The voice of the channel

Lowe graduated from Sydney University with an Arts Degree in the 1970s and then went on to become a high school teacher.

She was introduced to computers through the education board and her partner, Ken Lowe director of ASI – who has a background in science and technology – also taught with her at the same high school. In the early 1980’s both high school teachers threw their red markers away and their books in the air and took the plunge into IT.

“From the moment my partner dragged me into the computer business, I was literally drawn in. My educational background is a university degree in a humanities type subject. Then I was a teacher – while I was doing that I was studying Opera at the Conservatorium of Sydney,” says Lowe.

“I was singing Opera Chorus in the Australian Opera and doing gigs at pubs and clubs. However the moment I moved into IT, I gave up my singing career.”

The Lowes called their business Anabelle Bits - this is still the trading name - however over the years, the company has become known as ASI Solutions.

The company was originally designed to be a wholesale distribution business, this changed with the times and company now is known as a systems integrator and box builder. “We literally started the company by getting on a modem and finding suppliers overseas and talking to them over the modem. Back then all IT distribution was coming out of Taiwan and US. China, Malaysia, Singapore didn’t come in to the market yet,” she says.

“Back then were a lot of trips overseas, because we had to have of face-to-face meetings. We no longer need to take trip overseas these days it’s so easy to talk 24 hrs a day.

Lowe says the way the company sources clients hasn’t changed, a lot of business is still sourced through the Internet. She said ASI now has clientele in Germany, Israel and US.

Although she doesn’t have any formal university qualifications in IT, Lowe continually trains herself and feels she is in no way disadvantaged by her lack of formal IT qualifications. “It’s been more interesting learning along the way. I look at companies in the industry and study closely what they have done and how long they have stayed in one place,” she says.

She spends a lot of time with key vendors - even after 20 years - Lowe says she needs to be up to date with where IT is heading and also the use of technology and what it delivers. Learning from vendors about technology and what they are selling to ASI Solutions has been valuable to her education process.

“I am also an industry association member. I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce which looks at State and regional developments in trying to grow a business. I am on the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) one of the peak bodies representing the IT industry,” she says.

“I have trained up on maintaining a business by attending as many educational seminars as I can. Learning about the growth of business and anything on human resources to marketing to planning business, helps me to run ASI Solutions,” she says.

Lowe has seen many changes throughout the years and she believes the pace of change in IT is a lot faster, flexible and more nimble. She says the approach from clients is more “here is my product” as opposed to getting to know a client.

“I suppose getting to know the client is not that important anymore. I think we use to have a greater sense of fun working hard and playing hard - if there’s a party on I like to attend.

The sense of fun in the industry is still there, but not the very strong relationships between suppliers and staff. A lot of budget cuts in the industry have changed the dynamics of a working relationship - in the past these were a lot if stronger,” says Lowe.