An interview with Noel Meylan, who shares his perspective on the digital transformation of small and medium-sized businesses.

Soluware was founded in 2006 and moved to the canton of Neuchâtel in February 2020. Soluware is an IT company specializing in comprehensive support for small and medium-sized businesses.

How do you see digital tools for small and medium-sized businesses evolving?

Back when the very first computers were introduced, they were used for word processing. Later, computers made it possible to perform calculations, using Excel, for example. However, communication still took place by phone or fax. Then came email, which enabled real-time communication.
Microsoft Teams clearly reflects the evolution not only of tools but also of how work is done within small and medium-sized businesses. Today, in an agile company, work is organized into project teams with a relatively flat hierarchy.
With Teams, all files, communications, and meetings are integrated into a single tool . Managing work through teams truly represents a major organizational shift.

How does Soluware stand out from other IT companies?

I’ll stick with the example of Teams. For many people, it’s just another version of Skype, when in fact its capabilities are much broader. At Soluware, we provide IT solutions and support the organizational change that goes hand in hand with them. We aim to serve as the IT department for our clients who cannot afford to hire a Chief Information Officer (CIO). This role has become increasingly important in multinational companies, for example, where a CIO is now invariably a member of senior management. It’s a strategic role. We want to serve as an external CIO to help SMEs become more IT-savvy.
For the past three years, we have been collaborating with Easi in Belgium, a company with which we share the same philosophy. In fact, Easi became a shareholder in our company in 2019.

What do you think about the pace at which companies are going digital?

I think SME owners are extremely adaptable; this has become clear during the COVID-19 crisis. Over the past six months, companies have made three years’ worth of progress in terms of digital transformation. In my view, 90% of SMEs are in the process of equipping themselves with the right tools to work remotely and as a team.

What are the challenges facing Soluware?

We want to find clients who understand the value we bring. Our challenge is to help them understand that IT organization offers real potential for agility and productivity—and therefore revenue.
More generally, Soluware is at a turning point; in September, we launched the Adfinity financial management software in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. There are perhaps a dozen companies in Switzerland offering this type of software. Our goal is to triple our size by 2025 (we currently have ten employees).