Frances Russell

Frances Russell
Director
Atomic IT Solutions

I am one of three directors of a small company called Atomic IT. We provide IT services ranging from full out-sourced IT management and support through to development projects, auditing, planning and integration services. Our clients range from very small companies through to large corporates, government departments, schools and colleges.

I became interested in IT (particularly networking) when I was teaching Computing Studies in High Schools. I studied computing in my first degree (B Ed) and ended up heavily involved in the early days of computers in schools in the early 1990's.

As Computer Co-odinator, Head Teacher and then Deputy Principal in various High Schools, my main job was education management, but one of my other responsibilities was always technology. I spent many weekends and nights pulling cable runs through roof spaces, fixing PCs, managing servers and helping both my own and other schools to plan and implement technology.

I made the break with education at the end of 1999, worked for a few years in various roles which gave me experience in the commercial world, then struck out on my own: I wanted to build an IT service company that would meet what I saw as a real need in the market place - service that does what it says it will.

I had two main reasons for choosing to study at UTS. First; I wanted to establish my own professional standing by gaining a well recognised qualification. Second; I was (and still am) very time poor, so I don't have time for waffle. I looked at a number of postgraduate courses in IT and it was the UTS Master of Science in Internetworking that I thought would give me what I wanted in a course that combines academic rigour with actual industry contact.

Studying at UTS has helped me to develop my understanding of how to systematize my own business and has broadened my reach by providing me with access to areas I would not otherwise have been able to experience. My experience has been very positive. Lecturers have real, current industry experience as well as interesting and relevant research profiles. They are not only very skilled, but encouraging and flexible - willing to accommodate me when I wanted to do something a little different. UTS is a creative, dynamic environment that encourages innovation and excellence while maintaining high standards.

UTS has also offered me opportunities such sponsorship by the Computer Systems Department to attend the Australian Women in IT Conference in Adelaide in December 2006. It was a great honour and in keeping with my experience of UTS where I have always felt encouraged to expand my horizons.

The most interesting project in my working career so far has been building my own IT business. I started out probably the wrong way - as a technician. Over the last few years I've come to learn that it is understanding how to manage a business that makes or breaks a company and that being a technician isn't enough.

My plans for the future? My company is still very small and our plan is to grow the current half a dozen staff to many times that size. In addition, I have the germ of an idea for a research project that I would like to pursue and I would like to develop my own academic experiences as well. As a teacher from way-back, I have thought about getting back to that again in some way, maybe in a tertiary environment I could contribute my current experience in the IT world. UTS would be a good environment to play out that goal.