Today, modern workplaces are driven by data and disruptive technologies, making data science and data analytics experts more sought after than ever. Data science, analytics, and machine learning are three of the most demanding fields an eligible tech company candidate should possess. Being knowledgeable about the fundamentals of data science is vital to produce high-quality solutions and aid the company in achieving an edge. On top of learning about the basics, regular upskilling and reskilling are also essential to meet the ever-evolving industrial challenges.

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Check out our lowdown of the best data science courses in Malaysia available in MDEC <a href="https://mdec.my/digitalup" title="Digital Up">Digital Up</a> incentivised training scheme that will help aspiring data scientists like you to easily land a career with.

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<h2>1. InfoSyte</h2>

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InfoStye is a veteran in the IT industry with more than 13 years of experience under their belt. They take pride in delivering one of the best, if not, the best data science courses there are in Malaysia for modern tech aspirants by making them stand out in the competitive date-driven workforce.

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Their top data science course entitled Designing And Implementing A Data Science Solution On Azure teaches applicants how to operate machine learning solutions at cloud scale using Azure Machine Learning. It encourages students to leverage their prior knowledge of Python and machine learning to manage data ingestion and preparation, model training and deployment, as well as machine learning solution monitoring in Microsoft Azure. Other courses provided by InfoStye you can check out include Designing And Implementing A Microsoft Azure AI Solution andPython Essentials.

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<h2>2. Innodatatics (360DigiTMG)</h2>

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Established in 2013, 360DigiTMG by Innodatatics is one of the award-winning pioneers in providing top notch training and has been accredited by Skim Bantuan Latihan (SBL) schemes by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) under the Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia.

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360DigiTMG&rsquo;s course entitled Data Science Using Python &amp; R provides students with the essential skills needed to understand the language of data and solve data problems across different sectors and industries using Python and R. The modules aim to deliver knowledge pertaining to the conceptualisation and summarisation of data, representation of data, data computing technologies, as well as handling data science projects. Other data science courses in Malaysia offered by 360DigiTMG include Data Engineering Essentials, Python For Data Science, Data Visualisation Using Tableau, Machine Learning and Operations, the list goes on.

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<h2>3. SAIBA International</h2>

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Helmed by a team of maestros who are certified in their respective fields of expertise, SAIBA International has surpassed 53 years in the corporate learning and development (training) industry, and another 50 years of marketing experience in organising workshops and conferences across the Asia Pacific region. SAIBA, stands for Strategic Alliance Intellectual Business Asia, is ready to polish the skills of modern technology aspirants, ensuring that they are ready to counter the fiercely competitive workforce.

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By enrolling in their top course dubbed Certified Data Science Practitioner (CDSP), USA, you earned yourself one of the most distinguished Data Science qualifications and got a head-start in your career. This course comprises the best subject matters such as Data Mining, Machine Learning, and Business Knowledge, meticulously planned and designed to help you counter any demands of a budding data scientist.

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<h2>4. An Edge Consulting</h2>

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An Edge Consulting (AEC) is one of Malaysia&rsquo;s leading upskilling training providers, with its main objective being to create a knowledgeable community that is resourceful, competitive, and productive in satisfying the ever-changing demands of today&rsquo;s industry.

Their course Mastering Structured Query Language (SQL): A Comprehensive Course For Beginners walks you through the installation steps for installing a text editor, installing MAMP or XAMPP (or equivalent) and creating a MYSql Database. At the end of this course, you will master everything about single table queries and the basic syntax of the SQL language, as well as databases designed with multiple tables, foreign keys, and the JOIN operation. Finally, you will learn how to model the various relationships such as those required to represent users, roles, and courses.

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<h2>5. SAS Institute</h2>

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SAS Institute prides itself as the founder and future of analytics. So if you are searching for the best data science courses in Malaysia to enrol in, you are at the right place. Helmed by industry experts, SAS offers a multitude of globally recognised certifications that will get you one step closer to the future you have always envisioned. With SAS, not only will you benefit from a special pricing on certification exams, but you will also be given access to tons of free e-learning sessions that will help hone your skills.

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One of the most demanded courses offered by SAS Institute has to be the one entitled SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming Using SAS 9.4. This course addresses four subject matters: Accessing and Creating Data Structures, Managing Data, Generating Reports and Output, and Handling Errors, and finally, prepares you for the exam administered by SAS and Pearson VUE. If you are interested in venturing into high-level data analytics, this certification can be very beneficial to your future career. Other courses by SAS you can consider include SAS Certified Specialist: Machine Learning Using SAS Viya, SAS Certified Specialist: Visual Business Analytics 7.5, and so on.

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6. Iverson Associates

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Since its inception in 1994, Iverson Associates has been the undisputed leader of professional IT training in Malaysia who has helped hundreds of companies, including private owned companies, government departments and agencies, government linked corporations, and organisations alike to upskill their employees, maximise their ROI, and gain a competitive advantage.

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One of the data science courses that make them stand out is the CompTIA Data+, an early-career data analytics certification that teaches trainees how to mine data, manipulate data, visualise and report data, apply basic statistical methods, and analyse complex datasets while adhering to governing and quality standards. On top of that, it will help prepare candidates to undertake the CompTIA Data+ certification exam later on. Other courses conducted by Iverson Associates worth considering include Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals With Powerapps, AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty, Microsoft Certified Azure AI Engineer Associate, and many more.

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7. Trainocate

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As a young, exciting development of the 25-year-old establishment Global Knowledge, the name Trainocate is derived from the term &ldquo;Training Advocate&rdquo;. Trainocate is an authorised training partner for big tech companies such as AWS, Alibaba Cloud, Cisco, Dell EMC, just to name a few. Therefore, you can trust this reputed IT training provider to shape you into a qualified candidate for this tech-driven industry,

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Their course Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate teaches you how to optimise Microsoft&rsquo;s powerful machine learning service, which is available at a cloud scale. You will learn about the ingestion and preparation of data for training models, as well as how you should monitor them during their deployment or lifecycle to create insightful reports. Once passing Exam DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure, you will earn the certification that validates your expertise in implementing and running machine learning workloads on Microsoft Azure.

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Other courses by Trainocate you take a look at include Building a Serverless Data Lake, Building Batch Data Analytics Solutions on AWS, Building Streaming Data Analytics Solutions on AWS, and so on.

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8. Akademi GA

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If you are sourcing for top data science courses in Malaysia to hone your skills with, check this out. As the exclusive partner of General Assembly (GA) in Malaysia, Akademi GA has helped more than 16,000 career changers land new, suitable jobs through their data science courses in Malaysia. Other fields they have expertise in include software engineering, user experience (UX) design, and management.

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Their top popular course&mdash;Data Analytics Bootcamp kicks off with an overview of data analytics, and delves deep into data cleaning and aggregation with Excel, querying and organising data with SQ, and finally, data narratives and visualisations with Tableau. Conducted by industry experts who aspire to help you gain confidence with key concepts and tools, you will be guided to create a real business module and apply learning to final projects, using rigorous data analysis techniques to solve real-world problems. Other interesting courses you should consider enrolling to further your skills are Data Analytics Immersive, Data Science Bootcamp, and Data Science Immersive.

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9. Fusionex Academy

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Being equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources, Fusionex Academy strives to cultivate the next generation of Big Data experts with the best data science courses in Malaysia. They believe by exposing students and professionals to the intricacies of Big Data Analytics (BDA) in synergy with theory courses and hands-on sessions, they will gain a better edge in the competitive tech-oriented workforce.

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In their Advanced Applied Data Science course, students will develop an in-depth and exhaustive understanding of Big Data Analytics and the Data Science lifecycle, along with the ability to build an array of machine learning models as well as optimise and evaluate model quality. Besides, students will be exposed to the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and the development of Product Recommendation Systems.

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Other data science courses you may find intriguing from this training provider include Applied Data Analytics, Applied Data Engineering, Applied Data Science, Data Science for Business, and so on and so forth.

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10. PEOPLElogy

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Founded in 2002 with one motive in mind&mdash;helping individuals and businesses flourish by pushing their employees to identify their inner passions, embrace their talents, and optimise digital tools to measure results. As of today, they have helped more than 1,500 corporate clients and nurtured more than 800 leaders and 42,000 talents in achieving success over the past two decades.

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Having designed the best data science courses in Malaysia, Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst is one of PEOPLElogy&rsquo;s many programs that are worth signing up for. At the end of this course, you will be familiar with the use of Power BI as well as the visualisation and report capabilities of Power BI. You will also be able to prepare extensive Excel data for analysis in Power BI and prove your skills through a capstone project designed for the industry-recognised Microsoft PL-300 Certification exam. If you ever thought about launching a career as a Power BI analyst, this programme is for you.

Other courses by PEOPLElogy you can look into include PL300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst and Python for Beginner.

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11. Quandatics Academy

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Opened its doors in 2017, Quandatics Academy is a departmental spinoff from its parent company, Quandatics (M) Sdn Bhd. Their sole motive is to help professionals, students, and individuals alike to adapt to the Big Data revolution era by offering practical, real-world-applicable upskilling and reskilling programs. Their strongest suit lies in their trainers who are constantly refining their skills in real-world industrial projects.

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Their number 1 popular data science course Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics in Industry 4 prepares you to take the knowledge gained and apply it to real-world data mining problems, solving them efficiently and effectively. The first part of this course walks you through the basic analytic process while the second part introduces more complex cases. The lessons taught will be applicable to areas such as customer analytics, targeted marketing, social media analytics, fraud detection, predictive maintenance, resource management, the list goes on.

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Python for Big Data Analytics, Rapidminer Master, Rapidminer Professional, and Systematic Approach to Data Analytics are four other top courses offered by Quandatics you might find interesting.

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12. Thulija Academy

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Thulja Academy prides itself as a future skills academy for emerging technologies. The registered training provider is committed to assist businesses in boosting their efficiency by adopting emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, digital marketing, and cybersecurity.

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Their sellout Certified Deep Learning Professional course covers all the fundamentals of Deep Learning, such as various Neural Networks for supervised and unsupervised learning. Students will be extensively trained by industry experts to build, train, and deploy various types of Deep Architectures, including Convolutional Networks, Recurrent Networks, as well as Autoencoders. Other aspects of the course include applying Deep Learning to real-world scenarios, using popular Deep Learning libraries such as Keras, PyTorch, and Tensorflow, just to name a few.

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Other professional data science courses worth considering include Certified Machine Learning Professional, Certified Natural Language Processing Developer, Professional Certification in Python Data Science.

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Check out our lowdown of the best data science courses in Malaysia available in MDEC Digital Up incentivised training scheme that will help aspiring data scientists like you to easily land a career with.

 Semak senarai kami mengenai kursus sains data terbaik di Malaysia yang tersedia dalam skema latihan insentif Digital Up yang akan membantu bakal saintis data seperti anda untuk mudah mendapatkan kerjaya.

12 Best Data Science Courses In Malaysia For Modern Tech Aspirants

12 Best Data Science Courses In Malaysia For Modern Tech Aspirants12 Best Data Science Courses In Malaysia For Modern Tech Aspirants

Why it is necessary for the current era of disruption

The IT industry has been in a state of flux over the last 12 months thanks primarily to disruptive technologies of all sorts appearing and rocking the status quo for many industries. This has become so extensive that it is imperative for all to identify current or upcoming trends that have the potential to influence the marketplace. Businesses need to be able to learn and adapt, or be left behind.

Future-proofing, of course, is critical here.

Consider the likes of iflix, Grab, AirBnB, Amazon, and other on-demand services that have appeared over the last five years. While their goal is to provide an entirely new level of service that is unprecedented for all, they have challenged the norm and forced many industries as a whole to face change. Mainstay players must now figure out how they can take on these fast-accelerating upstarts.

In fact, disruption – now a buzzword among innovators – has become a true force to be reckoned with as it has become a major wake-up call for businesses that are complacent or appear to be laggards.

Disruptive Effects

As the world struggles to embrace change that the digital age heralds at a never-seen-before rapid pace, it is clear that there is a revolution taking place right now with technology taking centre stage. Technology has, and still is, changing all the rules and propagating the fact of how disruption is now the new norm.

Once this understanding gains more traction among businesses, the next step is to consider future-proofing for the variable factors that these disruptive forces might bring to the table.

Let’s start with how disruptions affect businesses.

As consumers change according to trends, businesses must be ready for a never-ending game of evolution and be quick to absorb, understand, and adapt to rapid transformative processes. If they don’t, there is no chance for them to ever catch up. This applies to all industry sectors as disruption is not discriminative and will have a knock-on effect among inter-related verticals.

Disruption is an inevitable process that, by how it progressed over the last few years, has now become nigh unstoppable. In fact, the premise that it appears to focus in limited sectors is false as many business leaders have pointed to digital transformation as one of the major factors feeding the continual growth of many socio-economies.

The way forward is for all to embrace the idea of being disruptive or disrupted, rather than fearing it.

Digital Take-Up

Future-proofing covers a broad stroke of processes that mostly rely on engaging the digital native. That one aspect alone is a necessity as it will enable businesses to be more aware and highly relatable to the ever-changing landscape that on-going and soon-to-come disruptions have brought about.

Having such engagements in mind will give rise to interest or, perhaps, instantly spur many towards transforming how they operate to make it more technologically inclusive and be fully prepared for the oncoming wave of disruptions.

This is, essentially, a crucial factor for businesses to keep in mind as they study and figure out what is needed for future-proofing.

Understanding the digital native certainly goes above and beyond deploying new technologies and enhancing how the workforce operates. In fact, the two inter-linked functions would only work when more start to understand and embrace the need to become digitally enabled, not just from a business perspective but in how they go about their daily activities as well.

Digitally Driven

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution now in full-swing, companies can no longer second guess themselves as newer innovations continue to show up and consistently shake-up the existing state of affairs. Industrial trends like Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Mobility, and eCommerce have already broken the proverbial glass ceiling as they move to digitise the world. Seeing as these five empower the digital economy, it further reinforces the notion that they should not be under-estimated or disregarded.

Businesses must be immersed with any one, or all, of these influential factors to ensure their technology offerings are future-proof and able to take on these seismic shifts that the world is now experiencing.

The world had not been ready for the likes of Uber, AirBnb, and Alibaba. Even home-grown disruptors like Tripda and Hermo have started making in-roads for the ride-sharing and facial care spaces, further proving that industrial competitors are not the ones who will start any shake-ups. The use of advanced technologies will be vital to this and, thus, it is only appropriate that businesses step up their efforts to spur digital transformation from within at all levels.

MDEC is driving the digital economy in Malaysia

In Malaysia itself, as a core path towards the development of a high-income knowledge-based economy, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has acted as the driving factor pushing for a fully connected digital economy.

SMEs, which have long been the backbone of Malaysia’s economy will continue to play a strong part and are deemed by MDEC to be agile enough to compete effectively in this disruptive landscape. The rise in e-Commerce activity over the past few years has been significant, and MDEC expects SME exports to strongly push towards the 2020 goal of 30%.

Whatever it may be, the truth is that versatility is king today and will be in the future.

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The IT industry has been in a state of flux over the last 12 months thanks primarily to disruptive technologies of all sorts appearing and rocking the status quo for many industries….

Industri IT telah berada dalam keadaan fluks sejak 12 bulan yang lalu terima kasih terutamanya kepada teknologi mengganggu pelbagai jenis yang muncul dan menggegarkan status quo untuk banyak industri....

Future-Proofing: Critical Cornerstone for the Digital Economy

National Budget 2018 – MDEC’s Budget Commentary 
October 27, 2017 
Datuk Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer,
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) 
We are delighted that Budget 2018 is focused on accelerating growth and enhancing the wellbeing of the rakyat as well as in further enhancing Digital Malaysia. The Digital Economy continues to be a key driver of growth, contributing some 18.2% of Malaysia’s GDP this year, and expected to exceed the projected target of 20% earlier than 2020.
Just last Friday (20 October 2017), Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak hosted the 29th Implementation Council Meeting (“ICM”) and emphasised on the importance of the Digital Economy, and how it can become the new engine of growth for Malaysia. At ICM, Prime Minister Najib also announced a new stream of initiatives to boost nationwide digital transformation, and details of these initiatives – both new and existing – were unveiled at today’s Budget 2018 announcement.
Digital inclusivity and generating income for the rakyat 
The RM100 million allocation for the eRezeki and eUsahawan programmes would ensure that the Digital Economy continues to be inclusive for the well-being of the rakyat, and in particular the B40 and M40 groups.
With both programmes going into their third year, we estimate that 150,000 rakyat would be trained in 2018; resulting in 341,745 rakyat participating in both programmes with an estimated total income and revenue of RM544 million according to calculations.
We are also pleased to note that digital inclusivity has also been extended to a new flagship initiative called eLadang to encourage farmers to leverage the latest smart farming technologies (such as IoT [Internet-of-Things] and BDA [Big Data Anaytics]) to improve yield and pendapatan.
Talent Development for the Future of Work 
A total of RM250 million has been allocated for future education of the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) generation, and would be used to develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centres and improve Computer Science modules, including for Coding programmes. From the RM250million, RM190million is allocated for two thousand classes to be transformed into Smart Classrooms for 21st Century learning to increase creative and innovative learning.
MDEC is pleased with this allocation as this would ensure Malaysia’s students have exposure to the #mydigitalmaker education initiative launched last year.
This is a joint public-private-academia initiative with the aim of transforming the youth community from being users of digital innovation to producers or digital innovators. This includes skills such as coding, app development, robotics, embedded programming and creative technology; all of which will ultimately help to strengthen problem-solving and creativity amongst our future generation.
Our forecast reveals that we need one million digital workers, such as coders, application developers and software engineers, by 2025. With the continuous emphasis on talent development for the future of work, this is indeed encouraging for Malaysia to continue nurturing our bright young talent.
Nurturing Malaysia’s startup ecosystem 
It was also announced that the Malaysian Government will assist startups by introducing a slew of initiatives to encourage venture capital activities. The Prime Minister announced that investors from major institutions will allocate RM1 billion for venture capital investments in selected sectors.
These initiatives include income tax exemption being widened to include management fees and performance fees, as well as a reduction in minimum investment limit in a venture company from 70% to 50% from 2018 to 2022. Companies or individuals investing in venture capital companies will be given a tax deduction equivalent to the amount of their investments, which will be limited to a maximum of RM20 million ringgit per year, just as income tax exemptions equivalent to the amount of investments by angel investors in venture companies will be extended until 31 December 2020.
This is a visionary stance by the Malaysian Government as the start-up ecosystem is the job creators of the future. We introduced two highly successful initiatives last year, the first being the Malaysia Digital Hub initiative that supports start-ups and communities while creating greater opportunities for them to connect to the ASEAN and global digital ecosystem; and secondly, the Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP) – an initiative by the Malaysian Government that aims to attract global technopreneurs and help them to realise their fullest potential out of Malaysia and to scale their businesses regionally and globally.
Fortifying the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digital Economy 
The Malaysian Government would also be providing grants worth RM245 million under the Domestic Investment Strategic Fund to upgrade Smart Manufacturing services. This move is aimed at supporting investment and business activities under the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
In addition, the Futurise Centre in Cyberjaya will be upgraded as a one-stop centre for corporate companies and universities to develop product prototypes as well as to boost innovation. The government will also extend incentive periods for Fast Capital Allowance by 200 per cent on automation appliances for assessment year of 2018 until 2020, while incentives for the manufacturing and services sector for Fast Capital Allowance by 200 per cent will also be given. For information communication technology appliances, capital allowances – including computer software expenditure – can be claimed from assessment year of 2018 until 2020. 
These moves stem from the reality today that, in a hyper-connected world, it is becoming abundantly clear that artificial intelligence (or “AI”) is the defining force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. AI is the natural progression from data analytics, and as such, Malaysia should start looking at developing a National AI Framework. This will then be an expansion of the National BDA (Big Data Analytics) Framework. AI is the “game changer” for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) 
DFTZ is proving to be a massive game changer for Malaysia which will see Malaysia’s SMEs doubling exports, and establish Malaysia as a regional trans-shipment hub for e-commerce logistics while creating 60,000 jobs by 2025.
I am happy to say that the DFTZ will “Go Live” on 3 November and 1,900 export-ready SMEs will be flagged off to begin their export journey. This is an encouraging number of SMEs as our previous target was 1,500 SMEs.
For the first time, the world will see a physical and virtual zones with additional online and digital services to facilitate cross border eCommerce and invigorate internet based-innovation.

We are delighted that Budget 2018 is focused on accelerating growth and enhancing the wellbeing of the rakyat as well as in further enhancing Digital Malaysia. The Digital Economy continues to be a key driver of growth, contributing some 18.2% of Malaysia’s GDP this year, and expected to exceed the projected target of 20% earlier than 2020....

Kami gembira kerana Bajet 2018 memberi tumpuan kepada mempercepatkan pertumbuhan dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat serta meningkatkan lagi Digital Malaysia. Ekonomi Digital terus menjadi pemacu utama pertumbuhan, menyumbang kira-kira 18.2% daripada KDNK Malaysia tahun ini, dan dijangka melebihi sasaran yang diunjurkan sebanyak 20% lebih awal daripada 2020....

MDEC 2018 National Budget Commentary

Changing with the times is now an absolute necessity

Business transformation has always been about doing more to improve processes at all levels and engaging a broad swath of factors. This, oftentimes, will take technological advancements into account as they are used to start or spur major changes for the positive livelihood of all.

Just look at how the personal computer, and later on the mobile phone along with the smartphone after, disrupted their respective industries and made it better for everyone.

Road to Digital Development

When Malaysia established a true and proper technology regulator 20 years ago, it had multiple objectives to achieve. Chief among them is the ultimate aim of updating the country into a technological powerhouse. Its role is so crucial that it had been designated as the innovation trailblazer that all must follow. Fast forward to 2017 – having gone far to close the digital divide – the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) continues the drive the innovation and technology empowerment agendas.

Previously known as the Multimedia Development Corporation, the recently rebranded regulator has raised the ante in bringing Malaysian businesses to the global stage.  While it originally started out as an effort to create and grow a tech ecosystem that thrives on innovation, it soon became an acceleration platform that is fully focused on propelling Malaysia into becoming a driving force for the digital economy.

This can be seen in the initiatives that MDEC has introduced over the last year such as Malaysia Digital Hubs and Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP). There are even other collaborative efforts that contribute to the progress of the digital economy. Among the big achievements are the re-domiciling of a global talent development brands and attracting venture builders who are keen to use Malaysia as a regional staging ground.

As Malaysians become more technologically savvy and this nation transforms itself into a critical driver for innovation and digital economy, it is only a matter of addressing what it is lacking now to enable its full immersion with innovation. This also includes boosting process improvements and efficiencies at all levels. Current statistics show that most Malaysians have an aptitude for the digital realm, like how most who are on Facebook have 60% more friends than the global average or Uber registering 160,000 drivers in the Malaysian towns it is operating in since it started up.

The Big Push

Going by these statistics alone, Malaysians are more than ready to join the digital era.

While businesses are in the know, there are still many – comprising mainly the small and medium-sized ones – that do not understand how critical it is to ready themselves for the 4th Industrial Revolution. They need to learn and adapt quickly so they can embrace this transformative shift.

Technology, long before it became mainstream, has always been seen as an add-on component that introduces enhancements meant for improving processes. That mindset, which always focused on optimisation, must change. Current progress clearly indicates that more needs to be done to encourage the growth of the digital era. In making the switch, most focuses should be directed fully on tackling key issues that have plagued the drive for innovation all these years.

In fact, being able to take on current and oncoming disruptions is the end-goal for businesses as they move to be more accepting and understanding on the need for becoming more technology savvy.

Immediate Changes Needed

In this era of disruption and constant marketplace transformation, businesses and industry leaders have to take the lead and be the change agents. They are the ones who will augment the way companies interact, communicate, and understand the potency for digital transformation. When properly implemented, improvements will occur at almost all levels.

Current advancements seen to-date for Malaysia are a mixed bag of potential results as large enterprises are slow on the up-take. Thankfully, most are already considering plans for digital transformation with those operating at smaller scales being quicker to adapt and plan for deployment.

Undoubtedly, being able to unlock the true value from this next-gen economy model is far from being fully exploited. This factor nicely ties into the necessary paradigm shifts needed to introduce and accelerate the expansion of the digital era. This includes public policy changes playing a key role along with how companies understanding and being quick to realise that they cannot fall back on archaic practices and old school thinking.

Things must change, clearly.

Both factors, and needing to act on them, have to be primary focuses for Malaysian companies if they are to keep up and remain globally relevant. If done right, they can reap the maximum benefits from updating themselves and reading their processes for the digital age.

Business transformation has always been about doing more to improve processes at all levels and engaging a broad swath of factors. This, oftentimes, will take technological advancements into account as they are used to start or spur major changes for the positive livelihood of all....

Transformasi perniagaan sentiasa melakukan lebih banyak untuk memperbaiki proses di semua peringkat dan melibatkan pelbagai faktor. Ini, sering kali, akan mengambil kira kemajuan teknologi kerana ia digunakan untuk memulakan atau mendorong perubahan besar untuk kehidupan positif semua.... 

Malaysian Businesses Must Accelerate Its Digital Transformation to Keep Up

Creativity will drive new engines of innovation

While most nations focus on socio-economic development, ecosystem growths, marketplace transformation and other ‘real world’ agendas, there other critical factors that must be brought into play.

Let’s consider these  the following milestones, which are powered by the twin drivers - creativity and digital technology:
<ul>
 	<li>Malaysia is now a multimedia powerhouse, which is producing highly sought-after digital content</li>
 	<li>Malaysian talents are now being sourced for various digital and technology related industries</li>
 	<li>Malaysia has become a defining example of a rapidly-accelerating digital economy</li>
</ul>
Now, that the first arc of the story has been achieved, Malaysia is  switching up through the gears  and increasing  its pace of development. The creative content industry – is rapidly growing into  a lucrative and financially stable sector.

What is the backstory to this positive position?

Well, to answer that, let’s look at how things were like 10 years ago.

Creative Niche

One of the original goals for the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) was the daunting task of producing an expansive animated world with Saladin: the Animated Series. Conceptualised in 2004, it was an  ambitious, long-sighted project that was filled with passionate and talented people who wanted to see the Malaysia recognized. This project brought together private businesses, government facilitation, and an international co-production. That feat alone is remarkable and the ensuing internationally critical and commercial success surpassed all expectations.

Of course, a more fundamental aspect emerged and took root. What started off as an initiative to kick-start the 3D animation industry for Malaysia, became the source of inspiration to create and grow an industry, which focused purely on creative pursuits -  powered by advanced technology and innovations.

Those involved with Saladin strongly believe that Malaysia has the potential to lead the creative sector and grow into a regional powerhouse.  That same  fervent hope saw that this marketplace could transform into a critical economic driver. Productive weeks turned into fruitful months, and later into years of empowerment for this space.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-86" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/387274792.jpg" alt="" width="1300" height="806" />

Conduit of Growth

With help from MDEC, the creative content industry has started to crystallise, and to take definite shape. . The goal has always been about establishing Malaysia as a regional Creative Hub: one that  nurtures both the talent and industry to serve regional and global needs. Nearly 15 years later,  opportunities are multiplying, from as far afield as France, Europe, UK, as well as from key Asian markets - all currently working with talents and businesses in Malaysia.

To-date, there are about 11,000 professionals in the Malaysia’s creative content and technology industry. Most of these  are providing in-depth coverage within key creative segments, such as animation, games, visual effects &amp; new media, multimedia assets for apps, and content-enabled delivery platforms. Companies in this space exporting RM1.2 billion in 2016 alone, making it the fastest growing technology marketplace in the last three years.

Deep diving into any of the industry sub-segments will bring up some surprising insights. Take the animation sector, as an example. The statistics alone are mind-boggling – market revenues for animation and related efforts have reached 187.7 million in 2016, translating to an estimated 11.2% boost from 2014 to 2016. Equally as impressive is the games market. From a consumption standpoint, research shows a US$587 million revenue forecast in 2017, adhering to a year-on-year growth rate of 16.3%. In terms of market size, there are 14 million Malaysian gamers, 7.8 million of these are paying customers.  Take this data into account alone suggests  that one out of every two Malaysians are gamers and voracious consumers of quality digital content and services related to these immersive materials.

The creative content and technology industry is today a  fast growing, influential, and high potential sector – one that has been experiencing exponential growth in the last few years. Knowing this, Malaysia is keen on further accelerating the creative development segment and the massive pool of talents keen to delve into this new marketplace. This includes building new digital technologies, growing the ecosystem, and ensuring that its effects are translated to give value beyond the digital space.

Of course, like all progressive efforts, there are certain drivers, which are critical to these aspirations. The important ones - such as talent development and retention, up-skilling roles, and widening public awareness and acceptance -  are the most empowering factors for the creative industry. Attracting  support from  influencers on talent – such as family, school, and the environment  – is equally significant.

Transformative Marketplace

All these performance scaling and industry growths offer much more than continuous revenue streams. Beyond the more obvious outcomes, the creative content sector has helped Malaysia to take the lead in various initiatives. One of the first initiatives MDEC introduced to empower talents was the Intellectual Property Creative Challenge (IPCC). A platform like IPCC -  now become a must-go-to event for potential creatives -  has opened another door into animation and videogames development.  IPCC has helped some people go on to create multiple industry milestones.

Another step includes establishing the Malaysia Animation and Creative Content Centre (MAC3), an incubation and accelerator initiative, to give the creative development sector another boost, and inspire similar services to open their doors. The latest of these efforts is the public-private sector initiative between MDEC and UOA with  industry partners  in launching the LEVEL UP Inc. – the premier games  incubator. With one of the partners, Media Prima Digital, Malaysia now has a proper privately-led digital games publisher that is willing to fund and develop digital games that have commercialisation potential. This includes merchandising efforts and scaling to regional markets.

This move allows MDEC to leverage the tremendous potential Malaysia has to offer as an investment location as well as offer a talent supply line for the creative content industry. There is a need to provide support for local content development efforts  and so feed further  growth of the ecosystem. This is important for digital games development:  this, among others, is the primary reason such spaces are essential.

Malaysia is no longer taking baby steps;  it has now grown into a champion for the creative content industry. While there is much more to be done, there is no doubt that things are now in place and moving in the right direction. It is  now a matter of building more pace within  the content ecosystem and matching this to the speed of growth of other engines of innovation and economic development in Malaysia.

Personally, I believe that it will take more than the separate capabilities of the private and public sectors or relevant players to further revolutionise the creative industry segment. Multiple collaborations, which not only cross-over verticals but also geographical boundaries,  will become the primary play-book for all within the content development space.

To end, we are like the crew of the Starship Enterprise, boldly going where no one has really gone before. The only thing that is keeping us alive and moving forward is the team effort that we as Malaysia is putting out there. Everyone plays a part and our job in MDEC is to make sure the Warp Drive is fully operational.

While most nations focus on socio-economic development, ecosystem growths, marketplace transformation and other ‘real world’ agendas, there other critical factors that must be brought into play….

Walaupun kebanyakan negara memberi tumpuan kepada pembangunan sosio-ekonomi, pertumbuhan ekosistem, transformasi pasaran dan agenda 'dunia sebenar' yang lain, terdapat faktor kritikal lain yang mesti dimainkan.... 

Why Malaysia's Creative Sector a Credible Driver for the Digital Economy

The only thing that’s constant in life and business is change. And change is best exemplified in the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) industry which is constantly evolving for the better, with newer innovations to improve lives, and enable businesses to run more efficiently and productively.

Having been at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for more than three years thus far, after having spent my previous chapter at multinational companies such as Microsoft, Dell and HP; I have witnessed first-hand the power and magnitude of digital transformation that pave the way for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

I have always thought of innovation as being the intersection between invention and insight. And with innovation comes transformation that transcends government, business and society for the better.

However, there is one aspect of transformation that is equally important. And that’s cultural transformation which, done correctly, brings positive benefits and significant changes within a company.

Allow me to share the MDEC example.

MDEC’s mission is to champion Malaysia’s Digital Economy, and for this to happen, it must be rooted in our core values and we must hold ourselves accountable to the highest standard of integrity.

Visitors to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) headquarters in Cyberjaya would inevitably see a statement of our core values on the ground floor. They are:
<ul>
 	<li>We serve the nation, and are here to help bring meaningful impact to our country. And we do so with utmost integrity, sincerity and accountability.</li>
 	<li>We are go-getters, and do things with passion, courage, agility and resilience.</li>
 	<li>We are forward-thinkers, and constantly look towards the future, anticipate change, are not afraid to challenge the status-quo and connect the dots to maximise impact.</li>
 	<li>We are collaborators, meaning we are approachable and respectful, and we believe in the power of partnerships and teamwork.</li>
 	<li>We have fun… are adventurous, creative and we inject “Wow (!) into everything that we do.</li>
</ul>
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="900"]<img src="https://assets.nst.com.my/images/articles/11fiun_1518240102.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="640" /> Photo Credit: Nurul Shafina Jemenon, New Straits Times[/caption]

As CEO of MDEC, I am very proud of these values and the MDEC team – because I see my MDEC team bringing them to life on a daily basis.

These core values represent “our true north”, because they are what makes the MDEC team a highly impactful and highly collaborative one. Evidence of this is how the Digital Economy contributed some 18.2% to Malaysia’s GDP in 2015 and is expected to further increase in the years ahead.

However, corporate cultural transformation can be challenging.

At times, the MDEC leadership team and I have had to make some tough decisions to ensure that these core values and integrity continue to be at the heart of everything we do.

