30 Mar 2021
Business going digital: unifi kicks off its business webinar series for 2021 with reboot 5.0
unifi Business Club (uBC) kick off its 2021 webinar series with REBOOT 5.0, focusing on how businesses could build and retain customer loyalty in this digital age
unifi continues its efforts in empowering Malaysian SMEs through complete business solutions, helping them to become sustainably-ready and economically-resilient. With that, unifi aims to enable the digital transformation of SMEs with not just products and solutions but also support programmes.
Today, unifi, via its one-stop business community for SME, unifi Business Club (uBC), organised REBOOT 5.0, which focuses on how businesses could build and retain customer loyalty during these times of adversity. Ignatius Ong, Chief Executive Officer of Touch & Go Digital, Khalil Jaffri Muhammad Muri, Head of Retail Business Division of Petronas Dagangan, and Khaidhir Elias, Value Program Lead of unifi SME, shared their point of views and insights on enhanced customer loyalty for the digital future.
Speaking at the event, Khaidhir said: "As the leading telecommunications service provider for Malaysian SMEs, unifi continues to organise programmes such as business webinars which are very relevant in today's landscape towards accelerating digital economy. This REBOOT 5.0 webinar series is a not to be missed online event, specially organised for our business customers. This is part of our commitment to facilitate the digital adoption and digitalisation of our business customers towards accelerating their growth. More programmes by uBC are in the pipeline, so stay tuned!"
"Through uBC, unifi supports local SMEs by equipping them with the right skills and knowledge in ensuring business owners stay ahead of the competition in this digital age. This is in line with the unique role of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) as the enabler of Digital Malaysia and in support of the Government's nation-building initiative including MyDIGITAL," he added.
uBC acts as a one-stop business community for all SME needs to grow digitally. The community provides practical solutions and support, connects SMEs to various business associations and supporting agencies to enable them to grow and realise their full potential. Serving close to 400,000 businesses of all industries and sizes, unifi also provides value-added solutions offerings by leading industry experts to uBC members through various upskilling and reskilling avenues, to help them adopt digital tools with ease.
Among these learning avenues for SMEs are the free live webinar series, Sembang Business and REBOOT sessions. Sembang Bisnes is a live Q&A and sharing session with reputable SME entrepreneurs, while REBOOT is a dedicated webinar session with industry experts, aimed at helping uBC members and SMEs gain business knowledge. Both are conducted live via unifi Business Club various social media accounts. Through its strong partnerships, unifi gathers industry leaders to discuss the current economic landscape, business-related queries and share valuable advice with the audience. Past sessions featured notable representatives from MDEC, SME Bank, KryptoPOS, enginemailer, TM Info Media Sdn Bhd (TMIM) and Digital Marketing Consultancy (DMC).
To tune in to the upcoming free live webinars and learn more about how to stay ahead in the market with unifi, visit unifi Business Club Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unifibusinessclub.
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TM One poised to offer comprehensive data centre capacity and data sovereignty for the government’s digital transformation
As the sole local CSP, TM One will ensure data sovereignty and greater trust, privacy and security in the migration and storage of Government and citizen data With the Malaysian Government’s Cloud Framework Agreement (CFA) formalised, the appointed Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) must now demonstrate their strategic offerings to potential clients. Anticipating the extended capabilities needed to implement the Government’s strategic shift to cloud, TM One, the enterprise and public sector business arm of Telekom Malaysia Group (TM), continues to expand its data centre portfolio. Furthermore, as the sole local CSP, TM One’s established in-country data centres, infrastructure and services ensure that all operations and transactions are independent of foreign regulations or third-party policies and requirements – which imparts greater agility and trust in the migration and supervision of Government and citizen data. Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM said, “As Malaysia’s leader in end-to-end cloud and data centre services, we are committed to strengthening our digital offerings to meet the Government’s MyGovCloud requirements. Investing into the growth of our data centres will enable us to manage the volumes of public data throughout and after the migration process. Our locally-based infrastructure and cloud services also enable us to support the unique needs of the Malaysian Government, especially on data sovereignty.” With several carrier-neutral data centre facilities in Malaysia and one in Hong Kong that operate as multi-cloud providers for various hyperscalers, TM One is on course to launch its tenth centre, which will be a Tier III/Rated 3 Data Centre, anticipated to be unveiled in Q3 2022. With no less than 3MW of power and the ability to accommodate 700 equipment racks, this data centre will aim to improve power efficiency through its cooling system design which runs on modular air-cooled chillers. Across the board, TM One continues to strive towards achieving lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) while meeting the SLA of the customers. Similar to TM’s other globally certified hyperscale data centres in the Klang Valley, Iskandar Puteri and Brickfields, this new centre will also conform to security standards and certifications including ISO27001, PCI DSS, DCRA and TVRA which will safeguard the Government’s data and assets. Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President of TM One said, “This latest edition to TM One’s data centres will include enhanced data security capabilities through TM One’s Cyber Defence Centre (CYDEC), addressing the Government’s potential risk areas including cybersecurity, compliance, privacy, ethics and social responsibility. To facilitate the transformative journey of individual Government agencies, TM One’s Professional Services team, along with our partner MSP, Cloud Connect, will work closely with these agencies on Cloud Design Planning, Migration Services, and Workload Optimisation Services, customising the solutions and experiences to the unique needs of each agency.” Cloud Connect, a local cloud broker and software engineering company will partner with TM One as its dedicated MSP. Having worked with service providers, enterprises, small-and-medium businesses, as well as Government agencies for a decade, Cloud Connect has a proven track record of implementing multiple enterprise integration projects, bringing together the right people, processes, and technological capabilities. This makes Cloud Connect the perfect fit to deliver TM One’s end-to-end cloud infrastructure and services to Government institutions in their transformation journey. Also addressing the importance of data residency, locality and sovereignty in the MyGovCloud endeavour, Shazurawati explains, “Our hyperscaled and intelligent cloud solutions and data centre facilities are governed by the laws of Malaysia, which guarantees data sovereignty and privacy for the Malaysian Government and its citizens. This removes the need and risk of foreign laws and policy intervention or inclusion, ensuring data privacy and security, while enabling greater flexibility and agility in Government services. “With our deep understanding of the Malaysian landscape and a full suite of established services and infrastructure, we are confident that our infrastructure, solutions, and partnership with Cloud Connect will enable the Government to reach their next advantage, today and tomorrow,” she concluded.
TM AND SINGTEL’S NXERA BREAK GROUND FOR SUSTAINABLE, HYPER-CONNECTED DATA CENTRE CAMPUS IN JOHOR
ISKANDAR PUTERI, 25 JULY 2024 – TM and Nxera, the regional data centre arm of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo unit, held a groundbreaking ceremony for their data centre campus in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. The groundbreaking comes one month after the announcement for a joint venture to develop data centres in Malaysia and uplift Johor’s digital hub status. This 64MW state-of-the-art, sustainable, hyper-connected, AI-ready data centre campus reinforces Malaysia’s high quality digital infrastructure. It also supports the government's efforts to drive the digital economy and transform the country into a hub for industrial growth, AI development and innovation. Malaysia's Digital Minister YB Gobind Singh Deo; YB Lee Ting Han, Chairman, Johor State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee; and Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling graced the groundbreaking event as the Guests-of-Honour. Minister YB Gobind said, "This investment by TM and Nxera reinforces Malaysia's position as the digital hub in Southeast Asia, further advancing the nation's economic growth. Based on advance estimates, Malaysia's economy expanded 5.8% in the second quarter of 2024, and such investments are in line with projections that Malaysia's digital economy will contribute 25.5% to the nation's GDP by the end of the year. The relationship between TM and Nxera expands to Malaysia and Singapore, with both nations being a good case study of a productive working partnership between two ASEAN member states." YAB Dato Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Menteri Besar, Johor said, “TM-Nxera’s upcoming data centre campus, located right here in Iskandar Puteri, holds particular significance as one of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone’s first investment projects. We welcome the comprehensive scope of their investment with respect to high quality infrastructure, sustainability as well as employment and skilling opportunities which supports our emphasis on talent development, green technology and renewable energy. This data centre campus will serve as a catalyst for economic growth and enable businesses to harness the power of cloud computing and AI. We hope this will set the stage to shape a vibrant business ecosystem where more high-tech and high-value content companies will be attracted to locate their operations within the special economic zone and give a further boost to Johor’s digital economy.” Senior Minister of State Low said, “Data centres are important enablers of our digital economy, powering our economy’s data-driven needs. As technology advances, robust, next-generation digital infrastructure like the TM-Nxera Data Centre will be essential to support AI advancements and foster value creation. Today’s groundbreaking marks a milestone in the deepening economic relations between Singapore and Malaysia, and I look forward to the outcomes we can achieve through close collaboration.” Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group CEO, said, “Today marks a pivotal milestone in our journey to becoming a digital powerhouse as we break ground on this cutting-edge AI-ready data centre. This facility exemplifies our commitment to fostering industry growth, driving innovation, and enhancing socio-economic development. With support from the Federal Government, and Johor state agencies and authorities, we are confident that this AI-ready data centre will equip businesses with unparalleled computing power, AI capabilities, and other cutting-edge technologies. We are excited to lead the way into a future where AI and data analytics drive transformative solutions, revolutionising industries and enriching both our nation and the world.” Bill Chang, CEO of Nxera and Singtel’s Digital InfraCo unit, said, “As one of the largest investments in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, this state-of-the-art data centre campus is an integral part of our mission to empower digital economies and communities in the region while ensuring energy and water resources are deployed responsibly and efficiently. It expands our regional data centre platform’s strategic presence in this fast-growing Asia region. With Malaysia embracing AI to drive competitiveness and innovation, our campus will spur economic growth by helping companies leverage AIs and