SMART Technologies Inc.

1992 Winner: Industrial Research

Bringing People Together with Communication Technology

Setting standards in the technology-based, information sensitive communications industry is the key to SMART Technologies success. Delivering interactive solutions to communications issues from its Calgary headquarters since 1987, the company is focused on computer-based presentations, training, interactive conferencing, distance learning and multimedia tools. To that end, SMART has earned a reputation with clients across Canada, the United States, Australia and Japan as a leading edge company in information technology research, including recent development work on the innovative computer conferencing network system called ‘SMART 2000’.

To help overcome the obstacles of time and distance, the ‘SMART 2000’ conferencing system brings people together from distant locations using interactive display and computer based graphics. The system is achieving international recognition through global sales and was recently named ‘The Best New Product’ at the 1992 Canadian high Technology Show in Toronto. The technology that provides the underpinning for the success of ‘SMART 2000’ is ‘Windows Synchronization’ and was initially proposed and developed by a computer science student employed under the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Program. The technology has been used by Intel Corporation and Microsoft, two of the world’s leading information companies. SMART, and its 16 employees, intend to further develop the initial work, which will result in extending the technology to function on the desktop for all computers, regardless of speed and software differences.