We have had to transform processes and to make them more transparent – and be seen as transparent.

I admire and respect MDEC Chairman Tan Sri Sidek Hassan’s position on “Zero Tolerance” or “ZeTo” on corruption.

It is a position MDEC as a company can relate to: MDEC has Zero Tolerance for any form of corruption.

Let me give you an example: Through our audit process in 2016, we uncovered issues concerning Foreign Knowledge Workers (FKW) Approval Process and Governance. This goes against the grain of what MDEC stands steadfastly for.

As a result, under the purview of the Board Audit Committee, we undertook an extensive audit and process transformation to drive transparency. This included:
<ol>
 	<li>Engaging credible third-party consultants to undertake the Business Process Reengineering and an extensive forensic audit to validate issues that had been uncovered.</li>
 	<li>The approval process was redesigned to make it a ‘committee-based’ approval system. Most of the changes came into effect in mid-2017. Since then, we continue to further fine tune and make improvements in the best interest of transparency.</li>
 	<li>Issues that may have been discovered during this exercise would have been notified and reported to the relevant authorities.</li>
</ol>
Embarking on this clean-up exercise was no easy task. It required commitment, patience and most of all, courage – especially in the face of many obstacles and people who were against this positive change for a more transparent and fair process.

As one of the leading organisations in the nation, MDEC is also pursuing the Corruption-Free (also known as “IBR”) pledge with MACC. What this means is that MACC will have direct access to us and our people, myself included.

It pleases me to say that, when we announced this process, the MDEC Senior Leadership Team volunteered to be the first to go through this audit and to be checked. It’s very heartening because it shows that core values and integrity are not just corporate statements, but that the team is leading by example even if such a process may be perceived to be inconvenient and tedious.

Another initiative that MDEC is implementing is developing our very own Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

While such processes may be time-consuming and tedious, it is our commitment to our core values and integrity that would ensure MDEC continues serving Malaysia and helping our country realise our digital potential to its fullest. Failure to see through such commitment would mean that we have let down the country.

At the end of the day, though, integrity is what defines us as people and as professionals.

Yes, change is constant and transformation is important – but what’s equally or more important is integrity and the core values within us all to always do the right thing.

This article "<a href="https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2018/02/334088/change-and-importance-core-values">Change and the Importance of Core Values</a>" also appeared on New Straits Times on 10 February 2018  at 1.21pm.

The only thing that’s constant in life and business is change. And change is best exemplified in the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) industry which is constantly evolving for the better....

Satu-satunya perkara yang berterusan dalam kehidupan dan perniagaan adalah perubahan. Dan perubahan adalah contoh terbaik dalam industri Maklumat, Komunikasi dan Teknologi (ICT) yang sentiasa berkembang menjadi lebih baik....

Change and the Importance of Core Values

In tandem with these changing times of rapid digital disruption and transformation, even language is becoming more disrupted.

One of the debates gaining momentum during networking sessions at events in ASEAN, especially in leadership circles, is a certain confusion surrounding the meaning of the terms —“digitisation” and “digitalisation.”

The two terms are often mixed together in informal conversations especially in leadership circles, and vaguely connect to the rising tide of digital transformation across all areas of life. To the digital natives - especially the “born-digital” startup community, the distinctions may not appear to be relevant. However, business leaders in the “brick and mortar” world need clearer definitions for their planning procedures.

So, let’s try to clarify what the emerging distinctions in the business community are.

Gartner has presented the definition that “digitisation" is about converting analog to digital content. In short: “Digitisation is the process of changing from analog to digital form.” A simple example is converting an analog music piece - vinyl record to a digital file. Or to convert "brick and mortar” to “click and mortar.”
<h2>Digitalisation and Transformation</h2>
And then Gartner moved to suggest that “digitalisation" is when you use digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of moving to a digital business. Examples of this include converting and automating manufacturing processes under the control of digital technologies: this may be illustrated by automating what were previously manual workflows in producing new products.

Analyst firm Deloitte adopts a similar approach, suggesting that digitisation means ‘Doing digital’ while digitalisation means ‘Being digital’. So, it is not simply a matter of digitising the touch points, it’s also about transforming your traditional organisation into to a digital organisation, essentially making your company digital at the core.

Putting it in a populist terms, digitisation is when Star Trek’s teleportation device (pardon the Star Trek reference; I’m a Star Wars fan, truth-be-told), changes your body into digits whereas digitalisation is about transforming the whole process and business of teleportation with the latest technological strategies.

Therefore, I suggest that digitalisation is essentially rooted in the holistic process of transformation across different sectors and different areas of our lives. The potential for change is suggested by this journey of digitalisation.

When we adopt these clarified definitions, we will be able to communicate more efficiently about the potential for change in our vision, in our planning and in our achievement. Our conversations about digital transformation are rooted in the fertile ground of digitalisation.

A few words to finish: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is focused on building a digital future - Digital Malaysia - in a holistic manner, one which unlocks significant economic, environmental, and social values. The four strategy pillars of digitalisation we are using to achieve transformation are: to drive investments; build local tech champions; catalyse digital innovation ecosystems; and enable more digital inclusivity.

<ul>
 	<li>“Digitisation" is the process of changing from analog to digital form.” A simple example is converting an analog music piece - vinyl record to a digital file. Or to convert "brick and mortar” to “click and mortar.”</li>
 	<li>“Digitalisation” is a broader, more strategic word to embrace the holistic process of transformation across different sectors and different areas of our lives: digitalisation is when you use digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities. </li>
</ul>

Datuk Yasmin Mahmood is the CEO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.

In tandem with these changing times of rapid digital disruption and transformation, even language is becoming more disrupted….

Seiring dengan perubahan masa gangguan dan transformasi digital yang pesat ini, bahkan bahasa semakin terganggu.... 

Digitisation and Digitalisation: What's the difference?

When national agency Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC, previously known as Multimedia Development Corporation) was formed in 1996, the aim was to support the development of Malaysian-based technology companies — MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor) Malaysia status companies.

Over the years, the number of these MSC-status companies has grown to more than 2,500.

Many of these companies are already market leaders here, and some are ready to take the next step, which is to succeed in the ASEAN market.

To help crystallise their expansion efforts, MDEC recently launched the GAIN (Global Accelerator and Innovation Acceleration) programme.

We saw their potential to global players, and even to become global icons: ASEAN was envisioned as the next major stride forward.
<h1>Why Malaysia?</h1>
Why is Malaysia a fertile ground for emerging global icons? Firstly, Malaysia is centrally located, and for companies based here, many markets are easy to reach. We have gained a deep understanding of buyer behaviour and market dynamics.

Also, Malaysia - with a population of some 30 million limits the growth potential of any business, especially a technology one.

This fosters a creative tension, a drive to answer the strategic challenge: How does a company stand out from the rest of the field? During the infancy stage, most companies start by selling to customers that they can connect by a sharp focus on competencies, pricing, and delivery.

However, the next chapter of the story demands answering the overpowering need to stand out from the crowd. This will always remain a challenge, of course, for most companies throughout the entire life-cycle of the company: it's the pressure to adapt.

But just to stop the story here: Consider that most companies will only look into this issue when they achieve a certain scale, a certain milestone along their growth journey.

Can you be differentiated by your product, service or is there something else? Looking at a sampling of the successful local technology companies such as iPay88, Fusionex International, N2N Connect, iflix, Sedania Innovators, Les Copaque, Mindvalley, I would say that only a couple have engaged the power of story.

Having worked at several MNC’s - such as Lucent, American Express, Telstra, and others - I have had first hand opportunity to delve into the sales process from the inside.

The truth, they say, always lies within. It has become crystal clear to me that the truly successful companies have been able to craft powerful strategic stories to explain their relevance.

Yes, we needed to have the right product-value mix, but the deal is definitely lost if our story lacks meat, lacks structure, and misses telling the unique selling point.

[caption id="attachment_114" align="aligncenter" width="1100"]<img class="wp-image-114 size-nord-full-width" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Steve-Jobs-Gallery-03-1-1100x457.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="457" /> Photo taken from http://www.stevejobsmovie.co.uk/[/caption]
<h1>Why stories work?</h1>
Stories are powerful differentiators, and for this reason have always appealed to the human psyche. The first clear stories that remain visible for human-kind are probably the Palaeolithic cave paintings in Lascaux, France, which are estimated to be 20,000 years old.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-117 size-full" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/shutterstock_281513909.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

For centuries our ancestors were captivated by stories, and long before the written word, history was passed down verbally through the generations in the form of stories.

[caption id="attachment_110" align="aligncenter" width="1100"]<img class="wp-image-110 size-nord-full-width" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Steve-Jobs-Gallery-03-1100x457.jpg" alt="" width="1100" height="457" /> Photo taken from http://www.stevejobsmovie.co.uk/[/caption]

It was paintings, visual work and the spoken word that captivated our imaginations.

Interestingly, fast forward to the modern era and noted linguist, Noam Chomsky, who in the 1960’s said that we are all born with an innate language.

He went on to say that the primary purpose of language was for thought – not communication!

Yet leaders and sales people continue to throw facts and figures at us. I am not saying that these are not important, but they need to be placed within the engaging, compelling structure - that we call an overarching story.

This is something that NGOs do very well. Talk to any successful NGO and they are able to explain the reason for their existence without using facts and figures.

Companies, possibly influenced by the finance and product specialists, seem to just jump straight into why the product is better or cheaper, and the better ones are able to sell the value proposition.

It seems we have deliberately ignored the wisdom of generations in order to get into a “you can never win” race to prove our product is better than competitive offerings.

Companies that are not able to climb out of this abyss will find it difficult to survive in an increasingly competitive and connected world.

It is tough to win the features and benefits war when you are sitting in front of a prospect, and impossible when you are not.

And in a competitive world, this is the challenge faced by ASEAN companies. There are of course notable exceptions; AirAsia always had a great story, represented by its famous tag-line, “Now Anyone Can Fly”.

Nadiem Makarim, Founder &amp; CEO of GoJEK ,is a powerful storyteller and is propelling the company into an Indonesian logistics and payment superstar.
<h1>Strategic storytelling</h1>
Grab is following suit. The ASEAN market will be an open one, which means local SMEs need to start thinking about how they are going to compete, not just within the region but against global players.

For SMEs and technology companies the writing is not the wall. Learn to compete, or face extension. This is why the storytelling skill is critical, and, for me, an area where local companies have not mastered the battle of the mind that needs to be fought.

Let’s take a look at a couple of extraordinary storytellers from the technology world.

Steve Jobs attention to detail in presenting Apple product is legendary.

In the movie Jobs, you can see the time and effort that goes into his presentation – it's not a matter of running through the few slides with a narrative. What he says, how he says it, where he stands, sits, how he unveils the product functionality is all carefully crafted within an overarching story so that he captivates, entertains and most importantly speaks to each and everyone in a personal way that touches our emotional core.

Why does he do this? Is it his passion, obsession with detail? Perhaps. But I think he truly understands how important stories are to the human psyche. And by casting the story correctly, he is opening the door for his sales and marketing people to follow up with the features and benefits pitch. That’s the art of strategic story-telling.

Simon Sinek, in his most watched video on the “The Golden Circle” says that by answering the why question you can reach into the limbic system, or the “emotional brain,” which we know from biology is buried within the cerebrum and is possibly the oldest part of our brain.

This part of the brain doesn’t control language, reasoning, coordination, etc., which are controlled by the cerebrum, but because it is the repository of emotions and memories it can drive actions more effectively than rational thought. Jobs and others have perhaps intuitively understood this and used stories to set their companies apart from the pack.

Elon Musk, a man I truly admire and respect, entrepreneur and leader extraordinaire is another example of a great strategic story-teller. He announced the Tesla Roadster in 2004, using the chassis and engineering strength of Lotus Engineering and delivered the first unit four years later.

The cars that were on the market were sold on their features and performance. Potential buyers were told about; zero-emissions, luggage space, range per charge, etc.

When presenting his electric car, Musk talked about it being “cool, great design and acceleration. It was a simple but powerful message targeted at the limbic system. Tesla’s Model-S became the bestselling electric vehicle in the US in 2016 and 2017.

To end on an important point: Why is storytelling so important to local technology companies? I've already talked about the competitive environment these companies face. Instead of pushing more and more information out, we need to learn the art of storytelling. The emotional engagement that I mentioned earlier is vital to business performance.

Technology today has democratised and has deepened our connectivity and our reach to our customers, competitors, and just about every single person on planet earth: So let us share the stories of our business propositions, and tell the stories of our entrepreneurship journey globally.

Malaysian companies can stand tall with other global players: we need to tell our compelling stories!

by Gopi Ganesalingam, MDEC’s Vice President of Enterprise Development.

This article also appeared on New Straits Times on 14 March at "<a href="https://www.nst.com.my/business/2018/03/345197/why-malaysian-companies-need-be-better-storytellers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Malaysian companies need to be better storytellers?</a>"

When national agency Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC, previously known as Multimedia Development Corporation) was formed in 1996, the aim was to ....

Apabila agensi nasional Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC, yang sebelum ini dikenali sebagai Multimedia Development Corporation) ditubuhkan pada tahun 1996, matlamatnya adalah untuk ....

Why Malaysian Companies Need To Be Better Storytellers

Today, as it has been for centuries past, the Straits of Melaka is one of the world’s most important trade routes. Malaysia’s prime location on the commercial artery that connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the major economic centers of Asia has been a major factor not only in the growth of the Malaysian economy but also in the development of trading and commerce as a key dimension of Malaysian rich history and culture.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that roughly 80 percent of global trade by volume is enabled by shipping. A relatively narrow channel, the Straits of Melaka is relied upon by a third of total global shipping. In dollar terms, an estimated US$5.3 trillion worth of goods transits through the South China Sea annually.

As early as the first few centuries A.D., trade on the Straits of Melaka helped to create economic and cultural links among China, India, and the Middle East.  Europeans also plied the Straits during this time.  By the middle ages, it had become the hub for trade and commerce that it is today, with ships using points along the coast of the Malayan Peninsula to dock and conduct commerce.  It is said that the Chinese, Indians, Omanis, Yemenis, Persians, and Africans exchanged goods and established trade agreements with traders from Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Canton. Silk, brocades, porcelain, and perfumes from the Middle Kingdom were traded with hardwoods, carvings, precious stones, cotton, sugar, livestock and even weapons from India. From the interior of Malaya came tin, camphor, ebony, and gold. Surrounding traders brought spices, perfume, rice, gold, black pepper and sandalwood.

The regional prosperity that came from being the hub of activity for traders of all ilk (and silk) led to a self-reinforcing loop that perpetuated an affinity for the virtues of commerce. The strategic location of the Straits at the heart of the Eastern trade routes, coupled with favourable seasonal winds, were critical natural factors that encapsulated the trade-hub potential of Penang and Melaka. But it still took the inspired decision of the then administrators to build the infrastructure, establish the network and train the local population to turn Penang and Melaka into major entrepots of their time.

While the world and its modes of commerce and trade have evolved greatly over the past several hundred years, the Straits of Melaka has sustained its position as a preeminent trade route.  Today, Malaysia is the gateway to the 630 million consumers of the ASEAN region – collectively the world’s sixth largest economy at over US$2.4 trillion annually.

Malaysians’ commercial sensibility is a key underlying factor in the growth of Malaysia’s digital economy. Entrepreneurship and understanding, producing and trading the goods markets want are deeply ingrained among Malaysians. As Datuk Yasmin observed, “we are traders – locally, nationally, and internationally, giving the various programs undertaken by MDEC and others access to a deep talent pool that is readily adapting to the possibilities and opportunities of digital.”

This dimension of our culture also affords Malaysia the ability to have a highly inclusive agenda for building its digital economy, one that touches a large proportion of our people, extending their outlook and what they already know into exciting new digital endeavors. Datuk Yasmin outlined the scale at which this was being undertaken: “on a national level, we are doing things to expose our entrepreneurially-inclined population to digital entrepreneurship.  Digital marketing and digital e-commerce instruction is now a formal curriculum in our vocational schools.  We will have over 400,000 vocational school graduates each year who have had in-depth exposure to digital marketing and e-commerce.” This program is now being expanded to the university level.

After only two years, the transformative impact has been phenomenal.  We already see cases of successful young e-commerce entrepreneurs going from renting a small house to being to buy a house for their family, and then having sufficient demand for their product to warrant moving production from their backyard into a brand-new factory. International expansion of the markets where these small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) do business is the next step, and one, given our trading culture and heritage, that is coming naturally, and now more easily, leveraging the partnership between Alibaba and the Malaysian government and the capabilities of Malaysia’s recently launched Digital Free Trade Zone.

Datuk Dan E Khoo is the President of MDEC Americas Inc; a Silicon Valley organization established to drive the global expansion of Malaysia’s digital economy.

Today, as it has been for centuries past, the Straits of Melaka is one of the world’s most important trade routes. Malaysia’s prime location on the commercial artery that connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the major economic centers of Asia has been a major factor not only in the growth.....

Hari ini, seperti yang telah berabad-abad yang lalu, Selat Melaka adalah salah satu laluan perdagangan yang paling penting di dunia. Lokasi utama Malaysia di arteri komersial yang menghubungkan Lautan Pasifik dan Lautan Hindi dan pusat-pusat ekonomi utama Asia telah menjadi faktor utama bukan sahaja dalam pertumbuhan.....

POV from Silicon Valley: Malayan Trading History's Influence on the Rise of the Malaysian Digital Economy

For centuries, Malaysia has been a center of international commerce, owing to its strategic location in the Strait of Melaka, and the resulting trading orientation that developed among its people. And while it remains an important player in the traditional forms of international commerce conducted principally among large corporations, the power of e-commerce has been harnessed in Malaysia specifically for the benefit of its expanding the cross-border trade of its small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s).

Capitalizing on its culture and heritage rich in trading and commerce, Malaysia’s drive to grow its digital economy has always focused on inclusiveness. This approach aligned well with the vision of Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, the world’s largest and most profitable retailer, for an Electronic World Trade Platform (EWTP). In Ma’s view, the globalization of trade, though geographically widespread is flawed in its implementation because it has benefitted only big, multinational companies.  This flaw is largely due to cost of cross-border trade that is driven by its complexity, rendering it inaccessible to SME’s. Putting an e-commerce platform in place that removes the complexity and therefore the cost that excludes most SME’s from cross-border trade will enable SME’s to profitably reach markets beyond their own borders.

This aligned view of inclusion forged a natural partnership between Alibaba and Malaysia to develop and launch Malaysia’s Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ).  Effectively eliminating the complexity associated with customs, foreign exchange, warehousing, shipping and reaching a marketplace of potential customers, the Alibaba Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hub within the DFTZ gives SME’s from Malaysia, and ultimately throughout the ASEAN region and beyond unprecedented capabilities to reach large consumer markets. In his remarks on the launch of the DFTZ, Jack Ma said: “Today we are witnessing a historic moment in Asia, where one country has begun to use technology to enable its SME’s and young people to become more competitive on the world stage.”

About 2000 Malaysian SME’s were part of the initial launch of the DFTZ.  There is a Malaysian Pavilion on the Alibaba platform and various powerful tools that connect potential buyers outside of Malaysia with Malaysian products for the first time. So far the results have been interesting.  The top Malaysian product sold into China through the Malaysian Pavilion is white coffee. Durian is number two. Bird nests for bird nest soup is also a popular SME export – leveraging our not quite as well-known location advantage of being on the flight path of swallows traversing southeast Asia. The mix of products and volume sold through the DFTZ to the world’s consumers will continue to evolve and grow in interesting ways, but whatever the products, it’s the growth of SME’s ability to benefit from streamlined cross-border trade that really matters.

Reflecting on the launch of the DFTZ and the partnership with Alibaba, Datuk Yasmin said: “I'm really happy with how this came together. Of course it was a lot of work on our part, but it didn’t seem so due to the sheer excitement of doing something so new.  To be working with the global leaders at Alibaba and such an innovative leader as Jack Ma, has been truly a pleasure for us, and also has brought us to a whole different mindset now. The platform that we built was developed by locals. I must say that it was at a high standard.  Through this initiative we raised the standard of our local suppliers to that of a global caliber, an Alibaba caliber, and that’s something that will have lasting effects.”

Dato' Dan E Khoo is the President of MDEC Americas Inc; a Silicon Valley organization established to drive the global expansion of Malaysia’s digital economy.

For centuries, Malaysia has been a center of international commerce, owing to its strategic location in the Strait of Melaka, and the resulting trading orientation that developed among its people. And while it remains an important player in the....

Selama berabad-abad, Malaysia telah menjadi pusat perdagangan antarabangsa, kerana lokasinya yang strategik di Selat Melaka, dan orientasi perdagangan yang dihasilkan yang dibangunkan di kalangan rakyatnya. Dan sementara ia kekal sebagai pemain penting dalam....

POV from Silicon Valley: Malaysian SME Cross-Border Trade - The Next Chapter

As consumers continue to expand the use of electronic commerce channels as their preferred method of shopping, the traditional retail industry “location matters” adage seems fated to obsolescence. Clearly, the location of a physical retail location is becoming less important than it was as recently as five years ago – the retail location is often in the cloud, accessible from wherever the consumer and his or her smartphone happens to be.

“Location matters” still rings true despite the evolution of commerce from physical to electronic, but its meaning has also evolved.  We all understand the concept of instant gratification and the feeling of frustration that can arise from waiting for a purchased item to be delivered. Jack Ma, founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba, the world’s largest retailer has set the success requirement for their Electronic World Trade Platform to delivery within 72 hours of purchase to anywhere in the world, 24 hours within a country. Being able to consistently meet this requirement requires a highly sophisticated set of inventory management and logistics systems to be sure, but those things alone will not guarantee success. As it turns out, the shipping point’s location matters to a great extent in timely and efficient delivery – particularly when cross-border shipments are involved.

In an e-commerce world where this location matters, Malaysia enjoys many advantages, just as it has since the beginnings of international commerce centuries ago.  Strategically located on the Strait of Melaka, Malaysia is the natural gateway to southeast Asia, within easy reach of many of the world’s most dynamic economies. The ASEAN region is home to 630 million consumers and collectively the world’s sixth largest economy at over US$2.4 trillion annually. However, it’s not only the physical location that matters. What Malaysia and its partner Alibaba have put in place in that location are what make it one of the world’s most advanced e-commerce hubs.

Reliable and efficient shipping operates on a hub and spoke system, with few hubs connecting out to many spokes in a region.  The hubs are the most vital parts of the system, where synchronization of warehousing, packaging, transportation, and other logistical aspects of fulfilling an e-commerce transaction such as customs clearances or dealing with returned merchandise.  Malaysia’s recently launched Digital Free Trade Zone, which has within it the first international hub of Alibaba’s Electronic World Trade Platform, is among the e-commerce industry’s most advanced hubs worldwide.

Why did Jack Ma and Alibaba choose Malaysia for its first deployment of its Electronic World Trade Platform? Location was clearly one of the reasons. Our geopolitical stability and deeply ingrained trading culture were reasons.  The others relate to a powerful shared vision and the leadership commitment to execute an aggressive development plan. Making the Digital Free Trade Zone a reality involved the Prime Minister and other senior members of the government setting directives that cut across 26 different agencies and ministries. This top-down leadership, plus the sector-specific knowledge of MDEC and others driving the growth of the nation’s digital economy were what made it possible to transform vision into reality in under one year. Datuk Yasmin summed it up this way: “It was many things, but most importantly, he and the Alibaba team saw that we had the vision for it and the ambition to see it through.”

Jack Ma said, “the first-e-hub under the Electronic World Trade Platform outside of China will go a long way towards making global trade more inclusive and provide much-needed support to a hugely important constituent:  SME’s and the younger generation.” Clearly, the significance of the partnership with Alibaba, and the capabilities it has brought to market have industry, socio-economic, and other far-reaching implications. Datuk Yasmin expressed the following in conclusion:  “My dream is that we will rediscover and reposition the glory days of the Straits of Melaka during the silk and spice trade.  Melaka was right in the center of the universe then, and I feel it can be that in the e-commerce universe.”

Datuk Dan E Khoo is the President of MDEC Americas Inc; a Silicon Valley organization established to drive the global expansion of Malaysia’s digital economy.

As consumers continue to expand the use of electronic commerce channels as their preferred method of shopping, the traditional retail industry “location matters” adage seems fated to obsolescence….

Oleh kerana pengguna terus memperluaskan penggunaan saluran perdagangan elektronik sebagai kaedah membeli-belah pilihan mereka, pepatah "lokasi penting" industri runcit tradisional nampaknya gemuk.... 

POV from Silicon Valley: Location Matters - Particularly with Cross Border eCommerce

The economic prospects of traditional retailers in many global markets are in a widespread state of deterioration.  Their situation even has its own term of art – “retail apocalypse” which actually now exists as a Wikipedia entry.  Even strong companies and those who realize a material share of their revenue from e-commerce sales are feeling pressure to close stores. Using the US market as an example, over 20,000 retail stores closed between 2013 and 2018. Close to 7000 of these closed in 2017 alone, despite very high consumer confidence ratings, low unemployment and continued growth of the US economy.

Beyond the retailers themselves, global brands are rethinking their distribution strategies in ways that indicate a pivot toward e-commerce. Nike, for example, forecast at its October 2017 Investor Day conference that its e-commerce sales would represent 66% of its corporate revenue growth over the next five years. At that same conference, Nike also announced a massive revamp of its wholesale strategy, indicating that it would place a primary focus on just 40 out of its current 30,000 retailers. The message is clear, simply distributing product out to lots of stores is not their going-forward priority – e-commerce makes the vast majority of those physical points-of-sale obsolete.

The global offline-to-online movement is unquestionably a factor in the decline of traditional retail, but not the sole factor. US government statistics show that e-commerce sales in 2017 still account for less than 10% of all retail sales.  A driving factor in the recent run-up in retail store closings is the large debt load carried by large traditional retailers, which in many cases is a consequence of leveraged buyouts made by private equity firms in recent years. Rising interest rates and changing market conditions are making this debt more difficult to refinance than in the past, driving several large retailers toward, or into bankruptcy.

As it relates to the realm of MDEC, there are at least two important takeaways from this trend.  The first is that the dominant position large retail corporations hold over manufacturers in reaching consumer markets is rapidly coming to an end.  While neither these companies nor brick and mortar retail stores would ever completely disappear, their consumer trust and convenience advantages over dealing directly with product suppliers of any size through e-commerce have been decimated.  Consumers worldwide are becoming accustomed to using platforms such as Alibaba’s Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) to purchase goods directly from SMEs, and infrastructural improvements such as Malaysia’s Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) make it possible for those goods to delivered anywhere in the world in three days or less.  The opportunities for SMEs to serve customers anywhere in the world are now already large, and destined to do nothing but increase.

The second, as illustrated by Nike’s announcement, is the major pivot of global brands toward direct distribution through e-commerce on a mass scale. Datuk Yasmin identified our opportunity this way:  “Through the DFTZ, Malaysia is optimized for e-commerce transshipment, with the infrastructure, policies, procedures, talent pool, and experience to provide the world-class support global leaders require. We are optimized end-to-end. We are already receiving enquiries from global brands who understand the potential of what we have built here, as well as the larger market opportunity.” Strategically situated as the gateway to Southeast Asia’s 630 million consumers, Malaysia is destined to become one of the world’s handful of major e-commerce hubs, and a principal contributor to the reimagining of commerce.

Perhaps more importantly, at roughtly 10% of total trade, e-commerce has cleared hit tipping point and yet is just at the early innings of a global shift towards an omni-channel consumer experience.

Datuk Dan E Khoo is the President of MDEC Americas Inc; a Silicon Valley organization established to drive the global expansion of Malaysia’s digital economy.

The economic prospects of traditional retailers in many global markets are in a widespread state of deterioration.  Their situation even has its own term of art – “retail apocalypse” which actually now exists as a Wikipedia entry….

Prospek ekonomi peruncit tradisional di banyak pasaran global berada dalam keadaan kemerosotan yang meluas.  Keadaan mereka juga mempunyai istilah seni sendiri - "kiamat runcit" yang sebenarnya kini wujud sebagai entri Wikipedia.... 

POV from Silicon Valley: Malaysia is Helping to Reimagine Commerce in the Wake of the "Retail Apocalypse"

This time last year, I pointed out that Malaysia and the rest of the world is rapidly making its way to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (now known as IR4.0).

Rapidly evolving technologies – such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and quantum computing - together with emerging new models and approaches are starting to help us unlock even more value and benefits from the digital revolution.

Leading industry players in Malaysia have started their digital adoption and transformation journey, but are yet to fully leverage digital technologies across the full breadth of their business, according to recent analysis by Accenture using its Digital Performance Index (DPI).

As an example, an Accenture analysis in Malaysia, published in 'Faster Than Ever: Can Malaysia’s Top Companies Win in the Digital Age?', examines 28 leading companies across more than eight industries. It found that although companies are aware of the importance of incorporating digital into business strategies, there seems to be a gap between planning and taking action. Up to 44 per cent of companies have digital strategies in place, but only 7 per cent have announced dedicated budgets to implement these strategies.

The research also revealed that most digital transformation initiatives are focused on customer-facing activities rather than internal operations and management structures. More than half (52 per cent) have launched new digital products and up to 44 per cent have digitalised current products. However, only 11 per cent use digital in their manufacturing processes or to manage the supply network.

With ASEAN’s digital economy projected to add US$1 trillion to the region’s gross domestic product during the next 10 years, Malaysian companies need to leverage digital innovation across all business activities, and they need to do this faster than ever.

In other words, it is about building upon a vibrant domestic ICT industry, transformative use of digital solutions by government, businesses and citizens, as well as the constant nurturing of robust enabling ecosystem. The vision of Digital Malaysia is aimed at enabling the country’s digital economy so that Malaysians and our country’s businesses can thrive within this new business environment.
<h2>Engine of Growth</h2>
Following the 29th Malaysia Implementation Council meeting (ICM) in October last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced a new stream of initiatives to boost nationwide digital transformation.

"I really believe that digital economy can become the engine of growth for Malaysia," the Prime Minister said after the meeting. "Although what we are experiencing today is amazing, I want to further challenge MDEC and all involved in driving the digital economy of the country and get it to supercharge our country's economy. In fact, I want it to be one of the sectors that will power our growth."

Vowing to take the government's commitment to drive Malaysia's Digital Economy to a higher level, Prime Minister’s wide-ranging announcements included a national artificial intelligence framework, digital accelerators, new company builder tech startup funds from Mountain Partners Europe and Bridge IP Japan, as well as new digital transformation acceleration programmes for mid-tier companies.

This stepping up of gear brings to mind the 2020 vision - which remains a major milestone of development for Malaysia - a year by which the nation is determined to achieve a digital, developed economy status.

Malaysian companies are stamping their mark globally; for example, Elsoft was recognised by Forbes Asia as 'Best Under A Billion' in 2015 and 2017. Among MNCs, we are already moving up the services value chain.

The Prime Minister noted that there has been a strategic shift in investments, where Malaysia used to be a base for shared services. Multinationals are now using Malaysia as a hub for catalytic digital technology and services. One such example is French company Dassault Systemes, a world leader in 3D design, who has chosen Malaysia to host their Global Development Centre for 3D Business Experience Platform.

The challenges Malaysia is addressing includes improving a structured approach, overcoming budget limitations, developing more digital workers as well as helping to clarify paths towards more efficient digital transformation.

To speed up the transformation, we are forming Digital Transformation Labs to provide consultancy and assist in prototyping new digital products and services. The labs will then match participant companies to digital companies. This programme intends to achieve three main outcomes - increased productivity, reduction in foreign labour dependency as well as a new business model or source of growth for the participant companies. This model has been tested on Top Glove and Gamuda with encouraging results.

By digitising the chemical testing line, Top Glove managed to completely remove the need to allocate labour for this task, as well as reduce unplanned downtime by 100 percent. Similarly, Gamuda's mall management were able to reduce man-hours by 50 percent, while fully digitising their processes. The next step for Top Glove and Gamuda is to scale this approach to their other production lines and properties respectively.

Another major factor to grow the nation's Digital Economy is building the right talent pool: our forecast reveals that Malaysia needs one million digital workers, such as coders, application developers and software engineers by 2025. We are pleased for the support for Digital Maker Movement, i.e. the initiative to identify and nurture young talents to be future digital innovators. It includes the move by Ministry of Education to incorporate computational thinking and computer science in schools, and for more collaboration with the private sector as well as support from academia to further nurture these bright young talents.
<h2>Catalysing AI</h2>
Malaysia introduced the 'Cloud First' Strategy to the national agenda, starting with the public sector. Cloud adoption can enable the government to rapidly deliver innovative public sector services to the Rakyat without incurring high levels of capital expenditure to invest in the IT infrastructure, such as data centres, servers and storage.

In a hyper connected world, it is becoming abundantly clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is the defining force of the fourth industrial revolution. AI is the natural progression from data analytics, and as such, Malaysia will develop a National AI Framework. This will be an expansion of the National BDA [big data analytics] Framework, and its development will be led by MDEC. AI could well be a 'game changer' in improving the lives of Malaysians.

In January this year, Malaysia introduced a high-impact initiative to catalyse the AI ecosystem and open up the path for collaborative innovation: The Malaysia City Brain. This is an open data-driven, artificial intelligence platform adapted from Hangzhou City Brain, which has been designed to meet local needs. It uses artificial intelligence as a platform to start to address urban challenges and offers intelligent solutions to the community in Kuala Lumpur. The platform uses Alibaba Cloud’s AI programme as well as big data analytics capabilities to produce real-time traffic predictions using its video and image recognition technologies.

