Published: on 14 May 2012
By Cheryl Yvonne Achu
KUALA LUMPUR: Technology is changing rapidly and today's advanced communications are surely not as sophisticated as they will be in the next decade.
As small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are striving to carve a niche for themselves in the country's growing economy, they should embrace technology if they want to successfully compete globally.
"SMEs need to embrace the technologies to penetrate non-traditional markets and remain competitive in the face of increasing challenges posed by globalisation, liberalisation and technological advances," Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) SME executive vice-president Azizi A. Hadi said during an interview last Friday.
The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) is important and significant for SMEs to boost the growth and innovation, he said.
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"ICT plays an important role to help SMEs create business opportunities and combat pressures from competition," he said.
ICT can help SMEs cut costs by improving internal processes, enhancing their products through faster communication channels with customers and better promotion and distribution of their products through online methods.
Azizi said SMEs need to know where to use information technology (IT) that offers strategic strength.
"The proper deployment of IT solutions will start potential opportunities for SMEs," he said, noting that there is an increasing awareness within SMEs on the necessity to derive profit through investment in IT.
Recently, TM has launched its latest product called the BizApp Store, a self-service portal for cloud-based applications and software, at its SME BizFest 2012 in Johor.
Through BizApp Store, SMEs can reduce their capital and operational expenditure as they need not purchase any server to run the applications.
Azizi believes that TM is in a strong position to cater to the entire SME segment. With its extensive infrastructure, latest technologies and reliable partners, TM is able to offer tailor-made solutions to fit unique requirements.
"The products and services we offered aimed to enhance business processes, and in turn, increase productivity and business revenues of businesses," he said.
During the SME BizFest 2012, TM shared information on its latest products and services, technology demonstration and exhibitions for participants as well as free consultation from product experts.
Besides being a platform for networking among business community, the event is also an avenue to explore TM partners' offerings and promote closer rapport between TM and its customers.
The next destination for SME BizFest 2012 is Petaling Jaya on May 18 at Sunway Convention Centre.
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