Back in the old days, the strategy for success was Ready, Aim, Fire... Over time, the philosophy evolved ... and Ready, Fire, Aim became the order of the day. In the New Economy, the only way to stay alive is to Fire, Fire, Fire.

In Pakistan, while it appears that we are in the grip of an Information Technology boom, we still have to light a fire that will, in turn, ignite our languishing economy.

The Internet has forever changed the way the world does business. eBusiness, in other countries, even India, is no longer something special, it is merely business as usual. To compete successfully in the digital economy, Pakistanis have to collectively switch gears and embrace an all new attitude.

Our nation is overcome by lethargy and depression. While there are many justifications for the prevailing state of mind, we have to make a concerted effort to snap out of our complacency and make a difference. The age-old excuses of "This is Pakistan. Great things happen only in America", are merely escape routes and we have to stop thinking negatively.

The New Economy is all about risks. The rules are being written as we speak and we have as much of a role to play in creating frameworks as any other developed countries. I recently attended India Internet World in Delhi and spoke to many young companies about their business models, curious about how they generate revenues. Several said that they they had no idea where the money was going to come from but they were confident that they would figure something out sooner or later. The worldwide dotcom shakeout has shown that there are still plenty of lessons to be learned. But we have to start somewhere.

The large pie in the sky is big enough for all of us. However, in Pakistan, we have so much ground to cover before we can hold our heads up high, that we need to focus on smaller pieces of the larger pie. Businesses and individuals need to share ideas, experiences, and knowledge and help each other cope with the technological learning curve. If we work together now and build collective strengths, it will not be long before each one of us can carve a special niche and capture legitimate market share.

Institutions of higher learning have a vital role to play in lighting the eBusiness spark. Our IT institutes offer a diverse range of skills-based courses and while graduates can talk about Java class files and APIs, they are unable to conduct targetted searches on the Internet, write systematic reports, or think analytically. Today, every IT institute offers a course in eCommerce but one look at the course content reveals the same story... ASP, SQL Server, VB Script and so on... It is essential for IT institutes and business schools to evolve their curriculum to keep in step with the real world. Creating an eBusiness depends upon a lot more than technical skills. Issues of interface design and usability, fundamentals of the New Economy, Branding and Advertising on the Internet, content, and the shift towards Customer Service are just some of the areas that need to be covered. In this age of alliances, it makes sense for IT Institutes and Business schools to team up and offer collaborative courses so that students are exposed to a diverse range of subjects and come into the industry more equipped to deal with everyday challenges. An example of a course offered in an Indian IT institute is "Setting up a dotcom and exiting gracefully".

To further the growth of Internet-based businesses, the local infrastructure needs rapid development. While software exports are key to the survival of the nation, it is also imperative for our own country to become equipped to deal with the Information Age. India moved mountains in the IT space because the industry took the initiative and came together at the right time, with little or no support from the Government.

The first step is for large and small organizations to voice their needs and work with educational institutions to identify requirements. All of us in the industry grumble and rant and rave about the poor quality of workers but do nothing to make the situation any better. We need to specify exactly what it is that graduates lack as well as clarify our expectations.

Moving on to the role of the financial sector ... venture capital and incubation services are essential ingredients of the New Economy. Young entrepreneurs need money and a great deal of support and guidance to kickstart eBusinesses. Venture capital firms need to be set up in abundance and more specifically, the kind that go beyond merely dishing out money. Incubators, in addition to providing financial support, assist in recruitment, legal issues, fine-tuning of the business model, and a range of other services. The IIT in Delhi has a venture capital fund sitting within the premises of the university so that students can get going right away.

The IT/Software Development sector obviously needs to earn its bread and butter and make a meaningful contribution to the economy and software exports are the best way to achieve this goal. However, for Pakistan to emerge as a key player in the Internet space, we need to make a concerted effort to develop software and services for local companies. We need to build communities and forums for discussion and to work together to make Pakistan more Internet savvy.

There are scores of Pakistani companies that can morph into hybrids offering services and products electronically as well as through traditional channels. There are a host of processes that can be redesigned or altered to work seamlessly and efficiently, saving time and money. It is the responsibility of the IT community to make these companies aware of the possibilities of the Internet and eBusiness and to offer consultation and development services to them, and not focus solely on international markets.

All that one asks of the Government is that they play the role of a facilitator and enabler. The IT Policy, while unprecedented, still lacks real implementation in a number of areas. For eBusiness to really take off, we require infrastructure, bandwidth, payment processing gateways, acceptability, cyberlaws ... The Government needs to provide frameworks and incentives for the private sector to become responsible for key areas of development and allow us to do what we do best. An enlightened Government is one that does not regulate everything since most regulation is a deterrent to growth and progress.

The Internet offers a huge opportunity for Pakistan... we have the tools, the access, and a vast number of talented young people who CAN make a difference. Collaboration, trust and a desire to change will not only light the eBiz spark but will prove to all the cynics out there that Pakistan has what it takes to win.