cloud computing to drive efficiencies and accelerate their business transformation. Our investment isn’t just about the campus, it is about bringing benefits to the local economy through digitalisation, developing local talent, creating employment opportunities and enhancing international connectivity. We would like to express our gratitude to the Johor State Executive Council, Invest Johor, Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation and Malaysian Investment Development Authority for their support.” Scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2026, this cloud-enabled Tier 3 data centre campus will use liquid cooling to handle higher power density AI workloads. The facility will be designed, built and certified to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, incorporating energy and water-efficient solutions to optimise the use of resources. This underscores the joint venture's commitment to long-term sustainability goals. To support the new data centre campus, the joint venture plans to expand submarine cable connectivity, enabling a thriving and vibrant digital ecosystem. Located just 16 km from Singapore, the data centre campus will allow customers to seamlessly expand their infrastructure from the city state and the rest of the region. Further, the data centre can be scaled up to 200MW in response to market demand. In addition, apart from creation of new employment opportunities that is important for nation building, the joint venture will invest in building talent for the data centre industry by fostering collaborations between universities in Singapore and Malaysia. It aims to design comprehensive courses with specialised curriculum to provide students with well-rounded knowledge and the requisite skills to propel Malaysia’s growth aspirations. For communities and the region, this means superior country-to-country connectivity and a smarter, more resilient digital economy. As announced in Bursa, this joint venture is conditional upon receiving approval from TM shareholders in the upcoming EGM.
TM R&D’s Customer-focused innovations recognised at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards
In-house smart solutions for Fixed Wireless Access connectivity and customer experience platform for frontliners awarded under “Connectivity-Telecommunications” and “AI-IT Services” categories respectively Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently bagged two awards at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022, organised by the Singapore Business Review. The Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards spotlights exceptional companies who are technology disruptors that boosts Malaysia’s economy. TM’s Fast Internet for All (FIRA) solution was bestowed the award under the “Connectivity-Telecommunications” category, while TM’s Single Platform on Intelligent Customer Experience (SPICE.ai) won the award in the “Artificial Intelligence (AI)-IT Services” category. Commenting on these awards, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, “I couldn’t be prouder of my team as these awards reflect their commitment to meet the fast-evolving digital needs of today’s customers and strengthen our position as a research leader in these fields. This recognition also reaffirms our efforts in building smarter digital ecosystems to facilitate the ease with which Malaysians can embrace a more digital lifestyle, while also bringing progress to the nation.” FIRA was introduced as a way to support the government in providing Malaysians with quality access to digital connectivity nationwide. Aimed at offering better internet service to underserved communities, FIRA uses Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technologies to improve connectivity in rural areas across Malaysia. Since its first deployment in Malacca back in July 2020, the solution has demonstrated promising success in improving download and upload link speeds compared to other broadband services. The solution has since been implemented at a rural school in Selangor and at Pusat Komuniti Desa sites under the Ministry of Rural Development. It has also supported an IR4.0 use case in Terengganu. “FIRA is formulated to address two common issues: coverage and speed. The solution is capable to deliver connectivity up to 50Mbps within 5-8km range, compared to a traditional 4G cell within 1km range. Furthermore, with its quick deployment procedures, FIRA can help mitigate customers’ connectivity concerns in a cost-effective and timely manner,” shared Dr. Sharlene. SPICE.ai, on the other hand, aims to assist frontliners in their daily task of addressing customer service enquiries and requests. Dr Sharlene explained, “SPICE.ai consists of multiple components that cover different parts of an existing customer experience system. By integrating these components, frontliners gain a more holistic view of each customers’ profiles. The solution then implements real-time analytics to improve customer experience, giving frontliners the right information at the right time which allows them to deliver a better experience to customers.” This analytics system has been deployed nationwide for nearly two years and becomes the primary touchpoint for more than 5,000 TM frontliners in most customer interactions across multiple channels. The performance of SPICE.ai has proven to be reliable and seamless even when integrated with more than 20 existing, standalone systems and was still able to relay the processed information through one single platform, on top of providing analytics and advisory. Established in 2001, TM R&D is the innovation arm of TM Group focusing on creating smarter ecosystems to make business and life easier for a better Malaysia. TM R&D’s solutions are clustered around four pillars namely Intelligent Platforms, Data Brokerage, Connectivity/Tools and IR4.0/Digital Solutions. Growing from strength to strength, TM R&D has won multiple global awards and generated more than 2,800 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and 1,400 digital assets to date. TM R&D’s innovations are developed in-house and cut across multiple industries such as Utilities, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Education, with safety and productivity as its top priority.
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