To the City for a meeting with top Barclays banker, Matthew Bullock to talk computer policy and then back home to find my parents visiting so that I could play them our recent videos
Up on time and after my normal breakfast and preparations for the day, to spend an hour or two in the office clearing the mail and making a few calls. Then by car to Wembley Park, there being no London trains in mid-morning, and on by Metropolitan tube to the City of London. A walk to Lombard Street and at 12.30pm to meet, by appointment, my hosts at The Headquarters of Barclays Bank PLC. First some drinks with Ian Duffel, Head of the Hiteck Unit, who explains the various ways in which a head office service advises the branch network, spreads the word in trade shows, and organises technological transfer events. We are soon joined for lunch by Matthew Bullock, Head of the Corporate Finance Division, and a splendid conversation on the range of issues facing the industry. Barclays is the largest computer buyer outside of the public sector and are putting together the applications for the value added networks for the financial community. There is a high dependence upon IBM for the mainframe and an urgency for services; but there is equally an awareness of the dangers of dependency on IBM proprietary SNA network protocols. In relation to the independent computer industry, Barclays have recently won a number of computer company accounts including Apple, Commodore and others. They also confided in me plans for the opening throughout the country of a network of corporate branches into which the most technocratic 100 bankers will be placed from the completion of an intensive training programme.
We finish lunch with agreement to meet more regularly and Matthew gives me the name of Brian Barrett, Asst General Manager of Management, Systems Development, to contact about future purchasing and standards. Back by tube to Kings Cross, Baker Street, and then on by tube to my car at Wembley Park. Time this morning and afternoon to look at the W H Smith magazine racks, but nothing particularly of interest. Time also to try my remote phone monitor, but not very successful with noisy telephone lines. Home to find my Mum and Dad and an enjoyable evening playing our video films.