-criticism?
IT sector does not grow anymore. We have talk about the reasons. Why doesn’t it grow, why there is no any investment? Actually demand grows but the sector does not grow. Currently, public sector and private sector cannot find a company that can meet their demands and produce solutions. We are a solution-oriented company. Sector should grow and go towards a very different point. For example, today we talk about “cloud information” technologies. IT has become a consuming items such as electricity or water.
From this perspective, what do you do as 4S Information Technologies?
We try to be different in this aspect. We try to exceed IT departments. We focus on IT services to be provided for business units in the companies. We want to convince them how their lives will be easier with IT. I will give a very simple example: Why do we need a drivers’ licence today? Do you need a licence as a product? Actually when a policeman stops you, he can investigate via your TC identity number over his database. We can save you from carrying a second card with you as a citizen thanks to IT solutions. Hence, we can save cost and effort to issue and print that card. Our state can use this work more efficiently on another field. Sources can be used for different purposes. It will make a benefit for our country. We should not treat IT as a product. When we see IT as a product, we can not grow. We can not expand the market, either.
What are primary studies of 4S Information Technologies?
As 4S, focus of our Ankara organization is state. We would like to become expert in certain IT fields over the time and manufacture solutions for governmental institutions. We have created this vision in 2009. We saw that business continuity is the easiest subject that we could explain to public sector about IT technology. Business continuity means that all subjects contained in a business are continuos. It is a very comprehensive process in which you have to address every detail even a towel that your personnel will use while sustaining the service from another location in case a possible fire or flood event. There is world-wide recognized standard about this subject. We have established models that how we can apply this standard into public sector. We tried to raise awareness in the public organizations about business continuity. We could not reach the desired awareness level all the time. However we believed that if we take few steps it is beneficiary for the state. We have made approximately 100 presentations about it since 2009. We have completed 6 business continuity projects. We have started a new mission in 2012 regarding with business intelligence concept, how corporates can utilize available data in their businesses. Currently, we are arranging workshops, presentations and try to transfer our knowledge to create a public awareness.
Is it difficult to work with public sector?
Although it is different, we do not have difficulty to work with the public sector. We have been doing this business for 16 years. We have learned how to proceed within this structure over the years. Public IT departments have staff problem. Public can not interfere with the business structure that it produced for itself. Because these are serious investments. We need more qualified people, more research and more investment. Such costs can not be afforded by any company in very competitive conditions. To be honest, we can not get in return for our costs. On the other hand, we are in opinion that we should do something for public benefit. We should take a long way about business intelligence concept. Many investments should be done. Results will be obtained in the future. However, consciousness should be created about the concept. Of course, we will also take advantage of the projects and sector growth. Our expectation is this related with IT sector growth. Everbody picks a subject and makes this awareness. We do it about business intelligence. Another company can make it about data security. Another company can make it about analytic. These concepts should be introduced to the public.
Can you talk about your İstanbul studies?
As 4S Information Technologies, we also work about business technologies management in addition to business continuity and business intelligence concept. Business technology management has been a knowledge accumulation that we have mostly carried out in İstanbul so far. Business technologies management includes project management, performance monitoring and management during the project, methodologies to be followed for successful project completion. We provide these services. We have been already performing these studies in İstanbul since 2002. We have some organizational changes in İstanbul. We have diverted the organization to a different route. We gained a vision by implementing this discipline into the public sector in Ankara. In order to achieve business continuity, you have to manage your processes within the entire business or you have to create business intelligence out of these procedures to plan your next step. We have a nesting architecture. We have international success on portfolio project management. We have very important references from Middle East and Europe. Unfortunately, 50% of our software goes to trash in Turkey. These are wasted investments and efforts. We have the ability to measure project vulnerabilities and mistakes and performances via test methods here. We can perform load test, performance test, functionality test to detect any potential problems prior to the product goes into the market. We can create virtual users.
Finally, what would like to say about IT sector development?
IT sector should position itself differently anymore. IT sector should not be a supplier; we are not selling white appliances. Each company should do something for sake of IT. We are trying to do that. Although we can not claim that we are doing our best, I think we are in a different place already.
Something Must Be Done for IT
4S Information Technologies which is based in Ankara decided to empower İstanbul operation and take a complete IT consultant task besides many projects and studies that have been done with public sector for many years.
4S Information Technologies was founded in Ankara in 1996 for producing IT solutions to improve business efficiency. Over the past 16 years, it has become one of the leading IT companies in our country. Since the day it was established, 4S Information Technologies have been providing supply, integration, technological solutions, business intelligence, business continuity and business technologies management services. The company has a wide network serving all over Turkey.
