“Our goal is to provide access to this evolving technology to everyone – not just tech geeks – to enable them to do things that were previously impossible.”
Appfactory started in Sydney about 4.5 years ago. Managing Director Dan McKinnon has been based on the Sunshine Coast since November 2012 growing the local development team, attracted here for lifestyle and family reasons, while his business partner runs the Sydney office.
The company’s key product is mobile technology focusing on Apps across several industries including insurance, banking, and consumer goods. It currently has a small local team of three, but a large extended team of highly skilled contractors who have been working with the company for many years.
What are the operating advantages and challenges to being based on the Sunshine Coast?
Advantages include the digital community and entrepreneurial spirit, especially at the Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast.
A key challenge is staff and resources – finding and attracting people with the right skill set to the Sunshine Coast.
How are you using digital technology and systems to evolve your business practices?
Digital technology permeates our entire business. Our clients rely on us to know what new technology is available and finding better ways of doing business. We are heavily investing in Cloud-based hosting to provide our clients a service that would have previously been beyond the resources of small business. The key to our success is to use technology to remain as efficient as we can.
What are the key digital innovations changing your industry sector?
Our entire industry changes on a regular basis, mainly driven by new devices and the introduction of completely new ways of communicating. We have seen an astounding rise in popularity of tablets in the last two years and it has been interesting to see how people use these in an entirely different way from how they use their phones. We are now seeing the extension of the internet into everyday home appliances and are excited about the next evolution of wearable technology such as watches and Google glasses.
Do you have sufficient access to broadband and/or WIFI facilities for operational purposes?
Yes, the Innovation Centre provides us with the access that we need.
How do you think the expanding digital economy will benefit the Sunshine Coast region for businesses, families and communities?
People are looking at different ways of doing things and making a living. These ideas can form start ups and businesses which can attract people to the Sunshine Coast to build a thriving digital community.
As remote working becomes more accepted in the corporate world, it will enable digital communities to work and grow here.
It won’t be long before the Sunshine Coast becomes a viable place where other city-based businesses start looking for talent. There is real value in the region growing into a place where people can work remotely and perform as specialists with a reputation for being very good in a specific field.
Learn more about Appfactory