The Malaysia City Brain operates as an open platform whereby it can plug in new and existing solutions from other platform by leveraging off pre-built intelligent tools, incorporating artificial intelligence and Machine Learning, and utilising existing data sets as well as additional data sets from external sources.
<h2>Global icons</h2>
On the startup side, the Malaysian tech scene is growing and vibrant. There are several Made-in-Malaysia regional champions that we see today: iflix, a three-year-old startup that managed to roll out services to 30 countries and five million customers, while having access to data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. And it is intriguing that iflix does not own servers or data centres. Cloud and digital adoption allows them to be agile and scale fast to meet growing demands while keeping capital expenditure low. Presently, iflix has 179 million in the latest round of funding. We need to see more rapid growing start-ups like iflix in Malaysia.

It is increasingly important for local companies to become global icons. We do have wonderful potential here – with the likes of Silverlake, a renowned solutions provider for the global financial industry, Fusionex, a multi-award winning Analytics and Big Data company that is based in Malaysia.

In this light, the MDEC Global Acceleration Innovation Network (GAIN) initiative aims to identify companies that have the potential to be accelerated into major global icons, such as Sedania Innovator and iPay88. Through MDEC’s Silicon Valley office, we have successfully connected more than 20 of such companies to the SV ecosystem of mentors, accelerators and venture capitalists (VCs). Hence, there is a critical need to “fast track” local MSC companies to enter and compete in the global marketplace.

That said, it is also important that we help smaller local companies with technologies to scale up. Smaller-range companies can leverage the biggest by adopting eCommerce in their operations. Companies like Speedminer, a pioneering machine learning company, are amongst those that MDEC has successfully nurtured. Other numerous successful startups we have in Malaysia with the world at their feet include iMoney and ServisHero, together with companies such as KFit and iflix amongst many others.

Another initiative called the Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (M-TEP) is attracting interest from entrepreneurs from all across the world and shows that our initiatives have global appeal. It is encouraging to know we have received applications from entrepreneurs from more than 10 countries, including Germany, India, Australia, Singapore, the UK and the US.

On a wider industry-level, we hope to accelerate digital adoption by establishing the Digital Transformation Acceleration Programme (D-TAP) for large and mid-tier companies, who contribute 63.4 percent of the GDP, according to the Prime Minister at ICM.
<h2></h2>
<h2>Major eCommerce Boost</h2>
As I mentioned earlier, with a view to becoming a high-income knowledge-based society, MDEC has spearheaded high-impact government initiatives as well. One such move is the establishment of the country's Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ). DFTZ is an initiative by the Malaysian Government, implemented through MDEC that aims to capitalise on the confluence and exponential growth of cross-border eCommerce activities that are happening within digital economy. First announced in March 2017, DFTZ facilitated seamless cross-border trading and eCommerce, which enabled Malaysian SMEs to export their goods internationally.

On Friday, 3 November last year, Malaysia's Prime Minister and Jack Ma opened the first ever eWTP (electronic world trade platform) hub outside of China at a Kuala Lumpur ceremony, which also flagged off 1900 export-ready small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Malaysia marked a new milestone with the celebration of DFTZ’s one-year anniversary recently with 3,000 local SMEs now onboard onto the DFTZ programme.

On the public-sector perspective, the Malaysian Government has introduced a new category of certified locations called the Malaysia Digital Hubs for the start-up community in the digital economy. This is achieved through multiple public-private collaborations to offer unique value propositions such as ubiquitous hyper-speed broadband, hot-desking, mentoring and coaching services.
<h2></h2>
<h2>The BDA "Dance floor"</h2>
Another thing we must do from the fundamentals – human capital, investments – concerns the ecosystem. One of the most critical ecosystems that we are putting our focus on is - as I put it last year - the “dance floor”. The BDA “dance floor” is one of the most important and it's really anchored around talent development; data scientists, data modellers, and analysts. At the end of the day, though, whatever transformation needs to happen needs to be driven by the private sector. As a government agency, we can only create the “dancing floor” - the actual dancing still remains within the grasp of the private sector.

In an ever-changing innovative world, Malaysia needs to remain steadfast on the Digital Malaysia road and to ensure we become the lead in key areas of enabling fundamentals. We are extremely inspired that we are moving in that direction with the Malaysian Government focused on accelerating growth and enhancing the wellbeing of the rakyat.

Looking ahead, Malaysia's Digital Economy is envisioning 20 percent of GDP by 2020. With a sustained push by all stakeholders, the Digital Economy contribution has good potential to reach the targeted value of RM324.9 billion by 2020, as set out in the 11th Malaysia Plan.

An important part of MDEC's championing of the digital economy embraces digital inclusivity across all communities. We are passionate about inspiring everyone to use of digital within our Digital Malaysia journey so that the digital economy's success can be shared by all.

The eRezeki and eUsahawan initiatives were launched in 2016 year to target key communities such as youth, SMEs, digital entrepreneurs and the B40. These initiatives include eRezeki, which is a programme for Malaysians to earn supplementary income online, while eUsahawan is a digital entrepreneurship programme helping the general public with basic business fundamentals to enhance their online sales.

So to amplify the nationwide impact of the eRezeki and eUsahawan initiatives, we developed our #YouCanDuit multichannel campaign using carnivals, roadshows, with other musical and entertainment components. Close to 200,000 people attended the on-ground events, while our multiple channel campaign included a successful partnership with not just Astro, but with other stations as well such as TV3 and RTM, and succeeded in creating a phenomenon in building the awareness of #YouCanDuit programmes. We have consistently reached out to a 10 million viewership in the past two years.

2018 will continue to see the growth of digital economy, as indicated in the budget announced in 2017. The vision is to turn Malaysia as a regional hub for digital economy. The Government, together with MDEC, are gearing up towards turning that vision into reality as we steadfastly activate our plan.

I am delighted to reaffirm the message that these times are among the best of times for us Malaysians, to ensure we are part of the Digital Malaysia journey and so share in the success of the dawning Digital Economy!

Dato’ Ng Wan Peng is Chief Operating Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

This time last year, I pointed out that Malaysia and the rest of the world is rapidly making its way to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (now known as IR4.0)….

Kali ini tahun lepas, saya menegaskan bahawa Malaysia dan seluruh dunia sedang pesat menuju ke Revolusi Perindustrian Keempat (kini dikenali sebagai IR4.0).... 

What are the Critical Steps to Successful Digital Adoption?

With Malaysia embarking on its “Cloud First” strategy to accelerate the Digital Economy, the public and private sectors together with the rakyat can expect more digital transformation initiatives that would make Malaysia a more productive, operationally efficient and conducive country to live in.

The “Cloud First” strategy was first introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak after chairing the 29th MSC Malaysia Implementation Council Meeting in October last year.

“Cloud adoption will enable the government to rapidly deliver innovative public sector services to the rakyat without incurring high levels of capital expenditure to invest in IT infrastructure such as data centres, servers and storage,” said Datuk Seri Najib.

Greater adoption of cloud services is also expected to benefit the government from state-of-the-art security infrastructure as well as collaborative platforms that would ease services deployment amongst government agencies and also with the rakyat.

“This enables the government to allocate resources for more impactful programmes for the rakyat. With this strategy in place, there is no doubt the government is taking the lead in embracing digital transformation,” he added.

The “Cloud First” strategy is defined as a method of faster delivery of information technology services like data sharing and online transactions in which resources are retrieved from the Internet through web-based tools and applications, as opposed to a direct connection to a server. In addition, there is usually less capital expenditure as opposed to more than a decade ago when there was a need to invest in traditional IT infrastructures such as servers and storage.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-81 size-large" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20170927202805-GettyImages-666853446-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" />

The Malaysian Government can also facilitate the adoption of Cloud by the private sector.

Earlier this month, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) together with Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) announced the Digital Transformation Acceleration Programme (DTAP) aimed at providing Malaysian companies with a structured approach to digital transformation.

Established for large corporations and mid-tier companies, DTAP is an outcome-driven programme aimed at encourage them to embrace emerging digital technologies for greater productivity and operational efficiencies, while reducing foreign labour dependency and to explore new sources of growth.

“Digital disruption is inevitable; it is the way of the world now. It is imperative for businesses to embrace the cloud to successfully integrate digital technologies to their business processes,” said MDEC chief executive officer Datuk Yasmin Mahmood at the event.

MIDA chief executive officer Dato’ Azman Mahmud concurred. “MIDA has been working with MDEC to structure the DTAP towards lifting Malaysian industry players in the priority sectors to assist them in their digital adoption journey,” he added.

Although the growth of the digital economy and the journey to the cloud bring about various benefits, there is also a need to relook at how services and operations are managed.

This stems from the reality that, with technology moving so fast and constantly evolving, the necessary public policies need to be implemented to address new opportunities and challenges. This situation is confounding governments throughout the world.

The United States was one of the world’s first countries to be proactive and, recently, its CLOUD (Clarifying Lawful overseas Use of Data) Act was signed into law.

The CLOUD Act is said to be a framework to address the “tricky balance” of the protection of fundamental individual privacy rights and cross-border data access by law enforcement agencies from various governments.

Similarly for Malaysia, for government and businesses to continuously digitally transform and for the country to emerge as a regional leader in cloud services, we would also need to look at enacting the relevant public policies through the issuance of progressive guidelines

With Malaysia embarking on its “Cloud First” strategy to accelerate the Digital Economy, the public and private sectors together with the rakyat can expect more digital transformation initiatives that would make Malaysia a more productive, operationally efficient and conducive country to live in....

Dengan Malaysia memulakan strategi "Cloud First" untuk mempercepatkan Ekonomi Digital, sektor awam dan swasta bersama-sama rakyat boleh menjangkakan lebih banyak inisiatif transformasi digital yang akan menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara yang lebih produktif, cekap operasi dan kondusif untuk didiami.... 

Making “Cloud First” a Reality for Malaysia

When I joined Malaysia Economic Development Corporation (MDEC) in February 2015, I took on the role of Vice President of Enterprise Development. It was a new division created to identify and catalyse Malaysia-based companies into the global arena as eventual world icons. This was and still is one of MDEC's four strategic pillars - to build world class tech champions.

It’s usual for MDEC to move people around internally to lead teams to drive various corporate objectives, so my MDEC story moved through different chapters. Currently, I am leading a laser-focused team using MDEC's GAIN (Global Accelerator and Innovation Acceleration) initiative to elevate Malaysian companies onto the international stage, starting with the ASEAN region.

World-class ambitions demand a high-performance culture, which is a fast-emerging trend in many key organisations. Personally, I point to football teams (mysteriously called soccer by Americans) as examples of some "secrets" of what it takes to successfully develop and drive high performing teams.
Malaysia has already seen several inspiring success stories, moving in the right direction and gathering momentum. Just to run through a few:
<ul>
 	<li><a href="http://www.vitrox.com/">Vitrox</a> Berhad is a global player in automated vision inspection solutions. Founded by Chu Jenn Weng and Steven Siaw Kok Tong, both graduates from University Sains Malaya. Vitrox was first admitted to the ACE market in 2005 and moved to the Main Market in 2009. On 19th March 2018, their market capitalization stood at RM2,755 million.</li>
 	<li><a href="http://www.aemulus.com/">Aemulus</a> Holdings Berhad is another listed MSC status company. Founded by Ng Sang Beng and Yeoh Chee Keong, it listed on the <a href="http://www.aemulus.com/listing_ceremony">ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia in 2015</a>. Co-founders, Ng Sang Beng and Yeoh Chee Keong were colleagues at Altera Corporation in Penang. Their market capitalization stands at RM107 million.</li>
 	<li>Other MSC-status champions include <a href="https://www.inmaginegroup.com/">Inmagine</a> Group, now 16 years in operations, best known for their stock image business (123rf.com) and Piktochart, which produces visual stories from charts.</li>
 	<li><a href="http://www.greenpacket.com/">Green Packet</a> Berhad is a Malaysian company that started out in Silicon Valley in 2000 and achieved listing in 2005. In true Silicon Valley style, the company evolved, selling its wireless broadband business to Telekom Malaysia to focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) and fintech.</li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.iflix.com/">iflix</a>, a video on-demand service, was founded by Patrick Grove, who also built the hugely successful <a href="http://www.catchagroup.com/">Catcha Group</a>, a leading internet player in the region. In 2016, iflix secured a US$45 million investment from pay-tv giant <a href="http://www.skygroup.sky/">Sky Plc</a>.</li>
 	<li><a href="http://mmdt.cc/">MDT Innovations</a> is the leading innovator in the region for IoT. Driven by Liew Choon Lian, CEO and Sim Hon Wai, COO, its revenue is 95% export driven. It was listed in Gartner’s Cool Vendor and featured as top 25 IoT companies by APAC CIO Outlook Magazine in 2018.</li>
</ul>
Passion, Diversity and Innovation

There are several other Malaysia-born companies that are now serving customers around the globe. All of them started with a core team of founders, who recruited their team and infused it with a mission, and - as they say - a dose of passion to achieve performance. As well as performance, they developed and continue to maintain high performing teams: It’s easier when you start from scratch, but if you don’t - you do need to continually add to your talent pool.

That means having to be in a location, which is attractive for talent, like Malaysia. MDEC has played a major role in making this possible, as one of the benefits of <a href="https://www.mdec.my/msc-malaysia/application">MSC (Multimedia Supercorridor) status</a> is the ability to bring in talented staff from around the world.

In the corporate world, managers don’t have the luxury of building their teams from scratch. They join an organization, work their way up the ranks and if all goes well they get to run a department, division, etc. It’s fully staffed but nonetheless it is incumbent upon the leadership team to ensure diversity and inclusiveness. That’s how you get innovation – new ideas are needed from the outside: New blood to enable a fresh perspective, so to speak!

Incentives and a common goal are key to building a high-performance team

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-178 size-full" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/shutterstock_595944968.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

What does it take to build a high-performance team? A common goal is clearly important. Incentives also work, as you can see with football players and sales people, in general.

However, one should be wary of incentives driving the wrong behaviour. When too ‘significant’, incentives can sometimes cause problems. Most recently the big four Australian banks were hauled up by regulators and told to stop their product-based incentive payments, as customers were sold products they did not understand or need. The independent commissioner, <a href="https://www.betterbanking.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/FINAL_Rem-Review-Report.pdf">Stephen Sedgwick</a> said, “some current practices carried an unacceptable risk - of promoting behaviour, which is inconsistent with the interests of customers”.

In my earlier article, I talked about the need to have a strong story. If the story is clear and meaningful, and shows purpose, then you can actually recruit and motivate a team without relying on large monetary incentives! A high purpose generates powerful energies that will drive high performance: That is indeed the practice at MDEC, because working in MDEC is more than a job or a career, it’s about ‘serving the nation with your hand over your heart’.

Coming back to the issues faced by most managers, who after climbing up the corporate ladder have a team to lead: It is often assumed that they have the skills to manage a team, but in practice that might not be the case. A great salesman might not be a great sales team lead, where his job is to motivate, assist and plan for his salespeople to perform. This is where mentoring and coaching is required.

The other point to understand is that in a team, there will some who perform and others who don’t. If you have team members who are not contributors and in fact turn out to be disruptors, they need to be removed quickly and in an open and visible manner. Unfortunately, a lot of line managers prefer to keep these staff on the payroll and avoid uncomfortable conversations. When there is confusion about responsibilities, and no one is really held accountable for performance, managers will struggle to have an open and fair conversation about an individual’s performance. Without accountability, you cannot build a high-performing team.

"Well Done!"

Managers who want to build high-performance teams need to really understand this. If I could borrow again from football: All top Premier League teams are packed with talented, committed athletes, but the reality is that at this level, you can’t build a winning team without a superstar. Liverpool might have discovered one such star in, Mohamed Salah, who just turned 25 years of age and joined the club in June 2017 from A.S. Roma.

In his book, “Leading” Alex Ferguson (with Michael Moritz) said, “the two most powerful words in the English language are ‘Well Done!’ Much of leadership is about extracting that extra 5 percent of performance that individuals did not know they possessed.”

In building a high-performance team, you need a powerful story, committed team members, a couple of superstars and an evaluation system that is fair and open. What’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander, so rewards and expectations must be specific to each member. Add to this a courageous leader and you will have a winner!

Gopi Ganesalingam, Vice President, Enterprise Development, MDEC.

This article first appeared on 27 April 2018 at Leaderonomics, titled "<a href="https://leaderonomics.com/business/mdec-malaysian-leaders-build-teams-enterprise">Malaysian Leaders Must Build World-Class High Impact Teams</a>"

When I joined Malaysia Economic Development Corporation (MDEC) in February 2015, I took on the role of Vice President of Enterprise Development. It was a new division created to identify and catalyse Malaysia-based companies into the global arena as eventual world icons.....

Semasa saya menyertai Perbadanan Pembangunan Ekonomi Malaysia (MDEC) pada bulan Februari 2015, saya mengambil peranan sebagai Naib Presiden Pembangunan Perusahaan. Ia merupakan satu bahagian baharu yang diwujudkan untuk mengenal pasti dan memangkin syarikat yang berpangkalan di Malaysia ke arena global sebagai ikon dunia..... 

Malaysian Leaders Must Build World-Class High Impact teams

Uber has exited the region, selling out to Grab. Was it a lack of appetite, being late to the game, or simply not understanding how to negotiate outside their home market in the US?

Before I come to that, here are a couple of intriguing stories that came to my mind when thinking about the intricacies of the local business landscape: First, the Malaysian used-car platform company, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/08/carsome-raises-19m/">Carsome raised US$19 million</a> in March 2018. The funding was led by <a href="http://www.burdaprincipalinvestments.com/about-us/">Burda Principal Investments</a>, through their Singapore office. <a href="https://www.storehub.com/">StoreHub</a>, a Malaysian company that built a Cloud-based Point of Sale (POS) application that is used by 3,000 retail stores across 15 countries, raised <a href="https://vulcanpost.com/631898/storehub-malaysia-series-a-funding/">US$5.1 million from Vertex Ventures</a>. Vertex, an investor in Grab, is owned by Singapore’s Temasek Capital.

Then you may remember that last year, <a href="https://www.softspace.com.my/">Soft Space</a>, the Malaysian Fintech company raised <a href="https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2017/05/101004-malaysia-fintech-firm-soft-space-raises-us-5-million-japans-transcosmos/">US$5 million</a> from Japan’s Transcosmos. Carsome, StoreHub and Soft Space, join almost 3,000 other companies that have been accorded MSC (Multimedia Supercorridor) status by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Since its inception in 1996, MDEC has been actively pursuing Malaysia’s digital agenda. This was done by initially encouraging technology companies to set up in Cyberjaya, and then bringing in shared services companies, and now by working to build globally competitive Malaysian headquarters companies.

In my last article, I provided examples of the first generation of Malaysian companies, many of whom achieved billion-Ringgit valuations with very little capital. Starting with founder’s money, these companies at best raised two to three million US dollars, which had to take them straight to an IPO. With few exceptions, except Grab and iflix, which raised US$ $170 million, Malaysian companies have not appeared on the radar of major VC firms.
<h2>Money chasing Malaysian deals</h2>
Well, as they say, times have changed: Money is now chasing local deals because of the ability of Malaysian companies to navigate the fragmented and tightly regulated markets of Southeast Asia. This is very important to note, as this is changing the landscape in Malaysia.

<a href="http://www.n2nconnect.com">N2N Connect</a>, a company that provides securities trading platforms used its Malaysia-base to grow into the region. We are fortunate to have a forward-thinking central bank. In addition to allowing for crowd funding platforms, and a sandbox for testing of new products, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) recently finalised electronic Know-Your-Customer (e-KYC) guidelines.

This is a huge step, allowing for much faster and more seamless customer acquisition. These guidelines made it possible for Internet payment provider <a href="http://www.ipay88.com">iPay88</a> to launch a virtual account for the “unbanked” market.

I am pleased that MDEC has continued to play an active role in building the ecosystem that has allowed these companies to flourish. We maintain a constant and consistent dialogue with several stakeholders, including BNM and the Ministry of Higher Education - where we led the push to introduce coding classes in schools. While we continue to work on the digitalization agenda, we recognise an urgent need to bring larger VCs into Malaysia.

Companies like Carsome, StoreHub and Soft Space are building businesses, which are like utilities. There are differences though if one was to compare them with Tenaga or Celcom, Maxis and Digi. What are the differences? Utility businesses have large capex needs but their business is protected by licenses. They didn’t start off with a small bunch of customers and build the infrastructure from customer revenues; that business model just doesn’t work that way. Build a small power plant in Petaling Jaya, supply a few hundred customers and from the revenue build a megawatt plant. Big money is raised up front.
<h2>Scale up at speed</h2>
Well, the startup guys don’t have the protection of a license, so they start with a small bunch of customers and what is typically called a “Minimum Viable Product.” They then get feedback, gain traction and often go through a few product iterations. Once that has been achieved they need money - lots of it - to build the infrastructure, delivery capability and capture market opportunity ahead of potential competition. As we say in MDEC, it’s a matter of “Grow Fast and Go Global”.

Just last week, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/zilingo-raises-54-million-for-southeast-asia-battle/articleshow/63622497.cms">Zilingo</a>, a Singapore based start-up raised US54 million for an expansion into the region from their base in Bengalaru, capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. That’s big money! The company provides a platform for customers to browse and buy fashion products from retailers in Southeast Asia. Since inception in October 2015, Zilingo has raised US82 million, to launch in Thailand and expand into Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Like other platforms, the technology relies on artificial intelligence - AI - to learn buyer behaviour and then propose the “right” product.

The need to achieve scale and leverage on engineering capability probably led <a href="https://www.ghl.com/">GHL Systems Berhad</a> to acquire rival company Paysys (M) Sdn Bhd for <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2018/04/05/ghl-buys-paysys-for-rm80mil/">RM80 million</a>, with half paid in cash and the balance in shares. GHL is no stranger to corporate exercises. In 2013, GHL acquired e-Pay Asia Limited, a company founded by Simon Loh, now vice-Chairman of GHL. Local PE firm, Creador, sold its stake to Actis in 2017, and they are now are pushing for growth in the payments, or fintech space, which is seeing a lot of new entrants.
<h2>Malaysia on the VC Map</h2>
Digitization coupled with the porosity of borders has meant that competition lands at your doorstep almost from the word go! Scale and speed of growth are important and the fuel for that is cash - and plenty of it! This is one of the reasons why MDEC is pleased to have attracted <a href="https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/digital-economy/vickers-venture-partners-sets-base-kuala-lumpur">Vickers Venture Partners</a>, to open their Kuala Lumpur office.

The presence of Vickers on our shores is yet another indication of investor interest in Malaysian-originated deals. Have we done enough to put Malaysia on the map? Only time will tell, but the good news is that investors are now getting off the plane at KLIA. At MDEC, we are busy making sure they continue to keep Malaysia firmly on their radar.

One major initiative we recently worked on this year was the “Sea Dragon Venture Platform” event (10-11 May2018), which was organised by PIKOM. MDEC was pleased to support this major initiative, which saw 30 global VCs and corporate investors visiting Kuala Lumpur. About 35 technology companies from Malaysia and the region were shortlisted to pitch at this event. SEAD are targeting companies that have the potential to be leading players in the Asian and North Asian markets that are looking for growth capital of US$5-25 million. This event was yet another opportunity to showcase to the region why having a startup to scale is best done from Malaysia.

It’s time to “Grow Fast and Go Global,” which is in line with MDEC’s globalization strategy; “Building Local Tech Champions!”

- Gopi Ganesalingam is MDEC’s Vice President of Enterprise Development.

This article first appeared on 5 May at 2018 at Business Today, titled <a href="http://www.businesstoday.net.my/2018/05/04/building-local-tech-champions-means-growing-fast-and-going-global/">“Building Local Tech Champions” means Growing Fast and Going Global</a>

Uber has exited the region, selling out to Grab. Was it a lack of appetite, being late to the game, or simply not understanding how to negotiate outside their home market in the US?....

Uber telah keluar dari rantau ini, menjual kepada Grab. Adakah ia kurang selera makan, terlambat untuk permainan, atau hanya tidak memahami bagaimana untuk berunding di luar pasaran rumah mereka di Amerika Syarikat?.... 

“Building Local Tech Champions” means Growing Fast and Going Global

How can humans outsmart robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI)? This is the million-dollar question that one group of experts the world over is scrambling to answer, while another group races to build machines with near-human capabilities.

One among many predictions is by McKinsey Global Institute, which sees millions of jobs being be wiped out. Others take on a more optimistic view: humans will survive the 4th industrial revolution. Accenture suggests - that if we pick the best from each - humans and machines will work together in harmony, A recent Harvard University study shows that doctors are able to diagnose cancer with greater accuracy when working with AI.

Nevertheless, there is a consensus that jobs are changing in drastic ways and getting our current and future workforce ready for such changes is critical. More of the same will no longer be enough.

Skills to complement AI

As machines become more intelligent, three types of complementary skills are expected to become more important for people to develop.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-187 size-full" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/shutterstock_678583375.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

The easiest to teach at scale are technical skills: Both basic and advanced technical skills are equally important. While advanced digital skills have received much attention - such as coding, data analytics, etc. - basic digital skills will be just as critical for the current workforce to survive the changing workplace.

Learning how to use digital productivity tools, doing online research and transacting are a few of the basic skills many still struggle with, especially in underserved communities like urban poor, rural, disabled and elderly communities. Earlier this year, Sundar Pichai, Google CEO affirmed this when talking about Google’s move to train people with basic digital skills.

Coming back to advanced technical skills, these will be most critical for the next generation of workforce.  Digital natives will need to know how to harness and complement their intelligent-robotic counterparts. A McKinsey survey of 3000 business leaders suggests that demand for technical skills is expected to grow the most compared to the 3 types of skills mentioned in this article, hence the emphasis on STEM, computational thinking, computer science and coding in educational institutions must continue, be it in schools or universities.

Aligned to this, MDEC is supporting the Ministry of Education’s efforts to integrate computational thinking, computer science including coding into the national school syllabus. We are also work closely with a premier group of local universities to strengthen tertiary-level Computer Science curricula and teaching.

The second set of essential skills for the future workforce are higher cognitive skills, or higher order thinking skills. These include creativity, critical thinking, decision making, complex information processing. Basic cognitive skills such as, literacy and numeracy which have been a strong focus point for industrial era education systems, are increasingly becoming hygiene factors, i.e. important for basic survival, but do not give us any edge over AI machines. Higher cognitive skills require deep learning experiences, for example, guiding a student to be aware and understand his/her own thought process. This kind of deep learning is challenging to deploy at scale, and will require significant changes across the education delivery system.

The third set of skills are unique to human beings, i.e. social and emotional skills. These are expected to be the hardest for AI to replace. Inherent but less emphasised skills like adaptability, interpersonal communication, negotiation, empathy, leadership, managing people and relationships, entrepreneurship and innovation, teaching and training people are critical if we are to remain relevant in the future workplace. These skills are often neglected in most conventional education systems which tend to focus more on academic excellence.

Never stop learning

As technology and roles in the workplace evolve, forecasts suggest that most people will have 4-5 careers (not jobs) in their lifetime, hence re-skilling will become extremely important. Formal education may prepare us for our first careers. Thereafter, life-long learning via self-directed, informal learning, and on-the-job training will be key to facing rapidly evolving jobs of the future.  Employers can no longer expect graduates or for that matter, any new employee to come fully-equipped for the role. Instead, they must be prepared to invest in training and re-training staff. From a policy perspective, we must find ways to encourage the culture of life-long learning; and support employers, especially SMEs to provide on-the-job training. <a href="http://www.skillsfuture.sg/Credit">In Singapore</a>, for example, all citizens aged 25 and above receive periodic credits of SGD500 to pursue training courses for in-demand skills. Here in Malaysia, similar efforts could be prioritised for those at risk of being displaced by AI.

Education is for life, not just to make a living

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-189 size-full" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/shutterstock_157595564.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="693" />

Given rapid changes and uncertainty in the type of skills/jobs that will be in demand, experts suggest that universities should prepare students for life, emphasising cross-curricular learning instead of over-specialisation for specific jobs. There is also consensus that real-world experiences will be highly valued compared to pure classroom learning, hence, tertiary institutions and employers must work together to structure robust internship or apprenticeship programmes. Given these scenarios, universities need to re-think and re-focus on the fundamentals of education, while regulatory and policy measures are needed to encourage employers to offer internships or apprenticeships. With regards to the latter, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-levy-how-it-will-work/apprenticeship-levy-how-it-will-work">UK government’s apprenticeship funding model</a> is interesting to study.

There’s obviously a lot that needs to be done to prepare our current and next generation for a future with AI. Tremendous political will and excellent coordination between the powers-that-be will be required to move this massive mountain in the right direction. But we must play our part: Simple acts like taking an online course, and encouraging life-long learning among our employees, colleagues, and loved ones. As the saying goes, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” So, go ahead and secure your seat in the AI world.

Sumitra Nair is the Vice President for Talent &amp; Digital Entrepreneurship in MDEC.

How can humans outsmart robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI)?... 

Bagaimana manusia boleh mengatasi robot yang dilengkapi dengan kecerdasan buatan (AI)?... 

Outsmarting Smart Robots

As the ASEAN region continues to boom, investment opportunities in the region have become even more alluring.

However, the cultural complexities of the countries within ASEAN add to the challenges of forming a sound investment strategy. Understanding the big picture includes taking into consideration various factors such as the economics of a country’s Gross National Income (GNI), social landscape, state of digital adoption and talent resources.

So, what would be one of the most attractive investment destinations in the ASEAN region today? Which country would best leverage your investment and deliver significant growth for you?

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-195 size-full" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/shutterstock_176663030.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="676" />

Not only one of the most visited tourist locations in the world, Malaysia also boasts an economic ecosystem offering a rich ground for investment considerations. Located at the heart of ASEAN, the country is an ideal and cost-effective gateway to access the region’s population base of 640 million with a collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$2.5 trillion. With strong economic fundamentals, the World Bank anticipates Malaysia to become a high-income nation as early as the year 2020.

One of the fastest growing sectors in Malaysia is its digital economy, which consistently continues to be on upward trajectory and accelerates the country’s economic development.

Digital Economy: A Catalyst for Dynamic Growth

Malaysia’s digital economy development is impressive. In 2016, the digital economy contributed 18.2% (RM224 billion, or at current exchange rate, US$54 billion) to Malaysia's economy, as indicated by Department of Statistics Malaysia. The contribution to the country’s total GDP comes from the digital industry (RM149.4 billion /US$36 billion) and the eCommerce industry (RM74.6 billion/US$18 billion). The digital industry continues to focus on exports (RM216.9 billion/US$52.23 billion); and employs more than 1.07 million people.

This growth seen by Malaysia is a result of its forward-looking vision on driving itself into becoming a highly productive economy through digital transformation. Various government agencies and ministries work in collaboration with the industry to drive digital transformation. Under the Ministry of Communications &amp; Multimedia, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is the lead agency responsible for helping to chart a path for the holistic development of the nation’s digital economy. MDEC’s implementation efforts are centred on four strategic pillars - driving investments, building local tech champions to regional and global markets, catalysing digital innovation ecosystems to nurture start-ups and propagating digital inclusivity among its citizens.

Wooing Foreign Direct Investment

Malaysia has been at the forefront of foreign direct investment and these investments came from various parts of the world such as US, UK, Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, China, India, Australia, and Japan. Global corporations and hyper growth technology companies have been attracted to the conduciveness of setting up businesses in Malaysia. These companies have invested, and continue to invest, in technology and platform, digital and global business services as well as digital content development, to expand these services regionally and globally from Malaysia as their hub.

Malaysia's position as a favoured country for digital investment has been recognized by its consistent 3rd ranking (behind world giants India and China) in AT Kearney's Global Services Location Index since the ranking's inception in 2004.

To ensure that Malaysia continues to attract foreign direct investment, various digital initiatives that fuel investment opportunities have been developed and implemented, including a number of high impact national programmes.  For example, to keep abreast of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, new frameworks are being developed under Malaysia's Digital Economy plan focusing on Big Data Analytics, eCommerce and Internet of Things (IoT), offering massive growth potential.

In 2018, Malaysia started to promote the adoption and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. With the objectives of maximising social and economic benefits, Malaysia is accelerating AI development across three key areas: Talent; Industry Development; and High Impact Use Cases in the areas of smart cities and smart manufacturing, resting on a foundation of progressive regulatory framework.

Another example is the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) – the world’s first outside of China that aims to capitalise on the exponential growth of the internet economy and cross-border eCommerce. Established to streamline and augment Malaysia's constantly growing eCommerce space, this platform will also boost cross-border trade and position Malaysia as a transhipment hub for eCommerce logistics.

A thriving digital ecosystem

Malaysia is constantly looking at initiatives to transform its human capital infrastructure to be ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Coupled with its proficiency in languages including English and other Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Bahasa, Hindi, Arabic and others, as well as the investment in the hard infrastructure of roads, railways, ports and high-speed internet connectivity, this has undoubtedly been the major attraction for enterprises to expand their operations in Malaysia.

With its diverse multilingual and multicultural population, Malaysia offers a conducive business environment through its unique cultural diversity, making integration of local talent to be part of the global workforce a seamless experience to many global multinationals and unicorns.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-196" src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/shutterstock_717461632.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

The government of Malaysia also places a major emphasis on talent development for the future of work, focusing from primary to tertiary education. MDEC is supporting the Ministry of Education’s efforts to integrate computational thinking including coding and other digital making activities into the national school syllabus. Another core initiative is a joint public-private-academia collaboration to strengthen tertiary-level digital technology curricula and teaching.

