2014 Fall review:  

Security has top priority

The human factor

With the financial crisis on the decline (it depends on which economist you talk to) other issues than pure survival are on the agenda. One of them is security. Earlier for security one bought antivirus software, installed it and felt scot-free. A technical issue left to the technical people. Not anymore. It is a management issue, increasingly a top management one.

ECP is working on security projects for public and private enterprises, from the use of mobile phones for network authentication to getting into the network through tempting an innocent user.

The days of user name and password are gone. Everybody has a mobile phone so why not use it for authentication? Sounds good and works well. Estonia is the pioneer in this area and Iceland is following suit. The good thing about this kind of authentication it works with any GSM mobile phone, new or old. And everybody has a mobile phone. No new investment is needed.

Security today is much more than buying antivirus software. Enterprises need security strategy for the whole enterprise covering all aspects of the security. With the strategy in place the implementation can begin.

However there is a trend to want to solve everything with technology and at the same time forgetting the network user. User working on his computer gets a message which looks interesting, tempting, maybe offering something difficult to say no to. The offer can be in an attachment. Once the user opens the attachment the gate is open for the virus or trojan. Opening the attachment is very tempting for the user and it calls for lots of discipline to leave it unopened and deleting it. This is not a technical issue, this is a human issue. The user is a key part of security and security management. Users have to be included in the security strategy and also in the implementation of the strategy. Without it there is a risk. No technology can replace the user. A fact too often forgotten until it is too late.

Dr Jon Thorhallsson, ECP Chief Consultant jon@ecpint.com

The economic crisis is a challenge, not a problem.

Let us face it together.

Under this motto European Consulting Partners has been working for the past years in Europe and also elsewhere.

Consulting during the crisis has changed, from being focused on growth to being focused on survival. Owners and management were used to company growing year after year, now suddenly sales collapsed and they were rapidly heading for insolvency. The crisis came so suddenly and most of them were totally unprepared for it, both businesswise and also emotionally. The crisis was suddenly there and they felt uneasy and uncertain about what to do. Was there any future for their companies? They needed outside help to help them to adjust company strategies to the new situation. In most cases there was a future, but it called for new or adjusted strategies. And in some cases it called also for adjusting the number of people. It is very hard for small companies to let go of colleagues who have been with them for a long time. But if it is necessary to secure the survival of the company and provide jobs for those staying on it must be done. Hopefully, when the crisis is finally over and the companies start to grow again then those people let go can come on board again.

Yes, it has been a challenge for all stakeholders, owners, management and employees and also the consultants brought on board. Therefore, our motto: “The economic crisis is a challenge, not a problem. Let us face it together” has worked well. And we expect it will continue to do so.

Dr. Jon Thorhallsson
Founder and Chief Consultant

Latvian and Lithuanian study visit to Reykjavik

Late September ECP International played a host to study group by specialists from companies UAB "IT Dizaino sprendimai" and UAB Investment Development Agency both from Lithuania and SIA Hospital Organiser from Latvia.

The purpose of the visit was to attend an e-health seminar, establishing network cooperation between Icelandic, Latvian, and Lithuanian business, health professionals, and authorities. The visit coincided with a visit by a team of doctors and nurses and IT specialists from Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Latvia www.stradini.lv

The study visit was a 2 day seminar hosted by Landspitali Clinical University Hospital in Reykjavik www.lsh.is , first day spent on getting acquainted and on management, organizational and financial issues. The second day was spent at the hospital itself visiting several hospital wards and discussing with Icelandic colleagues. During the seminars new project ideas were also dicussed. As ICT for Health, Ageing Well, Inclusion and Governance is high on EU agenda and funds are available for projects in this area (Information and Communication Policy Support Programme, 7th Framework Programme, Baltic Sea Region Programme, etc.). Seminar participants prepared blueprints for possible cooperation projects in the future.

