Bermuda's leading computer consulting company could ensure future e-startups get a reality check early on and do not nose-dive into failure, according to company's president.

Rob Salmon, president of Independent Consulting Solutions (ICS) said many e-commerce startups have failed in the past because the technology used was too advanced for the marketplace or the technology simply did not exist to put it into effect.

But now the people with the ideas are going to companies like his to find out if they will work on a technological basis well before they seek funding.

And ICS, which has been in business on the Island for ten years, can now help these entrepreneurs build working models to take to venture capital firms to show they can work.

"A lot of people went into e-commerce too quickly and technology could not keep up,'' he said.

And the advent of the newer business-to-business (B2B) trading brought up more complex issues of security and trust on-line.

"People are now coming to us in the start-up phase. What we have had in e-commerce is a bit of a false start. A lot of times people have a great idea, but don't have a working model.

"We can take an idea and tell them whether it is workable or not and if it is, we can build a prototype to help them get funding. Somebody can have an idea that is really too far out into space, and we can be a kind of technological touch stone, a reality check, if you like.

"You can't force technology on people if they are not ready for it.'' But ICS does not only work with the new whiz kids on the block, but also established companies and smaller businesses.

"We can work with any size of company from a mom and pop shop looking for a simple firewall to global e-commerce companies looking for a solution to a complex problem,'' he said.

"A lot of the e-commerce companies are from onshore businesses coming offshore to host. The first thing they do is incorporate, so they get an accounting firm and a lawyer. The second is to look for a technical partner, and we have positioned ourselves to be in pole position.'' And he said while there are companies that provide most of what his company does elsewhere on-Island, he says ICS is the only place where a company can come to sort out all its technological needs.

"We are the first on the Island to do this,'' he said. "We do not sell hardware or software, so we are objective. We are the first consulting company in Bermuda for technology.

"Our business proposition and value add to companies on-island is getting stronger and stronger as we move even closer to being Bermuda's only truly world-class IT (information technology) consulting company.'' Last week ICS launched a new securities division which will mean the Bermuda company will be able to give independent advice on leading Internet trust and securities companies such as VeriSign, Nokia, ISS and Check Point.

And Mr. Salmon says he believes the new securities system will allow companies wanting to become e-businesses to get the best advice about what will protect them and their systems from hackers.

"We have spent the last year researching the world's leading Internet trust and security companies to bring together the best of the best,'' said Mr.

Salmon. "ICS will be taking a holistic approach to security. We do not plan to focus on one specific technical problem. Instead we will create an across-the-board solution tailored for each company.

"We have spent a significant amount of time piecing together this division having watched very carefully the security marketplace here in Bermuda. We have listened at length to the needs of international and local companies and have for some time now been advising some major local organisations.''