Discussion Points

• With the advent of B&B - not bed and breakfast, but broadband and browsers - information technology (IT) for small and medium size businesses can be on tap, paid only by the drink, just like water or electrical utility.

• Pre-B&B IT players - i.e. the established hardware, software, and services vendors - have huge investment in non-utility products, market- and mind-share. They pay lip service to IT as utility, but keep selling traditional wares.

• These players are further helped by in house IT, who for the most part lose the reason to exist with the advent of utility IT. They are well aware that firms like Sleeper Sewell or Compass Bank would never build their own electrical power plant.

• Combined interests of pre-B&B players and in-house IT are trying to keep new reality of IT as utility at bay.

• Detroit and their Japanese and German brethren managed to prevent the technologically superior Wankel engine from overtaking their reciprocating standard, eradicating many billions of their investment. Pre-B&B IT players will not manage to repeat this, as a host of 21st century players have already successfully entered the arena on their own, armed with the B&B core genetic blueprint.

Prior to the launch of Rajko Associates, Ray Miles was president of Communications Services, a $1B P&L line of EDS.  In Texas Instruments, Miles led an emerging business for broadband convergence platforms; managed development of TI’s software products strategy; broadband set-top alliance with Deutsche Telekom, Sun, Cadence; and numerous technology alliances with industry and academia.

 In British Telecom in the U.K., Miles helped set up telecom JVs in Italy with Berlusconi’s FinInvest and ENI; and managed speech services alliances with blue chips.  As a Senior Research Fellow he was involved with BPR and development of BT’s core IT systems; led outsourcing to Central and Eastern Europe; and founded BT’s Top Gun Software Design College. 

Prior to fleeing the 1992 Bosnian war, Miles led marketing and engineering for the embedded systems division of a $2B Sarajevo-based Energoinvest conglomerate, winning 60% market share and driving export Russia and Asia.  In parallel, he was a principal IT advisor to Yugoslav military; and a professor of computer science.

Miles serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee (post Sarbanes-Oxley) of Forgent (Nasdaq:  FORG), Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Dallas; on the American Council on Germany; on the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations; as a StarTech mentor for start-ups; as a Mentor at the SMU Cox School of Business; on the Boards of St.Mark’s and Hockaday schools parents associations.

Miles lived in six, and conducted business in couple dozen countries.  He speaks English, Russian, French, and Bosniak/ Croatian/Serbian.  He degrees include MBA (SMU), PhD CSc, and Lt. Navy.

 He served on the Board of Directors of MCC; on the Governing Board of the University of Sarajevo; on a number of IEEE and other professional committees.  Miles authored 10 granted or pending U.S. patents and 15 patents abroad; IEEE standards; four books; and numerous papers. 

Ray lives in Plano, TX with his wife Jane - M.D. with the UT Southwestern in Dallas, daughter Tanya - senior in the Hockaday School, and son Alex - 5^th grader in St.Mark’s School of Texas.