Telling clients and customers exactly what they can and cannot expect combined with a no-nonsense attitude might well be the concise core of the corporate philosophy of the Aruban IT Company Information Technology Partners (ITP) Caribbean.
As they clearly state on their website, their slogan “bleep bleep without the bla bla” basically relates to the fact that they don’t sell smoke and mirrors, deliver quality over quantity, and are reliable and trustworthy.
Pioneers
Founded by three colleagues Jan Segers, Coen Geurtsen, and Suzette de l’Isle, ITP Caribbean once started as one of the first Aruban IT consultancy and software solutions development agencies in 1997. That formerly home-based business has now grown into a mature and successful small enterprise with 25 employees and a well situated office at the Rumbastraat in the heart of Oranjestad. According to Jan Segers, one of the directors and founders, ITP is a very stable business with a standard growth rate of 3-5%. The company is not affected by the overall current poor economic climate of the region, because companies turn to ITP in good and in bad times. Entrepreneurs will either try to save money through automation or look for ways to increase their profit. In other words whatever the tide or climate ITP’s ship keeps on sailing.During those 22 years, the company also expanded its services. Besides IT-consultancy and developing software solutions, ITP also offers network services and network management.
Its fourth branch, the product department supports the primary health care in Aruba. “All family physicians, medical labs, pharmacies, and midwifes know us, because we provide the technical assistance for Promedico-ASP, our partner’s, Promedico, medical patient registration system. Their patients, however, have probably never heard of us”, the director explains. This technical support includes innovations like the possibility to safely send protected medical data back and forth between different affiliated medical disciplines like the labs and pharmacies. It has been a huge step forward because it makes data from breast cancer research, for example, readily available, which in turn can help specialists make an early diagnosis and arrange for suitable treatment.
No-nonsense
Because of the company’s no-nonsense attitude and way of doing business its first and oldest two business segments, IT consultancy and software development are inextricably intertwined. Since the software solutions ITP develops have to be tailor-made to meet the specific corporate needs of their customers, the consultancy wing studies the client’s situation and what’s available on the market thoroughly before they give the green light to build or develop new software. An example of a software program built by the company is the payment system that administers all Aruban pension provisions (Algemene Ouderdomsvoorziening en nabestaandenpensioen). “In this particular case, there was no sufficient standard or alternative on the market. The Aruban situation simply demanded the development of new software, but that is not always necessary. Automation isn’t always, by definition, innovation or improvement”, Jan Segers adds. To give the best possible advice, ITP’s consultants first have a good look at the state of affairs of your business or organization before they determine the best options. This business’ strategy or philosophy seems to be working very well because governmental bodies and other organizations often hire ITP’s consultants to monitor their IT-projects, solve problems, and or to structure their work processes in order to automate them.
Eliminating Risks
Their third section, network services and network management is actually ITP’s fastest growing division according to Jan Segers. Since the network systems that companies are using are becoming more and more complex and sophisticated, they need to hire experts who have the knowledge to solve their problems, secure the information, and prevent disasters like trade secrets becoming public knowledge or a hacked email program. As the director elaborates, “complex and shared networks are obviously not without danger. Therefore, you don’t only need to close, safeguard, and defend the electronical gate properly, but you also have to monitor what you might need to do in the future to eliminate risks and protect your company”. ITP has the experience, the knowledge, and experts who can. Moreover, when companies and organizations get stuck because of a malfunctioning network or an insufficient storage capacity, one of their network specialists can help the IT department to get the system back on its feet. Last but not least ITP professionals will be thinking ahead, anticipating the company’s future and help their clients prepare multi-annual plans and yearly estimates to make sure their IT infrastructure stays up to date and their business well-protected.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Although the IT Company mainly operates behind the scenes they take their social responsibility very seriously. By silently donating to local charities, especially those that involve children and elderly people they try to improve the lives of the people who are less fortunate. The local soccer club and service clubs like Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions, and Quota International can also count on their financial support. The wish to actively contribute to a cleaner Aruba, made ITP decide to put 144 solar panels on the rooftop of their building. Nowadays, the IT Company produces 39 megawatt and instead of only using electricity they are actually producing and delivering power for others to use. It’s a green example of their strategy to bleep without the bla.