These efforts have already seen results and international recognition. Malaysia is 2nd in ASEAN in the Digital Evolution Index 2017; 5th in Asia in the Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2018; 6th in Asia for the Networked Readiness Index 2016 and the Asian Digital Transformation Index 2018; 7th in Asia in the ICT Development Index 2017; and 8th in Asia for the Cloud Readiness Index 2018. Its tech savvy population was also recognised by a 2016 Thomson Reuters Foundation poll, which ranked Malaysia the 9th best place to be a social entrepreneur in the world.

As of now, thousands of companies from 60 nations have already cast their anchors in Malaysia. Do not miss out on your opportunity to expand from Malaysia to Asia and the world!

Hew Wee Choong is the Vice President for Investment and Industry Development in MDEC.

As the ASEAN region continues to boom, investment opportunities in the region have become even more alluring….

Ketika rantau ASEAN terus berkembang pesat, peluang pelaburan di rantau ini telah menjadi lebih menarik.... 

Malaysia: Gateway to the Fastest Growing Region in the World

In my previous article <a href="https://blog.mdec.my/?p=184">Outsmarting
Smart Robots</a>, I said that there is an increasing consensus that jobs
are changing in drastic ways and getting our current and future workforce ready
for such changes is critical. 



More of the same will no longer be enough. This message has been recently affirmed by LinkedIn, the global professionals platform, with the release of its 2019 Emerging Jobs in Malaysia Report. The study, which analysed millions of unique, user-input job titles from the last five years, noted that the top five emerging jobs were linked to technology. And just as important, the report highlighted the demand for 'hybrid' skills. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/47396860_2004112762999901_4221049315402973184_o-1024x393.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-201"/></figure></div>



Developing a rounded skill set, which rests on digital
competency, needs to be balanced with other core soft skills such as problem
solving, communication, creativity, and a measure of what has been called EQ
(emotional quotient). 



Our strategy to become a stand out nation in the global
digital world is powered by five building blocks. Implementing much of this
strategy lies within the remit of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC),
a government-owned agency under the Ministry of Communications &amp; Multimedia
(KKMM). The KKMM Minister, YB Gobind Singh Deo, first outlined these building
blocks towards the end of last year.



These building blocks, which are important drivers of a
strong online ecosystem, are: high-quality infrastructure at affordable prices;
tech talent development; increased cybersecurity vigilance; development of
platforms and enablers such as Digital ID, open data and so on; and the
legislation, policies and industry structures to support the growth of the
digital economy.



While the building blocks are intended to produce two key
outcomes - widespread digital adoption, and the enhanced growth of digital
entrepreneurship throughout the nation - building the right talent is the fuel
to power our trajectory into the our future.



<h2><a>Deepening the Momentum</a></h2>



When we look at the top five emerging roles highlighted
in the LinkedIn report (data scientist; full stack engineer; drive test
Engineer; user experience designer; and content writer), we note that the
easiest to teach at scale are the technical skills. While advanced digital
skills are usually top of mind - such as coding, data analytics, and so forth -
the basics are just as important for all of us to adapt to the workplace of the
future. 



A vital aspect of our nationwide initiatives is
inclusivity. Everyone has an opportunity in Malaysia's digital future. The
basic digital skills required to perform daily tasks online need to be shared
across underserved communities, the disabled and the elderly.



Our digital future will increasingly come into the hands
of the next generation. MDEC has been actively complementing the Ministry of
Education’s initiatives to integrate and embed computational thinking, computer
science including coding into the national school syllabus. We are also work
closely with a premier group of local universities to strengthen tertiary-level
Computer Science curricula and teaching. 



Meanwhile, the collaborative approach amplifies another public-private-academia movement, MyDigitalMaker, to transform Malaysian youth from digital users to producers in the digital economy. Digital skills both feed and complement the hybrid skill portfolio by developing problem solving and creativity among our young generation. More than half million students are actively participating in digital making activities such as coding, robotics, data analytics and more.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/43350201_1930993246978520_7113143008194723840_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-203"/></figure></div>



Transformative support to help teachers includes learning
tools and further training through an Educator network. Essentially, short
courses and certification programmes on programming/coding, embedded systems,
digital making and more offered by #mydigitalmaker partners and
university-based teacher-training hubs during weekends and school holidays to
support educator readiness. To-date more than 30,000 teachers have become part
of this network.



MDEC's efforts to prepare our future workforce includes working with 12 universities to act as local training hubs for teachers who need to get trained in various digital tools. MDEC provides a computational thinking specialist to train the universities and accredit them to be training centres for the teachers. Some of them are also acting as Digital Maker Hubs, which gives students another option outside of their schools to go and explore and learn about various digital tools. There are currently 48 Digital Maker Hubs around the country, some are hosted by private companies and non-governmental organisations.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/43557789_1932306343513877_8344972025625837568_o-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-205"/></figure>



MDEC and industry partners further develop students with
especial digital innovation and creative potential to help them into tertiary
studies with Premier Digital Tech Universities and Preferred Digital Tech
Polytechnics. The Premier Digital Tech Institutions comprise local universities
and polytechnics with high graduate employability in the digital technology
sectors and which have the potential to becoming top regional institutions. To
date. MDEC and the Ministry of Education have jointly endorsed 8 Premier
Digital Tech Universities and 5 Preferred Digital Tech Polytechnics.



<h2><a>Learning as a Way of Life</a></h2>



Before I sign off, I would like to again stress the
importance of remaining relevant in the world we have entered. We must together
address the 4th Industrial Revolution as an opportunity to enrich our lives
through evolving ourselves and our skills by constantly learning. 



One of the results of rapidly evolving digital age is that
most of us will have different jobs through our lives. Very few will remain in
the job for which they were formally trained. I believe that every day is a day
for learning something new: An essential sign that we are producing the right
talent for a standout digital future in the world will be a mindset that
includes adaptability and one that is tuned always to learning. 



Sumitra Nair is the
Vice President for Talent &amp; Digital Entrepreneurship in MDEC

Smart Robots, I said that there is an increasing consensus that jobs are changing in drastic ways and getting our current and future workforce ready for such changes is critical….

Robot Pintar, saya mengatakan bahawa terdapat konsensus yang semakin meningkat bahawa pekerjaan berubah dengan cara yang drastik dan mempersiapkan tenaga kerja semasa dan masa depan kita untuk perubahan sedemikian adalah kritikal.... 

Talent: Vital Building Block for Malaysia's Digital Future

It seems only a moment ago that we were all counting down the seconds to welcome in 2019, closely followed of course by Chinese New Year!



The close of 2018 saw the unveiling of Malaysia’s Industry 4WRD Policy – which has been designed to speed Malaysia into the digital age with an especial focus on our manufacturing sector.



It’s an open secret that our manufacturing sector remains a key economic pillar of Malaysia contributing more than 22 percent of GDP [Gross Domestic Product]. At MDEC, we see this policy as a prelude to even more exciting milestones that lie ahead for Malaysia’s Digital Economy in 2019.&nbsp;



Investor Confidence



Investor interest in Malaysia’s Digital Economy continues to grow in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics (BDA), Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity. 



We are seeing a surge of new accelerators and venture builders from abroad, which symbolises a healthy thumbs up for our nation’s startup ecosystem. This surge includes Lumenlabs (Insurtech) and Future Labs (AI and BDA). In fact, in the area of AI alone, Malaysia already is home to a healthy number of 70 startups – and growing rapidly.



As part of Malaysia’s digital transformation strategy, verticals such as healthcare, education and agriculture will be prioritised in order to speed up our rate of digital transformation. In the light of this, the Investment team will be on the lookout for innovative technology companies from abroad to spawn new opportunities in these sectors.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/investor_confidence-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-215"/></figure>



Healthy Confluence



As Head of the Investment team at MDEC, I see a recipe coming to the boil featuring a healthy confluence of vital ingredients: talent, capital and markets right here in Malaysia. In my ongoing engagement with many captains of industry - spanning the banking, oil and gas, consulting, technology and pharmaceuticals sectors, a common thread is emerging. And this is the tremendous power and potential of data. To use what is fast becoming a cliché, data truly is the oil of our rapidly dawning future economy.



As a result of Malaysia’s long-standing recognition as one of the world’s best locations for Digital Services, we are now poised to attract the capital, the markets and capabilities of large multinationals with nimble and innovative startups to generate the perfect “storm.”&nbsp;



Key Digital Investment Hub



Despite the fragile global economy - with some MNCs revising their business models - Malaysia continues to be an attractive location for expansion of digital services.&nbsp;



Indeed, another recent exciting instance of Malaysia's attractiveness is the forthcoming expansion of the Shell Business Service Center, which has been operating in Cyberjaya for almost 20 years.&nbsp;



By leveraging on Malaysia's increasingly agile and versatile talent base, Shell has made another strategic move by bringing additional value adding activities to its Malaysia centre. With the transformation of the centre into a high performing competitive business operations hub, Malaysia is now the global hub for the Shell Group.



Powered by big data analytics, Shell's Cyberjaya hub offers a wide portfolio of services, which goes beyond IT, finance, contracting &amp; procurement functions, and now includes new, unique digital services such as legal, Retail Center of Excellence, Creative Solutions, and regional Human Resource Advisory Operations. Moving ahead, Shell will be providing more services from its Malaysia hub.



This translates into the creation of even more higher value jobs in Malaysia, which is in line with Malaysia's aspiration to become a key regional digital investment hub.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/climbed_6spots-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-216"/></figure>



More to come



As a teaser of things to come, MDEC is currently working on a national A.I. strategy that will provide a powerful platform to fuel this “storm.”&nbsp;



On a related note, Malaysia’s continuous efforts in improving the ease of doing business is reflected in our international rankings considerably – we jumped 9 spots in World Bank’s 2019 Doing Business Report. 



On top of this, Malaysia’s global talent ranking according to IMD jumped 6 spots in 2018, even ahead of UK, France and Japan.



In closing, I am pleased to share that Malaysia will be playing host once again to the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) in 2020. Malaysia first graced the global stage at WCIT 2008 in Kuala Lumpur with luminaries such as Craig Venter, who led the world’s first draft of the human genome, and Bill Gates (who appeared as a holograph). &nbsp;



Stay tuned for more updates: We are all looking forward to an exciting 2019 - so let me close by wishing everybody a great year ahead!&nbsp;



Hew Wee Chong is the Vice President for Investment &amp; Industry Development, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

It seems only a moment ago that we were all counting down the seconds to welcome in 2019, closely followed of course by Chinese New Year!...

Nampaknya hanya seketika yang lalu bahawa kita semua mengira detik untuk dialu-alukan pada tahun 2019, diikuti dengan teliti oleh Tahun Baru Cina...

The Perfect ‘Storm’: Malaysia as World’s Most Ideal Location for Digital Services

It seems just like yesterday to me - but it's actually now the second anniversary of the launch of what is turning out to be a major stride forward in Malaysia's eCommerce trajectory: the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ).

This is just a brief note to mark the anniversary, so I will briefly run through just a few thoughts:

First of all, DFTZ was an initiative to spearhead our national eCommerce framework and it was launched to intensify Malaysia’s participation in cross border eCommerce.

The aim was to start establishing Malaysia as regional and global eCommerce fulfilment hub and to drive exports. It's about empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses to do cross-border commerce seamlessly: The vision was to opening up the doors to global markets and to simplify eCommerce by digitalising the trade process.



The DFTZ is a milestone in the national digital economy agenda, which is providing a platform for Malaysian businesses to go online with more ease than before. A growing number of companies have already started to export via the DFTZ partners’ platform and this will only increase as more and more players become aware of and understand the value of participating in this initiative.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shutterstock_1069881188-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-231" width="1000" height="666"/></figure>



Onwards and upwards



I recall that when Jack Ma came to launch DFTZ in Malaysia, he said Malaysia had caught his eye a few decades ago, and that he was proud to be able to do something with the nation. He told world media: "Malaysia inspired me [back] in 1996-1997. When I was starting my Internet business in 1995, I remember that around that time, I read news in China about the Multimedia Super Corridor [MSC Malaysia] in Malaysia... it made me think: 'Hmm! There is something there in that country! It's a brave idea for the digital world."



Indeed, Malaysia now has the potential to become a Stand Out country of the future. In terms of speed of digital transformation, Malaysia ranked second, just behind China and way ahead of India, Singapore and Indonesia (Global Digital Evolution Index 2017). The World Bank puts Malaysia in the league of high-income economies where digital adoption levels are high, and higher than roughly 1/3rd of OECD countries.



An important component of our digital economy is eCommerce, which is an opportunity anyone can take up. We are working in collaboration with government agencies, industry and academia to solidify and guide SMEs to adopt the opportunities in the local, regional and global markets. High inclusivity - ensuring everyone is future-ready - is one of the key building blocks of the digital economy.



Digital adoption and digital transformation are opening up the possibility of a new era of prosperity. Of course, much more needs to be done and we need to move forward wisely. We at MDEC are honoured and thrilled to play our part in forging a digital future for every Malaysian: #LetsBuildTogether!



- Dato' Ng Wan Peng is the Chief Operations Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

It seems just like yesterday to me - but it's actually now the second anniversary of the launch of what is turning out to be a major stride forward in Malaysia's eCommerce trajectory: the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ).



This is just a brief note to mark the anniversary, so I will briefly run through just a few thoughts:



First of all, DFTZ was an initiative to spearhead our national eCommerce framework and it was launched to intensify Malaysia’s participation in cross border eCommerce.



The aim was to start establishing Malaysia as regional and global eCommerce fulfilment hub and to drive exports. It's about empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses to do cross-border commerce seamlessly: The vision was to opening up the doors to global markets and to simplify eCommerce by digitalising the trade process.



The DFTZ is a milestone in the national digital economy agenda, which is providing a platform for Malaysian businesses to go online with more ease than before. A growing number of companies have already started to export via the DFTZ partners’ platform and this will only increase as more and more players become aware of and understand the value of participating in this initiative.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/shutterstock_1069881188-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-231" width="1000" height="666"/></figure>



Onwards and upwards



I recall that when Jack Ma came to launch DFTZ in Malaysia, he said Malaysia had caught his eye a few decades ago, and that he was proud to be able to do something with the nation. He told world media: "Malaysia inspired me [back] in 1996-1997. When I was starting my Internet business in 1995, I remember that around that time, I read news in China about the Multimedia Super Corridor [MSC Malaysia] in Malaysia... it made me think: 'Hmm! There is something there in that country! It's a brave idea for the digital world."



Indeed, Malaysia now has the potential to become a Stand Out country of the future. In terms of speed of digital transformation, Malaysia ranked second, just behind China and way ahead of India, Singapore and Indonesia (Global Digital Evolution Index 2017). The World Bank puts Malaysia in the league of high-income economies where digital adoption levels are high, and higher than roughly 1/3rd of OECD countries.



An important component of our digital economy is eCommerce, which is an opportunity anyone can take up. We are working in collaboration with government agencies, industry and academia to solidify and guide SMEs to adopt the opportunities in the local, regional and global markets. High inclusivity - ensuring everyone is future-ready - is one of the key building blocks of the digital economy.



Digital adoption and digital transformation are opening up the possibility of a new era of prosperity. Of course, much more needs to be done and we need to move forward wisely. We at MDEC are honoured and thrilled to play our part in forging a digital future for every Malaysian: #LetsBuildTogether!



- Dato' Ng Wan Peng is the Chief Operations Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

The second anniversary of the launch of what is turning out to be a major stride forward in Malaysia's eCommerce trajectory: the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ)….

Ulang tahun kedua pelancaran apa yang menjadi kemajuan besar dalam trajektori e-dagang Malaysia: Zon Perdagangan Bebas Digital (DFTZ).... 

DFTZ's Second Anniversary: eCommerce Milestone

The digitalization of Global Business Services (GBS) was the main highlight recently when my team and I had the privilege of co-hosting more than 40 GBS business services companies, together with Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), a chapter of PIKOM, the country’s national ICT industry association, at the GBS Focus Group forum held in Kuala Lumpur.&nbsp; 



GBS is an abbreviation for shared services and outsourcing enabled
operating model, is an important focus for Malaysia, especially as one of our
key initiatives is to strengthen our country’s position as an ideal location of
choice for digital services.



To help drive positioning, MDEC in 2011 initiated The GBS Focus Group initiative, which is a platform ‘for the industry by the industry.’



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG-20190314-WA0007.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-237" width="1008" height="756"/></figure>



Caption: The
GBS Focus Group consists of relevant stakeholders to the GBS industry in
Malaysia, i.e. captive shared services, government agencies, industry
association, professional bodies and academia. 



The forum’s topic – the Digitalisation of GBS - is very close to my
heart. In fact, I am heartened by SSON’s 2019 <a href="https://www.ssonetwork.com/global-business-services/reports/the-shared-services-market-report-2019-for-malaysia">State of the Shared Services Market Report on Malaysia</a>, which mentions that about half of the GBS centres in
Malaysia are leveraging on Centres of Excellence (COEs), and shifting away from
being just about transactional excellence and improvement. 



Now, GBS is fast becoming a value adding partner to the business by
offering insights based on thorough understanding of services delivered,
optimized by digital technology such as automation and data analytics.



<a>Ascending the value chain</a>



Take Jabil, a US-based global manufacturing services
as an example. They first set up their Global IT Services in 2009 in Penang,
and 10 years later, they have expanded into a global business centre,
spearheading digital transformation within the group with an impressive setup
of COEs for Robotics Process Automation, API Management, B2B Services and Cloud
Management. 



The Penang GBS operation has ascended the value chain
by moving from transactional to more strategic consulting and advisory roles
that include global finance, centralised procurement and risk governance. 



Capitalising on Malaysia’s quality talent (95% of their 950+ employees are Malaysian), they have ventured into data analytics and Factory of the Future initiatives, as well as investing in emerging technologies such as hybrid cloud computing, internet of things, edge computing, next-generation network, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. 



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG-20190314-WA0043.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-238" width="1008" height="756"/></figure>



Caption: The
GBS Focus Group is chaired by a GBS practitioner, supported by OM as the group
secretariat. Immediate past chairman: DHL IT Services. Current chairman: Jabil
Global Business Center. 



<a>Malaysia’s
digital ecosystem: futureproofing business</a>



The Jabil story is strong testament of Malaysia’s
capabilities to move up the value chain in digital services. 



To ensure that companies such as these continue to
augment and accelerate their growth in Malaysia, MDEC is constantly strive to
provide the industry with strategic and innovative initiatives, from talent to
infrastructure to legal framework, to ensure that the country has a strong and
robust ecosystem to meet the growing demand from investors such as Jabil. 



Through our digital innovation ecosystem initiatives, we have setup ASEAN
Data Analytics eXchange (<a href="http://adax.asia/">ADAX</a>), Asia Cybersecurity eXchange (<a href="https://asiacyberx.com/">AsiaCyberX</a>) and <a href="https://www.malaysiadigitalhub.my/">Orbit</a>, to further spur the growth of data analytics, cybersecurity and
fintech respectively, in Malaysia.



&nbsp;These initiatives focus on
building and facilitating skilled digital workforce, as well as creating innovative
solutions, increasing technology adoption and building a thriving tech startup
ecosystem. We also play an advocacy role in ensuring that Malaysia has
supportive government policies, such as national frameworks on big data
analytics, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and eCommerce, to move
the nation forward towards becoming a leading regional and global player in
these areas. 



Digitalisation of GBS: Move Up or Move Out 



Among the topics discussed during the GBS Focus Group event that I
mentioned earlier was on “GBS Moving Forward: Move Up or Move Out”. 



The audience expounded the sentiment that as the world rushes headlong
into the digitalized era, digitalisation and the holistic support structure
that Malaysia offers is the key to futureproofing their operations here. 



Digital services is a key sector in driving Malaysia’s digital economy
agenda. As the country deepens our niche in digital economy, Malaysia is the
right location with the right ecosystem to catalyse a business’ digital
transformation. 



No matter where you are in your digitalisation journey, it is our focus
to encourage more GBS companies to drive transformational excellence and value
for your business operations by embracing disruptive technologies such as big
data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence and blockchain.



As the Head of the Investment team in MDEC, I welcome you to come talk
to me and my team members to learn more about how you can leverage on Malaysia
to futureproof your digital services operations. 



- Hew Wee Choong is the Vice President for Investment &amp; Industry
Development, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

The digitalization of Global Business Services (GBS) was the main highlight recently when my team and I had the privilege of co-hosting more than 40 GBS business services companies, together with Outsourcing Malaysia (OM).... 

Pendigitalan Perkhidmatan Perniagaan Global (GBS) menjadi tumpuan utama baru-baru ini apabila pasukan saya dan saya berpeluang menjadi hos bersama lebih daripada 40 syarikat perkhidmatan perniagaan GBS, bersama-sama dengan Outsourcing Malaysia (OM).... 

How Malaysia Helps To Future Proof Your Business Services Operations

<h3>Part 1</h3>

It's inspiring to see that the number of companies
choosing to come to Malaysia is on the increase. For example, in the past few
weeks alone, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) welcomed:



<ul><li>Beyondsoft officially launching its first office in Malaysia to help local talent and businesses build a healthy ecosystem.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WhatsApp-Image-2019-06-28-at-5.35.37-PM.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-245"/><figcaption>During the launch of Beyondsoft's first office launch in Malaysia in June this year.</figcaption></figure>



<ul><li>Logicalis officially launching its new headquarters based out of Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur. Besides its new headquarters, Logicalis has also invested in Malaysia’s ICT industry back in 2006, establishing a Global Support Centre in Cyberjaya to provide world class managed services to customers across the globe.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WhatsApp-Image-2019-07-04-at-1.07.44-PM-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-246"/><figcaption>During the launch of Logicalis headquarters in July this year. The launch was officiated by MDEC's Vice President for Investment &amp; Industry Development, Mr. Hew Wee Choong (centre).</figcaption></figure>



The sustained growth of Malaysia’s digital economy over
the past few years, coupled with the rise of digitalization in industry are
clear indicators that Malaysia is a country with a robust Digital Economy; one
that is increasingly a preferred choice for companies from all over the world. 



Despite a delicate global economy, it is gratifying
that Malaysia has risen up in several global investment rankings. 



Malaysia has been crowned as <a href="https://ceoworld.biz/worlds-best-countries-to-invest-in-or-do-business-for-2019/">the best country in the world to invest in or do
business for 2019</a>,
according to the CEOWORLD magazine. Ranked number 1 among 67 countries, the
publication confirms Malaysia continues to be the most attractive destination
for investors and businesspeople.



The rankings were based on 11 different factors
including corruption, freedom (personal, trade, and monetary), workforce,
investor protection, infrastructure, taxes, quality of life, red tape, and
technological readiness. Each category was equally weighted.



This latest distinction follows in the wake of many
other encouraging plaudits.



According to Malaysia Investment Development
Authority's (MIDA's) <a href="http://www.mida.gov.my/home/administrator/system_files/modules/photo/uploads/20180306165441_Presentation%20Slides%20-%20Malaysia%20Investment%20Performance%20Report%202017.pdf">Malaysia Investment Report 2018</a>, these rankings include Bloomberg's
Emerging Market Scorecard where we again clinched the top spot in a line-up of
20 other emerging market peers, ahead of prominent nations like Russia (2nd),
China (3rd) and Korea (10th). 



Another accolade is Malaysia's nine-spot leap to
secure a global ranking of 15 among 190 economies in the World Bank Group's
Doing Business 2019 report. 



Malaysia was top five in several areas, second only to
New Zealand for protecting minority investors, third for dealing with
construction permits, and fourth for cost of obtaining electricity. 



These significant improvements in our business
environment have helped us as a nation to regain a respected position among the
world's top 20 economies.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/kl-view-2.jpg" alt="" data-id="249" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=249" class="wp-image-249"/></figure></li></ul>



<a>Leading the digital economy</a>



We know the digital economy drives dynamic growth and
productivity and innovation. Other major benefits include reduced transaction
costs and enhanced efficiency. Services become faster, cheaper and better.



As of 2018, Malaysia’s MSC/digital sector has
attracted investments surpassing 320 billion ringgit ($78.60 billion). It has also
seen the creation of 182,538 new high-value jobs and the emergence of a
domestic ICT industry worth over 40 billion ringgit.



As we escalate our transition to a high-income and
developed economy, incremental growth in incomes will be increasingly dependent
on improvements in human capital and productivity. In turn, this will require a
multi-year reform agenda to improve the quality of workforce skills and
learning outcomes from the education system. (World Bank MEM June 2019)



And there are more positive indicators for 2019:
Malaysia is currently leading the pack of ‘Break Out’ nations — and heading
towards being a "Stand Up' digital economy nation. <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2018/12/12/malaysia-well-on-track-to-become-high-income-nation-says-world-bank/">The World Bank puts Malaysia in the league of high
income economies</a>
where digital adoption levels are high; higher than roughly a third of <a href="http://www.oecd.org">OECD</a> [Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development] countries. 



On top of this growing global recognition, our drive
to digital adoption and digital transformation will crystallize many real benefits
as well as more opportunities for all of us. 



<a>Attracting investment</a>



According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia
(DOSM) the contribution by our digital economy already reached the 2020 target of
18.3%, (amounting to RM247.1bil of the national economy) in 2017.



These examples all point to an encouraging scenario
for us to power through to the next stage of building our digital nation; one
which includes opportunities for every
Malaysian willing to reach out to grasp them.



<a>#DigitalMalaysiaForward   #LetsBuildTogether</a>



- Dato' Ng Wan Peng is the Chief Operating Officer, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

<h3>Part 1</h3>



It's inspiring to see that the number of companies
choosing to come to Malaysia is on the increase. For example, in the past few
weeks alone, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) welcomed:



<ul><li>Beyondsoft officially launching its first office in Malaysia to help local talent and businesses build a healthy ecosystem.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WhatsApp-Image-2019-06-28-at-5.35.37-PM.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-245"/><figcaption>During the launch of Beyondsoft's first office launch in Malaysia in June this year.</figcaption></figure>



<ul><li>Logicalis officially launching its new headquarters based out of Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur. Besides its new headquarters, Logicalis has also invested in Malaysia’s ICT industry back in 2006, establishing a Global Support Centre in Cyberjaya to provide world class managed services to customers across the globe.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WhatsApp-Image-2019-07-04-at-1.07.44-PM-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-246"/><figcaption>During the launch of Logicalis headquarters in July this year. The launch was officiated by MDEC's Vice President for Investment &amp; Industry Development, Mr. Hew Wee Choong (centre).</figcaption></figure>



The sustained growth of Malaysia’s digital economy over
the past few years, coupled with the rise of digitalization in industry are
clear indicators that Malaysia is a country with a robust Digital Economy; one
that is increasingly a preferred choice for companies from all over the world. 



Despite a delicate global economy, it is gratifying
that Malaysia has risen up in several global investment rankings. 



Malaysia has been crowned as <a href="https://ceoworld.biz/worlds-best-countries-to-invest-in-or-do-business-for-2019/">the best country in the world to invest in or do
business for 2019</a>,
according to the CEOWORLD magazine. Ranked number 1 among 67 countries, the
publication confirms Malaysia continues to be the most attractive destination
for investors and businesspeople.



The rankings were based on 11 different factors
including corruption, freedom (personal, trade, and monetary), workforce,
investor protection, infrastructure, taxes, quality of life, red tape, and
technological readiness. Each category was equally weighted.



This latest distinction follows in the wake of many
other encouraging plaudits.



According to Malaysia Investment Development
Authority's (MIDA's) <a href="http://www.mida.gov.my/home/administrator/system_files/modules/photo/uploads/20180306165441_Presentation%20Slides%20-%20Malaysia%20Investment%20Performance%20Report%202017.pdf">Malaysia Investment Report 2018</a>, these rankings include Bloomberg's
Emerging Market Scorecard where we again clinched the top spot in a line-up of
20 other emerging market peers, ahead of prominent nations like Russia (2nd),
China (3rd) and Korea (10th). 



Another accolade is Malaysia's nine-spot leap to
secure a global ranking of 15 among 190 economies in the World Bank Group's
Doing Business 2019 report. 



Malaysia was top five in several areas, second only to
New Zealand for protecting minority investors, third for dealing with
construction permits, and fourth for cost of obtaining electricity. 



These significant improvements in our business
environment have helped us as a nation to regain a respected position among the
world's top 20 economies.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/kl-view-2.jpg" alt="" data-id="249" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=249" class="wp-image-249"/></figure></li></ul>



<a>Leading the digital economy</a>



We know the digital economy drives dynamic growth and
productivity and innovation. Other major benefits include reduced transaction
costs and enhanced efficiency. Services become faster, cheaper and better.



As of 2018, Malaysia’s MSC/digital sector has
attracted investments surpassing 320 billion ringgit ($78.60 billion). It has also
seen the creation of 182,538 new high-value jobs and the emergence of a
domestic ICT industry worth over 40 billion ringgit.



As we escalate our transition to a high-income and
developed economy, incremental growth in incomes will be increasingly dependent
on improvements in human capital and productivity. In turn, this will require a
multi-year reform agenda to improve the quality of workforce skills and
learning outcomes from the education system. (World Bank MEM June 2019)



And there are more positive indicators for 2019:
Malaysia is currently leading the pack of ‘Break Out’ nations — and heading
towards being a "Stand Up' digital economy nation. <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2018/12/12/malaysia-well-on-track-to-become-high-income-nation-says-world-bank/">The World Bank puts Malaysia in the league of high
income economies</a>
where digital adoption levels are high; higher than roughly a third of <a href="http://www.oecd.org">OECD</a> [Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development] countries. 



On top of this growing global recognition, our drive
to digital adoption and digital transformation will crystallize many real benefits
as well as more opportunities for all of us. 



<a>Attracting investment</a>



According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia
(DOSM) the contribution by our digital economy already reached the 2020 target of
18.3%, (amounting to RM247.1bil of the national economy) in 2017.



These examples all point to an encouraging scenario
for us to power through to the next stage of building our digital nation; one
which includes opportunities for every
Malaysian willing to reach out to grasp them.



<a>#DigitalMalaysiaForward   #LetsBuildTogether</a>



- Dato' Ng Wan Peng is the Chief Operating Officer, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

It's inspiring to see that the number of companies choosing to come to Malaysia is on the increase….

Ia memberi inspirasi untuk melihat bahawa bilangan syarikat yang memilih untuk datang ke Malaysia semakin meningkat.... 

Why investors are bullish on Malaysia’s Digital Economy

In the spirit of the goodwill movement called 'Pay it Forward,' the alumni of successful Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) award recipients gathered together recently to celebrate their successful growth as homegrown tech champions.

Since 1998, MDEC has been supporting local companies by providing
support through various programmes and initiatives such as the Global
Acceleration Innovation Network (GAIN). 

The successes of previous companies that were supported by MDEC have continued to fuel the sustainability and continuity of these MDEC initiatives. Some of the highlighted successful local companies include:

<ul><li>Jobstreet – crosses RM1 bil market cap in 2013 and was subsequently acquired by Seek Australia for RM1.89 billion in 2014</li><li>Maestro Planning Solutions (Maestro) who launched QuickSchools for the US market back in 2008 and has setup its headquarters in Silicon Valley.  QuickSchools.com is an online school management system that is optimally designed for private K12 schools all over the world. It now proudly powers over 500 schools in over 30 countries, helping thousands of teachers each day.</li><li>Vitrox a Penang based company made it to Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under a Billion list.</li><li>The animated movie Upin Ipin Keris Siamiang Tunggal by Les’ Copaque Production surpassed Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2 as the biggest animated movie in Malaysia with collection of RM 25 Mil box office since it released in March 2019.  </li><li>In 2016, Boboiboy the Movie by Animonsta Sdn Bhd has collected at the box office the value of RM 20 Million including the screening in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Korea. The movie also won the Best Animated Feature Film for the 28th Malaysia Film Festival. Boboiboy the Movie 2 is screening in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam this week.</li><li>No Straight Roads by Metronomik have won several game awards such as Excellence In Sound Design Award at BitSummit 7 Spirits, Best Indie Project award at Unreal Open Day in Shanghai and Grand Jury Award in the SEA Game Awards.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-252"/><figcaption>Among the alumni that attended the session were Malaysia's renowned content creators.</figcaption></figure>



Surina Shukri, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC said that it would need continued
collaborative effort to create more successful Malaysian tech companies. She
called upon previous grant recipients to teach the next generation of tech
companies and mentor them to become global companies in the future.



Commenting on the power of collaboration and sharing, Surina said: "I hope that all the pioneering Pay It Forward alumni can help to contribute towards developing the nation’s digital economy as we need the private sector to unite together."



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-253"/><figcaption>Industry luminaries such as Ganesh Kumar Bangah - Chairman of PIKOM &amp; Commerce.Asia (left) and CC Puan - Group MD &amp; CEO of Green Packet (right) were also present to contribute their wisdom. </figcaption></figure>



To
find out more about MDEC’s Digital Economy initiatives, please visit <a href="file:///C:/Users/avantikumar/Dropbox/Apps/Editorial/MDEC/www.mdec.my" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.mdec.my</a> or follow us on:



<ul><li>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyMDEC/">@MyMDEC</a></li><li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mymdec">@mymdec﻿</a></li></ul>



<a>#DigitalMalaysiaForward&nbsp;&nbsp; #LetsBuildTogether</a>

In the spirit of the goodwill movement called 'Pay it Forward,' the alumni of successful Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) award recipients gathered together recently to celebrate their successful growth as homegrown tech champions.



