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Thursday 17th May 2012


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 Company: Director: Virtual IT Direction
"[Make] IT more accessible and understandable to users and business owners – making IT deliver real business benefits, not simply IT benefits. "

Describe your background and how you got into IT

I graduated with a Masters in History in the early nineties, never really benefitting from IT (or really understanding it). I began working for the civil service as a training manual writer, and one day they asked me if I wanted to run some training. I grabbed the chance to get out from behind my desk and took to it like a duck to water. I spent the next 7 years at a private sector training company running IT Training courses, and managing IT Training Centres around the UK. I then moved into a recruitment business to take care of their CRM system and website. The business had no real IT function and so I developed the IT Department from scratch. The implementation was so successful that the sales force boarded figures increased by £3,000 per person per month.  I put my team forward for Computing’s IT Department of the year award, and…. won!  I was then head hunted into another recruitment firm to be IT / Operations Director. I have my own business www.barclayjones.com and am an IT Strategist delivering impartial, practical and strategic advice on how to use technology to grow your business.

What do you like best about working in IT?

My business strap line is “Your bridge between business growth and IT” and I believe passionately in achieving that for my clients.  I love making IT more accessible and understandable to users and business owners – making IT deliver real business benefits, not simply IT benefits.

Why did you choose a career in IT in the first place?

I totally fell into it, and in love with it!.

What have been the highlights of your career so far?

Winning Computing’s IT Department of the Year Award.  I have created a very successful business and gained respect from some of the big players in industry within a very male dominated environment.


What are your career aspirations?

To further grow and develop my dynamic team trading on my established reputation of being a business professional who harnesses IT to deliver business goals.
 

What are your tips for success?

Persevere and don’t be bogged down by the often male-led environment that IT is (at the moment) – focus on IT simply being a utility that the business uses to deliver – IT is not there for it’s own benefit – it is a business enabler AND a business driver.

How important do think your education or background has been in influencing your career choices?

Very – all of my jobs / career choices have enabled me to achieve what I am achieving now and have given me the confidence and the business skills necessary to run my own business and advise businesses of all sizes and sectors in their use of technology.

Do you think it might have been a different story, of "how you got to where you are now", if you'd been a man?

Sometimes I think so, but generally I find that people are refreshed by meeting a woman in the technology sector.

Tell us a little about your life outside of work

I have a gorgeous two year old son, and a very supportive husband who is also an IT Strategist and my business partner.  I have a very full and rewarding life – I’ll try anything once and never regret a thing!  I love to cook, run, go to the cinema, travel (when I have the time) and love working with new people and expanding my network. (I admit, I am also a gadget freak!)

What do you think could be done to actively encourage more women to join the technology market place in general?

Make IT more accessible as a topic – remove the cloak and dagger environment that makes it a very intimidating space to work in.  When I was at secondary school,. IT was very much a subject taken by boys – I hear that this is changing, but of course it will take a few years to filter to the working environment.

If you could give young women looking for a position in the IT market place a single piece of advice what would it be?

Just do it – and be business-focussed, not IT-focussed – decision makers love IT solutions that that they:
1) understand:
2) they can see will deliver business benefits.
And don’t be afraid to shout about what you achieve – no-one will do that on your behalf!
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