Digitization of a Nation is a colorful 4-part series highlighting the paperless technology journey of a developing country from concept to reality over a 15-year span.

<< Read Part One

<< Read Part Two

The summer of 2009 was a period of change. I had just turned 34, our first child was born, and I had accepted a new position as VP of Sales for MTS Software Solutions Inc. As detailed in Digitization of a Nation Part 2: The Implementation, I had chosen MTS to implement and support the Fortis/DocuWare solution among many other partners in the WTI ecosystem. The Belize initiative provided the opportunity to get closer to MTS’ management and understand the company’s goals to support change and growth. At that time, I had spent the previous five years as a partner manager for WTI and was ready for the additional responsibility and strategic alignment the MTS position would provide. 

 As previously noted in Part 2, the IMMARBE implementation was smooth and successful under the leadership of Manrique Vellos and his team. We built a solid solution that continued to evolve over the years to align with IMMARBE’s technology charter and provide significant value. IMMARBE had close ties to Belize Bank, a premier Belizean financial institution headquartered in Belize City. The good work completed for IMMARBE translated into another Fortis, now DocuWare, ECM solution to accommodate the loan operations workflow for the Bank, yielding a second outstanding and longstanding client in Belize. 

 I spent five memorable years with MTS, managing the MTS sales and marketing team and getting to know the MTS clients. At the time I left MTS in 2014, I had no idea that I would come back in the summer of 2019 as a consultant working under the MTS brand. From 2014 to 2019, I created DatumCloud, an Integration Platform as a Service (IPAAS) company, and its flagship product, DatumSync (now owned by ISW). I also started O-Consulting, a consulting services firm that helped dozens of companies grow.  

 The re-engagement with MTS in 2019 via an O-Consulting contract was serendipitous. MTS ownership, the same ownership I had previously served, was looking to sell the software division of the company after a successful 40-year run. My part-time role was to manage and grow many of the same long-term clients, and I was thrilled to be reinvested with IMMARBE, Belize Bank, and many others. After a five-year entrepreneurial journey, it was comforting to return to a role I knew well with an organization I deeply respected. Ross Smith, Principal, President, and CEO, assembled a terrific Partner team to acquire MTS’ software business, which was successfully concluded in the summer of 2021, creating Initium Softworks (ISW). I am honored to be an active partner with such a talented and committed team at ISW. 

Early in my career, I recall the fear of Y2K and the uncertainty it brought. Fast forward twenty years later to January 2020, where a mysterious virus first reported in China was making people very sick. None of us knew it would become a deadly pandemic that would disrupt the world and everyday life over a two-year period. 

The pandemic created immense challenges as at-risk individuals fought for their lives and businesses fought to maintain resources and payroll. These were unsettling times, with advice to convert assets to gold and prepare for a potential collapse of the global economy. 

We all know how the pandemic played out. From an MTS/ISW standpoint, organizations leveraged our automation solutions to enable and enhance the Work From Home (WFH) initiative. Belize, as a developing country, had fewer resources to manage the crisis, but all ISW clients successfully navigated the pandemic. Impressively, IMMARBE reported zero downtime in productivity and operations. 

In February 2022, I traveled back to Belize to interview my old friend Manrique Vellos in support of this series. Manrique remained the curator of our solution despite his promotions. I was grateful to travel to Belize and get a first-hand perspective of how our software solution helped manage the organization during the pandemic. 

During the morning of the interview, I reflected on how much my life had changed since my first trip to Belize in 2007. Technology had evolved considerably, and I felt I had evolved with it. I thought back to the late 1990s when my career was just starting and how challenging those first five years were. I was grateful for my current position and the journey that remains ongoing. 

Manrique was well-prepared for the interview, discussing how critical the DocuWare solution was to IMMARBE and Belize during the pandemic. IMMARBE maintained critical KPIs, and all personnel effectively worked from home. Belizean ships continued to operate in international waters, providing necessary imports. IMMARBE’s productivity was recognized by the Belizean National Government. 

I was introduced to Yuri Alpuche, an experienced and passionate process automation and digitization consultant. Yuri, owner of Elevate Consulting, had significant experience working with the Belizean government on implementing technology. Importantly, Yuri had unique experience in change management, helping people adopt and use technology. Technology is meaningless if people don’t adopt it. Meeting Yuri proved invaluable in providing our technology directly to the Belizean Government. 

The interviews with Manrique and meeting Yuri enabled me to capture this story from the early days up until now. Stay tuned for Part 4 of the series, focusing on the trials and tribulations of working with the national government in a developing country. 

About the Author

Owen O’Connor is a career Content Services and ECM (Enterprise Content Management) consultant and practitioner, starting in the profession out of college in the late 1990’s. His ECM career has taken him all over the U.S., and more than 15 countries worldwide. Owen lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife Jaime, 4 children, and dog, Sevvie.