Southport Data Systems
If you thought the paperless society would never materialize, think again. Through its scanning and imaging services, Southport could help your company realize the archiving benefits of storing images rather than large volumes of paper.
Ray South – president, founder and owner of Southport Data Systems – is a true business pioneer. Some years ago, having worked in information processing with several large corporations, he perceived an opportunity to revolutionize image scanning and data transmission. The result was a prototype software that would transform the business of data processing, saving companies time and money.
His solution was to scan the documents and transmit the data, rather than needlessly ship piles of paper back and forth all over the world. He approached American Express with his radical new idea – to outsource credit card applications overseas at a low price, yet process them in the same time frame as if the work was being done locally. When the pilot scheme proved a major success for Amex, Southport was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Data: a company’s most valuable asset
That was 15 years ago, and how rapidly the IT sector has evolved since then. “Data is the lifeblood of any organization today,” says South. “When a company asks us to handle their data, they are trusting us with their most valuable asset. For our part, that trust demands accuracy, reliability and, most importantly, security – an absolute ‘must’ in today’s fast changing business environment.” This rapid change, he says, is Southport’s biggest challenge. “We must constantly monitor our systems and modify our services to replace those that are on the way out. When Southport started in 1990, we handled 20,000 to 30,000 credit card applications a day – manually! Now most applications are online. “Because the internet is constantly changing the way business is done, we at Southport must constantly improve our services to accommodate the new technology.”
What’s on the Southport menu?
As a complete provider of data conversion and database services, Southport’s staff
are experts in data entry, image conversion, survey processing, OCR-OMR conversion, document image management systems, web hosting, fulfilment services, and medical and legal transcriptions. Over the years, the company has built up a diverse clientele – from government departments, insurance companies and banking institutions to publishing houses and retail groups.
A world of change
While most of Southport’s customers are in Canada, the USA and the UK, much of the work is outsourced, mainly to Jamaica and the Phillipines. And while some cynics might regard this as exporting jobs from Canada, South sees it differently. “In these days of high-speed telecommunications, it doesn’t matter where the work is done. Every developing country is looking for a piece of the outsourcing action. We are sending much needed work to some underdeveloped countries, and this is helping the local people to build their national self-esteem and to improve their own country’s bottom line. The work involves mainly data entry for eight hours straight, and many North Americans simply aren’t interested in what they perceive as such low level work. Confidential high tech projects are performed locally in Markham. At the same time, new types of higher level jobs are being created here in North America. So everybody wins. It’s simply a matter of good business.”
A real community man
A highly motivated and ethical individual, Ray South is determined to give something back to the community that has supported him over the years. Referring to Markham as “the computer centre of Toronto,” he employs a full-time staff of 60, with up to 120 part-timers being taken on at peak times of the year. Many of these are students, because South likes the idea of bringing young people in and encouraging them to work their way up. “We try to help students, especially those who are disadvantaged or less privileged.” South is
also currently working to establish a scholarship program.
What’s next?
Looking ahead to the next five years, South predicts further growth for Southport – through amalgamation with non-competitive companies, as well as organic growth through service expansion.
Southport Data Systems
2820 14th Avenue, Suite 100, Markham, ON L3R 0S9
www.southportdata.com
Tel: 905.940.0190, 800.281.9732
Fax: 905.940.0192
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
