Picture: Ras Mykkal CD&P's Terrance Dean, who likes to sing, enjoyed being in the Salt Lake City, Utah spotlight A YOUNG Bermudian placed Bermuda at the forefront of information technology (IT) in Salt Lake City, Utah last month when he was invited to deliver two presentations at the international "Brainshare'' Conference attended by 8,000 delegates from around the world.

Terrance Dean, network supply technician with Conyers, Dill & Pearman (CD&P), says he felt nervous -- but honoured -- to be invited to teach a course to his own peers.

NOTING that Novell has the largest installed base in the world, Mr. Dean said the theme of the conference was "Widening the Network to One Need''.

"In other words, employing one system rather than several separate systems.

"It was great being able to talk to the experts in the field! "All the developers and innovators were there and were able to give very good detail.

"I got to see technology that is not even on sale yet.'' Explaining it was a five-day conference, Mr. Dean arrived three days prior to that to prepare for his moment in the conference limelight.

"I called my presentation `Enterprise Document Management' and altogether around 400 specialists attended my two sessions,'' he explained.

"My firm, which has branches in five countries, has one of the largest document libraries in the world and our document management system is used across 13 time zones.

"Those library documents are available to users -- within five or ten seconds -- in each of our offices, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"As a result of what we were doing, it was felt we should share that information with some of the other attendees at the conference.'' The month of March was a good one for Terrance Dean, as he also received his designation as a Certified Network Engineer.

The seven examinations, most of which were taken overseas, were sponsored by Conyers, Dill & Pearman.

The former Bermuda Institute student who, with the help of a scholarship from the computer department of Union College in Massachusetts, went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Economics from the Seventh Day Adventist Oakwood College in Alabama, says he has "always'' been interested in computers.

"I was in the very first class offered at the Institute in computer programming -- and I got the bug! I then went on to Atlantic Union College where I had my first experience in networking, with Novell Netware.

"That is the system used throughout Conyers, Dill & Pearman.

"Networking has very specific training and I decided to concentrate on that as a career.'' After qualifying, he returned to Bermuda and joined the law firm which today employs a total of 308 people, including 257 in Bermuda.

"I sent out resume ms when I came back from school, and CD&P contacted me within the week,'' he recalled.

"That was over six years ago, and I've been with them ever since.'' Beginning as a desk-top supporter, helping other staff with computer problems, he soon took on greater responsibilities.

"My job evolved into taking care of the resources and services on the network -- things such as the e-mail system, and the linking of all of our offices -- besides Bermuda, we are in London, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Guernsey.'' HE adds: "We prepare specifications as to capacity -- how much the system can handle -- and determine what size is needed for the number of people using those systems.'' Conyers, Dill & Pearman employs a total staff of eight in its IT section, with three (under manager Ken Siggins) in network support technology.

Mr. Dean's career option has already enabled him to travel quite extensively.

Besides going overseas to further his studies and to sit examinations, he has visited all the branches of CD&P.

It is essential, he pointed out, that all systems are compatible and on a world-wide level of operation.

When he is not immersed in the world of computers, the son of Archie and Patricia Dean likes to sing.

"I sing at the church in Southampton and also, in a men's sextet, where we sing gospel. I've always sung, which is strange, really, as I was always very shy.'' This young Bermudian, however, was not too shy to stand before an audience of hundreds of overseas specialists, to explain his firm's own application of information technology.