Carrying the torch

Many companies have already realised that IT systems will help them get out of the starting blocks more quickly

Is anyone actually paying attention to the Olympics this year, or are people just watching to see if they can spot bits of the stadia that haven't been completed by the Greeks?

Of course, the other thing cynics will be checking for is the number of athletes disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.

If this sounds slightly negative, it's worth bearing in mind that the Olympic chief himself, Jacques Rogge, has said he expects there to be more positive dope tests in Athens than during Sydney 2000.

Fortunately, while the athletes struggle with the temptation of chemical help to make them run faster or row harder, businesses can inject something extra to out-perform their competitors without needing to worry about drug tests.

Many have already realised that IT systems will help them get out of the starting blocks more quickly, and firms are increasingly finding that having bespoke systems built for them is giving them the edge they are really looking for.

System builders, whether in the desktop, server or notebook sectors, account for 24.5 per cent of the UK market (in the US it is 45 per cent).

Recent research has suggested that this market is smaller than it was last year, with system builders feeling the pinch as brand names cut prices. But if the big names are having to slash prices and reduce their own margins, are they actually winning the battle?

Even further proof that the system builder market is holding its own is the way that the major players are trying to engage with the sector.

Computer Associates said last week that it intends to target system builders, aiming to take share in the market from rivals such as Symantec, Trend Micro and McAfee.

And distributors, never ones to miss a trick, also are targeting system builders. Computer 2000 and Ingram Micro both run programmes for these companies, and other players such as VIP and Centerprise have sustained growth rates in their components businesses throughout the downturn.

The sector's survival, against the odds in many observers' eyes, proves that system builders are a long way from their final lap just yet.