Since 1998, MDEC has been supporting local companies by providing
support through various programmes and initiatives such as the Global
Acceleration Innovation Network (GAIN). 



The successes of previous companies that were supported by MDEC have continued to fuel the sustainability and continuity of these MDEC initiatives. Some of the highlighted successful local companies include:



<ul><li>Jobstreet – crosses RM1 bil market cap in 2013 and was subsequently acquired by Seek Australia for RM1.89 billion in 2014</li><li>Maestro Planning Solutions (Maestro) who launched QuickSchools for the US market back in 2008 and has setup its headquarters in Silicon Valley.  QuickSchools.com is an online school management system that is optimally designed for private K12 schools all over the world. It now proudly powers over 500 schools in over 30 countries, helping thousands of teachers each day.</li><li>Vitrox a Penang based company made it to Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under a Billion list.</li><li>The animated movie Upin Ipin Keris Siamiang Tunggal by Les’ Copaque Production surpassed Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2 as the biggest animated movie in Malaysia with collection of RM 25 Mil box office since it released in March 2019.  </li><li>In 2016, Boboiboy the Movie by Animonsta Sdn Bhd has collected at the box office the value of RM 20 Million including the screening in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Korea. The movie also won the Best Animated Feature Film for the 28th Malaysia Film Festival. Boboiboy the Movie 2 is screening in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam this week.</li><li>No Straight Roads by Metronomik have won several game awards such as Excellence In Sound Design Award at BitSummit 7 Spirits, Best Indie Project award at Unreal Open Day in Shanghai and Grand Jury Award in the SEA Game Awards.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-252"/><figcaption>Among the alumni that attended the session were Malaysia's renowned content creators.</figcaption></figure>



Surina Shukri, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC said that it would need continued
collaborative effort to create more successful Malaysian tech companies. She
called upon previous grant recipients to teach the next generation of tech
companies and mentor them to become global companies in the future.



Commenting on the power of collaboration and sharing, Surina said: "I hope that all the pioneering Pay It Forward alumni can help to contribute towards developing the nation’s digital economy as we need the private sector to unite together."



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-253"/><figcaption>Industry luminaries such as Ganesh Kumar Bangah - Chairman of PIKOM &amp; Commerce.Asia (left) and CC Puan - Group MD &amp; CEO of Green Packet (right) were also present to contribute their wisdom. </figcaption></figure>



To
find out more about MDEC’s Digital Economy initiatives, please visit <a href="file:///C:/Users/avantikumar/Dropbox/Apps/Editorial/MDEC/www.mdec.my" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.mdec.my</a> or follow us on:



<ul><li>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyMDEC/">@MyMDEC</a></li><li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mymdec">@mymdec﻿</a></li></ul>



<a>#DigitalMalaysiaForward&nbsp;&nbsp; #LetsBuildTogether</a>

Alumni of successful Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) award recipients gathered together recently to celebrate their successful growth as homegrown tech champions….

Alumni penerima anugerah Perbadanan Ekonomi Digital Malaysia (MDEC) yang berjaya berkumpul bersama-sama baru-baru ini untuk meraikan kejayaan mereka sebagai juara teknologi tempatan....

Industry wide collaboration will boost Malaysia's Digital Economy

Ever watched Stranger things on Netflix?
Whenever I watched this series and with all its sci-fi trappings, I can’t help
but to reminisce my time growing up in the 80s. I spent some of my time in
Madison, Wisconsin, a cold place in the north of the USA similar to Hawkins,
Indiana. 



I followed my father who had a chance to
continue his studies to complete his PhD at the university there.&nbsp; I grew up with in Arcades, read X-men comics
and enjoyed Transformers the movie (even cried buckets when my hero Optimus Prime
died). These influences still continue to pepper my thoughts as I grow in these
years.



Never would I have thought that my journey
would land me here.



In 1996 when I returned home to Malaysia, I wasn’t sure where I was headed. All I knew was getting a job.  I was told of a new initiative - and project that the government was embarking on. The Multimedia Super Corridor and the company that was pushing it forward - the Multimedia Development Corporation or MDC.



My early journey in MDC included sleeping
in the cold outside the door of the first International Advisory Panel in
Stanford (was tired of all the jet lag then). I was tasked to develop one of
the 7 flagship applications - the Borderless marketing and Worldwide
Manufacturing Web. I also built the first few websites of the MSC and MDC.
Creativity was always something that inspired me. 



Then I had the opportunity to learn from
the process of creating Saladin. It was one of the first large scale animation
projects that the country would undertake. I wasn’t part of the team then, but
the original team worked beside our IT team and I immersed and listened to what
they did.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/saladin.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-258"/></figure>



One day, the Executive Chairman of MDC
then, Arwah Tan Sri Othman Yeop called me and colleague of mine to his office
and asked if I could be interested to manage the first VR centre in Malaysia.
Powered by SGI, this became the premier VR center for the region. This was the
starting point for me to be formally part of the CMC team and with that - the journey of into what
will become of my lifelong passion. 



VR uses real/time engines - the same that
powers most 3D games then on consoles like the PlayStation and Dreamcast. As
technology pushed forward, 3D cards became available for consumers. We even
worked on the Virtual Malacca walkthrough- which was developed by
VisualExtreme. We had students by the droves come into our centre and get
enraptured by the awe of travelling back to the 1500s. (Fun fact- to those
whose seen it - you might have seen the Saladin characters that peppered the
virtual space)



This led to the establishment of the CADC of which we had a
team that came together from the original Saladin team. Then the true team that
made Saladin into the Emmy-award nominated co-production with the renowned al
Jazeera’s Children’s Channel was formed. Saladin grew from a trailer we made
with Silverant to showcase what our best animation companies could do. That
trailer captured the minds of everyone who saw it and also the international
community. That one day, a call from the GM of AJC to our producer startled us.
He wished to fly us to Qatar and wanted to co-produce with us. As they say, the
rest is amazing history. 



Dozens of our great animations were created
then with Dato Kamil helming our division and our team fueling the industry.
Upin &amp; Ipin, Kung Fu Chicken (Chuck Chicken now), BoBoiBoy, Awang Khenit,
Didi &amp; Friends, Ejen Ali and so many more have initiated under MDEC’s
support. 



I then decided to take up an opportunity to
be part of industry. I heard that Rhythm and Hues Malaysia - a world-class VFX
house - was growing in Cyberjaya. It was also going to work on the Life of Pi,
one of my most favorite books. I left the company after 14 years to the hectic
life of production. And what an experience it was. It was also one of the
toughest points of the journey.



R&amp;H was the home of brilliant artists
who created one of the most wondrous things we see on screen. Tirelessly
hundreds of talented VFX artists work in many stages to provide the magic to
the biggest box office films. What’s more amazing of that over 1000 staff of
R&amp;H we had at the peak, almost 120 of them were based in Cyberjaya. We are
ever so grateful to the experienced brothers we had from both LA and India who
came to uplift our local talent. We had hundreds of apprentices come through
our office from around MALAYSIA. Going through many of our programs to train
the new breed of VFX artists, R&amp;H believed in Malaysia and our talent pool
- and they were not disappointed. 



Unfortunately, after celebrating our 25
years of magic, the global business became too competitive and it brought us to
our knees. 



Many Malaysians would not know that we had
great young talents from all over Malaysia who worked on 22 Hollywood films
from Cyberjaya, movies like Yogi Bear, Alvin &amp; the Chipmunks, X-men First
Class and Snow White and the Huntsman among others. 



In 2013, Malaysia was part of the VFX Oscar
race for 2 movies - the Life of Pi and Snow White and the Huntsman. We had many
of our artists who contributed to both these films and we were all so proud
that we Malaysians could do it and compete on the same level as the talents from
large global companies.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/life-of-pi.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-259"/></figure></div>



As we celebrated our win with Life of Pi
that day, we also were beset with the news that our company was in dire
straits. The business was tough and we were experiencing the downturn. As
management, we scrambled every day to look for opportunities to keep going. We
had so many talented artists all over the world – including that 120 in Malaysia.
It was one of the darkest times for me and the team. When there was some light
at the end of the tunnel - it flickered and became dark again. It happened a
few times until finally R&amp;H was acquired, but not after major downsizing.
As the last few had left, I joined the job market. Until today I remember
talking to each and every artist under my care, and the tears that flowed from
their eyes. I promised myself that what I would do in the future will matter
for these talented artists one day. And this journey was that pit stop that
reminded me how far we still need to go. How strong we all need to be to
persevere. 



After a year outside doing some consultancy
and learning a whole lot about the AAA games business, an opportunity came up
to rejoin my team in MDEC. This time to lead this great experienced crew to new
heights. 



And at the end of 2014, the journey in MDEC
to build our Digital Creative Content industry just went into overdrive. We
pushed out multiple programs and celebrated all our achievements. We kept on
educating and creating awareness of the industry within Malaysia and on the global
stage. We haven’t let up since. 



On the 9th of August 2019, we have
collectively come to another point in our journey together. Something the
industry deserves, something that will bring together both the public sector
and industry and chart the next stage of growth. 



YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Multimedia
and Communications Malaysia, announced the next evolution of our way forward
for the Industry - a policy known as the Digital Content Ecosystem Policy or
DICE. The industry and stakeholder engagements and consultations will be the
prelude to eventual policy formulation. The vision is to create a digital
content ecosystem that is conducive, inclusive and competitive. That is my
promise.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-09-at-10.51.50-AM-1-1024x874.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-260"/><figcaption>YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Multimedia and Communications Malaysia, announcing the DICE policy at the Level Up KL Media Announcement recently.</figcaption></figure>



DICE is the culmination of many years of
MDEC’s collaborations, research and experience in developing and promoting the
Digital Creative Content Industry. The announcement last week was to initiate
the engagement with public and industry stakeholders who are involved and have
vested interest to see our Malaysian Digital Creative Content Industry continue
its leadership in the region.&nbsp; It aims to
ensure that our industry will have a productive and capable talent pool, a
strong industry with global achievements, prolific output of commercial IP and
the awareness and push of Malaysia as a regional hub. Several initiatives will
be put forward for consideration and will be the basis to grow the industry
even further. 



I humbly request this - if anyone of you passionately
desires to accelerate the growth and success of our amazing industry and help make
its mark globally , this is the time to say your thoughts or shout and let it
all out. 



We will have platforms for you to engage us.
In the meantime, email me with your suggestions. I’ll put it on the net for us
to talk and figure out how we can push this industry to the stratosphere. This
is the time my friends and together let’s make our mark. 



DICE will be our Neverending Story.



#DigitalMalaysiaForward #LetsBuildTogether



– Hasnul Hadi Samsudin is the Vice President of Digital Creative Content, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

The long and winding road to realise DICE

<h3>Part 2</h3>


Malaysia has a rich history as a multinational hub for traders. The Straits of Malacca has long been favoured as a major route connecting Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Today, Malaysia has evolved to being a hub of highly skilled talent, thriving within a vibrant business ecosystem founded on world-class infrastructure.


<a>Opportunities for everyone</a>


As the world
moves rapidly into the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), MDEC is
ready and fully focused on leading Malaysia’s digital economy forward by
accelerating:

<ol><li>Formulation of policies and coordination of agencies to enable success </li><li>Development of future proof workforce to grow the Digital Economy eco-system </li><li> Creation of global champions to increase contribution from the Digital Economy to GDP</li></ol>

It case you
missed it, Malaysia has gone #SeriouslyDigital with: 

<ul><li>Cumulative
Total Investment of RM472 billion from the MSC (1996 – 2018) </li><li>Export
sales worth RM166 billion </li><li>More
importantly, the MSC creating a total of 182,538 jobs.</li></ul>



We have made
significant efforts to establish the right ecosystem to foster wide digital
entrepreneurship.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pt2_pic1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-263"/></figure>



My thoughts here
will touch on just a few illustrations of recent and upcoming opportunities
that have been built through collaboration; my MDEC colleagues will also be
touching on many more initiatives across different parts of the digital economy
as we move further into the year.



Just a few
examples:



<ul><li>Ninety (90)% of future jobs will require some level of digital literacy. The <a href="https://www.mydigitalmaker.com">MyDigitalMaker movement</a> has so far seen 450,000 students participating in a national public-private-academia initiative to encourage Malaysian youth to become digital producers and not just digital consumers.</li><li>Inclusivity — inspiring everyone to take their place in the digital world - includes initiatives such as <a href="https://www.erezeki.my">eRezeki</a>, which empower Malaysians to start generating online income via platforms set up to match their respective skills with digital work. More than 210,000 participants have been trained with more than 110,00 of these reporting additional income amounting to a total of more than RM220 million reported.</li><li>An initiative to mainstream digital entrepreneurs (<a href="https://eusahawan.mdec.my/en/">eUsahawan</a>) has so far trained 65,000 participants. More than 65,000 have reported additional sales, amounting to a total of more than RM370 million sales reported. Some individual success stories can be found at <a href="https://eusahawan.mdec.my/en/">the site</a>.</li><li> The <a href="https://mydftz.com">Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ)</a> is a national initiative to drive Malaysia’s cross border eCommerce through Digitalisation, by focusing on driving SME export through various eCommerce players. Another key outcome of DFTZ is to position Malaysia as Regional efulfilment hub.</li></ul>



And finally,
coming back to the theme of investment: Investors come from many countries to
Malaysia. Just one example — the USA is one of the top investors in MSC
Malaysia, accounting for 10% of total investments as 132 American companies
have so far been awarded MSC status, bringing in a total cumulative investment
of RM30 billion from this investment channel alone.



However, let's
not forget that investment also begins at home. Let's invest in our digital
economy — invest some of our energy, abilities and desires - to grow and enrich
our families and ourselves. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pt2_pic2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-264"/></figure>



While digital
transformation and digital economy may appear to be high-level taglines,
digital adoption simplified is about finding out the best-use of digital tools
and solutions to help build your place and base in this fast-growing and
evolving new world.



As an agency
under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, MDEC remains committed to
working closely with all levels of Government to speed the building and
development of our digital economy as Malaysia accelerates into a leading
Digital Nation. 



#DigitalMalaysiaForward&nbsp;&nbsp; #LetsBuildTogether



Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer



Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

<h3>Part 2</h3>



Malaysia has a rich history as a multinational hub for traders. The Straits of Malacca has long been favoured as a major route connecting Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Today, Malaysia has evolved to being a hub of highly skilled talent, thriving within a vibrant business ecosystem founded on world-class infrastructure.



<a>Opportunities for everyone</a>



As the world
moves rapidly into the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), MDEC is
ready and fully focused on leading Malaysia’s digital economy forward by
accelerating:



<ol><li>Formulation of policies and coordination of agencies to enable success </li><li>Development of future proof workforce to grow the Digital Economy eco-system </li><li> Creation of global champions to increase contribution from the Digital Economy to GDP</li></ol>



It case you
missed it, Malaysia has gone #SeriouslyDigital with: 



<ul><li>Cumulative
Total Investment of RM472 billion from the MSC (1996 – 2018) </li><li>Export
sales worth RM166 billion </li><li>More
importantly, the MSC creating a total of 182,538 jobs.</li></ul>



We have made
significant efforts to establish the right ecosystem to foster wide digital
entrepreneurship.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pt2_pic1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-263"/></figure>



My thoughts here
will touch on just a few illustrations of recent and upcoming opportunities
that have been built through collaboration; my MDEC colleagues will also be
touching on many more initiatives across different parts of the digital economy
as we move further into the year.



Just a few
examples:



<ul><li>Ninety (90)% of future jobs will require some level of digital literacy. The <a href="https://www.mydigitalmaker.com">MyDigitalMaker movement</a> has so far seen 450,000 students participating in a national public-private-academia initiative to encourage Malaysian youth to become digital producers and not just digital consumers.</li><li>Inclusivity — inspiring everyone to take their place in the digital world - includes initiatives such as <a href="https://www.erezeki.my">eRezeki</a>, which empower Malaysians to start generating online income via platforms set up to match their respective skills with digital work. More than 210,000 participants have been trained with more than 110,00 of these reporting additional income amounting to a total of more than RM220 million reported.</li><li>An initiative to mainstream digital entrepreneurs (<a href="https://eusahawan.mdec.my/en/">eUsahawan</a>) has so far trained 65,000 participants. More than 65,000 have reported additional sales, amounting to a total of more than RM370 million sales reported. Some individual success stories can be found at <a href="https://eusahawan.mdec.my/en/">the site</a>.</li><li> The <a href="https://mydftz.com">Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ)</a> is a national initiative to drive Malaysia’s cross border eCommerce through Digitalisation, by focusing on driving SME export through various eCommerce players. Another key outcome of DFTZ is to position Malaysia as Regional efulfilment hub.</li></ul>



And finally,
coming back to the theme of investment: Investors come from many countries to
Malaysia. Just one example — the USA is one of the top investors in MSC
Malaysia, accounting for 10% of total investments as 132 American companies
have so far been awarded MSC status, bringing in a total cumulative investment
of RM30 billion from this investment channel alone.



However, let's
not forget that investment also begins at home. Let's invest in our digital
economy — invest some of our energy, abilities and desires - to grow and enrich
our families and ourselves. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pt2_pic2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-264"/></figure>



While digital
transformation and digital economy may appear to be high-level taglines,
digital adoption simplified is about finding out the best-use of digital tools
and solutions to help build your place and base in this fast-growing and
evolving new world.



As an agency
under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, MDEC remains committed to
working closely with all levels of Government to speed the building and
development of our digital economy as Malaysia accelerates into a leading
Digital Nation. 



#DigitalMalaysiaForward&nbsp;&nbsp; #LetsBuildTogether



Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer



Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

Malaysia has a rich history as a multinational hub for traders. The Straits of Malacca has long been favoured as a major route connecting Asia, Europe and the Middle East….

Malaysia mempunyai sejarah yang kaya sebagai hab multinasional untuk peniaga. Selat Melaka telah lama digemari sebagai laluan utama yang menghubungkan Asia, Eropah dan Timur Tengah....

<h3><center>The MDEC team.</center></h3>

Dear reader,

In
case you hadn’t noticed, we at MDEC put out lots of energy and made plenty of
noise about going #SeriouslyDigital—the overarching theme we created as part of
a giant effort to boost adoption and digital literacy to every corner of
Malaysian society.

So
undoubtedly you’ve seen the #SeriouslyDigital tag on social media that was
doing the rounds over June and July, especially spiking during the major
digital events that we’ve been heavily involved in over that period—Malaysia
Tech Week 2019, Wild Digital, and Beyond Paradigm Summit among a host of many
other satellite events.



To recap, #SeriouslyDigital came to life at Malaysia Tech Week 2019 (or MTW19). The weeklong event had 2,000 individuals from around the world attending 33 unique events in 20 locations around Kuala Lumpur, with 170 speakers coming down to share their insights and key lessons on things like Industry 4.0, dronetech, Islamic fintech, government policies, and more.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-1-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-269"/><figcaption>The reception for MTW19 saw 2,000 attendees, a number much better than we anticipated. </figcaption></figure>



Then
along came Wild Digital organised by the Catcha Group and supported by MDEC. It
had plenty to offer for our startups and revealed just how much of an impact
our local players are making globally. 



The
Beyond Paradigm Summit 2019 hosted by Serba Dinamik showcased Malaysia’s
impressive prowess in AI and data science, with the highlight being Sofia The
Robot who on a panel discussion with Tun Mahathir! 



Also,
there were various other happenings that took place along the way including the
NASA Moonshot event at the Penang Science Cluster andthe conclusion of the
Kre8tif! @ School pilot programme.



In
a nutshell, every event that took place over June and July presented us with
constructive insight on the path forward, and each one served to highlight the
many opportunities on offer for Malaysian entrepreneurs and general public to
get immersed in our vibrant digital economy. 



The
positive audience reception and support we received at these events (especially
MTW19) provided us a sure sign of a community eager to embrace the inevitable
wave of digital transformation.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-2-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-270"/><figcaption>The discussion on Industry 4.0 was one of the highlights, and something for all of us to ponder on moving into the second half of 2019.</figcaption></figure>



These
events were also the perfect way to showcase new and emerging technologies to
our very own government participants and share with them how digital is in
everything we do. Indeed, seeing is believing!



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-271"/><figcaption>Of course, it’s also going to be especially exciting to see how dronetech will evolve to fit into our daily routines.﻿</figcaption></figure>



Ultimately,
our team have taken the learnings and proof of concepts from these events as a
victory not only for already existing stakeholders, but also for all those
still to come into the fold.



As
we have said many times at MDEC, Malaysia’s digital transformation has to be
thoroughly inclusive. That means extending our efforts to anyone and everyone
that can stand to benefit from the introduction of digital technology not just
into their daily lives, but routines.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-272"/><figcaption>Wild Digital gave our Digital Ninjas an invaluable opportunity to put their out-of-the-box thinking on display for giants of the tech industry to witness.</figcaption></figure>



This
includes families living in rural communities that could possibly make use of
the eRezeki programme for extra income, owners of small fisheries who can
leverage big data and AI to increase their yield, women needing employment who
can apply for the new Empowering Women in Cyber Risk Management Programme, and
special-needs students that can gain skills from the MyDigitalMaker initiative.
And just are just a few examples—there are many more.



It’s
probably true that the path from idea to reality is fraught with challenges and
naysayers, but we feel that with all of these exciting developments in digital,
there exists a real opportunity for us to present a convincing case to the
doubting Thomases that our work is bearing fruit. 



As
our CEO Surina Shukri says: our success should be measured by the amount of
people we inspire along the way, and the results should benefit as many as
possible, in order to make believers of as many as possible.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-273"/><figcaption>The Kre8tif! @ School pilot programme was a golden chance provided to differently-abled schoolkids to learn the art of 3D content creation.</figcaption></figure>



So
looking ahead, our various divisions at MDEC will be hard at work pushing out
more inclusive programmes such as LEVEL UP KL, the AI &amp; Big Data week, the
#mydigitalmaker fair, and the Kre8tif! Conference—inspiring and exciting events
that’ll help us dial up the momentum we’ve built up these past few months. 



In
conjunction with these events, we invite you to follow our journey and hear
from our senior leaders as they share their thoughts, insights, and learnings
right here on our official blog. 



And
while you’re at it, we also invite you to browse our revamped website to
discover new opportunities and see where you fit into the bigger
#SeriouslyDigital picture. We’re sure that wherever you come from, there’s a
something at MDEC that’s right for you.



Thanks
for reading, and welcome aboard!



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-6.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-276"/><figcaption>Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, was impressed and 'tongue-tied' when he met Sophia the ‘social humanoid’ robot during the #SeriouslyDigital month campaign. (Pic credit: TheStar)</figcaption></figure></div>

<h3><center>The MDEC team.</center></h3>



Dear
reader,



In
case you hadn’t noticed, we at MDEC put out lots of energy and made plenty of
noise about going #SeriouslyDigital—the overarching theme we created as part of
a giant effort to boost adoption and digital literacy to every corner of
Malaysian society.



So
undoubtedly you’ve seen the #SeriouslyDigital tag on social media that was
doing the rounds over June and July, especially spiking during the major
digital events that we’ve been heavily involved in over that period—Malaysia
Tech Week 2019, Wild Digital, and Beyond Paradigm Summit among a host of many
other satellite events.



To recap, #SeriouslyDigital came to life at Malaysia Tech Week 2019 (or MTW19). The weeklong event had 2,000 individuals from around the world attending 33 unique events in 20 locations around Kuala Lumpur, with 170 speakers coming down to share their insights and key lessons on things like Industry 4.0, dronetech, Islamic fintech, government policies, and more.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-1-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-269"/><figcaption>The reception for MTW19 saw 2,000 attendees, a number much better than we anticipated. </figcaption></figure>



Then
along came Wild Digital organised by the Catcha Group and supported by MDEC. It
had plenty to offer for our startups and revealed just how much of an impact
our local players are making globally. 



The
Beyond Paradigm Summit 2019 hosted by Serba Dinamik showcased Malaysia’s
impressive prowess in AI and data science, with the highlight being Sofia The
Robot who on a panel discussion with Tun Mahathir! 



Also,
there were various other happenings that took place along the way including the
NASA Moonshot event at the Penang Science Cluster andthe conclusion of the
Kre8tif! @ School pilot programme.



In
a nutshell, every event that took place over June and July presented us with
constructive insight on the path forward, and each one served to highlight the
many opportunities on offer for Malaysian entrepreneurs and general public to
get immersed in our vibrant digital economy. 



The
positive audience reception and support we received at these events (especially
MTW19) provided us a sure sign of a community eager to embrace the inevitable
wave of digital transformation.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-2-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-270"/><figcaption>The discussion on Industry 4.0 was one of the highlights, and something for all of us to ponder on moving into the second half of 2019.</figcaption></figure>



These
events were also the perfect way to showcase new and emerging technologies to
our very own government participants and share with them how digital is in
everything we do. Indeed, seeing is believing!



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-271"/><figcaption>Of course, it’s also going to be especially exciting to see how dronetech will evolve to fit into our daily routines.﻿</figcaption></figure>



Ultimately,
our team have taken the learnings and proof of concepts from these events as a
victory not only for already existing stakeholders, but also for all those
still to come into the fold.



As
we have said many times at MDEC, Malaysia’s digital transformation has to be
thoroughly inclusive. That means extending our efforts to anyone and everyone
that can stand to benefit from the introduction of digital technology not just
into their daily lives, but routines.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-272"/><figcaption>Wild Digital gave our Digital Ninjas an invaluable opportunity to put their out-of-the-box thinking on display for giants of the tech industry to witness.</figcaption></figure>



This
includes families living in rural communities that could possibly make use of
the eRezeki programme for extra income, owners of small fisheries who can
leverage big data and AI to increase their yield, women needing employment who
can apply for the new Empowering Women in Cyber Risk Management Programme, and
special-needs students that can gain skills from the MyDigitalMaker initiative.
And just are just a few examples—there are many more.



It’s
probably true that the path from idea to reality is fraught with challenges and
naysayers, but we feel that with all of these exciting developments in digital,
there exists a real opportunity for us to present a convincing case to the
doubting Thomases that our work is bearing fruit. 



As
our CEO Surina Shukri says: our success should be measured by the amount of
people we inspire along the way, and the results should benefit as many as
possible, in order to make believers of as many as possible.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-273"/><figcaption>The Kre8tif! @ School pilot programme was a golden chance provided to differently-abled schoolkids to learn the art of 3D content creation.</figcaption></figure>



So
looking ahead, our various divisions at MDEC will be hard at work pushing out
more inclusive programmes such as LEVEL UP KL, the AI &amp; Big Data week, the
#mydigitalmaker fair, and the Kre8tif! Conference—inspiring and exciting events
that’ll help us dial up the momentum we’ve built up these past few months. 



In
conjunction with these events, we invite you to follow our journey and hear
from our senior leaders as they share their thoughts, insights, and learnings
right here on our official blog. 



And
while you’re at it, we also invite you to browse our revamped website to
discover new opportunities and see where you fit into the bigger
#SeriouslyDigital picture. We’re sure that wherever you come from, there’s a
something at MDEC that’s right for you.



Thanks
for reading, and welcome aboard!



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Picture-6.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-276"/><figcaption>Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, was impressed and 'tongue-tied' when he met Sophia the ‘social humanoid’ robot during the #SeriouslyDigital month campaign. (Pic credit: TheStar)</figcaption></figure></div>

Inclusivity: The Real Value of #SeriouslyDigital

October 2019 has
proved to be a most exhilarating month for us in MDEC!



Firstly, the
National Budget 2020 was tabled at the Parliament on Oct 11th, and
secondly, the landmark 30th MSC Implementation Council Meeting (ICM)
was held and chaired again for the first time in 16 years by the PM of
Malaysia, Tun Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 16th.



Both momentous
occasions delivered a key message from the government: Digital Economy is firmly
at the forefront of the nation’s Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030), which
is a new development blueprint to turbocharge Malaysia’s economic development. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ICCMM.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-289"/><figcaption>Attendees of the 30th MSC Implementation Council Meeting (ICM)</figcaption></figure>



Making Malaysia
the preferred destination for investment



I wish to highlight
twelve key initiatives announced in the Budget 2020 that are vital in making
Malaysia the preferred investment destination for digital technology and
services. 



Let’s start with
the incentives to attract investment:



<ol><li>The establishment of National Committee on Investment
(NCI), jointly chaired by Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI), to expedite the process in approving foreign
and domestic direct investments</li><li>To attract Fortune 500 companies and global unicorns,
up to RM 1 billion (USD250 million) will be made available in customized
packaged investment incentives annually over 5 years</li><li>Tax incentives to further promote high value-added
activities in Electric &amp; Electronics sector to transition into 5G digital
economy and Industry 4.0</li></ol>



Going Seriously
Digital in Infrastructure and Applications



With the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) as the foundation, the government has also announced major steps to propel Malaysia into the world of 5G, paving the way to higher digital adoption and fueling a robust domestic demand for digitalisation: 



<ul><li>Matching grant mechanism to provide comprehensive coverage of high speed and quality digital connectivity nationwide, adopting public-private partnership approach, involving total investment of RM21.6 billion (USD5.4 billion).</li><li>5G Ecosystem Development Grant amounting to RM50 million (USD12.5 million) to seed technological developments by Malaysian companies to ride the global 5G wave.</li><li>A contestable matching grant fund totaling RM25 million (USD6.25 million) to spur more pilot projects on digital applications such as drone delivery, autonomous vehicles, blockchain technology, other products and services that leverage on Malaysia’s investments in fiber optics and 5G infrastructure.</li><li>Smart Automation matching grants worth RM550 million (USD 137.5 million) for manufacturing and services companies to automate business processes.</li><li>14 Digital Enhancement Centers to be built to facilitate access to financing and capacity building for businesses, specifically for SMEs, in line with Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0); with RM70 million (USD17.5 million) earmarked for MDEC for this purpose.</li></ul>



Building Digital
Malaysians



Economist Alfred
Marshall, once said, "the most valuable of all capital is that invested in
human beings.” Echoing this sentiment, the government is steadfast in investing
to build digital Malaysians: 



<ul><li>The introduction of Digital Social Responsibility concept as an initiative to contribute to digital economic development while improving digital skills of future workforce with initiatives such as technology scholarships, training &amp; upskilling for digital skills for communities in need that are tax deductible.</li><li>An allocation of RM450 million (USD112.5 million) to implement a onetime RM30 digital stimulus to qualified Malaysians to increase the number of Malaysians, merchants, and SMEs to use e-wallets.</li><li>RM11 million allocated to inculcate Science, Technology &amp; Innovation culture and encouraging more students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).</li><li>RM20 million (USD 5 million) is also apportioned to match with RM20 million from Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) towards encouraging working adults to undertake professional certification exams in fields relating to IR4.0.</li></ul>



(MYR 1 = USD 0.25)



Creating a Digital
Utopia



To complement the
National Budget 2020, two major initiatives were announced at the 30th
MSC ICM to further boost Malaysia’s digital economy:



<ul><li>A Global Testbed initiative to attract next-gen emerging technologies to innovate in Malaysia, specifically in the fintech, blockchain, and drone sectors by attracting global digital talents and interest from investors.</li></ul>



DroneTech has been identified to be the Global Testbed pilot. To support this initiative, the government will be easing the work visa process for key talent in emerging technologies via a green lane facility, as well as other forms of visas such as the Digital Freelancer Pass. 



<ul><li>A new Digital Talent Development Strategy Framework, designed to mobilise and coordinate the end-to-end nurturing of Malaysia’s tech talent both locally and on the international stage, is also proposed to address the growing demand for a digital-savvy workforce.</li></ul>



All the above signifies that Malaysia is investing heavily in building and enhancing the digital innovation ecosystem and adoption, a proof that we’re going seriously digital. It is small wonder that Malaysia’s digital economy’s growth has been outpacing the overall national economy’s growth in recent years, inarguably making us well poised towards the digital-first economy. 



As a matter of fact, IMD favorably ranked Malaysia as number 2 in South East Asia in terms of future readiness in its World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019. Similarly, AT Kearney introduced digital resonance in its Global Services Location Index 2019 report, and Malaysia scored second highest among ASEAN economies in this new category. 



Exciting Times
Ahead



Opportunities
abound as we speed towards the year 2020 and beyond. &nbsp;



As the lead agency
tasked in driving Malaysia’s digital economy forward, the excitement levels
within MDEC are rising rapidly! And as the head of MDEC’s Investment team,
entrusted to attract direct investments to Malaysia’s digital economy, I speak
for all of us in the team that we are absolutely thrilled to work hand in hand with
all industry stakeholders in ensuring the national digital economy agenda a continuous
success. 



We invite you, Mr. and Mdm. Investors, to come to Malaysia, capitalise the opportunities that we offer, and grow your digital business and operations from here, the heart of Digital ASEAN. 







#SeriouslyDigital #MalaysiaHeartofDigitalASEAN



Hew Wee Choong is the Vice President for Investment &amp; Industry Development, at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

National Budget 2020 was tabled at the Parliament on Oct 11, and secondly, the landmark 30 MSC Implementation Council Meeting (ICM)...

Belanjawan Negara 2020 dibentangkan di Parlimen pada 11 Okt lepas, dan kedua, Mesyuarat Majlis Pelaksanaan 30 MSC (ICM)... 

