SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd has been at the forefront of technology innovation in the country for 28 years.
As 2020 nears to a close, many organisations are already looking into a more hopeful 2021 regardless of the coronavirus situation. For SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the aspiration is that the upcoming 2021 Budget will be directed towards supporting small-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) readiness for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4) along with the transition to intelligent technologies on the cloud as well as upskilling and youth employment.
SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director Hong Kok Cheong shared the company’s initiatives and plans that are geared towards economic recovery, supporting SMEs, and empowering the workforce of the future.
A Sustainable Future for SMEs
Earlier this year, Hong has already stressed that technology is the silver lining at these challenging times for SMEs. He encouraged SMEs to consider technology as an investment more than a cost to be able to, first, thrive, and then eventually sustain growth in these uncertain times.
Recently, the SAP Malaysia MD also emphasised that SMEs must equip for IR4 and embrace cutting-edge digital technologies to realise productivity and efficiency gains. He said:
“The SME landscape is especially crucial as many still lag in technology adoption within their business operations. SAP Malaysia hopes that there will be more SME awareness, before increasing uptake on digital platforms.”
Recognising the pandemic’s impact on Malaysia’s economy, which is currently going through a period of ‘reset’ before the ‘rebound’, Hong explained that now is the time for SMEs to innovate and transform to remain competitive and become intelligent enterprises.
“For SMEs that are complacent with a ‘wait and see’ attitude, they could be left behind – and may even become irrelevant.
In the ‘new norm’, intelligent enterprises can ‘do more with less’, deliver best-in-class customer experience, build resilient supply chains, while inventing new business models and revenue streams,” Hong further said.
Hong previously said that ‘SAP is for everyone’, highlighting SAP Business One (SAP B1) as one of the German company’s ERP software solutions designed for SMEs. Another affordable solution for local SMEs is currently available in the SAP Business One Starter Pack offering developed by a local solutions provider priced from RM1,488.
Upskilling the Workforce
Before COVID-19, the ICT industry in Malaysia has been significantly contributing to the country’s journey towards becoming a high-income knowledge-based economy. With the pandemic happening, SAP Malaysia has focused on ‘people first’ policies and initiatives for economic recovery and the wellbeing and sustainability of livelihoods.
The SAP Malaysia MD stated the need for upskilling of present employees to become the ‘workforce of the future’ and address the shortage of qualified talents in emerging roles. He stressed that every member of the workforce including the C-suite should upskill to survive and thrive in the new world of work. He said:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for companies to move towards a ‘digital first’ workforce.”
He shared that the company’s training and technology-enabled learning initiatives will be announced within Budget 2021.
Prioritising the Youth
Referring to the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) study stating that 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of core skills would change by 2025 with some 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of all employees needing re-skilling by that time, Hong foresees further increase due to the rising demand for digital tools and processes.
“We support the government’s lead to continuously promote access to digital technologies coupled with digital literacy and transferable skills. Youth employment should be prioritised coupled with initiatives to improve online learning experiences,” Hong stated.
For the young learners, aside from partnering with ASEAN Foundation in hosting ASEAN Data Science Explorers at both national and regional levels, SAP also collaborates with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) on the MyUniAlliance programme. The programme provides training for some three thousand students annually. These initiatives aim to encourage youths to embrace analytics skills through various projects that would benefit communities and countries.
