KUALA LUMPUR: The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) urges local businesses to double their digital transformation initiatives to stay ahead of regional competition.
Its chairman (PIKOM CIO chapter) Malik Murad Ali said that now that Malaysia has entered the endemic phase, digital transformation is instrumental in developing strategies while addressing challenges and opportunities in a post-pandemic environment.
"Systems, processes, workflow, and culture are all part of digital transformation to empower organisations with data and insights across all work areas to create a more effective collective whole," said Malik in a statement.
"Local businesses should not be intimidated by digital transformation but view it as an enabler for growth," he said, adding several customised solutions available within the Malaysian market.
One such initiative is the SAP Business One (SBO) RISE on the Microsoft Azure Platform, recently introduced into the Malaysian market by both tech giants.
SBO is SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd's business management software designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to automate key business functions in financials, operations, and human resources, while Azure is Microsoft's public cloud computing platform.
SAP Malaysia managing director Hong Kok Cheong said the company's collaboration with Microsoft Malaysia for this SBO RISE on Azure initiative stems from the government's call for local businesses to transition to cloud computing under the MyDigital vision under the National Digital Economy Blueprint.
"Local SMEs' readiness for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (4IR) and the transition to intelligent technologies on the cloud is a critical thrust to realise this aspiration," said Hong.
"SBO is known for connecting and streamlining processes, serving as a catalyst of growth for numerous SMEs in Malaysia and throughout the world."
He added that the RISE arrangement means that SMEs get everything they need to simplify their transformation journeys—all in one bundle—without high upfront investments.
Local partners of SAP Malaysia and Microsoft Malaysia would also work with SMEs to manage their entire business transformation process, including service-level agreements, operations, and dealing with any issues that may arise.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Malaysia managing director K.Raman said that when SMEs succeed, it causes a ripple effect, creating more opportunities for local communities and the domestic economy to flourish.
"Through our collaboration with SAP Malaysia and the introduction of SBO RISE on Azure, we hope to provide a cost-efficient entry point for SMEs to embark on their digitalisation journey," he added.
With artificial intelligence (AI) and automation built into Azure, the SBO RISE on Azure would help SMEs reduce cost and complexity and provide a highly secure cloud foundation to keep SMEs protected and defended against cyberattacks and threat actors.
Malik said that encouraging SME readiness for 4IR is an important priority for businesses to embrace cutting-edge digital technologies to realise productivity and efficiency gains.
"The SME landscape is especially crucial as many still lag in technology adoption within their business operations," said Malik.