Ironbark, Atma Jaya to help small firms

Ironbark, Atma Jaya to help small firms

JAKARTA (JP): Australia's Ironbark Software System and
Management PTY Ltd signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding
with Inkubator Bisnis Atma Jaya to help small information
technology businesses in Indonesia.

"We'll set up a partnership with small businesses here to
research and develop software services that can meet the local
demand," Ironbark's managing director Chris Findlater said here
yesterday after the signing ceremony.

Ironbark has business interests providing software services,
hardware, installation and networking systems.

Through the cooperation, Findlater said, Ironbark would also
help small businesses enter the global market for software
services.

Catholic University Atma Jaya's Inkubator Bisnis, which was
set up last year, helps small businesses find financial sources,
marketing and improve staff quality. It also help them develop
partnerships with foreign firms.

Findlater said Indonesia was potentially a very good market
for information technology services.

Agung Iriantoko, an Inkubator consultant, said the potential
market for these services here was US$30 billion, but only about
$1 billion had been tapped.

"We have yet to educate the market. People here are not aware
that they can cut their costs significantly by using information
technology," he said.

He cited as an example a state-owned company with offices all
over the country. It could save hundreds of millions of rupiah if
it had a networking system through which it could send messages
to its provincial offices.

He said Inkubator would also sign an agreement with Bank
Dharmala, Bank Exim (Export Import), Bank Mashill and Bank BCA to
become financial sources and financial arrangers for the small
businesses. (bnt)