The seminar was a success and opened the eyes of the Lithuanian and Latvian team for the importance of eHealth and also how to go about introducing eHealth in their countries. Lithuanian participants (representing consultancy companies UAB ,,IT dizaino sprendimai" and UAB Investment Development Agency) have already applied experience gained during the seminar consulting Lithuanian municipalities that are currently preparing regional e-health projects financed by EU structural funds.

The visit was supported by a grant from Nordic Baltic Mobility Programme Business and Industry www.norden.lv

1.10.2010

Press release

Reykjavik February 12 , 2008

Founder of ECP International - Honorary Member of the The Icelandic Society for Information Processing

On February 5, 2008 at General meeting of the Society, President Svana Helen Björnsdóttir announced that the Board had decided to make Dr. Jon Thorhallsson an Honorary Member of the Society for his contribution to Information Processing in Iceland and the development of the Information Society in Iceland.

The Icelandic Computer Society was established in 1968 and since then dedicated it’s activities to promoting computing into all spheres of business and everyday life. The Society strongly believed that computers would make Icelandic society truly global. Today, the society pays a lot of attention to international work, joint-projects, following the ways computes penetrate modern world.

Dr. Jon Thorhallsson was the president of the Society from 1979 to 1982. In her Laudatio the President mentioned Dr. Thorhallsson’s contributions as a CEO of Skyrr www.skyrr.is and also as a Professor at the University of Iceland. Also as a founder and chairman of ECP International.

International work of Dr. Jon Thorhallsson deserved a special appreciation of the Society members. As the President put it:” He belonged to the breed of Icelanders who had taken their expertise and know how abroad”. As a member of the Nordisk Data Union, NDU, and the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies, CEPIS, Dr. Jon Thorhallsson was promoting knowledge and Icelandic achievements in Information technologies.

The President also mentioned his consulting activities in the Baltic States, Russia and Africa and founding of a cluster of companies in Latvia to support Nordic Baltic know how transfer. These projects let Nordic experience work for the benefit of new EU members and develop European society in general.

Further info about The Icelandic Society for Information Processing seehttp://www.sky.is/

Riga
28.11.07

ECP international moves to new address and welcomes guests

Expansion of company activities demands expansion of business space.

Recently ECP International moved to new premises at Duntes Ozoli, Duntes iela 28, Suite 72, Riga LV-1005. This area is fast becoming the choice site of many businesses in Riga. ECP International is sharing the new premises with SIA KSG and SIA Hospital Organiser, both Nordic Latvian companies.

“With our developing business activities having a well located visiting address is an important part for our company growth. It also confirms our committment to the Latvian and Baltic market and our intention to stay there for the long run” said Dr. Jon Thorhallsson, CEO.

On November, 23 ECP International welcomed partners, collegues and friends at new premises, giving a reception. The company hopes that this new place will become a popular place for business meetings and informal communication.

Press Release

Reykjavik

15.01.07      

ECP joins international consulting community

In the sphere of management demands to the professionals growth as fast as the world economy spins up, leading companies have to keep in pace with the market to stay on top. Professionalism in management much depends on the quality of information provided by specialists.

European Consulting Partners has recently joined the Institute of Management Consultants - professional association, headquartered in USA, representing management consultants internationally. The areas of the IMC members’ expertise include accounting, finance, human resources, logistics, manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, research, and technology, extending across all industries. The association establishes professional and ethical standards and provides continuing education for the development of management consultants.

Every project in management consulting run by ECP implies client’s competence development therefore continuous self-education and professional training is an indispensable part of ECP consultants work. Professional resources and business networking available through membership in IMC are greatly valuable for ECP experts as a way to consulting expertise growth. IMC provides important educational and developmental opportunities for professional advance and this new knowledge will definitely work for the benefit of ECP current and perspective consulting projects. IMC sets high professional standards and with ECP being a member of this association all our clients will feel even more secure as being part of known class of competence, knowledge and professionalism.

