RSS |
 |
|
| F E A T U R E Most Valuable Readers Kyle Capps, Founder and CEO, Capco Communications, Austin, Texas | ||
| ||
October 2, 2000 He taught college and became manager of microcomputer technology at the University of North Texas in the late 1980s. In 1992, he joined the City of Austin, Texas, as division manager of network services. There, he helped construct a 288-mile fiber-optic network that connects seven governmental and educational entities. Today, his multimillion-dollar company resells Cisco, Lucent and Nortel products, and builds networks with as many as 4,000 nodes for schools, government and commercial accounts.
KC: Successfully leaving the public sector. NWC: Do you have any strategic regrets? KC: When I first went into business for myself, I sold Cabletron. I should have established relationships with Cisco or Bay Networks right away. NWC: How has your job changed in the past two years? KC: My time is consumed more with business issues, as opposed to technology, which has its ups and downs. I'm a techie by nature. NWC: How do you stay ahead of the technology curve? KC: We do a lot of training, though we tend not to go out on the leading edge of technology. We're more concerned with long-term viability of a product. But we look to the horizon to see how things may develop. NWC: How do you measure IT success? KC: It varies. In companies that utilize technology as a competing edge, like FedEx, you measure IT success by the bottom line. If you're dealing with a school district, it's the use of the Internet to enhance education. In government, success is measured by how organizations employ technology--do EMS and 911 systems operate smoothly, for instance? In the public sector, you look at service kiosks--those kinds of enhancements. NWC: Which one technology or tool has made your life easier? KC: New high-end fiber-fusion splicers. NWC: What has been your biggest disappointment, technologically? KC: The way some manufacturers ignore incumbent technologies within installed customer bases. NWC: Which is the smartest technology company out there? KC: The top companies all lend expertise in different areas. Cisco has innovative technologies in the video and data world. Nortel has innovative technologies in data and voice, as does Lucent--or should I say Avaya? NWC: What's the best disaster-recovery beverage? KC: Maalox. NWC: How many late-night pizzas does it take to deploy a new OS? KC: The number is irrelevant. You need a continuous stream.
| ||
