The new chief executive officer of Uniblue Systems Limited, one of Malta’s most successful ICT companies which serves international markets, would like to see more incentives that lead to the better exploitation of the opportunities for education and training in ICT in Malta.
PC sales are not declining but growth in this area has slowed
“There is a wealth of IT education available and we’d like to see the development of more incentives for individuals and companies to take advantage of this,” 45-year old Christopher Bolin told i-Tech just after taking over the Birkirkara-based company.
His background is in software development at startups including Prevx and some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley like Symantec; he was also chief technology officer at McAfee. He has had extensive exposure to all elements of product operations, business and technology strategy and organic and inorganic growth. This should give Mr Bolin, in his own words, “not only broad experience, but also a broad network of support.”
“I have 22 years experience building commercial software products in companies both large and small. I have ‘grown up’ in IT with the best-and-brightest in Silicon Valley and the UK.”
Uniblue Systems was launched in Malta by its Swedish founders in 2003 and over the last 10 years has established itself on the international scene for its products that enhance the PC’s performance and increase its security. Today it employs around 100 people, a mix of Maltese and foreigners, and is looking to expand the workforce.
Mr Bolin takes over Uniblue at a time when the popularity of mobile devices is rising fast at the expense of the traditional computer.
“PC sales are not declining but growth in this area has slowed. The amazing opportunity presented with tablet and mobile devices is the number and type of users has exploded faster than ever before. Mobile devices have shipped the number of units per year that it took annual PC sales 30 years to achieve.”
He concedes that adoption of Microsoft Windows 8, the latest version of the popular operation system, is slower than that of Windows 7, however, as new PCs are shipping with it ready installed it won’t be long till Windows 8 is the predominant operating system.
Uniblue’s products are certified for use with Windows 8 and for example, those wishing to upgrade to Windows 8 can benefit from running one of its products, Uniblue Powersuite, to prepare the machine for the new OS first.
Uniblue’s main products are related to tuning-up of computers, something which users are keen to do.
“Judging by our sales and search terms for users frustrated with their PC’s performance, users are aware. Consumers want to have the best performance for the least cost. Our products help them do that. As consumers use their PCs for more and more, even better performance is required. This is good news for us.”
Even the international financial crisis was, in a way, good news for Uniblue as organisations sought to maximise their existing infrastructure.
“The nature of or products – which optimise the performance and extend the life of PCs – meant that consumers wanted to maximise their investment in their PC and not replace them. Our products are designed with the intention of improving the experience and performance of any PC - new or old.”
Under the new CEO, Uniblue is set to venture into the new exciting market of mobile devices.
“We have remained successful because we deliver products that help consumers maximise their use of technology. To date this has been in the largest section of the market – PCs – now, other segments are growing and consumers are experiencing pain – which we are planning to address with new products,” concluded Mr Bolin.