Careers: Interviews
Women in IT
As part of CIPS's ongoing commitment
to highlighting and promoting the role of women in
the IT field, this week we are including an
interview by Stephan Ibaraki, I.S.P.
Stephan spoke with one of the first women to start a
computer company, Cathy Michitsch of Michitsch
Systems Inc., Raiser's Edge specialists and
customized database & web site designers and
developers.
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Q: Your experiences as an IT expert would be of
benefit to many veterans as they walk the dynamic
tightrope of technology. What personally prompted
you to enter the computing field? What led you to
becoming a leading provider of database services?
A: I was fascinated by the data coming out of the
first IBM point of sale terminal. I don’t know if
you know this but the data came out on yellow punch
tape. I was 16 at the time and this fascination led
to my career choice first enrolling in Mohawk
College in computer systems technology and
immediately starting my own consulting business
while still a student. I just couldn’t wait to get
inside database design and have followed this
development through to the present. To this day my
company, Michitsch Systems Inc. continues to build
on my initial fascination developing database
solutions in the not for profit and corporate
sectors. I owe a debt of gratitude to my long term
customers in the not for profit sector who believed
in me when I was starting out and who remain my best
customers to this day. I am extremely excited now by
our work in web enabled database design and
implementation. I guess you could say that my
initial motivation is unchanged but the products and
delivery methods change almost daily.
Q: Cathy, what obstacles did you have to overcome
and can you share your 20 leading tips for those
thinking of starting a computing-based company? Can
you describe your role with your company and how you
plan to shape the company one year and two years
into the future, and in the long term?
A: Obstacles? …..hmmm I guess being a woman in
technology fifteen years ago and a young woman at
that. Picture this “ I walk into my bank to apply
for financing for the company and am asked to bring
in my husband to co-sign”…husband? … Who had time? I
have many stories like this but I am sure your woman
readers know them without seeing them written here.
These days not so much an obstacle but a challenge
is feeding my constant curiosity for database
technology and keeping up with its incredibly rapid
change.
My twenty tips include
- If you give you win
- Hire Co-op Students
- Have an AR policy in place from day one
- Hire a good accountant
- Hire a good lawyer
- Learn to speak the language of your
customers – minimize geek speak
- Interview your accountants and lawyers and
get several references
- Ignore buy out offers
- Solidify your dreams and don’t let other
organizations buy them from you
- Surround yourself with knowledgeable people
- Marketing, marketing, marketing
- Take care of your employees – stop them from
burning out
- Make sure one of your team has the title and
responsibility of “FUN MASTER”
- Have a change management system in place
from day one – that
- is when change starts
- Have a Human Resources consultant on board
from day one
- Have partnership agreements and personal
service contracts written so that trust is not
necessary
- Understand your costs
- Write clear and comprehensive contracts
- If you win you win if you lose you learn ( a
quote from one of my senior developers)
- Help your customers don’t just work for them
- It is all about relationship building
- Give back to your community
- Teach in your area of expertise
- Contribute to the development of the next
generation of IT professionals
- Join professional organizations
- Learn from your peers
Sorry Steve I realize that is more than twenty and I
could go on a lot longer.
I am the visionary and the janitor also cook and
guitar player. As President I hire the teams that do
the work and I learn from them. Into the near term
one year out, Michitsch Systems will increase its
presence in the corporate sector and continue to
build our Calgary Alberta office.
Two years out we will be firmly established as
leaders in web enabled database solutions and .NET
implementation across Canada and Internationality.
And I still get to feed my curiosity for database
design and implementation.
Q: You have a reputation for being plugged into the
stream of computing consciousness about where it’s
going now and in the long term. You’ve also done a
lot of research. Can you comment on the studies that
you’ve performed and your experiences?
A: As the President of a growing company I have a
responsibility to my employees and to my customers
to keep up to date and ahead of what is coming next.
In my day to day operational environment I am
surrounded by team members who are constantly
investigating and learning emerging technologies.
This plus my own extensive reading and consultations
with industry leaders combined with onsite solution
design guides the development of Michitsch Systems.
As a part-time computer systems technology
instructor at the British Columbia Institute of
Technology I have to keep up to date and in front of
developments. This association and my ongoing
relationship with Computer Co-op programs such as
Capilano College are a research gold mine that I and
my company have benefited from. In fact one of my
most recent co-op students, Serena Bertolli-Haley,
recently won the CIPS IT Student of the Year Award
given to the top IT student in British Columbia.
With people like Serena contributing to the
Michitsch Systems knowledge base you can understand
why we are so confident in our research and future
direction.
