Hot Seat: Alan Ovenden

What was your first job and how did you get into IT?
My first job was as an electronics engineer. I was working on a processor board that I thought should be able to boot CP/M. In my spare time I ported a Bios and as soon as the A: prompt appeared on the screen, I was hooked.

Which IT vendor do you think has been the most influential in the past 20 years?
For all its detractors, it has to be Microsoft. It almost single-handedly brought computing to the masses.

And which IT professional?
Whitfield Diffie, the pioneer of public-key cryptography.

Is there any piece of tech legislation that will have an effect on your business?
Almost all tech legislation has an effect on our business as an IT and telecoms contractor provider. It normally provides increased demand, often short term, for staff in the industry.

Which mobile device do you currently use?
I recently admitted defeat and invested in a BlackBerry.

How often do you check it?
As often as is convenient, which can be anything from every few minutes to once a day.

What technology would you save in a fire?
My phone, because it would be a springboard from which to recover everything else.

If you were not in IT, what would you be doing?
Probably working in electronic design, although I have always wanted to be a forensic scientist.

Which technology would you most like to have invented?
The transistor, the basis of all modern technology.