Readers' lives: He should be so lucky

Dave Breith dreams of a day when he wins the EuroMillions jackpot and Kylie walks through the door

Breith: Would settle for a helicopter

What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
Apprentice plumber in Chesham, Bucks. I was 16. My first job in telecoms was as a dealer for MCI-WorldCom. I started O-bit as I wanted to stay in telecoms, and my best friend's father inspired me to become an entrepreneur. Coming from a similar background, he worked his way up to become the European chairman of Heinz. I knew then there was nothing to stop me from achieving that kind of success.

Planes, trains or automobiles?
Planes. I have always fancied my own private jet but I would settle for a helicopter.

What sport should be in the Olympics but isn’t?
SPOOF! I’m really good at it. You have three coins. In your hand, you can choose to either put one coin, two, three or none. Everyone has to guess how many coins there are in your hand.

Which fictional TV character is borrowing ideas from your life?
Mr Burns from The Simpsons. He runs his business a bit like mine.

What could prompt you to give it all up and join the revolution?
Winning the EuroMillions. I would take my money and disappear.

What is your favourite joke or the one you heard most recently?
I’m one of those people who can never remember jokes and the only ones I can remember are too terrible to repeat.

“In my dreams …”
Kylie Minogue would walk through the door...

What was your best business trip ever?
Going to Liverpool and signing a £22m contract for a government body.

What was the best holiday you ever went on?
I don’t really have a favourite. Any time with my kids is brilliant.

If you had a week to live, how would you fill it?
I would probably stay at home and worry.

Will we see businesses take green ICT more seriously this year?
Definitely. I think more people are conscious of the environment but not just being conscious, more people are willing to do something about it.

Will virtualisation be as profitable for the channel as pundits predict?
Yes, I think so, as long as other applications are sold alongside the virtualisation.

Print or online news?
Online. Easier to access -- although I do read the Sunday Times every week.

Do you use social media? If so, business or personal?
Both. O-bit is on basically every major social media site, and I am too. My battle is getting to know how to use them though…!

Will the economic recovery continue?
I don’t think it will at the minute. For the short term, I think we’re headed for the second round. It will get worse before getting better. I think following the trends of other countries, we are about a year behind.

What does the channel most need to learn this year?
It’s terrible that most people in the channel are selling products they don’t fully understand -- so more product training is definitely needed.

Do vendors do enough to help their channel?
Some, yes. Some, no. O-bit: yes!

Is IT well taught in schools?
I think so, yes. My children’s schools have specific software that has been developed to help the children learn ICT. It’s like self-learning software that grows and develops with the child and keeps challenging them. It’s fantastic!

Dave Breith is chief executive officer at O-bit Telecom