National Budget 2020: 12 Reasons Why Malaysia is the Preferred Digital Investment Location

<h2>Pt
1: The Next Century Silk Road</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Screenshot-2019-12-30-at-6.37.13-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-293"/></figure>



Asia's history includes the colourful story of the Silk Road, which was made up of a crisscrossing in trade and communications routes, covering lands and seas. What I find specially fascinating about this story – where the East is linked to the West – is how Malaysia played the part of a strategic node through the centuries.



When Jack Ma visited Malaysia during the
initial announcement of the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) in 2017, he said:
"China is famous for the Silk Road – but without Malaysia, the Silk Road
would not have been that successful. The Silk Road, at that time, forced businesses
to make products – like tea leaves. These items were so expensive back then and
very difficult to preserve. Malaysia provided the solution: tin. By mining tin
in Malaysia, it allowed tea to be stored safely and ensure the that it can be
sold on the Silk Road. This was what made the Silk Road so powerful."



Today, a new chapter has opened in the
story of the Silk Road. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road sees ASEAN as a key
starting point under China's ‘Belt &amp; Road Initiative&nbsp; (BRI)’. By various estimates, this is one of
the largest infrastructure and investment mega-projects in history. In relative
terms, it covers more than 68 countries, an equivalent tally that represents
65% of the world's population and 40% of the global GDP as of 2017.



The opportunities are staggering.
According to AT Kearney, if the Southeast Asia region was a single country, it
would rank #3 in population and #7 in GDP globally. The grouping of these
nations, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as it is called, has
the potential to enter the Top 5 digital economies in the world by 2025.



With its strong digital economy growth
and digital innovation ecosystem, Malaysia is powerfully poised to collaborate
with Chinese tech companies in building a digital silk road that offers both a
win-win cooperation. This was echoed in 2017 by President Xi: “We should pursue
innovation-driven development and intensify cooperation in frontier areas, such
as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and quantum
computing. The world must also look at advancing the development of Big Data,
Cloud Computing, and creating smart cities. These will all pave the way to
establish the Digital Silk Road of the 21st century.”



Malaysia is an important strategic country along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Situated in the centre of Southeast Asia and positioned along the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest trade routes in the world, gives Malaysia an incomparable advantage in the forging of the 21st Century Digital Silk Road. 



<h3><a>Malaysia's Digital Landscape</a></h3>



In addition to being widely recognised
as the ideal gateway to ASEAN, Malaysia is rapidly becoming a destination in
itself for <a href="https://www.miti.gov.my/miti/resources/Media%20Release/Media_Release_-_Malaysian_Government_Officials_Participate_in_the_New_Economy_Workshop_Conducted_by_Alibaba_Business_School.pdf">business
opportunities and growth potential</a>. The BRI has again highlighted
Malaysia's forte as a premier digital
destination.



China has historically positioned
Malaysia as a gateway to ASEAN, India, and the Middle East.&nbsp; While the traditional maritime silk road also
embraced India and the Middle East routes, Malaysia also enjoys a highly
respected position. Besides being recognized as a moderate Muslim country, it
also has a multicultural and multilingual heritage that ties back to centuries
past. Digital talent in Malaysia is also highly sought after by India and the
Middle East.



Where Malaysia used to be a base for
shared services, multinationals are now using Malaysia as a hub for catalysing
the development of new digital technology and services. As is, venture
capitalists have eyed Malaysia both as&nbsp;
the de facto gateway to ASEAN and a fast accelerating digital growth
hub. 



I see these advances as additional
testimonies to Malaysia's economic transformation. In fact, these are all
apparent in how the country is building the new economy. We have put many
investments and incentives in place to make sure that Malaysia wins a good
slice of the new global marketplace. 



Our digital economy contributed 18.3% to
the nation’s GDP in 2017, and this figure is expected to reach 21% by 2022,
according to analyst firm IDC. Since China's digital economy contribution
reached 34.8% in 2018, this signals much more capacity for digital industry
growth in Malaysia!



In these days of digital transformation
and rapid disruption, it is more vital than ever to encourage collaboration
between countries, companies, and its citizens. It’s a global community now,
after all. Since the tabling of Budget 2020, new initiatives are now added onto
the ongoing digital transformation agenda. This includes a National Regulatory
Sandbox, which is a safe testbed for pilot solutions across different industry
vectors. For the moment, this applies to anything related to dronetech, smart
cities, and autonomous vehicles.



If anything, with all its new policies in
place, Malaysia is rapidly being recognised as an ASEAN testbed and a digital
society fuelled by many races and nationalities. These, along with a
well-developed and varied infrastructure and solutions, are key to the
acceleration and expansion of the digital economy.



(In the next part, this article series
will explore what Malaysia had done to carve its place in developing the
digital economy for the region)

sia's history includes the colourful story of the Silk Road, which was made up of a crisscrossing in trade and communications routes, covering lands and seas….

Sejarah SIA merangkumi kisah berwarna-warni Jalan Sutera, yang terdiri daripada crisscrossing dalam laluan perdagangan dan komunikasi, yang meliputi darat dan laut....

The Digital Silk Road Series: How Chinese Companies are Leveraging on ASEAN Opportunities

Ketika Mohd Hanif Mahtyudin, 20, mengasaskan HM Wholesale
Management &amp; Services, dia sekadar mahu meneruskan legasi keluarganya yang
terlibat dalam perniagaan makanan.



Mula menjual ayam goreng RM1 di tepi jalan, anak kelahiran
Johor itu kemudian menyedari dia perlu melakukan perubahan untuk memastikan
perniagaannya berkembang.



Menyertai kursus anjuran Perbadanan Ekonomi Digital Malaysia
(MDEC), pelajar jurusan perakauan itu kemudian didedahkan dengan ilmu pemasaran
digital.



&nbsp;Sejak itu, anak muda
ini tidak lagi menoleh ke belakang apabila pendapatannya mencatatkan
peningkatan sebanyak 180 peratus.



“ Sebelum ini saya jual ayam goreng secara offline sahaja.
Selepas sertai program eUsahawan MDEC, saya menyedari kepentingan platform
digital dan mula mengemaskini Facebook, Instagram serta mewujudkann laman
sesawang perniagaan.



“ Kini saya tidak hanya mempunyai pelanggan di Johor sahaja
kerana sudah terdapat permintaan termasuk dari luar negara. Setiap minggu pula
boleh dikatakan agak sibuk kerana perlu menghantar produk ke seluruh negara,”
katanya. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screenshot-2020-01-07-at-2.29.57-PM-1024x625.png" alt="" class="wp-image-298"/></figure>



Mohd Hanif baru-baru ini terpilih menerima Anugerah Hero Muda sempena&nbsp; Sidang Kemuncak eUsahawan anjuran MDEC dan Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS).



Sidang berkenaan telah berlangsung meriah dengan dihadiri lebih 2,000 usahawan muda yang berjaya meningkatkan prestasi perniagaan masing-masing selepas menyertai pelbagai kursus anjuran MDEC.



Majlis itu turut menghimpunkan beberapa tokoh termasuk bekas
Menteri Kewangan, Tun Daim Zainuddin, Presiden Kumpulan AirAsia (RedBeat
Ventures), Ketua Operasi Farm Fresh, Azmi Zainal dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif
MDEC, Surina Shukri yang berkongsi pengalaman mereka dalam dunia perniagaan dan
korporat.



Majlis yang dirasmikan oleh Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Syed
Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman itu menjadi bukti pembangunan usahawan muda dan
digital di negara ini mencapai tahap membanggakan apabila seramai 328 948 orang
telah dilatih sejak 2015 dengan transaksi jualan mencecah RM668 juta.



Seorang lagi penerima anugerah Hero Muda Usahawan, Siti
Zubaidah Zainuddin,34, yang menjalankan perniagaan membekalkan makanan laut
dinamakan Laman Segar turut teruja berkongsi cerita tentang kejayaan
perniagaannya selepas menyertai kursus eUsahawan anjuran MDEC.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screenshot-2020-01-07-at-2.33.16-PM-1024x558.png" alt="" class="wp-image-299"/></figure>



Beroperasi di Melaka, Siti Zubaidah berkata, pada mulanya
dia hanya memasarkan produknya di negeri itu sahaja dan hanya bergantung kepada
Facebook peribadi sebagai medium promosi.



Bagaimanapun selepas menyedari kursus eUsahawan pada 2017,
dia mula didedahkan dengan Google Trends selain kaedah promosi digital lain
yang lebih berkesan. 



“ Sejak itu pendapatan saya mula meningkat sehingga mencecah lima kali ganda apabila pelanggan di luar Melaka seperti Kelantan, Terengganu dan Kuala Lumpur mula menghubungi untuk mendapatkan produk saya. Kepada usahawan lain, saya menggalakkan anda menyertai kursus-kursus yang disediakan oleh MDEC,” katanya.



Untuk maklumat lanjut berkaitan kursus eUsahawan, layari <a href="https://www.go-ecommerce.my/">www.go-ecommerce.my</a>



#BinaBersama #eUsahawan

Ketika Mohd Hanif Mahtyudin, 20, mengasaskan HM Wholesale Management &amp; Services, dia sekadar mahu meneruskan legasi keluarganya yang terlibat dalam perniagaan makanan…..

USAHAWAN AYAM GORENG RM1 RAIH BELASAN RIBU RINGGIT SELEPAS DIGITALKAN PERNIAGAAN

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screenshot-2020-01-08-at-4.57.04-PM-1024x656.png" alt="" class="wp-image-303"/></figure>



Sekiranya
anda seorang usahawan yang sentiasa mahu meneroka pasaran baharu, artikel ini
mungkin dapat membantu. 



Bayangkan
produk atau perkhidmatan anda memasuki satu pasaran yang cukup luas kerana
komuniti di situ terdiri daripada campuran penduduk Indonesia ( 270 juta),
Filipina (108 juta), Vietnam (96 juta) dan Malaysia seramai 31 juta. 



Itulah realiti
yang berlaku dalam ‘dunia’ Weibo, sebuah aplikasi media sosial utama di China.
Mengapakah di negara itu Weibo mampu menenggelamkan populariti Facebook yang
merupakan laman sosial paling popular di dunia? 



Hal ini kerana
Facebook ‘tidak lagi wujud’&nbsp; sejak 2009
selepas kerajaan China mengharamkannya. Keputusan itu dilakukan ekoran tindakan
aktivis kemerdekaan&nbsp; Xinjiang menggunakan
Facebook sebagai medium menyebarkan ideologi mereka dan perkara ini sangat
dibimbangi oleh kerajaan China.



Era Weibo di
China bermula pada Ogos 2009 dan sehingga kini ia mempunyai seramai 497 juta
pengguna yang aktif setiap bulan. Di sinilah wujudnya pasaran yang sangat besar
untuk aktiviti perdagangan digital apabila jumlah pengunjungnya menyamai
populasi&nbsp; penduduk di empat buah negara
Asia Tenggara yang dinyatakan tadi.



Menyedari
potensi besar ini, kerajaan Malaysia menerusi Malaysia Digital Economy
Corporation &nbsp;(MDEC) pantas menandatangani
Memorandum Persefahaman (MOU) dengan Weibo baru - baru ini. 



Ketua Pegawai
Operasi MDEC, Datuk Ng Wan Peng berkata, kerjasama itu bakal membawa manfaat besar
kepada negara kerana pengguna Weibo di Malaysia boleh memperkenalkan produk
mereka sekaligus menjadi medium promosi yang sangat efisien.



Di pihak
kerajaan pula katanya, platform berkenaan dapat digunakan untuk mempromosikan
Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2020 dan Sidang Kemuncak Pemimpin Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia
Pasifik (APEC) di Kuala Lumpur yang mana kedua-dua program ini sangat penting
kepada negara.



Sehebat manakah
pengaruh Weibo? Mari kita lihat statistik yang didedahkan Pengurus Besar Weibo
Antarabangsa, Jennie So.



Menurut Jennie,
setiap bulan, seramai 497 juta pengguna aktif di Weibo membabitkan pemilik
akaun di 190 negara.



Katanya, pada
setiap hari pula, Weibo merekodkan jumlah pengguna seramai 200 juta.



“Sebanyak 98 peratus daripada pemilik akaun Weibo merupakan golongan sangat berminat dengan aktiviti perdagangan digital dengan sebanyak 94 peratus melayari akaun Weibo menggunakan telefon pintar,” katanya.



Perkembangan
ini menurut Jennie menjadikan Weibo sangat praktikal untuk mempromosikan
perkhidmatan dan perniagaan.



Katanya, jumlah
pemilik akaun Weibo di luar negara pula kini mencatatkan angka memberangsangkan
iaitu mencecah 49 juta orang dengan mereka turut mempunyai pusat operasi di
Amerika Syarikat , Britain dan Taiwan.



Berikut
merupakan cara mengaktifkan akaun Weibo anda. Selamat mencuba!



<ol><li>Buka aplikasi App Store untuk memuat turun Weibo.</li><li> Daftar dan boleh ikut beberapa langkah untuk melayarinya.</li><li> Tukar kepada versi Bahasa Inggeris</li><li> Klik + pada bahagian kanan di atas dan pilih format untuk memuat naik posting ada.</li></ol>

Sekiranya anda seorang usahawan yang sentiasa mahu meneroka pasaran baharu, artikel ini mungkin dapat membantu….

Rebut peluang promosi perniagaan anda kepada 497 juta orang!

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screenshot-2020-01-10-at-12.22.03-PM-1024x478.png" alt="" class="wp-image-308"/></figure>



Alumni peserta kursus eUsahawan anjuran Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Helmi Naim Ahmad teruja apabila perniagaan kraftangan yang diusahakan secara kecil-kecilan kini mampu berkembang sehingga mewujudkan cabang perniagaan baharu iaitu chalet.



Helmi, 25, yang juga pemuda masyarakat Orang Asli suku Temuan di Kampung Ulu Chembong, Rembau, Negeri Sembilan  berkata, jenama Temuan Abo Craft kini semakin dikenali malahan mula menarik perhatian pelancong antarabangsa.



Berkongsi pengalaman dengan MDEC, Helmi berkata, dia menyertai kursus berkenaan pada 2018 yang memberi input berguna bagaimana untuk mempromosikan perniagaan secara digital melibatkan penggunaan Facebook.



“Sejak itu, saya mendapati permintaan terhadap kraftangan semakin meningkat sehingga mencecah 70 peratus berbanding jualan sebelum itu.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/image002.jpg" alt="" data-id="310" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=310" class="wp-image-310"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/image003.jpg" alt="" data-id="311" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=311" class="wp-image-311"/></figure></li></ul>



“Saya mendapat idea baharu iaitu membina beberapa unit chalet di sekitar kawasan bengkel kraftangan kerana lokasinya terletak  berhampiran sungai, hutan dan gunung yang mempunyai tarikan alam semula jadi,” katanya.



Menurutnya, chalet berkenaan menjadi
pilihan pelajar sekolah menengah dan pusat pengajian tinggi untuk aktiviti kem
motivasi dan sebagainya.



Kata Helmi, ekoran wujud perniagaan
baharu, dia terpaksa menggaji dua pekerja tetap dan mengambil beberapa orang
pekerja separuh masa yang terdiri daripada penduduk kampung untuk membantu
melancarkan perniagaan.



“Lebih mengujakan, chalet saya kini turut menjadi pilihan pelancong luar dari Mexico, Jerman, Afrika Selatan, Korea Selatan dan China,” katanya.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/image004.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-309"/></figure>



Ditanya tentang perancangan tahun
ini, Helmi berkata, dia dalam proses membina taman herba berhampiran chaletnya.



“Taman berkenaan kelak akan ditanam dengan pokok-pokok herba yang sering digunakan oleh penduduk kampung di sini sekaligus memberi pengalaman baharu kepada pengunjung,” katanya.



Ditanya tentang ‘cinta pertamanya' iaitu penghasilan kraftangan, Helmi berkata, dia tetap memberi tumpuan kepada perniagaan itu malahan pada tahun ini bercadang untuk mengeluarkan perabot jenis resin yang masih baharu di negara ini.



“Selain itu, saya turut aktif menyertai beberapa seminar dan pameran melibatkan kraftangan di seluruh negara dalam usaha memperkenalkan lagi produknya.



“Pada tahun ini, saya juga bercadang untuk lebih aktif di platform digital bagi memastikan dapat melebarkan jaringan perniagaan dan seterusnya menarik segmen pelanggan baharu,” katanya.



#BinaBersama #eUsahawan

Alumni peserta kursus eUsahawan anjuran Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Helmi Naim Ahmad teruja apabila perniagaan kraftangan yang diusahakan secara kecil-kecilan kini mampu berkembang sehingga mewujudkan cabang perniagaan baharu iaitu chalet.....

Impak kursus eUsahawan, pembuat kraftangan Orang Asli kini lebarkan perniagaan chalet

<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/gLxb_h3MV_4
</div></figure>



Laman web perniagaan boleh disiapkan
dalam tempoh dua minit sahaja? Bunyinya tidak masuk akal namun tahukah anda
sebuah syarikat teknologi tempatan berkeupayaan mendigitalkan perniagaan anda sekelip
mata.



Bagaimanapun, terdapat ‘dua syarat
asas’ yang perlu dipenuhi iaitu yang pertama, perniagaan anda (tidak kiralah
menjual keropok, produk kayu atau barangan sukan) mestilah mempunyai laman
Facebook rasmi. Contohnya Keropok Lekor Ayu atau Perabot Hero.



Seterusnya anda perlu mempunyai
akses sebagai admin untuk laman Facebook berkenaan.



Syarat berkenaan dikenakan Akademi
Usahawan Mikro terhadap usahawan yang mahu mendigitalkan perniagaan mereka
sekiranya mahu menggunakan khidmat syarikat itu.



Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Akademi
Usahawan Mikro, Abd Azharee Abdul Wahid berkata, pihaknya menyedari terdapat
usahawan beranggapan bahawa mempunyai laman web perniagaan merupakan proses
yang rumit serta memakan masa namun namun pihaknya mempunyai kepakaran untuk
mendigitalkan perniagaan sekelip mata. 



“ Usahawan yang mahu mendigitalkan perniagaan boleh mengunjungi laman web Digasto dan syarikatnya yang beroperasi di Bandar Sunway,&nbsp; Selangor.



“ Sehingga Disember tahun lalu, sebanyak 79 syarikat telah mendapatkan perkhidmatan kami untuk menggunakan aplikasi ini. Selepas pendaftaran, kami membimbing mereka di akademi untuk belajar kaedah yang betul setelah mendigitalkan perniagaan.



“ Antara yang didedahkan, ilmu tentang eCommerce dan sebagainya kerana kita mahu usahawan ini cross border dan tidak statik dalam negara sahaja. Tambahan pula, laman web yang dibangunkan kami untuk peniaga ini mudah dikendalikan,” katanya ketika ditemui baru -baru ini.



Menurut Abd Azharee, antara usahawan terawal yang menggunakan khidmatnya ialah Katta Kayu iaitu syarikat perabot yang beroperasi di Hulu Langat, Selangor.



Pemilik Katta Kayu, Fazli Shah Simpon berkata, sebelum ini syarikatnya hanya menggunakan Facebook sahaja namun beliau menyedari perlunya laman web untuk membina profail perniagaan.



“ Masalah yang dihadapi sebelum ini ialah apabila jumpa syarikat yang tawarkan untuk menghasilkan laman web, ia memakan masa untuk disiapkan selain tidak praktikal tetapi menerusi kerjasama dengan Digasto, saya mendapati ianya sangat mudah,” katanya.



Isteri Fazli Shah, Ilmi Shukri Khodori yang turut terlibat menguruskan perniagaan perabot itu berkata, dia hanya menghabiskan masa selama empat jam di Akademi Usahawan Mikro untuk belajar selok-belok menguruskan laman web yang dibangunkan Digasto.



Katanya, pada bulan kedua mempunyai
laman web, mereka mendapati peningkatan tempahan perabot dan pendapatan.



Lebih membanggakan, kerjasama
Akademi Usahawan Mikro dengan Katta Kayu itu turut melayakkan mereka menerima
anugerah Top Seller sempena Hari Terbuka Ecommerce 2019 anjuran Malaysia
Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).



Sementara itu, MDEC selaku agensi
utama yang menerajui ekonomi digital di negara ini turut menawarkan kemudahan
serupa kepada usahawan.



Kaedahnya juga mudah apabila anda hanya perlu mengunjungi portal <a href="https://www.go-ecommerce.my/">go-ecommerce.my.</a>



Segala maklumat dan kaedah untuk mendigitalkan perniagaan anda ada di situ, hanya menekan butang YES dan bersedia untuk melayari fasa baharu perniagaan anda.



#BinaBersama #eUsahawan #goEcommerce

Laman web perniagaan boleh disiapkan dalam tempoh dua minit sahaja? Bunyinya tidak masuk akal namun tahukah anda sebuah syarikat teknologi tempatan berkeupayaan mendigitalkan perniagaan anda sekelip mata…..

Website Perniagaan Siap Dalam Dua Minit

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/kutipan-luar-biasa-filem-upin-dan-ipin-keris-siamang-tunggal-selepas-4-hari-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-324"/></figure>



Siapa sangka watak sampingan dua kanak -kanak yang sedang bermain di tepi jalan di Kampung Durian Runtuh dalam filem animasi Geng Pengembaraan Bermula yang dicipta lebih 15 tahun lepas kini telah melangkah ke Anugerah Akademi iaitu majlis pengiktirafan filem paling gah di dunia.



Yang dimaksudkan ialah dua nama&nbsp; ikonik iaitu Upin dan Ipin menerusi animasi Upin &amp; Ipin; Keris Siamang Tunggal yang tersenarai sebagai 32 calon akhir kategori filem animasi terbaik anugerah berkenaan.



Ketika catatan ini ditulis, peminat tempatan mungkin sudah sedia maklum perjuangan filem terbitan Les’ Copaque itu untuk menjadi lima calon terbaik sudah berakhir namun pesona karya Malaysia itu pastinya akan terus mekar dan menjadi inspirasi kepada pembikin animasi digital lain untuk terus mengorak langkah ke persada global.



Les’ Copaque telah buktikan karya animasi Malaysia bukan sekadar jaguh serantau sahaja kerana filem itu telah memenangi Filem Cetera Terbaik pada Festival Filem Animasi Antarabangsa (Animaze) di Montreal, Kanada pada tahun lepas.



Bercakap kepada wakil Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), penerbitnya, Burhanuddin Md Radzi mengakui animasi berkenaan sememangnya dihasilkan untuk pasaran global dengan dimasukkan elemen budaya tempatan.



Katanya, kerja seni menghasilkan Upin &amp; Ipin; Keris Siamang Tunggal itu selama lima tahun dengan kos membikin sebanyak RM20 juta menjadi bukti kesungguhan Les’ Copaque memartabatkan animasi tempatan di mata dunia.



“ Segala kerja produksi perlu teliti. Menulis skrip dan plot bukan kerja satu malam, banyak tenaga teknikal yang profesional digunakan untuk menghasilkan karya ini,” katanya.



Namun demikian,&nbsp; di sebalik ‘kekalahan’ Upin &amp; Ipin memecah tembok kebal pencalonan Anugerah Oscar, mereka sebenarnya sudah menang besar bersandarkan kutipan tayangan sebanyak RM26 juta.



Jangan pula terkejut jika angka berkenaan terus meningkat dan menjadi filem Malaysia dengan kutipan tertinggi. Mungkin satu lagi sejarah baharu bakal dilakar oleh keluarga Upin dan Ipin ini. 



Ini kerana menurut Burhanuddin, dalam tempoh terdekat, filem itu akan ditayangkan di 10,000 pawagam di China dengan jangkaan kutipan RM2 billion.



Ujar beliau, syarikat telah melabur RM6 juta untuk&nbsp; promosi di negara yang mempunyai lebih 1.4 billion penduduk itu.



“ Atas sebab itulah sehingga kini filem berkenaan masih belum ditayangkan di pelbagai platform internet dan stesen televisyen tempatan kerana kita berusaha untuk menayangkan di beberapa buah negara lagi,” katanya.



Menurutnya, selepas China, Upin &amp; Ipin; Keris Siamang Tunggal akan turut mengetuk pasaran Eropah apabila bakal ditayangkan di 200 buah pawagam di Turki.



Rancak berbual tentang animasi dan pengalaman menghantar pencalonan ke Oscar, bekas jurutera petroleum itu turut ‘membocor rahsia’ yang pastinya mengundang keterujaan kepada peminat Upin dan Ipin.



Katanya, sedikit masa lagi, peminat filem itu berpeluang menikmati pemandangan indah Kampung Durian Runtuh apabila dua model taman tema (seperti Disneyland) bakal dibina.



Jelas beliau, taman tema berkonsep indoor akan ‘muncul’ di Kuala Lumpur dengan pelaburan sebanyak RM60 juta.



Manakala satu lagi berkonsepkan outdoor pula dengan pelaburan mencecah billion ringgit namun lokasinya belum dapat ditetapkan.



“ Mungkin MDEC boleh membantu kami dalam aspek ini dengan mencari lokasi sesuai,” katanya.



Menutup bicara, Burhanuddin turut mengambil kesempatan memberi kredit kepada MDEC yang ‘menglibatkan’ diri dalam penghasilan animasi berkenaan dengan sokongan berterusan.



#BinaBersama #aniMY

Siapa sangka watak sampingan dua kanak -kanak yang sedang bermain di tepi jalan di Kampung Durian Runtuh dalam filem animasi Geng Pengembaraan Bermula yang dicipta lebih 15 tahun lepas kini telah melangkah ke Anugerah Akademi iaitu majlis pengiktirafan filem paling gah di dunia.....

Animasi Upin & Ipin, Dari Kampung Durian Runtuh ke Los Angeles

<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/aOw_BRREaaY
</div></figure>



Sinaran matahari yang membahang pada tengah hari di sekitar Pantai Chenang, Langkawi benar-benar&nbsp; ‘membakar’ kulit dan melemahkan kelopak mata.



Namun sesekali tiupan angin Monsun Timur Laut menyuntik kesegaran untuk terus mengatur langkah di sekitar lokasi pelancongan popular itu.



Kebiruan air laut, pantai pasir yang memutih, puluhan pokok kelapa teguh berdiri serta warna-warni kedai cenderahati, seolah-olah menjerit memanggil pengunjung.



Tidak terkecuali penulis yang sebenarnya ada ‘misi’ di situ. Bukanlah mahu bercanda sambil menikmati pesona Pantai Chenang, tetapi sekadar mahu bertanya khabar kepada ‘alumni’ 100 Go Digital anjuran Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) di pulau lagenda itu pada Oktober tahun lepas.



Berlangsung pada 3 Oktober 2019, program ini merupakan inisiatif MDEC bersama Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), dan Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi untuk membantu pemilik perniagaan tempatan mengaplikasikan teknologi digital dalam urusan mereka.



Antara yang menyertai program berkenaan ialah syarikat agensi pelancongan Melati Tanjung Holiday yang menjadikan Pantai Chenang sebagai ‘markas' mereka.



Pengurus Operasinya, Mohd Norfaisal Razali yang menghadiri program berkenaan berkata, syarikat kini semakin mengorak langkah dalam mendigitalkan perniagaan mereka.



Ujar beliau antara input menarik yang dipelajari ialah berkenaan kaedah payment gateway selain sedang menaik taraf laman web perniagaan mereka.



Katanya, banyak yang dipelajari
dalam program berkenaan sekaligus membantu mereka membuat penambahbaikan.



“ Kaedah payment gateway yang
didedahkan sewaktu kursus berkenaan kini menjadi pertimbangan penting kepada
syarikat untuk melaksanakannya dalam tempoh terdekat,” katanya.



Menurut Mohd Norfaisal, ini kerana
pelanggan mereka terdiri daripada pelancong asing dan pembayaran tanpa tunai
akan memudahkan pelancong.



Ditanya mengenai perancangan
syarikat, beliau memaklumkan Melati Tanjung Holiday kini mengorak langkah
apabila turut menyediakan kemudahan dewan seminar yang boleh memuatkan 40 orang
untuk setiap sesi di Pantai Chenang.



Dewan berkenaan dijangka akan beroperasi pada bulan ini dan kini berada pada peringkat akhir penyediaan.



#BinaBersama #100GoDigital #PantaiChenang

Sinaran matahari yang membahang pada tengah hari di sekitar Pantai Chenang, Langkawi benar-benar ‘membakar’ kulit dan melemahkan kelopak mata….

Matahari tengah hari di sekitar Pantai Chenang, Langkawi benar-benar 'membakar' kulit dan melemahkan kelopak mata....

Pantai Chenang bersedia pembayaran tanpa tunai

<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/gwvaC40tbCE
</div></figure>



Suasana petang di Jalan Pantai Cenang, Langkawi dibingitkan dengan bunyi deruman perlumbaan kenderaan go-kart oleh sekumpulan pelancong asing di Morac Adventure Park.



Kelompok berkenaan kelihatan saling
memotong satu sama lain dan menjerit kegirangan tanda kepuasan.



Dari jauh kelihatan seorang lelaki
sedang tekun memantau aktiviti dan sesekali berkomunikasi dengan beberapa
petugas di situ.



Selepas memperkenalkan diri, penulis
mula bertanya tentang litar berkenaan yang disifatkan sebagai antara tarikan
terbaharu di pulau lagenda itu.



Shane Lim, Penolong Pengurus Pemasaran nyata teruja apabila ditanya tentang litar lumba yang diuruskannya.



Katanya, litar berkenaan mempunyai sejarah panjang apabila telah wujud sejak 20 tahun lalu namun kini di bawah pengurusan baharu, pengubahsuaian dilakukan untuk memenuhi keperluan semasa.



“ Ia merupakan litar pertama di Asia Tenggara dengan teknologi Sodi SR4 yang dibawa dari Perancis,”  katanya ketika di temui baru-baru ini.



Sebenarnya, Shane merupakan salah seorang peserta kursus 100 Go Digital anjuran Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) bersama-sama  Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) dan Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi yang bertujuan untuk membantu pemilik perniagaan mengaplikasikan teknologi digital dalam urusan mereka.



Shane berkata, selepas kursus itu,
mereka mula memberi fokus untuk mendigitalkan perniagaan bagi menarik lebih
ramai pelanggan terutamanya pelancong asing.



“ Hampir 85 peratus pengunjung litar
ini terdiri daripada pelancong asing dan kami menyedari kepentingan promosi
menerusi medium digital,” katanya.



Mengulas lanjut, Shane berkata, antara yang diberi perhatian termasuklah penggunaan Google Ads dan Trip Advisor yang diakui memainkan peranan besar untuk mencari segmen pelanggan baharu.



“ Pada masa sama, kami bercadang untuk lebih aktif membuat kemaskini dengan memuat naik video di Facebook dan Instagram,” katanya.



#BinaBersama #100GoDigital #Langkawi

Suasana petang di Jalan Pantai Cenang, Langkawi dibingitkan dengan bunyi deruman perlumbaan kenderaan go-kart oleh sekumpulan pelancong asing di Morac Adventure Park….

LITAR MORAC ADVENTURE LANGKAWI SAHUT CABARAN 100 GO DIGITAL

Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Inggeris / Scroll down for English version



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/digital-maker-3-.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-331"/></figure>



Apabila disebut Balik Pulau, di Pulau Pinang, apa yang terlintas di fikiran ialah keindahan kampung-kampung Melayu yang masih bertahan di sebalik arus pembangunan di negeri berkenaan.



Majoriti penduduk di situ masih
terlibat dalam kegiatan pertanian seperti menguruskan ladang durian serta
terlibat dengan aktiviti menangkap ikan. Namun ada juga yang bekerja dalam
sektor awam di samping menguruskan perniagaan sendiri.



Jika anda mencari tempat untuk
menenangkan diri dan mahu lari dari kesesakan Bandaraya Georgetown, maka Balik
Pulau adalah pilihan tepat kerana terdapat pelbagai makanan enak seperti laksa
, ikan bakar dan durian Balik Pulau yang cukup terkenal kerana kualitinya.



Biarpun &nbsp;‘terpisah’ dengan dunia luar kerana laluan
untuk sampai ke Balik Pulau yang terletak di Daerah Barat Daya itu cukup mencabar
kerana anda perlu melalui laluan berbukit dan gaung sekiranya dari Air Itam
atau Bayan Lepas.



Sekiranya menggunakan laluan dari
Batu Feringghi menerusi Teluk Bahang pula, pengunjung tetap perlu menempuhi
laluan gaung walaupun sebenarnya ia terletak kurang 50 kilometer daripada pusat
bandar.



Di sebalik kekurangan itu, Balik Pulau sebenarnya tidaklah jauh ketinggalan dalam aspek digital berbanding kawasan lain di seluruh negara.



Ini kerana sejak tahun lepas, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang melalui Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP) telah melancarkan program MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau.



Datuk Bandar MBPP,&nbsp; Datuk Ar. Yew Tung Seang berkata, MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau merupakan salah satu inisiatif untuk melahirkan modal insan terutamanya golongan muda kawasan itu yang berkualiti dan mengaplikasikan ciri-ciri sains, teknologi, kejuruteraan, seni dan matematik selaras dengan perkembangan Revolusi Industri 4.0.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/gobind-digital-maker-hub.jpg" alt="" data-id="333" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=333" class="wp-image-333"/></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/gobind-digital-maker-hub-2.jpg" alt="" data-id="334" data-link="https://blog.mdec.my/?attachment_id=334" class="wp-image-334"/></figure></li></ul>



Katanya, pihaknya bekerjasama dengan sektor awam termasuk Politeknik Balik Pulau (PBP), Penang Science Cluster dan Jabatan Pendidikan untuk menyediakan model Sains, Teknologi, Kejuruteraan, Seni dan Matematik kepada lebih 2,000 pelajar daripada 31 sekolah di daerah berkenaan.



