What is TMB? Technology Means Business is the industry standard accreditation for those providing integrated business and information and communications technology (ICT) advice to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The right advice Technology Means Business has established a national register of accredited advisers who are dedicated to helping companies with all aspects of ICT understanding and operation. This is a service that takes away the confusion over who can help. Businesses can select an adviser by region and specialisation, and can be confident that the adviser will give realistic, up-to-date advice in line with business needs.
Full detail of the features and benefits of Technology Means Business can be read here |
How did Technology Means Business Develop?
The TMB programme was launched by the then e-Commerce Minister Patricia Hewitt MP in 2000 following the publication of the DTI's Competitiveness White Paper which called for a national IT Business Advisers accreditation programme. Research had been undertaken by the Durham Business School (Mind the Gap ISBN 857731816) and the Institute of Management (now the Chartered Management Institute) and the TMB standard was developed to address the problem of poor support being offered to UK SME's. The knock-on effect of this was (and continues to be), poor IT adoption by the SME's and a lack of competitiveness in the global arena. Founding and current partners/supporters include members of the private, academic and public sectors and consist of, among others, BT, Microsoft, Intel, HP, Club UK Online, Business Link for London, Business Link South Yorkshire and Thanet Business Centre, Small Business Service, IAAITC, Scottish Enterprise, Yorkshire Forward, Durham Business School, the University of Glamorgan, the University of Central Lancashire, the Sunday Times Enterprise Network, Advantage West Midlands, the South West Regional Development Agency, the Welsh Development Agency and McAfee. During 2004, custodianship of the TMB standard transferred to the IT Forum Foundation of which InterForum and the National e-Commerce Awards programme (run in partnership with the DTI) are key constituents. The aim is to roll out the underpinning ethos of TMB to the wider Business IT support community in the UK. The ITFF manages the TMB standard through the 'TMB Agency'.
The Aspirations of Technology Means Business
The TMB standard will reflect the constantly changing landscape of the Business IT professional at three distinct levels:
Development of the TMB standard based upon competent academic research and practical experience together with rigorous accreditation and re-accreditation methods will ensure that UK SME's continue to receive competent Business IT advice and thus improve their competitiveness.
Scope of the programme
Technology Means Business was developed following a call from Government and leading technology companies to improve the quality and consistency of advice received by small businesses. It is an organisation within the I T Forum Foundation and supported by the DTI, under the UK Online for Business initiative and by four founding sponsors: BT, Compaq, Intel and Microsoft.
Both DTI and Chartered Management Institute research, conducted in 1997 and 2000, concluded that SMEs were failing to utilise ICT effectively. Many respondents claimed they still had difficulty in finding good external help to solve their ICT issues. First proposed in December 1998 in the DTI's Competitiveness White Paper, the programme is part of the broader DTI UK Online for Business initiative, which aims to encourage greater uptake and usage of ICT among SMEs. The programme is a recognition of the fact that SMEs turn to a variety of sources for advice on the implementation of ICT solutions to business problems, such as banks, accountants, ICT re-sellers, independent business and ICT advisers, as well as local Business Link and UK Online for Business advisers.
|