Imagine, Build, Deliver: Melbourne-based PAN Software, Developer of the RiskWare Platform, Keeps Pace with Rapid Innovation

Whether you are a small business, a large corporate or a government organisation, your future is unpredictable. We can help you manage your risks with our innovative RiskWare technology: George Pantazis

PAN Software is a specialist information technology consultancy and product development company. It provides project management, business analysis, software development, testing, and specialist technical expertise to deliver successful specialized software solutions.

Leaders in innovation and experts in project management, PAN prides itself in consistently delivering successful solutions to diverse industries that meet and exceed customer expectations.

As a specialist product development company, it designs, develops, deploys and supports a number of successful software applications.

Its flag-ship product RiskWare has quickly become the preferred risk management system on the market. Filling a gap in the risk management space for a comprehensive, yet easy- to-use software system, RiskWare integrates all areas of organisational risk to help break down the silos in your organisation.

PAN was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

George Pantazis, PAN Software CEO, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

Why was the company setup? And how did you expand your company and its offerings over the years?

We had an idea to create software that made the world a little less risky. We left our day jobs in 2003 and formed PAN Software. Today, that germ of an idea has sprouted to over one million users from all over the world utilizing RiskWare to manage risk.

We expanded by listening to our clients. At PAN, client feedback is critical. In fact, it is a major contributing factor to our success. We hold regular client user forums and ideas from these forums are reflected directly into the product in a software release.

Released in 2009, RiskWare is used by various sectors including the Australian Federal Parliament, Department of Human Services, Crown Casino, Country Fire Authority and Cricket Australia.

How successful was your first project roll on? Share the experience.

Our first project was with a large government department. At the time we were three people. However, our hunger, our eagerness, our energy and our determination was ferocious. You could have put us into the ring with Muhamad Ali and we would have been both bold and foolish enough to give it a go. Our determination coupled with our naivety made us an unstoppable force. We worked crazy hours, weekends as well as public holidays. It seems hardcore now, but at the time we relished the opportunity to work with this client and most importantly we were having fun. Not only did we come under budget, we also exceeded our client’s expectations. In fact, the client in question is still a client today utilizing our latest technology –something which I am immensely proud of.

 “Earning trust and respect of consumers is through consistent focus on delivering high quality in all of our actions.”How do you interpret this statement?

Employers do not pay employees. Clients do. Therefore, clients need to be front and center in all organizational activities. As Satya Nadella the CEO of Microsoft famously stated: “Our industry does not respect tradition – it only respects innovation.” I have found this to be so true. In the Information Technology industry the world is changing at such a rapid rate that one cannot, not for one second, rest on one’s laurels. You need to consistently be innovating as well as exceeding the expectations of your clients. Otherwise, you are in a slow death spiral with an inevitable business outcome. By the time you realise you’re in trouble, it’s too late.

What are the factors that make your brand one of the best?

Our point of difference is that with RiskWare, customers can consolidate disparate, loosely integrated and often archaic existing risk-based applications with one web-enabled solution. RiskWare is a best-in-class risk management software application comprising of ten tightly integrated modules to help you manage the full spectrum of your Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) responsibilities. Modules include; Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Compliance, Business Continuity, Incident Management, Health & Safety, Environmental Management, Audit Management, Claims Management and Risk Analytics. We call this Enterprise Risk Intelligence Software.

Customer service varies, but companies can Still be successful. How do you maintain your customers’ trust and loyalty?

This is a great question. When you are small you can provide exceptional service. When a client wants something you have the time to do it immediately. When they call, they get you. When they need an enhancement, they get it. As you grow, you are not able to provide the service to your customers they are a custom to. Simply because you now have more clients with competing demands. If there is one thing I have learnt in business it’s the value of relationships. Customers want to know that they can trust you and that you will be there for them when they need you. Not unlike what most people want in a life partner. A good relationship is worth more than gold. It will get you through the tough times. As PAN transitioned from a small to larger company we have always focused on customer service. We now have a dedicated client services team with the sole objective of ensuring client success.

An organization is defined by its core values. What are your company’s core values and how are they helping you to succeed?

Our 6 core values are as follows:

• Employees: Our Employees are the best in their field. We are under no illusion that the reason we exist is because of our great team.
• Clients: It’s all about you! Our client. We strive to provide our clients with the best possible service, period.
• Innovation: To ensure our clients are provided with world class software, innovation is central and at the core of all our activities.
• Culture: Let’s face it; we all spend a lot of time at work.Let’s make sure this time is well worth it. We embrace laughter, humour and having fun.
• Integrity: In all that we do we apply the highest personal, professional and ethical standards. It all comes down to doing the right thing.
• Sustainability: We strive for sustainable profitability in each business area, project and for our company as a whole. This provides our freedom to innovate.

A major contributing factor to our success is our innovative product offerings. We are constantly being praised on how we are able to transform complex business processes into intuitive and user friendly software.

Do you have any new products ready to be launched?

Yes, we have some new innovations in the works which we are really excited about. They are still under wraps, stay tuned.

As a question on sustainability, where do you see your company a couple of years from now?

In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85 percent of all photographic film globally. Within a few years, their business model disappeared and they went out of business. In the US, young lawyer already don’t get jobs because of software. IBM Watson can provide legal advice within seconds, with

90 percent accuracy compared with 70 percent accuracy when done by humans. There will be 90 percent fewer lawyers in the future, only specialists will remain. Watson can also help diagnose cancer four times more accurately than human nurses. Facebook now has pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans. By 2030, it is predicated that computers will become more intelligent than humans. As a software development company, we live in an exciting time. We look forward to being on the front foot with innovation so advanced incorporated into RiskWare that our industry will not be able to function efficiently without it.

George Pantazis: A Dynamic Leader

George Pantazis holds a Bachelor of Computing from Monash University. He is the founder and CEO of PAN Software, developers of the successful Enterprise Risk Intelligence Software – RiskWare and riskcloud.NET.

Mr Pantazis has over 30 years of experience in software development and has a passion for Artificial Intelligence (AI) User Experience (UX) design as well as Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).

“RiskWare is a best-in-class risk management software application comprising of ten tightly integrated modules to help you manage the full spectrum of your Governance, Risk and Compliance responsibilities.”