About

Old Floppy

When drainpipes ruled and disks were floppy!

My first posting was in London's financial district and working in a moneymarket brokerage firm as only one of three IT staff that covered over 600 dealing staff

We had to deal with large IBM 80x80 machines with five and a quarter inch disks on a cabling system that ran under the floor that would ensure that if anyone wanted to move desks, it involved at least five engineers and a few hours of overtime.

Into the unknown!

As the 1990s unfolded, the landscape of both technology and banking underwent a transformative shift. Gone were the days of open-cry trading, replaced instead by the rapid adoption of computerized trading and matching systems. This paradigm shift propelled Information Technology (IT) to the forefront of trading technology.

In response, our IT departments experienced significant expansion and our roles became increasingly specialised.  Operating within a predominantly Unix/Windows environment, we bid farewell to the earlier Novel/DOS machines in favour of the robust capabilities offered by x86 processors and the emerging dominance of Microsoft in the corporate environment. Moreover, the advent of VB programming languages facilitated the development of bespoke, on-the-fly applications tailored to streamline data manipulation and trading operations with unparalleled efficiency.
NY Trading Floor
Banksy Girl

Y2K

Rolling into 2000, trading and technology were bedfellows.

By now the IT department probably had more sway than the actual trading desks, for sure there were more of us.


The market came tumbling down around 2008 and along with the change in the city would undoubtedly experience, I left the city after nearly fifteen years. 

New Direction

I started an ambitious project in Mexico to build and run my own hotel and dive center. It was part vanity project, part prospecting. I saw the potential for growth of the area I chose and there was a gaping market for affordable, good-quality hotel accommodation.

I saw the lack of technical ability in the area and just knew I could make a difference. Competitors rarely had websites. So I set about creating my first website in raw html, designing a bespoke state of the art front of house system, automated booking channels and dynamic pricing strategies.

We were a huge success and it wasn't long before we were #1 on Tripadvisor in the region out of 400+ hotels.

Today

My primary concern now is my company, Ormtek.com where I help small to medium sized businesses take on and migrate to Microsoft 365 cloud environments. 
I still help small businesses and personal brands build out their web-presence through social media and web sites.
I don't accept that technology should be there to hinder or halt your progress or journey, it was designed and invented, to help. So if you're finding the hurdles a little much, if the thought of building a brand through your own website or establishing your company and reducing operational friction, but don't know where to start, send me a message. Let me help you get up and running and in front of the competition.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

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