PDMS the Isle of Man’s leading software development company, is pleased to announce the launch of the Small Countries Financial Management Centre (SCFMC) website (www.scfmc.im) and secure social network for participants and alumni. The Small Countries Financial Management Centre is a Manx charity which was established in June 2009 to help growth and prosperity in small developing states around the world by looking at new ways to address common issues faced by governments and financial sectors. The Centre (based at the Isle of Man International Business School) runs the Small Countries Financial Management Programme (SCFMP), an annual two-week executive education programme which brings together officials from a diverse range of small countries. Participants come from finance ministries, central banks and regulatory bodies. The programme, which is taught by prominent academics from The Universities of Oxford and Harvard as well as outstanding practitioners, focuses on financial integrity, improved public sector management, and negotiation skills. It also offers a support mechanism through which participants can exchange ideas, share their own countries’ challenges and give each other practical assistance. The website is a vital central communication hub for all the programme’s participants, who come from diverse backgrounds. PDMS’s Digital Design team developed the website using Umbraco, a user friendly content management system, and were able to get the site up and running in less than three weeks. PDMS have also seamlessly integrated the website with a secure SCFMC Community portal – a secure member’s area and social networking platform. The SCFMC branded community area provides a wealth of features including personal profile pages, activity feeds, forums, real time chat, blogs, events, document libraries and also supports photo, audio and video uploads. The community portal is a great social tool to help increase the take away benefits of programme, by enabling alumni to make the most of their network of contacts and continue sharing experiences long after the two week programme has been completed. SCFMC Executive Director, Tim Cullen commented, ‘It is critically important that the officials who attend the programme continue to make use of what they have learned after they return home. Thanks to a grant from the Commonwealth Secretariat, PDMS has developed a community area that is connecting people from the Pacific to Africa to the Caribbean so that they can share timely advice and easily obtain materials they can to enhance their effectiveness in managing their economies’ Chris Gledhill, Managing Director of PDMS commented ‘PDMS are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the Small Countries Financial Management Centre on this project. The Centre is a fantastic resource and it’s a real coup that the programme is held here on the Island. This is one of the first sites we’ve launched that incorporates a really comprehensive private social network. We strongly believe that this is a good model for groups of people to share resources and knowledge with security and trust.’ ENDS