Semalam, Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia, Gobind Singh Deo yang melawat MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau turut teruja dengan langkah yang diambil kerajaan negeri untuk membudayakan aplikasi digital dan sains kepada golongan muda.



Gobind berkata, beliau akan meneliti dengan lebih terperinci modul-modul serta mekanisme yang boleh dilakukan menerusi program itu dan bersedia untuk diperluaskan kepada semua golongan masyarakat.



Katanya, inisiatif mendigitalkan masyarakat dan ekonomi diterajui oleh Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) di bawah kementeriannya.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/digital-maker-3-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-336"/></figure>



“ Ini penting bagi membolehkan golongan sasar melihat teknologi sebagai sesuatu yang boleh membantu mereka di dalam bidang yang ingin mereka ceburi untuk menjayakan masa depan,” katanya.



Menurut beilau, program sedemikian juga perlu dikembangkan di seluruh negara.



Dalam pada itu, Ketua Jabatan PBP, Wan Nur Wahidah Hashim berkata, antara yang diajar kepada pelajar sekolah termasuklah kursus Scratch yang merupakan satu perisian pengaturcaraan interaktif.



Katanya, melalui modul itu, murid-murid yang menyertai kelas MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau boleh belajar untuk menghasilkan cerita interaktif, mencipta animasi, membuat permainan video dan pelbagai penyelesaian masalah.



“ Selain itu, kita turut memberi bimbingan kepada guru di sekolah kawasan sekitar membabitkan modul coding. Murid yang datang boleh belajar belajar coding dengan lebih mendalam walaupun sebenarnya ia telah diajar dalam subjek Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi di sekolah mereka,” katanya.



#BinaBersama #mydigitalmaker



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide"/>



<h2>A DIGITAL UPGRADE FOR BALIK PULAU</h2>



In spite of being categorised a sleepy hollow by city dwellers, Balik Pulau seems to have made proud strides in its digital quest, compared to similarly remote areas around Malaysia. This is probably owed to the MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau, launched by the Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang through Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP).



The mayor, Datuk Ar. Yew Tung Seang said, MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau is an initiative to raise the quality of human capital among the youth of the area, in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics – in line with digital developments in the country towards IR4.0.



The mayor’s office, working with the public sector, including Politeknik Balik Pulau (PBP), Penang Science Cluster and the Education Department have begun preparing facilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics to more than 2,000 students from 31 schools in the district.



Recently, the Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Gobind Singh Deo who visited MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau, was impressed with the steps taken by the state government, to enable youths to familiarise themselves with science and digital applications.



Gobind stated that he would examine the modules and mechanisms in greater detail, preparing to roll out the programme to society at large. He shared that initiatives to digitalise the community and economy are spearheaded by MDEC, under his ministry.



He was quoted stating that, “This is important to enable target groups to see technology as something that helps them in whatever field they wish to pursue in the future”. According to the minister, such programmes should be rolled out across Malaysia.



Meanwhile, Head of PBP, Wan Nur Wahidah Hashim said that the Scratch (interactive programming software) course was among the courses taught. She went on to say that students who joined the MakerSpace @ Balik Pulau classes are able to learn to create interactive stories, create animation, make video games and more.



“Besides that we also guide teachers in schools in the area, in relation to coding modules. Students who attend classes can learn coding in more depth although it has been taught in IT and Communications, within their schools.”, she said.

Apabila disebut Balik Pulau, di Pulau Pinang, apa yang terlintas di fikiran ialah keindahan kampung-kampung Melayu yang masih bertahan di sebalik arus pembangunan di negeri berkenaan…..

DUNIA DIGITAL BALIK PULAU

Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Melayu / Scroll down for Malay version



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GettyImages-629975070.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-348"/></figure>



It is often the case that Malaysia is compared with other countries in terms of catching up with the advent of Industry 4.0. As would be expected, a question which arises is how Malaysia compares to other countries in transforming to meet digital transformation. 



To this, Surina Shukri, CEO of MDEC has once responded “We can be in the business of comparing, but we want to be in the business of doing” – and rightfully so. The year has hardly begun, but MDEC’s list of collaborations and partnerships has already started to grow. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BaseConf2020_1-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-340"/></figure>



January 2020 seems to have begun well, with the collaborations
below setting the digital economy stage:



<ul><li>A collaboration between The World Economic Forum (WEF) and MDEC on drones, to co-design and pilot policy principles &amp; regulatory frameworks</li><li>Startup Genome and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) announced a partnership, in late January 2020, to supercharge the growth of Malaysia’s startup ecosystem, starting with Greater Kuala Lumpur. As part of this partnership, Startup Genome will perform its startup ecosystem assessment to identify policies and initiatives that will help achieve the potential of Malaysia’s vibrant startups and the wider innovation ecosystem. The research and advisory firm will be engaging the country’s startup founders along with investors, policy leaders, and other key stakeholders for input. </li><li>A collaboration between DIGI Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) announced on Nov 18, that ensured more entrepreneurs, startups and developers obtain access to perform trials on next-generation 5G technology at Malaysia’s first 5G OpenLab in Cyberjaya.</li></ul>



As the months ensue, keep your eye out on more initiatives and events coming your way.



#LetsBuildTogether #DigitalMalaysiaForward



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide"/>



<h2>PERMULAAN CEMERLANG 2020 DAN PELBAGAI INISIATIF UNTUK MEMAJUKAN EKONOMI DIGITAL</h2>



Malaysia sebenarnya telah memulakan langkah menghadapi Revolusi 4.0 di sebalik persoalan tentang keupayaan negara mendigitalkan ekonominya.&nbsp;



Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Surina Shukri berkata, sikap membandingkan ‘cara’ Malaysia memacukan ekonomi digitalnya dengan negara lain merupakan perkara biasa namun apa yang lebih penting ialah negara tidak ketinggalan malahan sebenarnya berada pada landasan tepat untuk melonjakkan pertumbuhan ekonomi digital.



Tegasnya, MDEC bersama beberapa rakan strategiknya telah berjaya melaksanakan pelbagai inisiatif sehingga Malaysia muncul sebagai negara yang ‘terkedepan’ apabila soal ekonomi digital dibangkitkan.&nbsp;



“ Di sebalik ramalan bahawa ekonomi global pada tahun ini akan berdepan suasana tidak menentu, ekonomi digital Malaysia sebenarnya diurus dengan sistematik dan berkembang pesat, dipacu pelbagai sektor. 



“ Lebih signifikan,&nbsp;ekonomi digital telah memberi sumbangan besar kepada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) negara,” katanya.



Bagi tahun 2020 beberapa kerjasama telah dimeterai dalam usaha melonjakkan potensi ekonomi digital. Antaranya termasuk



<ul><li>Sejarah baharu dicipta apabila World Economic Forum (WEF) dan MDEC&nbsp;mengumumkan kerjasama untuk merangka dasar polisi dan kerja pengawalseliaan penggunaan teknologi drone di rantau ini.</li></ul>



<ul><li>MDEC dan Startup Genome pada bulan lepas mengumumkan kerjasama untuk menyelia pertumbuhan syarikat baharu bermula di Greater Kuala Lumpur.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Kerjasama MDEC dengan Digi Telekomunikasi Sdn. Bhd. pada November tahun lepas bagi memastikan lebih banyak usahawan dan syarikat baharu serta syarikat pemaju mempunyai akses untuk mencuba teknologi 5G di OpenLab pertama di Cyberjaya.</li></ul>

It is often the case that Malaysia is compared with other countries in terms of catching up with the advent of Industry 4.0. As would be expected, a question which arises is how Malaysia compares to other countries in transforming to meet digital transformation....

Selalunya Malaysia dibandingkan dengan negara-negara lain dari segi mengejar kemunculan Industri 4.0. Seperti yang dijangka, persoalan yang timbul ialah bagaimana Malaysia membandingkan dengan negara-negara lain dalam transformasi untuk memenuhi transformasi digital.... 

A GREAT START TO 2020 – AND THERE’S MORE TO COME!

Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Melayu / Scroll down for Malay version



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screenshot-2020-02-03-at-4.26.59-PM-1024x682.png" alt="" class="wp-image-344"/></figure>



Ninety (90)% of future jobs will require some level of digital literacy. A talent pipeline of tech workers in the digital economy is now possible, thanks to a collaboration last month between MDEC and General Assembly (GA). The collaboration creates an avenue for Malaysians to upskill and reskill job seekers, future-proofing our digital and tech professionals to become the very best within the global digital industry.



“Upskilling and reskilling are significant in helping to
strengthen the quality of our digital workforce. It is the most important part
of our digital talent development strategy,” iterated Surina Shukri, CEO of
MDEC during the formal announcement of the collaboration between MDEC and
General Assembly last month.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gobind-at-General-Assembly1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-345"/></figure>



GA will offer critical and in-demand upskilling content as
well as processes that match current and next-gen digital capabilities. The
tech educator promises to introduce radical reskilling for those who will
assume previously non-existent digital roles while creating a new talent
pipeline that operates like an on-demand service.



The company was seen as a suitable partner given a history
of transforming thousands of careers with full-time immersive programmes since
2011, as well as its tech curricula-focus on skills that today’s companies
need; software engineering, data science, and user experience design. Going
beyond just intensive training, graduates are armed with tools for landing a
new role.



GA is one of MDEC’s many industry partners with whom it is working closely to facilitate the continued advancement of digital skills transformation. The establishment of global training companies in Malaysia like GA, reinforces the fact that Malaysia has a lot of potential in pushing the envelope further for digital talent development. 



#LetsBuildTogether #DigitalMalaysiaForward



<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide"/>



<h2>PENDIDIKAN TEKNOLOGI BERKELAS DUNIA UNTUK RAPATKAN JURANG KEMAHIRAN DIGITAL</h2>



Sebanyak 90 peratus peluang pekerjaan pada masa hadapan menuntut literasi kemahiran digital.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Menyedari kepentingan meningkatkan kemahiran pekerja sedia ada, MDEC bekerjasama dengan syarikat perunding dari Amerika Syarikat, General Assembly (GA) untuk membantu menggalakkan pembangunan bakat digital di Malaysia.



Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MDEC, Surina Shukri berkata, MDEC juga sedang berganding dengan rakan industri bagi memudahkan perkembangan berterusan dalam transformasi kemahiran digital.



“Kumpulan bakat yang celik digital akan membantu melonjakkan syarikat-syarikat Malaysia ke peringkat serantau dan global," katanya.



Menerusi kerjasama itu, GA akan menyediakan latihan yang disesuaikan untuk pembelajaran sepanjang hayat dalam ekonomi digital yang berkembang pesat hari ini .



Ini merangkumi penawaran kandungan dan proses peningkatan kemahiran yang kritikal dan diperlukan yang sepadan keupayaan digital semasa dan generasi akan datang; memperkenalkan kemahiran semula yang radikal bagi mereka yang perlu mengambil peranan digital yang baharu termasuk mewujudkan saluran bakat baharu yang beroperasi seperti perkhidmatan.



#BinaBersama #MemacuEkonomiDigitalMalaysia

Ninety (90)% of future jobs will require some level of digital literacy. A talent pipeline of tech workers in the digital economy is now possible, thanks to a collaboration last month between MDEC and General Assembly (GA)….

Sembilan puluh (90) pekerjaan masa depan memerlukan beberapa tahap celik digital. Saluran bakat pekerja teknologi dalam ekonomi digital kini boleh dilakukan, hasil kerjasama antara MDEC dan Perhimpunan Agung (GA) bulan lepas….

WORLD-CLASS TECH EDUCATION TO CLOSE LOOMING SKILLS GAP

The benefits associated with drones are numerous; construction assessment, farming, health care, commerce, security and recreational purposes. Drones can even help check on road conditions during harsh weather, monitoring oil refineries, power grids and critical infrastructure.&nbsp;



Nonetheless, the associated threats have also come into view. The possibilities in cyber of physical attacks on critical infrastructure and large outdoor events or gatherings also cause concern. In addition, intellectual property theft, tracking, spying and a long list of threats hover overhead.



It therefore must come as a relief that The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) announced a collaboration to co-design and steer policy principles as well as regulatory frameworks, to augment benefits to society while mitigating risks from Drone Technology. MDEC will work with the World Economic Forum’s Aerospace and Drones portfolio to embark on, and enable, the objectives of this collaboration.



Timothy Reuter, Head of Aerospace and Drones at the World Economic Forum said, “Countries that don’t move fast enough to responsibly enable emerging technologies will find themselves at a disadvantage economically. We are excited to partner with MDEC and other key stakeholders in Malaysia to co-design and pilot policy principles associated with drones”.



Meanwhile, Surina Shukri, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC emphasised, "The focus of MDEC’s engagement with the&nbsp;World Economic Forum will be working with Malaysian authorities to develop a policy framework that allows for drone delivery and a potential launch of the first drone delivery service in Southeast Asia.”&nbsp;



She went on to say, “The goal is to create a regulation that can serve as a model for the region and beyond. This partnership firmly establishes Malaysia as the Heart of Digital ASEAN.”

The benefits associated with drones are numerous; construction assessment, farming, health care, commerce, security and recreational purposes….

Faedah yang berkaitan dengan drone banyak; penilaian pembinaan, pertanian, penjagaan kesihatan, perdagangan, keselamatan dan tujuan rekreasi....

MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES AND WEF TO WORK ON DRONE DELIVERY POLICY FRAMEWORK

A partnership was announced between startup research and advisory firm&nbsp;Startup Genome, and the&nbsp;Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation to boost the growth of the country’s startup ecosystem, starting with Kuala Lumpur.&nbsp;



The partnership helps both parties obtain insights for policy efforts. Startup Genome performs its startup ecosystem assessment to identify policies and initiatives, starting in Kuala Lumpur. They will engage the country’s startup founders along with investors, policy leaders, and other key stakeholders for inputs.



JF Gauthier, Founder, and CEO of Startup Genome said, “We look forward to working closely with the startup community to bring the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the Malaysian startup economy. Malaysia certainly has the potential to be a regional and world leader in multiple startup sub-sectors.”

A partnership was announced between startup research and advisory firmStartup Genome, and theMalaysia Digital Economy Corporation to boost the growth of the country’s startup ecosystem, starting with Kuala Lumpur….

Satu perkongsian telah diumumkan antara firma penyelidikan dan penasihat startupStartup Genome, dan Perbadanan Ekonomi Digital Malaysia untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan ekosistem pemula niaga negara, bermula dengan Kuala Lumpur.... 

MDEC AND STARTUP GENOME WORK TO BOOST STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

<h2>Pt 2: Malaysia: Leading the Regional’s Digital Economy</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GettyImages-767979515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-386"/></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><cite><a href="https://blog.mdec.my/?p=292">*In case you missed Part 1, you can read it HERE.</a>﻿</cite></blockquote>



Continuing from the first in this
two-part series, it’s time to learn and understand why Malaysia is a
sought-after location for tech and digital investments. 



Right now, it’s well-known that Malaysia
is rapidly being recognised as an ASEAN testbed, a highly digital society
fueled by many races and nationalities, with a well-developed and varied
infrastructure.



New avenues of industry areas are being
developed under Malaysia's Digital Economy plan – focusing on Big Data
Analytics (BDA), eCommerce, and the Internet of Things (IoT). It is this
combination that will deliver the most impactful benefits to the new economy.
Driven by consultative collaboration with industry, Malaysia is working towards
a conducive framework to spur healthy, open AI innovation.



Providing a digital hard and soft
infrastructure, comprising high speed internet, world class physical
infrastructure, business friendly policies, innovative talent ecosystems remain
priorities for Malaysia, as evidenced by the Malaysian Cabinet's approval of
the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) recently.



With the growth on different fronts of
our digital economy ecosystem, you can see how strongly Malaysia is
transitioning along the road of transformation. The marriage of IoT, Big Data
Analytics is feeding Artificial Intelligence, which many see as the defining
force of the 4th Industrial Revolution (also known as IR 4.0.). 



These are stepping-stones to even greater
things. As a trading nation, Malaysia is now moving up the value chain and trading
in ideas, innovation and new technologies in a spirit of collaboration. 



The Digital Silk Road is bringing new waves of tech opportunities to
ASEAN – expansion of Chinese tech companies into this region, particularly in
e-Commerce, smart cities and Industry 4.0, automation and AI.



<h3><a>Growing Wave of Investment</a></h3>



I see the increasing tide of
collaboration between Chinese and Malaysian enterprises as the latest testament
to the growing strength of Malaysia's Digital Economy ecosystem, which
prioritises greater growth, innovation and shared prosperity.



Let me share just a few more recent
examples: 



<ul><li>China's Alibaba
set up its first overseas electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hub in
Malaysia linked to the <a href="https://mydftz.com">Digital Free Trade Zone
(DFTZ)</a> initiative to accelerate eCommerce opportunities and growth</li><li>Closely linked to above is <a href="https://twitter.com/mymdec/status/1016182725189890049?s=20">Malaysia Week - a successful
collaboration between China and Malaysia</a> to drive eCommerce opportunities
for SMEs - will return for a second time following last year's successful
inaugural edition</li><li><a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252462380/Malaysia-to-get-its-first-AI-park">Malaysia’s
first AI park resulted</a> from a collaboration between Malaysia’s G3 Global,
China Harbour Engineering Company and China-based Sense Time Group, and is
touted to be the most valuable AI startup, to set up Malaysia’s first AI park,
which is expected to see more than USD1 billion in investments over the next 5
years</li><li>Malaysia is the <a href="https://www.comparehero.my/technology/wechatpay-ewallet-malaysia-launch">first
country outside China selected by Tencent</a> to launch its digital
payment/ewallet solution - WeChat Pay</li><li>Huawei
Technologies has a regional presence from its Malaysia headquarters and
continues to work closely with Malaysia to grow the country’s digital ecosystem</li><li><a href="https://blog.mdec.my/?p=244">Beyondsoft</a> officially launching its
first office in Malaysia to help local talent and businesses build a healthy
ecosystem, which includes a KL innovation hub for retail solutions</li><li>Just recently, an agreement was signed with <a href="http://en.ndrc.gov.cn">National Development Reform Commission</a> -
International Cooperation Centre (NDRC- ICC) - enabling us to work closely to
facilitate China's digital tech companies entry into Malaysia</li></ul>



<h3><a>The Next Step</a></h3>



Let me return to discussing the ASEAN
opportunity. The region's combination of strong and vibrant economy, youthful
demographics, rapid urbanization and ongoing economic integration makes it a
very attractive market for business expansion. And let's not forget the other
factors: the region's combined GDP of USD$2.5 trillion; 628 million people
(~10% of world population), with about 40% of citizens under 30 and are digital
natives; and a literacy rate 94%



Malaysia is strategically located in the
heart of ASEAN, with a population of 31 million, 68% internet users, 65% smartphone
users; 82% broadband penetration, 31% of internet users use mobile to purchase.
From Greater KL, major cities in the region can be reached within 8 hours by
flights.



In addition to Malaysia being the best
springboard to ASEAN, I believe other factors such as being a hub for Asian
languages, a rich culturally diverse workforce, which is buoyed by highly
skilled and growing talent pipeline, strengthened by business-friendly
government policies. 



Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation
(MDEC) is a government agency entrusted to lead Malaysia's digital economy and
drive shared prosperity for all. As a one stop centre, <a href="https://mdec.my/digital-economy-initiatives/for-the-investors/invest-in-malaysia/">we
at MDEC are well versed in facilitating and easing the entry of companies</a>
into Malaysia. These programmes include our <a href="https://www.malaysiadigitalhub.my">Digital Hubs</a> strategy, <a href="https://mdec.my/digital-economy-initiatives/for-the-people/talent-development/tech-talent-at-school/">talent
development</a> pipeline, and the <a href="https://www.mtep.my">Malaysia Tech
Entrepreneur Programme,</a> which are focused on helping companies make the
right decisions, ensure high speed growth, connecting companies with the local
business ecosystem and to provide fast insights into the market landscape. 



Furthermore, MDEC is also an investment
promotion specialist for the digital economy and is able to help investors
connect the dots in the ecosystem.



These ingredients will help to encourage
knowledge sharing, which is vital to successfully fuel rapid growth for our
mutual prosperity. Recently,
the&nbsp;Maritime Silk Road Legend Concert celebrated the 45th anniversary of
diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China.
Indeed, Malaysia was the first country in the region to establish diplomatic
ties with China when the second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein,
visited the Republic in 1974.



Today, the Digital Silk Road is
connecting every country and all people: and Malaysia's role, both hub and
gateway to Asean, has become even more significant. New horizons are opening up
for companies from China, and indeed for all of us!

Continuing from the first in this two-part series, it’s time to learn and understand why Malaysia is a sought-after location for tech and digital investments…..

Meneruskan dari yang pertama dalam siri dua bahagian ini, sudah tiba masanya untuk belajar dan memahami mengapa Malaysia adalah lokasi yang dicari untuk pelaburan teknologi dan digital.....

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ewallet.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-405"/></figure>



Hampir
10 tahun 'meninggalkan' Kuala Lumpur kerana bertugas dan menetap di Machang
Bubok, Bukit Mertajam, yang merupakan sebuah pekan kecil di utara tanah air,
penulis kembali ke ibu kota untuk memulakan tugas baharu di sebuah agensi
kerajaan di Cyberjaya.



Secara
kebetulan, agensi ini terkait rapat dengan usaha mendigitalkan ekonomi
Malaysia. Sejujurnya, penulis tidak 'menyedari' kewujudan agensi ini walaupun
ditubuhkan oleh kerajaan pada 1996 namun kini ia menjadi tempat mencari rezeki.



Namun
begitu, tidak ada yang perlu dimalukan kerana sememangnya kita tidak tahu semua
perkara dalam dunia. Maka, ungkapan setiap hari merupakan proses pembelajaran
terpakai dalam konteks ini. Maafkan saya jika ada yang tidak bersetuju.



Sepanjang
‘berumah’ di utara, boleh dikatakan amat jarang untuk penulis berkunjung ke ibu
negara, hanya beberapa kali sahaja jika ada urusan penting.



Mungkin
selesa dengan kehidupan serba sederhana dan tenang di sana, termasuk urusan
harian yang dilangsungkan secara konvensional. Sudah pasti, sebuah warung yang
menyajikan kopi kampung terbaik dan pelbagai kuih - muih sentiasa diingati.
Penulis kadang - kala membayar mengunakan syiling sahaja kerana harganya yang
sangat murah. Tidak ada istilah e- Wallet di situ.



Namun
demikian, penulis sedar sejak beberapa tahun lalu sudah muncul istilah
'cashless' berdasarkan pembacaan. 



Penulis
tahu di China, rakyatnya menggunakan e-wallet untuk urusan harian termasuk
membeli kopi di Starbuck.



Ketika
di utara, penulis hanya menggunakan kad pra bayar touch and go, itu pun kerana
pada 2015, terdapat satu polisi bahawa tiada lagi pembayaran secara tunai di
plaza tol. Penjelasan yang diberikan oleh pihak konsesi dan kerajaan ketika itu
ialah kerana mahu mengurangkan kesesakan di akibat transaksi tunai.



Masih
ingat lagi, usai pengumuman berkenaan, media sosial ‘meletup’ dengan pelbagai
reaksi, ada yang menyokong namun ramai juga yang tidak bersetuju kerana alasan keputusan
itu tidak peka kepada pengguna yang tidak mempunyai kemampuan membeli kad pra
bayar.



Wujud
juga kekeliruan maklumat bahawa pemilik kad pra bayar harus memasukkan jumlah
RM50 setiap kali tambah nilai. Nah, sumpah seranah memenuhi dinding media
sosial.



Berbalik
kepada cerita e-Wallet, pada bulan pertama bertugas di tempat baharu, penulis
diarahkan menghadiri seminar Hari Terbuka E-Dagang Malaysia yang dianjurkan di
bangunan indah serba moden reka bentuknya yang dimiliki Kementerian Perdagangan
Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI). 



Penulis
masih belum memiliki kad touch and go yang baharu kerana kad lama hilang. Akibatnya,
penulis tidak dapat memarkir kenderaan di kawasan yang disediakan kerana hanya
pengguna yang memiliki kad touch and go sahaja boleh memasuki ruang berkenaan.



Terpaksalah
mengundur kenderaan dan dihon oleh pemandu di belakang. Penulis terpaksa
meletakkan kenderaan di bahu jalan luar bangunan itu sambil berdoa tidak
disaman.



Ketika
waktu makan tengah hari, pengunjung berpusu - pusu menyerbu beberapa food truck
yang disediakan. Penulis juga mahu ikut serta kemeriahan itu namun kecewa
apabila melihat peniaga meletakkan papan tanda pembayaran e-Wallet seperti kod
bar, Alipay dan sebagainya.



Sedikit
hampa, penulis mengatur langkah mencari kantin di bangunan berkenaan dan
berharap pengendalinya masih menerima bayaran tunai. Akhirnya, makanlah nasi
campur berlauk ikan goreng kerana hasrat hendak membeli burger kambing yang
dijual pengusaha food Food Truck tidak kesampaian kerana ketiadaan e-Wallet
serta aplikasi pembayaran yang boleh dimuat turun menerusi telefon pintar. Ya,
saya masih old school, retro, klasik atau tradisional.



Bulan
berikutnya, penulis bertugas di Bangsar untuk satu program pada hari Jumaat.
Pada waktu solat Jumaat, penulis singgah di sebuah masjid. Apa yang menariknya,
tidak kelihatan tabung untuk jemaah menghulurkan sumbangan seperti kebiasaan
sebaliknya pengurusan masjid memaparkan bar kod untuk pengunjung yang berhasrat
memberi derma. Penulis kagum dengan evolusi e-Wallet yang semakin meluas
penggunaannya.



Akhirnya,
penulis mula membeli kad touch and go baharu untuk memudahkan urusan harian.



Melalui
beberapa bacaan, penulis mendapati menjelang 2022, hanya 17 peratus pembayaran
global dibuat secara tunai manakala penggunaan dompet digital dan mudah alih
akan terus meningkat mencecah 28 peratus daripada semua urus niaga jualan.



Menurut&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.paymentscardsandmobile.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0ateMD825laRvkKqblsWAyk7Nzyz_8pweUvqj6_pscKoHVWLoUaB2wcgU&amp;h=AT2FzxbncI56IV7JSmW0WizPekBmNwUn7H-huSmkIRJbbSv7TQtX_T-jzlsPSgK-Fpo9ECfP4QBdOE4A1hh87v409Sp5DC-FtK5cbdCB0_r366FahcGU1iozaFYyNR2PoCClpQMk3XYn8ryhMXinvJPzFZw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.paymentscardsandmobile.com</a>, sehingga Februari tahun lepas,
China merupakan negara yang mempunyai pengguna mobile e-Wallet tertinggi di
dunia dengan mencapai 26 peratus diikuti India dan UAE sebanyak 6 peratus.



Sedikit
mengecewakan apabila portal berkenaan mendapati kadar penggunaan mobile
e-Wallet di Malaysia hanya satu peratus sahaja namun ini tidak bermaksud negara
kita ketinggalan. Jangan jadikan kes penulis sebagai contoh!



Menyedari
kepentingan masyarakat tanpa tunai yang terkait rapat dengan ekonomi digital,
kerajaan mula melaksanakan beberapa langkah terutamanya Inisiatif e-Tunai
Rakyat yang diumumkan dalam pembentangan Belanjawan 2020.



Menerusi
program ini, rakyat Malaysia yang memenuhi kriteria di bawah boleh mendapatkan
RM30 secara satu kali dengan Boost membabitkan peruntukan RM450 juta bagi
menggalakkan budaya digital dan peralihan kepada masyarakat tanpa tunai.



Bagi
memastikan inisiatif terbabit mempercepatkan proses digitalisasi, wang RM30 itu
perlu dibelanjakan penerima hingga 14 Mac 2020, manakala baki yang tidak
dibelanjakan akan luput selepas tarikh berkenaan.



Selain
itu, rakyat perlu menuntut wang berkenaan selewat-lewatnya pada 9 Mac depan
melalui pengendali e-dompet terpilih.



Kerajaan
turut menggalakkan semua peniaga supaya berdaftar dengan satu atau semua
pengendali e-dompet supaya mereka mendapat manfaat daripada inisiatif ini.



Difahamkan,
hingga kini, lebih lapan juta peniaga menyediakan perkhidmatan pembayaran
melalui e-dompet berkenaan.



Semoga langkah ini akan merancakkan lagi budaya masyarakat tanpa tunai di negara kita dan penulis bersedia untuk bergerak ke arah e-Wallet sepenuhnya. Anda bagaimana?



#LetsBuildTogether #BinaBersama #DigitalMalaysians



Artikel oleh <a href="mailto: firdaus.ismail@mdec.com.my">Mohd Firdaus Ismail</a>

Hampir 10 tahun 'meninggalkan' Kuala Lumpur kerana bertugas dan menetap di Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam, yang merupakan sebuah pekan kecil di utara tanah air, penulis kembali ke ibu kota untuk memulakan tugas baharu di sebuah agensi kerajaan di Cyberjaya....

Cerita saya tentang E-Wallet. Apa cerita anda?

Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Inggeris / Scroll down for English version 



Tulang belakang ekonomi negara iaitu sektor Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) akan terus diberi fokus istimewa oleh kerajaan.



Terbaharu, satu inisiatif pendigitalan PKS melibatkan kerjasama Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) dengan Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) dan SME Bank telah mula dilaksanakan.



Sektor PKS sangat penting kepada ekonomi negara berdasarkan pertumbuhan nilai eksport kepada RM171.9 bilion pada 2018 berbanding RM166.2 bilion pada tahun sebelumnya seperti diumumkan Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia.



MDEC telah mengambil langkah untuk membantu PKS tempatan muncul juara dalam bidang ekonomi pada peringkat global menerusi penawaran produk, perkhidmatan, kepakaran dan teknologi Malaysia yang bertaraf dunia.



Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MDEC, Surina Shukri berkata,&nbsp;&nbsp;“MDEC membantu PKS berpandukan tiga teras utama iaitu memacu penerapan penggunaan teknologi digital di kalangan rakyat; pembangunan bakat dan kemahiran digital yang mampu memenuhi kehendak industri; dan menggalakan perniagaan digital serta pelaburan digital”.



Teknologi digital dapat dimanfaatkan oleh perniagaan untuk meningkatkan operasi, pengeluaran dan daya saing terutama bagi PKS.



Menurut Surina, “Pendigitalan perniagaan menjadi keperluan penting pada masa kini kerana ia boleh meningkatkan produktiviti. Melalui pendigitalan, penggunaan sumber akan menjadi lebih cekap serta&nbsp;&nbsp;akses kepada maklumat dan capaian pasaran adalah lebih mudah dan meluas.”



“Pada masa sama, peningkatan produktiviti melalui teknologi digital sangat penting kepada PKS untuk terus berkembang. Namun demikian, penggunaan teknologi dan aplikasi dalam talian masih oleh PKS masih kurang walaupun mempunyai sambungan internet dan akses&nbsp;&nbsp;jalurlebar. Faktor ini sekaligus menyebabkan PKS mempunyai capaian yang terhad kepada bakal pelanggan dan keadaan ini harus diubah memandangkan kita kini berada dalam era Revolusi Perindustrian 4.0 dan IoT. Sehubungan itu, usahawan PKS tidak boleh ketinggalan dalam aspek ini,” katanya.



MDEC sebenarnya bukan baru setahun jagung membantu usahawan PKS kerana sebelum ini pelbagai inisiatif telah dilaksanakan dalam mendigitalkan usahawan berkenaan.



Pada Oktober tahun lepas, MDEC telah bekerjsama dengan pihak Kerajaan negeri Kedah&nbsp;&nbsp;menerusi program ‘100 Go Digital’ di Langkawi yang menyasarkan pemilik perniagaan kecil di pulau pelancongan berkenaan untuk menggunakan aplikasi teknologi digital dalam perniagaan masing-masing.&nbsp;



Empat bulan berlalu, kumpulan usahawan berkenaan mula berubah apabila terdapat di kalangan mereka telah menggunakan aplikasi pembayaran tanpa tunai iaitu e-dompet.&nbsp;



Perkembangan ini akan memudahkan pelanggan mereka terutamanya pelancong asing. Selain itu, pemilik perniagaan PKS di sana juga mula meneroka platform digital bagi meluaskan lagi promosi perniagaan seperti dilakukan Mega Water Sports yang mendapati 80 tempahan dibuat secara dalam talian selain 100 peratus kaedah pembayaran digital.



Melalui program e-Usahawan juga, para usahawan telah mendapat manfaat daripada inisiatif MDEC ini.&nbsp;



Bermula daripada penjual kacang, pengusaha kek lapis Sarawak mahupun perniagaan kraf tangan kecil-kecilan yang diusahakan usahawan Orang Asli di Rembau, Negeri Sembilan turut menerima ‘sentuhan’ MDEC bagi merevolusikan perniagaan mereka. Apa yang membanggakan, usahawan Orang Asli berkenaan yang pada mulanya hanya menjual cenderahati kini melebarkan perniagaannya apabila membuka chalet berhampiran bengkelnya yang kini telah mendapat mula dikunjungi pelancong dari Mexico, Jerman, Korea Selatan dan Australia.&nbsp;



Berdasarkan maklum balas, pengusaha Kek Lapis Siti Payung yang merupakan “alumni digital adoption” MDEC, kini telah memasuki pasaran Singapura, Brunei dan kini dalam proses mendapatkan lesen untuk mengedarkan produk mereka ke China.



