Uber and AirBnB demonstrate 'disruptive' effect of SMBs in technology sector

Fujitsu's Michael Keegan urges SMEs to demonstrate how they can help provide better services as government becomes more open to using them

"Disruptive" technology companies like Uber and Airbnb should act as examples to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) as to how to be innovative and provide customers with a good-value, useful service.

That's according to Michael Keegan, chairman of the UK & Ireland region for Fujitsu, who made the comments at a recent TechUK event to mark the launch of a report that calls for more help for SMBs using the government's G-Cloud procurement service.

Keegan argued that the technology is "part of the answer" when it comes to government providing better, more cost-efficient services and that now more than ever, the government is ready to listen.

"We're finding the government is much more open and prepared to countenance things they wouldn't countenance in the past," he said.

However, Keegan argued that SMBs need to demonstrate they're capable of disruption by going out and doing things, rather than waiting for the government to dictate what needs to be done.

"It's up to the SMBs. If you're going to disrupt, you've got to go and disrupt and you can't expect government to do your job for you," he explained.

"What we do know is there are some great disruptors out there; we've only got to look at the likes of Uber or Airbnb to see how those models have been very successful at disrupting to provide added value for consumers of a service," he said.

"That level of disruption is good, is healthy, that's the natural way of things in the IT industry and I think government's more interested than ever before in listening," Keegan added.

Keegan also argued that large IT companies need to collaborate with small and medium-sized technology providers in order to truly drive innovation in the sector.

"Collaboration is absolutely vital in the IT industry because no one company - including the likes of Fujitsu, IBM, CapGemini or Atos - has all the answers or has the monopoly on good ideas," he said.