Website:http://www.imcusa.org/

 Company profile:

European Consulting (ECP International) is a network of international partner consultants focusing on Information and Communications Technology and its application in various areas. All partner consultants have many years of experience in their field of specialization. The company operates worldwide, having partners and branch companies in Denmark, Germany, Latvia and Australia. ECP expertise constantly develops, offering our clients new possibilities for their business growth and optimization in the fields of information technology, public administration, marketing, management and investments.

Contacts: www.ecpint.com

Go to Latvia!

Breakfast meeting held in Reykjavik October 5, 2006

The meeting was organized by the Latvian Embassy in Iceland and the Icelandic Trade Council to promote business relationships between Iceland and Latvia. After welcome addresses from Mr. Maris Klišans, The Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia in Iceland and Mr. Jon Snorrason, Honorary Consul of Latvia in Iceland speakers from the Latvian Embassy and Latvian Investment and Development Agency presented Latvia and its business environment. They were followed by Icelandic speakers who spoke about their experience doing business in Latvia.

Dr. Jon Thorhallsson, CEO of ECP International Ltd and Chairman of SIA KSG, spoke about the ICT business environment in Latvia and opportunities for Icelandic companies and also about the positive experience by SIA KSG promoting business between Iceland and Latvia. He outlined various areas of opportunities for Icelandic ICT companies including out-sourcing of software development and setting up own subsidiaries or daughter companies in Latvia. In particular he felt that outsourcing was promising but under-explored business opportunity and explained how ECP International Ltd and SIA KSG could help. His presentation is attached for downloading.

ECP enters outsourcing  

This summer ECP has been running an outsourcing Pilot Project in Latvia in cooperation with its Latvian daughter company KSG. The project involved moving an existing business application to a new technical platform. The customer was an Icelandic company well established on its own market both domestically and also internationally. The company wanted to focus its technical resources on its own core products and selected outsourcing with ECP/KSG to upgrade one of its non-core products. In technical terms this was a very specialized programming work. But KSG through its extensive network managed to find highly qualified Latvians for the job.

With this Pilot Project ECP and KSG wanted to find answers to some key questions related to successful outsourcing:  

• How to manage the language barrier between Iceland and Latvia?  

• How to manage the geographical gap between the same?  

• How to manage the cultural gap between same?  

Regarding the language barrier a multilingual (Latvian, Russian, English) Project Manager with broad technical know-how managed the pilot from Latvia side. He managed the technical communication channel between the Icelandic customer and Latvian technical staff. On the Icelandic side a multilingual (English, Icelandic) project supervisor was in place to communicate with customer top management and oversee the project from the top.

The cultural gap as such was not a problem. The Latvians have some Nordic roots and they take a positive view towards anything Nordic. Attitudes and lifestyles are not that different from Icelandic ones and they adapt easily.

The geographical gap is 4 hours of flying and 2-3 hours in time difference. This gap was bridged by the Latvian Project Manager visiting the customer and extensive use of teleconferencing.

All in all the Pilot Project has been a success. Not only is the customer getting his product on a new modern technical platform without stressing his local technical resources, he is also getting it at a lower price.

ECP and KSG are encouraged by those results and are already in discussions on other software outsourcing projects.

Emergens merges with Inopis merges with Inopi

On August 1st Emergens ApS and Inopi AS merged under the name of Inopi AS.

Inopi AS is a Danish company with its offices in Copenhagen focusing on Electronic Document Management solutions and services. Emergens consulting staff have joined Inopi and will continue to service and support old Emergens customers. For more details on Inopi see www.inopi.dk

Inopi´s and Emergens´s service and product portfolios nicely complement each other with both companies focusing on Electronic Document Management solutions. New and creative solutions such as Marketing Campaign to plan, manage and control campaigns will help to sustain the company’s growth.

After the merger Inopi is a strong middle level player on the Danish market for Electronic Document Management. Both companies are GoPro Partners working for many public and private organisations.

Last year ECP International merged its Copenhagen office with Emergens under the name of Emergens. The merger of Emergens with Inopi is a further step towards creating a larger and more competitive operation.

ECP International wishes Inopi AS all the best.

Dr. Jon Thorhallsson
CEO