A MAN who has led a company of soldiers through the Falklands battles of Goose Green and Wireless Ridge, and a climbing team on a winter ascent of Everest, needs fresh challenges.

And in trying to bring a clever, mobile data product to the market with a small team of programmers and salesmen, Philip Neame has found a big one. His company, Integral Mobile Data (IMD), based at Llantarnam Park, Cwmbran, has built a secure platform for field operators to send and receive data between hand-held devices and back-office databases.

Like a car, all the clever stuff is under the bonnet, meaning that an operator only needs to understand the basics to enjoy 100 mph performance.

It also means that the product can be sold off the peg for virtually any application in any industry sector.

Traffic wardens could use it (they inspired it), so could nurses and doctors on their daily rounds, or Bobbies on the beat, drivers on deliveries, salesmen, health & safety inspectors: you name it.

The product is called mForms and its key features include its security (encryption of data and central control to "stun or kill" remote devices if lost or stolen) and its built-in technical 'wizards' enabling full integration with back-end data bases.

Mr Neame said: "The power of these wizards means that specific applications can be generated incredibly quickly.

"We can produce sample solutions for a customer in front of his or her eyes and effectively offer a tailored solution for an off-the-peg price."

The company has got a trial running with Network Rail inspectors and is looking for other hi-profile opportunities.

"The beauty of the system is that it can be updated by the user, which is a cheap solution and keeps control within the company."

This will be music to the ears of anyone who has been held to ransom by their IT consultants or system integrators.

"It can also interface with multiple systems, so it doesn't require a drastic rationalisation of a group's legacy systems."

While Mr Neame is an engaging exponent on the subject, I couldn't help wondering how a distinguished soldier and action man could find his way into the hi-tech sector in his mid 50s.

He explained that having left the army a decade ago for a business career, one of his jobs was managing director of Wood Group Fire Protection. The company provided fire fighting equipment to oil rigs and had to regularly inspect and validate it. "On a rig the stuff was always moving around and was incredibly difficult to keep track of.

"I explored the idea of developing a technology-based tracking system but the cost of bespoke software was prohibitive.

"The idea was a non-starter but it did get me thinking."

In 2000 he became managing director of Slough-based Langdale Systems, a subsidiary of National Car Parks.

Langdale provided IT solutions for local authorities enforcing parking regulations. Essentially this meant linking mobile wardens using hand-held computers with back office systems for payment and regulation.

It was here that Mr Neame met technical guru Andrew Dawson and together the two men started to push the technical boat out.

"We could see that a generic platform could be built which would have limitless possibilities, but the company wasn't really interested.

"So in 2002 we decided to leave and do it ourselves." Venture capitalist Finance Wales certainly liked the idea.

After visiting the embryonic IMD at its Swindon base and then conducting months of due diligence, it staked £500,000 on the business in return for a share in the equity.

Naturally, the backing required a move to Wales so messrs Neame and Dawson relocated to Cwmbran bringing two software engineers with them.

They've since built up their numbers to 12, and Mr Neame said recruiting top-quality local graduates has not been a problem.

He also observed that due to the Welsh hi-tech sector being quite small, all the firms in it are very supportive and open to collaboration. IMD recently signed a partner deal with Associated Consulting Limited of Bridgend to distribute mForms to the local government sector.

"Coming to Wales has been one of the most positive things we've done so far.

"The support has been great and it's a lovely place to work. "I've also got my eye on some climbing opportunities in the Wye Valley."

For Mr Neame, home is still Malmesbury in Wiltshire. "My family have relocated twice for me already, and my son and daughter are at critical stages in their education so we decided to stay put.

"But my wife's parents live in Penarth so in the future who knows?"

Being the son of a lieutenant general, and having spent 25 years in the forces you could forgive Mr Neame for thinking about pipe and slippers and a nice view.

But he's got other ideas. At the latter end of his army career he led a fundraising campaign for the winter ascent of Everest by volunteers from the territorial army. After a bleak start the fund eventually netted half a million pounds and Mr Neame founded the Reserve Forces Ulysses Trust.

It supports challenging projects by cadets and reservists and Mr Neame is an active trustee. In addition he is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Special Forces and Alpine Clubs.

He's doesn't dwell on nostalgia, but when pressed admits that the Falklands war was the emotional crescendo of his military career (there were other claimants, he did five tours in Northern Ireland with the Royal Parachute Regiment, the last in plain clothes).

"My company had a lot of the fighting to do at Wireless Ridge; the last battle of the war. I must admit I came out of it thinking 'I really like this, I want to keep going'.

"It brings out the best and worst in people. And the men I served with were incredibly impressive. It may be a clich but it really was a band of brothers .

"It gives you an incredible buzz to see people excel."