We had an interview with General Manager Melih Akyılmaz in order to get a deeper look at 4S Information Technologies which has been rapidly rising in IT sector as IT advisor.
How do you comment on today’s situation of IT sector?
Even big IT brand names do not structure properly, do not develop them in right direction, they cease their commercial life. People should define their expertise in this sector. They should review their structures. Since these organizations do not meet the requirements anymore, they should define their positions and role in the sector. In my opinion, this is more important. Our viewpoint is different.
Can we treat this as a self-criticism?
IT sector does not grow anymore. We have talk about the reasons. Why doesn’t it grow, why there is no any investment? Actually demand grows but the sector does not grow. Currently, public sector and private sector cannot find a company that can meet their demands and produce solutions. We are a solution-oriented company. Sector should grow and go towards a very different point. For example, today we talk about “cloud information” technologies. IT has become a consuming items such as electricity or water.
From this perspective, what do you do as 4S Information Technologies?
We try to be different in this aspect. We try to exceed IT departments. We focus on IT services to be provided for business units in the companies. We want to convince them how their lives will be easier with IT. I will give a very simple example: Why do we need a drivers’ licence today? Do you need a licence as a product? Actually when a policeman stops you, he can investigate via your TC identity number over his database. We can save you from carrying a second card with you as a citizen thanks to IT solutions. Hence, we can save cost and effort to issue and print that card. Our state can use this work more efficiently on another field. Sources can be used for different purposes. It will make a benefit for our country. We should not treat IT as a product. When we see IT as a product, we can not grow. We can not expand the market, either.
What are primary studies of 4S Information Technologies?
As 4S, focus of our Ankara organization is state. We would like to become expert in certain IT fields over the time and manufacture solutions for governmental institutions. We have created this vision in 2009. We saw that business continuity is the easiest subject that we could explain to public sector about IT technology. Business continuity means that all subjects contained in a business are continuos. It is a very comprehensive process in which you have to address every detail even a towel that your personnel will use while sustaining the service from another location in case a possible fire or flood event. There is world-wide recognized standard about this subject. We have established models that how we can apply this standard into public sector. We tried to raise awareness in the public organizations about business continuity. We could not reach the desired awareness level all the time. However we believed that if we take few steps it is beneficiary for the state. We have made approximately 100 presentations about it since 2009. We have completed 6 business continuity projects. We have started a new mission in 2012 regarding with business intelligence concept, how corporates can utilize available data in their businesses. Currently, we are arranging workshops, presentations and try to transfer our knowledge to create a public awareness.
Is it difficult to work with public sector?
Although it is different, we do not have difficulty to work with the public sector. We have been doing this business for 16 years. We have learned how to proceed within this structure over the years. Public IT departments have staff problem. Public can not interfere with the business structure that it produced for itself. Because these are serious investments. We need more qualified people, more research and more investment. Such costs can not be afforded by any company in very competitive conditions. To be honest, we can not get in return for our costs. On the other hand, we are in opinion that we should do something for public benefit. We should take a long way about business intelligence concept. Many investments should be done. Results will be obtained in the future. However, consciousness should be created about the concept. Of course, we will also take advantage of the projects and sector growth. Our expectation is this related with IT sector growth. Everbody picks a subject and makes this awareness. We do it about business intelligence. Another company can make it about data security. Another company can make it about analytic. These concepts should be introduced to the public.
Can you talk about your İstanbul studies?
As 4S Information Technologies, we also work about business technologies management in addition to business continuity and business intelligence concept. Business technology management has been a knowledge accumulation that we have mostly carried out in İstanbul so far. Business technologies management includes project management, performance monitoring and management during the project, methodologies to be followed for successful project completion. We provide these services. We have been already performing these studies in İstanbul since 2002. We have some organizational changes in İstanbul. We have diverted the organization to a different route. We gained a vision by implementing this discipline into the public sector in Ankara. In order to achieve business continuity, you have to manage your processes within the entire business or you have to create business intelligence out of these procedures to plan your next step. We have a nesting architecture. We have international success on portfolio project management. We have very important references from Middle East and Europe. Unfortunately, 50% of our software goes to trash in Turkey. These are wasted investments and efforts. We have the ability to measure project vulnerabilities and mistakes and performances via test methods here. We can perform load test, performance test, functionality test to detect any potential problems prior to the product goes into the market. We can create virtual users.
Finally, what would like to say about IT sector development?
IT sector should position itself differently anymore. IT sector should not be a supplier; we are not selling white appliances. Each company should do something for sake of IT. We are trying to do that. Although we can not claim that we are doing our best, I think we are in a different place already.