Q: Can you comment on the integration of mainframe,
Unix, and Windows-based technologies and how they
all fit in large, complex, enterprise environments?
A: One of the greatest challenges facing enterprises
as they face the inevitable need to web enable their
business processes is the internal and external
integration of existing legacy systems. From a
technical and even more so from a human resources
point of view this is a daunting task for these
companies. Not only must they attempt to get systems
designed to stand on their own to talk to each other
they must convince, motivate and retrain their
valued long term employees to perform in a new
environment. Failure on any project is caused from
the human resources side not the technology. Getting
the people on side and building the team commitment
first is my rule for entering into this any legacy
integration. In fact if I had to give one reason for
my success on projects such as this it would be my
and my team’s ability to work with the people not
just the project.
Q: What are your views on SQL and its future?
A: Michitsch Systems has recently assisted one its
employees in attaining the MSSQL MCDBA Designation.
This is an obvious indication of our belief in the
future of this product. Its position as the database
component of the MS .NET Framework will move it to
the forefront of Enterprise Data Management. Recent
research I have conducted has convinced me that in
high transaction volume environments SQL 2000 in
combination with appropriate .NET Enterprise Servers
will compete favorably any other industry
combination. I will continue to invest my company’s
resources in training my team up to the SQL expert
level.
Q: What are your views on XML and its future?
A: It is a necessity. If you don’t know it, learn
it. It will revolutionize business data
communication. Welcome to the information age – XML
is the highest impact development to come along in a
long time arguably in all time. Its use will only
grow as we move more and more to integrated cross
corporate business communication.
Q: EAI, CRM, B2B are exploding? What are your views
about these in related areas for the current and
future marketplace?
A: Steve that is a very good question. My whole
career has focused on helping my clients use their
data and information in the best way possible. The
initiatives you listed are but the beginning of a
huge wave of convergence in data, information and
business knowledge. Companies who do not utilize
some of this functionality will find it harder and
harder to remain competitive. As more and more
companies routinely do business with customers
around the world web based business solution will be
required not a luxury.
Q: For those relatively new in the computing field
and for seasoned veterans, which areas should they
target for future study, what are the high-growth
areas?
A: If I had to give my top three I would say –XML,
SQL and .NET . Not that there aren’t many more
things to learn but these three capture best of all
where the business internet is headed. Web based
programming languages generally, for example JAVA,
should also be on the must learn list. I also think
it is important for all technology people to spend
time studying and understand general business and
also industry specific business process. The
convergence of technology and business will require
multi-disciplinary understanding. Those with a high
combination of technology AND business knowledge
will thrive!
Q: What changes do you see for the future of
computing, conducting business, and the use of the
Internet?
A: As I mentioned earlier I really see a convergence
continuing. Even today many businesses see the
internet as an. Very soon it will no longer be that,
but a necessity for business success. Today’s
magical tools such as Voice recognition over the
internet will become a necessity for those wishing
to do business for example where customers may be
facing a physical disability. It will continue to be
an extremely exciting time to in this business. I
can honestly that I am as excited now as when I
first saw that yellow punch tape.
Q: Traditionally there hasn’t been a high
penetration of woman in computing but the landscape
is changing. What are your views in this area?
A: You are absolutely right. As one of the first
woman in Canada to start their own IT company
fifteen years ago, I have seen a huge increase in
women’s participation. My own team has been
fortunate to have a balance of men and women over
the years and I believe that this has been a
strength for us. I have made a personal commitment
to mentor women in technology so you can understand
why I am so proud of one of my current employees ,
Serena Bertolli-Haley, who recently won the CIPS IT
Student of the Year Award given to the top IT
student in British Columbia. While I was delighted
to see Serena win I was also pleased to see that
other finalists were also women. We have come a long
way from my early days in IT. Who knows maybe the
next time I go into a bank to request financing I
won’t have to produce a husband.
Q: It’s a blank slate, what added comments would you
like to give to enterprise corporations and
organizations?
A: Although these will sound like clich�s, and they
are, I truly believe in the following:
Never Give Up! Quitters never win and winners never
quit.
Invest in your people, they are your organization!
Encourage balance for your employees, promote ways
to have fun and enjoy the ride yourself. Lead by
example not by delegation in taking time to
recharge, refresh and revitalize.
Sincerely care for your customers and try to
understand their needs by putting yourself in their
shoes.
Admit your mistakes, take responsibility for them
and not only learn from these mistakes but teach
others not to fall into the same traps.
Don’t live in the past, live for the present, by
courageous and Dream …
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