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By Tony Hallett, 4 December 2006 17:15

COMMENT

I found myself standing at arrivals at Gatwick Airport yesterday morning, waiting for the in-laws to get in from the US on an overnight flight. Eyeing a nearby WHSmith I did what dozens do everyday and purchased a mix of the newspapers - you know, so my father-in-law could get a 'flavour' for the local goings-on.

Apart from the fact that one or two stories from over here have played pretty big over there (think Russian spy poisonings rather than the Ashes), it was about five minutes before I got buried in The Sunday Times annual Fast Track 100 ranking.

I don't always look out for this poll - the advance press releases from all manner of tech companies included can put me off - but like it or not it is a pretty good barometer of where growing business success is coming from.

The paper itself makes the point that in the 10 years it has run the Fast Track 100 areas such as tech, recruitment and other sundry business services have performed well. No one needs to be told the UK, with a handful of major exceptions, is primarily a services-based economy now. (Though some find it a surprise that we lead the world in areas such accountancy, advertising, law and some more professional services besides.) But of note was the way nearly all those featured use tech well.

It sounds like a no-brainer. But too few older companies have embraced IT and the internet, especially.

It's interesting that so many fast-growing start-ups in the UK today classified as tech plays actually take the pain out of something far more analogue - for example the paperwork that IT contractors must now negotiate, as in the case of this year's top pick, Actinium - while many more old school-style companies rely on bits and bytes for their edge, whether retailers, manufacturers, financial services firms or others.

These are the companies I'm more interested in and why I never get upset in the same way as those lamenting the lack of a British Microsoft, IBM or SAP.

Another company in that top tier is HP and finally I've gotten around to reading the Carly Fiorina biography. OK, I've had a few distractions this past month but next time in this blog I look forward to sharing one or two observations.