Kerajaan mempelawa syarikat - syarikat PKS yang berteraskan teknologi memohon untuk menjadi Technology Solution Provider (TSP) di bawah inisiatif pendigitalan PKS.&nbsp;Dengan Geran Padanan Digital PKS, kerajaan berharap untuk memantapkan penggunaan aplikasi digital dalam operasi perniagaan PKS tempatan. 



Untuk maklumat lanjut mengenai Geran Padanan Digital PKS, layari <a href="https://mdec.my/digital-economy-initiatives/for-the-industry/sme-digitalisation-grant/">laman web MDEC.</a>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



GOVERNMENT ASSISTS THE DIGITISATION OF SME LANDSCAPE, ACKNOWLEDING CROSS-BORDER CHALLENGES



The backbone of the country's economy, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector, continues to be given special focus by the government.



The SME sector is crucial to the country's economy, based on the export value growth of RM171.9 billion in 2018 compared to RM166.2 billion the previous year as announced by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia.



MDEC has taken steps to help local SMEs make a mark in the global economy by offering world-class Malaysian products, services, expertise and technology.



MDEC’s Chief Executive Officer Surina Shukri said, “MDEC is helping SMEs with the three main objectives of driving the adoption of digital technology among the people; developing talent and digital skills to meet the needs of the industry; and promoting digital business and digital investment. ”



Digital technology can be leveraged by businesses to improve operations, production and competitiveness, especially for SMEs.



According to Surina, “Business digitisation is an important necessity today as it can increase productivity. Through digitisation, resource utilisation becomes more efficient, and information- as well as market-access are easier and broader. ”



&nbsp;“At the same time, increasing productivity through digital technology is critical for SMEs to continue to grow. However, the use of technology and online applications by SMEs is still low despite available internet connection and broadband access. These factors at the same time cause SMEs to have limited access to potential customers. This has to change as we are now in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and IoT. In this regard, SME entrepreneurs should not miss out,” she stresses.



MDEC is not new to developing or implementing initiatives to digitise SME entrepreneurs.&nbsp;



In October last year, MDEC partnered with the Kedah state government through the '100 Go Digital' programme in Langkawi which targeted small business owners on the island&nbsp;&nbsp;known for its tourism-focus, to use digital technology applications in their businesses.



Four months later, the local entrepreneurs began using cashless payment applications, i.e. e-wallets. Programmes such as these simplify transactions for customers, especially the foreign tourist customer base. In addition, SME business owners there have started exploring digital platforms to expand their business promotions. Such example is Mega Water Sports in Langkawi. Within months of joining the 100 Go Digital programme, they managed to grow 80% of their customers acquisition from online business.



Separately, the eUsahawan programme by MDEC has also benefited entrepreneurs. As an example, a group of entrepreneurs from Negeri Sembilan has experienced its digitisation advantage. Via the eUsahawan programme, the ‘Orang Asli’ community from Rembau, Negeri Sembilan was able to revolutionise their business. Starting from a small business selling souvenirs, they have now started a chalet business with multitude visitors from Mexico, Germany, South Korea and Australia.



Recently, the Malaysian Government opened an invitation to technology-based SME companies to become Technology Solution Providers (TSP) under its SME digitisation initiative.&nbsp;A collaboration between Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and SME Bank has recently been put into effect to support business digitalisation for SMEs.&nbsp;Through the SME Business Digitalisation grant , the government hopes to enhance the use of digital applications in local SME business operations.



For more information on SME Business Digitalisation grant , visit the <a href="https://mdec.my/digital-economy-initiatives/for-the-industry/sme-digitalisation-grant/">MDEC website.</a>

Tulang belakang ekonomi negara iaitu sektor Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) akan terus diberi fokus istimewa oleh kerajaan.Terbaharu, satu inisiatif pendigitalan PKS melibatkan kerjasama Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) dengan Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) dan SME Bank telah mula dilaksanakan.....

Tulang belakang ekonomi negara iaitu sektor Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) akan terus diberi fokus istimewa oleh kerajaan. Terbaharu, satu inisiatif pendigitalan PKS melibatkan kerjasama Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) dengan Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) dan SME Bank telah mula dilaksanakan.....

KERAJAAN BANTU PENDIGITALAN PKS TEMPATAN, SAHUT CABARAN RENTAS SEMPADAN

Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Inggeris / Scroll down for English version 



Kerjasama Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) bersama Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) bakal meletakkan Kuala Lumpur sebagai tanda aras pelopor bagi teknologi pembangunan bandar generasi baharu dan pengurusan mobiliti bandar di rantau ini.



Kerjasama untuk program City Architecture for Tommorrow Challenge (CATCH) itu antara lain bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kecekapan aspek perancangan bandar serta memacu ke arah teknologi mobility masa depan yang lebih lestari.



Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MDEC, Surina Shukri, berkata CATCH merupakan pertandingan pertama di rantau ini yang dijangka menarik penyertaan idea inovatif melibatkan peserta-peserta peringkat global.



Katanya, CATCH akan berusaha mewujudkan teknologi dan penyelesaian mobiliti di Kuala Lumpur dengan penglibatan peringkat global dalam tempoh lapan bulan.



“Peserta yang terdiri daripada entiti syarikat startup, ahli akademik, firma kaji selidik, badan koporat, dan orang ramai boleh menyumbang idea untuk membangunkan konsep.



“Peserta dapat mencadangkan penyelesaian yang dinamik dan pintar berasaskan data dalam merencana infrastruktur bandar masa depan” katanya ketika pelancaran majlis berkenaan baru – baru ini.



Yang turut hadir Presiden Sekretariat, Toyota Mobility Foundation, Shin Aoyama.



Sementara itu, Shin berkata, TMF menyediakan geran sehingga RM6.21 juta bagi setiap peringkat pertandingan ini.&nbsp;



“ Peserta juga akan mendapat khidmat mentor, nasihat pakar dan program inkubasi,” katanya.



Katanya, CATCH akan menyediakan data kepada peserta untuk memperkasa usaha membangunkan penyelesaian yang akan dipilih. Data ini adalah selaras dengan Akta Perlindungan Data Peribadi.



Antara rakan usahasama data terdiri daripada sektor awam dan swasta yang memiliki data berkaitan pergerakan pengguna pengangkutan seperti Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM), Agensi Pengangkutan Awam Darat, Grab, MapIT MSC, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation dan Prasarana Malaysia.



Beliau menambah, kerjasama berkenaan penting kerana TMF ditubuhkan untuk mengatasi isu-isu berkaitan mobiliti di seluruh dunia. “Ia akan&nbsp;&nbsp;menggunakan pendekatan yang dipacu oleh kemapanan, inovasi dan kerjasama,” kataya.



Pada masa sama, beliau turut menghargai komitmen kerajaan yang membantu perlaksanaan CATCH untuk menggalakkan pembangunan penyelesaian berasaskan data.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



MDEC CONTRIBUTES EXPERTISE TO POSITION KL AS PIONEER IN NEW GEN URBAN DEVELOPMENT



The collaboration of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) with the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) will position Kuala Lumpur as the pioneer-benchmark for new generation urban technology and urban mobility management in the region.



Primarily, the collaboration for the City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH) program aims to enhance the efficiency aspects of urban planning and gear towards a more sustainable mobility technology.&nbsp;



MDEC Chief Executive Officer, Surina Shukri, said CATCH is the first competition in the region which is expected to attract the participation of innovative ideas involving global participants.



He said CATCH would work to create technology and mobility solutions in Kuala Lumpur with global involvement, within eight months.



“Participants from startup entities, academics, survey firms, corporate bodies, and the public can contribute ideas to develop the concept.



"Participants can propose dynamic and smart data-based solutions in planning future urban infrastructure" he said during the recent launch of the event.



Also present was President of the Secretariat, Toyota Mobility Foundation, Shin Aoyama.



Meanwhile, Shin said TMF provided grants of up to RM6.21 million for each stage of the competition.



"Participants will also receive mentor services, expert advice and incubation programs," he said.



He said CATCH would provide data to participants to encourage them to develop selected solutions. This data is in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act.



Among the data partners are the public and private sectors who have data relating to the movement of transport users such as Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Land Public Transport Agency, Grab, MapIT MSC, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and Infrastructure Malaysia .



He added that cooperation was important as TMF was set up to address issues related to mobility around the world. "It will adopt an approach driven by sustainability, innovation and cooperation," he said.



At the same time, he also appreciated the government's commitment to assisting the implementation of CATCH, to promote the development of data-based solutions.

Kerjasama Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) bersama Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) bakal meletakkan Kuala Lumpur sebagai ….

MDEC SUMBANG KEPAKARAN JADIKAN KUALA LUMPUR PELOPOR PEMBANGUNAN BANDAR GENERASI BAHARU

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WhatsApp-Image-2020-03-05-at-5.37.42-PM-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-408"/></figure>



Seorang penyelidik tempatan tampil dengan inovasi baharu dalam bidang pendidikan kanak-kanak pekak apabila mencipta watak animasi untuk ‘menemani’ kumpulan itu belajar membaca, mengira dan menulis.



Dr. Ruzimi Mohamed yang juga orang kurang upaya (OKU) berkata, watak budak lelaki berbaju merah bernama Bimo itu tampil dalam Buku Interaktif Belajar Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia dan dipercayai sebagai modul animasi 3D pertama di dunia.



Ini kerana katanya, beberapa kajian turut dilakukan untuk mengetahui sekiranya terdapat penyelidik di negara lain pernah menghasilkan modul serupa namun sehingga kini masih belum menemui penerbitan sedemikian.



“ Bagi menarik kanak-kanak pekak berumur tiga hingga enam tahun, kita perlukan idea baharu. Sebelum ini, modul untuk mengajar kanak-kanak pekak dihasilkan dalam bentuk buku teks tradisional yang kurang menarik.



“ Oleh itu, lahirlah Bimo yang mengajar bahasa isyarat
untuk bantu selesaikan masalah 3M iaitu membaca, mengira dan menulis, berasaskan
teknologi Augmented Reality,” katanya.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WhatsApp-Image-2020-03-05-at-5.37.41-PM-2-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-411"/></figure>



Dr. Ruzimi berkata demikian ketika ditemui wakil Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) di pejabatnya di Skudai, Johor baru–baru ini.



Pada masa sama, Dr. Ruzimi berkata, modul ini turut
membolehkan serta menggalakkan ibu bapa belajar bersama-sama anak mereka di mana
jua supaya lebih banyak interaksi wujud.



Lari daripada kebiasaan, Dr. Ruzimi dan syarikatnya, IMI Creative Sdn. Bhd. turut menjual modul ini secara dalam talian untuk kemudahan pelanggan supaya dapat memuat turun secara dalam talian.



“ Kita juga akan mengadakan promosi digital dengan lebih agresif bagi memastikan kehadiran buku yang dihasilkan dalam tempoh hampir dua tahun ini disedari.



“ Ini merupakan salah satu usaha syarikat kami untuk membantu kumpulan sasar mendapatkan bahan bacaan dengan cara yang lebih murah dan cepat,” katanya.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WhatsApp-Image-2020-03-05-at-5.37.41-PM-1-1-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-412"/></figure>



Ditanya bagaimana idea ini tercetus, penyelidikan beliau serta perbincangan dengan rakan-rakan telah berjaya meraih geran SUPERB berjumlah RM500,000 di bawah Teraju serta dipantau MDEC untuk melaksanakan projek berkenaan.



Pada masa sama katanya, mereka bersedia untuk berkongsi teknologi itu dengan negara-negara lain yang berminat untuk terjemahan dalam bahasa isyarat orang pekak yang digunakan di negara lain.



#LetsBuildTogether #digitalinclusivity

Seorang penyelidik tempatan tampil dengan inovasi baharu dalam bidang pendidikan kanak-kanak pekak apabila mencipta watak animasi untuk…

Penyelidik Malaysia hasilkan  buku interaktif  animasi 3D untuk kanak-kanak pekak pertama di dunia?

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WOMEN-IN-D-1012x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-430" width="426" height="430"/></figure></div>



Skrol ke bawah untuk versi Bahasa Melayu / Scroll down for Malay version



“I disrupted myself before I was disrupted”, was how MDEC’s
CEO described her shift from investment banking in New York, to a CEO for an organization
entrusted to lead Malaysia’s digital economy forward into the new decade and
beyond. The cause that lay before Surina Shukri when she assumed her role included
driving digital skills for all Malaysians, so that they can meet future
industry and employment needs, especially in the wake of the Industry 4.0 era.



The&nbsp;digital economy&nbsp;is expected to contribute <a href="https://www.thesundaily.my/local/digital-economy-to-contribute-more-to-gdp-growth-idc-MY1166482">21%
of&nbsp;gross domestic product&nbsp;(GDP) growth</a> in&nbsp;Malaysia&nbsp;by
2022.



This International Women’s Day (8th March 2020),
Surina thought she would let you know how Malaysian women fared or featured, in
3 of MDEC’s multitude of programmes that aim to create a sustainable digital
economic growth ecosystem. Here goes:



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2-1-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-423"/></figure>



<h3>1. Female Entrepreneur Majority at eUsahawan! </h3>



The eUsahawan program aims to
skill digital micro, rural and youth entrepreneurs to generate digital revenue,
so that they can market their products and increase sales. The initiative is
implemented through entrepreneurship learning and training, and is supported by
a network of over 2,000 trainers and over 600 training centres nationwide,
including public facilities such as the Pusat Internet Desa (PID), Pusat
Internet (PI), and lifelong learning centres in TVET colleges, Polytechnic and
institutions of learning. eUsahawan boasts of an average of about 56% female
participation over the last 5 years, i.e. 2015 to 2019!



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3-1-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-424"/></figure>



<h3>2. More Women are GLOWing! </h3>



The Global Online Workforce Program (GLOW) under the eRezeki program
targets high-skilled B40s and M40s or graduates in high revenue-generating
digital tech industries. The program is dedicated to training, mentoring and
nurturing Malaysian gig workers, to create a globally competitive community of
Malaysian freelancers who are able to secure jobs or projects through
international digital platforms as an alternative or additional source of
income. Digital jobs in high demand on international platforms include IT,
design &amp; creative and linguistics. In 2016, only 45% of those trained under
GLOW programmes were women. However, that changed the very next year; since 2016,
every year, approximately 60% of those trained have been women!



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Malaysian-Women-Just-Wanna-Digitally-Upskill-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-437"/></figure>



<h3>3. Tech Industry Loves MDEC’s Cybersecurity Grads!</h3>



In
collaboration with universities and industry partners, MDEC has also
implemented training programs for the latest technology areas such as Big Data
Analytics (BDA), Cybersecurity and e-Commerce that focus on channelling human
capital in the field of digital technology. For the programme, Empowering Women
in Cyber Risk Management, a total of 136 applicants from the 232 who
registered, fulfilled the criteria in the 2019 intake, and qualified to be funnelled
to Industry Partners. 







<h4>Other notable
mentions: </h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/5-1-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-427"/></figure>



<h3>#mydigitalmaker Fair
Draws Women Talents! </h3>



#mydigitalmaker is a movement!
What’s it about? MDEC has partnered with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to
integrate computer science and computational thinking skills into the national
school curriculum beginning in 2017. To date, more than 1.2 million students
have participated in digital activities such as coding, content creation and
robotics. It is encouraging to note that from 2017 to 2019, the percentage of
women visitors to the #mydigitalmaker fair, has increased by 2% every year. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/6-1024x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-429"/></figure>



<h3>Digital Ninja
Programme Generates Women Winners </h3>



The “Digital Ninja” Programme was
introduced in 2017 for students across Malaysia aged 13 - 17 years, with
digital skills and who have demonstrated high potential in the field of digital
technology. To date, 413 students have been selected to attend the Digital
Ninja programme. At the end of the programme, students will be assisted by MDEC
to apply for scholarships and placements at Premier Digital Technology
Institutes/ Universities called PDTIs. The Digital Ninja Programme was
introduced in 2017, and to-date, women participants constitute 36.6%. 



These are just some of the job and entrepreneurial
opportunities MDEC has created to skill Malaysians and grow the digital
ecosystem. They are there for all Malaysians to benefit from – both men and
women. With the 4th industrial revolution’s disruptions to jobs and
businesses, there is a shortage of talents in technology just as there is a
lack in the participation of women in business. For instance, there is still a
big gap in Malaysia when it comes to owning online businesses, compared to men.
Though women SMEs in Malaysia have almost touched <a href="https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/business/randstad-shortage-skilled-talents-hamper-growth-it-fintech-malaysia">1.18
million</a>, it was observed that half of the population of online women
entrepreneurs come from urban areas around Klang Valley, not beyond. 



MDEC, in the quest to bridge such gaps, has several
programmes that are up for grabs! For more information on them, visit
www.mdec.com.my



This International Women’s Day, make a pledge, when it comes to your participation in Malaysia’s digital economy; ‘Disrupt yourself before you’re disrupted’! 



#LetsBuildTogether #IWD2020 #eachforequal



Article by <a href="mailto: shobha.janardanan@mdec.com.my">Shobha Janardanan </a>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



3 PELUANG TEKNOLOGI DIGITAL YANG TIDAK BOLEH DILEPASKAN OLEH WANITA MALAYSIA



“Saya ubah diri saya dahulu sebelum saya diubah”, itulah yang pengakuan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MDEC ketika beliau beralih dari industri pelaburan perbankan di New York, Amerika Syarikat kepada peneraju agensi kerajaan di negaranya. Lebih mencabar, Surina mempunyai tanggungjawab yang mencabar iaitu memimpin sebuah organisasi yang diberi mandat untuk membawa hala tuju ekonomi digital Malaysia ke era baharu. Alasan beliau menerima tugasan ini ialah kerana mahu memacu kemahiran digital di kalangan rakyat negaranya agar mereka dapat memenuhi keperluan masa hadapan industri dan pekerjaan terutama dalam Revolusi Industri 4.0.



Ekonomi digital dijangka akan menyumbang sebanyak&nbsp;&nbsp;21% pertumbuhan pendapatan negara menjelang tahun 2022.



Sempena Hari Wanita Sedunia yang disambut pada 8 Mac 2020, Surina menjelaskan beliau perlu berkongsi&nbsp;&nbsp;bagaimana wanita-wanita Malaysia digambarkan melalui tiga program yang bertujuan mewujudkan pertumbuhan ekosistem ekonomi digital yang mapan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Berikut adalah program-program tersebut:



1. Majoriti Usahawan Wanita di eUsahawan!



Program e- Usahawan bertujuan untuk memahirkan usahawan-usahawan mikro digital, luar bandar dan muda agar mereka boleh menjana pendapatan, memasarkan produk dan meningkatkan jualan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Inisiatif ini dilaksanakan melalui pembelajaran dan latihan keusahawanan yang disokong oleh rangkaian besar dengan lebih daripada 2,000 orang pelatih dan lebih 600 pusat latihan di seluruh negara. Kemudahan lain Pusat Internet Desa (PID), Pusat Internet (PI), dan pusat pembelajaran sepanjang hayat di kolej-kolej pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional, politeknik dan juga pusat pengajian tinggi.&nbsp;&nbsp;Program&nbsp;&nbsp;e-Usahawan berbangga apabila purata penyertaan 56 peratus wanita sepanjang tempoh lima tahun sejak 2015.&nbsp;



2. Lebih Ramai Wanita Yang GLOWing!



Program Global Online Workforce Program (GLOW) di bawah Program eRezeki mensasarkan mereka yang berkemahiran tinggi atau graduan di kalangan kumpulan&nbsp;&nbsp;B40 dan M40 dalam industri teknologi digital. Program ini bertujuan untuk melatih, membimbing dan memupuk pekerja gig Malaysia bagi mewujudkan satu komuniti pekerja bebas Malaysia yang berdaya saing di peringkat global. Seterusnya kumpulan ini mampu mendapat peluang kerja atau projek melalui platform antarabangsa sebagai alternatif atau sumber pendapatan tambahan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pekerjaan digital merupakan satu pekerjaan yang tinggi permintaan dalam platform antarabangsa termasuk pekerjaan dalam bidang IT, rekabentuk dan linguistik kreatif. Pada tahun 2016,&nbsp;&nbsp;hanya 45 peratus di kalangan mereka yang dilatih di bawah program GLOW terdiri daripada kaum wanita. Walaubagaimanapun, ia mula berubah apabila sebanyak 60 peratus di kalangan mereka yang terlatih adalah wanita!&nbsp;



<h3>3. Industri Teknologi ‘Memburu’ Graduan MDEC Cybersecurity!</h3>



Melalui kerjasama dengan universiti-universiti dan rakan industri, MDEC telah melaksanakan program latihan dalam teknologi terkini seperti Big Data Analytics (BDA), Cybersecurity and e-Dagang yang memfokus kepada saluran modal insan dalam bidang teknologi digital.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bagi program Empowering Women in Cyber Risk Management, terdapat 136 pemohon dan daripada jumlah tersebut, seramai&nbsp;&nbsp;232 telah mendaftar dan memenuhi kriteria bagi pengambilan 2019 dan mereka layak untuk&nbsp;&nbsp;disalurkan kepada rakan-rakan industri.&nbsp;



<h3>Karnival #mydigitalmaker Menarik Bakat Wanita!</h3>



#mydigitalmaker adalah satu gerakan. MDEC telah bekerjasama dengan Kementerian Pendidikan dalam mengintegrasi sains computer dan kemahiran berfikir pemkomputeran di dalam kurikulum sekolah negara bermula pada 2017. Sehingga kini, terdapat lebih&nbsp;&nbsp;1.2 juta pelajar telah menyertai aktiviti-aktiviti digital seperti pengkodan, rekacipta kandungan dan robotik.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lebih membanggakan, bermula 2017 hingga 2019, pengunjung wanita karnival&nbsp;&nbsp;#mydigitalmaker telah meningkat sebanyak dua peratus setiap tahun.



<h3>Program Ninja Digital Melahirkan Juara Wanita</h3>



Program Ninja Digital diperkenalkan pada tahun 2017 kepada pelajar di seluruh Malaysia yang berusia di antara 13 hingga 17 tahun . Ia berupaya menunjukkan kemahiran digital yang tinggi dan mempunyai bakat besar dalam bidang teknologi digital.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sehingga kini, terdapat 413 peserta yang telah dipilih untuk menghadiri program Ninja Digital. Pada akhir program ini, MDEC akan membantu mereka ini membuat permohonan untuk kemudahan biasiswa dan penempatan di Institut dan Universiti Teknologi Digital Primer yang dikenali sebagai PDTI. Sehingga kini, peserta wanita program ini adalah merangkumi&nbsp;&nbsp;36 peratus.



Ini adalah sebahagian daripada peluang-peluang pekerjaan dan keusahawanan yang diwujudkan oleh MDEC untuk memahirkan rakyat Malaysia dan membangunkan ekosistem digital. Kesemua ini adalah untuk dimanfaatkan oleh semua . Dengan perubahan yang wujud dalam pekerjaan dan perdagangan disebabkan oleh Revolusi Perindustrian 4.0, maka terdapat kekurangan bakat dalam bidang teknologi sama seperti kurangnya penyertaan wanita dalam bidang perniagaan.&nbsp;Sebagai contoh, dalam pemilikan perniagaan dalam talian, terdapat jurang yang ketara lelaki didapati mempunyai pemilikan yang lebih besar. Walaupun sudah terdapat 1.18 juta wanita yang terbabit dalam perusahaan kecil dan sederhana, separuh dari populasi usahawan wanita yang terlibat dalam perniagaan dalam talian hanya bertumpu di ibu negara.



Dalam usaha untuk mengurangkan jurang ini, MDEC telah menyediakan beberapa program yang tidak boleh dilepaskan. Bagi mendapatkan maklumat lanjut, sila layari www.mdec.com.my



Sempena Hari Wanita Antarabangsa ini, berikrarlah untuk mengubah diri anda dan sertailah ekonomi digital Malaysia.&nbsp;

“I disrupted myself before I was disrupted”, was how MDEC’s CEO described her shift from investment banking in New York, to a CEO for an organization entrusted to lead Malaysia’s digital economy forward into... 

"Saya mengganggu diri sebelum saya terganggu", bagaimana CEO MDEC menggambarkan peralihan beliau daripada perbankan pelaburan di New York, kepada seorang CEO untuk sebuah organisasi yang diamanahkan untuk memimpin ekonomi digital Malaysia ke hadapan...

3 Digital Tech Opportunities Malaysian Women Should Not Miss!

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WhatsApp-Image-2020-03-11-at-12.19.55-PM-1024x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-433"/></figure>



Sekumpulan wanita kelihatan tekun melayari
internet di Pusat Internet Desa (PID) Beranang.



Sesekali gelak ketawa mereka menceriakan ruang
yang sederhana besar itu.



Sofia, Siti, Fauziah dan Zalinah, kisah empat
sekawan yang menyertai ‘sekolah perniagaan digital’ di PID Perkhidmatan
e-dagang Setempat (PeDAS) &nbsp;yang merupakan
inisiatif oleh Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).



Kuarter berkenaan mengakui, sepanjang beberapa
bulan 'menuntut' di situ, ia telah membuka mata mereka mengenai kepentingan
berdamping dengan teknologi digital yang menjadi trend global hari ini.



Mereka senada tentang satu perkara iaitu
sekiranya mengabaikan aspek pendigitalan, perniagaan yang diusahakan akan statik
dan sukar berkembang.



Di PeDAS, Beranang, empat sekawan itu
memberitahu, mereka didedahkan dengan ilmu pengurusan perniagaan termasuk
akaun, pemasaran digital, pengurusan laman sosial serta bagaimana menambah baik
produk yang dihasilkan termasuklah aspek pembungkusan.



Siti Fatma Sofia Sudin yang membuka bicara berkata, dia kini semakin sibuk menjelang ‘waktu puncak’ dalam perniagaan kerana tidak lama lagi Ramadan dan Hari Raya Aidilfitri akan menjelma.



“ Menjadi kelaziman, permintaan pakaian serta tudung akan meningkat lebih-lebih lagi selepas mula mendigitalkan perniagaan secara konsisten,”katanya.



Bercerita penglibatannya dalam dunia perniagaan, Siti Fatma Sofia berkata, dia mula berjinak-jinak dalam dunia jahitan pada 2009.



“ Ketika itu saya mengambil tempahan jahitan secara pukal dan membuat baju kurung serta tudung daripada kawan-kawan sahaja,” katanya ketika ditemui baru-baru ini.



Pengasas jenama Fatma Sofia itu berkata, pada
awal operasi, perniagaannya tidak begitu terdedah kepada pemasaran digital.



“ Saya menggunakan Facebook dan Instagram
untuk iklankan perkhidmatan tetapi tidak begitu agresif kerana saya tidak mahir
penggunaannya,” katanya.



Menurutnya, selepas sertai PeDAS, banyak ilmu
baharu terutamanya membabitkan pengurusan perniagaan dan pemasaran digital
dipelajarinya.



“ Antara yang diajar termasuklah pengurusan
akaun perniagaan, pemasaran di platform digital, e-commerce dan sebagainya,”
katanya.



Hasilnya menurut Siti Fatma Sofia, perniagaannya mula menunjukkan peningkatan prestasi.



“ Tudung keluaran saya kini telah sampai ke
negara luar seperti Singapura dan Brunei malahan hasil jualan meningkat. Dalam
masa terdekat mungkin akan cuba jual di platform e-dagang seperti Shopee,”
katanya.



Dedah wanita berasal dari Kelantan ini,
sebelum ini beliau mencatat jualan sekitar RM 8,000 sebulan dan kini telah
meningkat kepada RM15 000 dan pernah mencecah RM40 000.



“ Saya kini turut menggaji 17 orang tukang
jahit untuk membantu operasi,” katanya.



Lain pula ceritanya dengan Siti Amirah Othman, 35, yang mengasaskan Sandwich Terliur yang semakin menjadi sebutan warga Kajang, Bangi, Semenyih dan Putrajaya.



Siti Amirah berkata, sejak menyertai PeDAS,
dia kini lebih fokus kepada aspek pemasaran digital kerana menyedari potensi
medium berkenaan untuk memperkenalkan produk.



“ Saya menggunakan Facebook untuk mempromosi keistimewaan sandwich yang mengguna sos ciptaan sendiri iaitu cranberry serta sandwich hickory yang terhasil gabungan buah kurma, lemon dan kismis untuk kepuasan pelanggan," katanya.



Hasil pembelajaran di PeDAS, Siti Amirah
berkata, dia kini turut memperkemaskan aspek pembungkusan sandwich apabila
menjual secara dalam kotak seperti pizza.



“ Ada lapan jenis sandwich buat masa ini
antaranya sardin, telur, tuna dan yang paling mendapat sambutan ialah
chicksweety,” katanya teruja memperkenalkan seleksi produknya.



Katanya, sejak mempromosikan produk di media
sosial, terdapat peningkatan tempahan apabila mampu menjual sehingga 20 hingga
40 kotak sandwich setiap hari dengan setiap satu berharga antara RM33 hingga
RM48.



“ Saya turut menggaji dua pekerja yang
bertindak sebagai runner untuk menghantar pesanan pada setiap hari,” katanya.



Bagi pemilik spa, Zalinah Mat Noh pula, penyertaan dalam program PeDAS membolehkannya melihat segmen pasaran baharu.



Katanya, sebelum mendigitalkan perniagaan, dia
hanya mengharapkan kelompok pelanggan sama sahaja untuk mendapatkan
perkhidmatan kecantikan yang ditawarkan.



“ Oleh kerana telah mempelajari aspek pengurusan perniagaan, saya kini dalam proses akhir untuk mengeluarkan produk mandian terapi herba tradisional dan akan dijual secara dalam talian selepas ini,” katanya.



Sementara itu, jurulatih di pusat berkenaan,
Salwa Mohd Saleh berkata, antara yang diberi penekanan terhadap peserta ialah
ilmu keusahawanan dan pemasaran digital.



Ujar beliau, peserta diberi tunjuk ajar
tentang pengurusan perniagaan, bagaimana melakukan pemasaran dan sasaran
pelanggan yang betul berdasarkan produk.



“ Kita mahu peserta lihat keadaan perniagaan pada masa sekarang dan akan datang. Sehubungan itu mereka didedahkan dengan penggunaan business planning, pemasaran digital, copywriting dan bagaimana untuk melakukan iklan yang berkesan,” katanya.



Orang ramai yang ingin mendapatkan maklumat lanjut mengenai PeDAS boleh mengunjungi laman web <a href="https://www.go-ecommerce.my/campaign/perkhidmatan-edagang-setempat">go-ecommerce.my</a>.



#LetsBuildTogether #digitalmalaysians



Artikel oleh <a href="mailto: firdaus.ismail@mdec.com.my">Mohd Firdaus Ismail</a>

Sekumpulan wanita kelihatan tekun melayari internet di Pusat Internet Desa (PID) Beranang. Sesekali gelak ketawa mereka menceriakan ruang yang sederhana besar itu….

Pusat Internet Desa dan PEDAS bantu usahawan digitalkan perniagaan

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3AVOID-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-447"/></figure>



WFH. The newest, rather popular three letter acronym in the WhatsApp lexicon over the last few days in Malaysia.&nbsp;



The Restriction of Movement Order 2020 has gotten Malaysia working from home. Having started on 18th&nbsp;March, this is the new norm and it is likely to last as far as 31st&nbsp;March at the least.



New experiences dare us to adapt. However, as we have seen before, humans are very adaptable animals and we may just settle into new situations comfortably enough; maybe even to the point of not wanting to want to go back to the way things were.&nbsp;



Remote communication presents an opportunity for those ready, and conversely upsets the apple cart for others not quick, interested or adventurous enough to explore its virtues and sometimes, its tests.



Read on and see if any of these scenarios feel uncomfortably familiar. Fret not, there are lessons to be learnt and skills to be built from these not-so-great moments!



<ol><li>Sign In? Sign Out!&nbsp;</li></ol>



The digital era has ushered in a revolution as significant as the one in the distant past, that saw the advent of the printing press. Times are a-changing and if our eye is not on the ball, it could hit us where it hurts – in this case, our professionalism.&nbsp;



After a successful cross-border business conference call on Zoom, the two parties, Amy and Sam on either side of the conversation fail to sign out from their meetings on their respective lap tops. The result is Amy hearing an uncensored rant by Sam on the other side, who in blissful ignorance, has immediately after the conference call, answered a very private phone call while continuing to work.&nbsp;



Instant replay:



The two parties finish their conversation and consciously sign out to avert all kinds of misunderstandings that could arise from not having ‘left the meeting’.



2. Pace, Punctuate, Proofread



Communicating remotely can certainly distort a message that is otherwise quite easily conveyed in two face-to-face sentences. While we may be used to communicating on devices, the rules of written and audiovisual interaction for remote communication hinge on a variety of variables; place and time, team size, skill level, values, trust and even levels of interdependency between roles and individuals. Also, do consider the challenges of remote communications that do not offer audiovisual interactions, against the ones that do!&nbsp;



After hurriedly messaging top management, Din feels doubtful if the content was too abruptly worded. He cannot recall his email as it has just been opened by the receiving parties. He feels a bead of perspiration condensing on his forehead as his cellphone registers a few consequent WhatsApp pings.



Instant replay:



Do not amalgamate the message into a small meaningless mesh – or mess, which is what it is likely to create. It is tempting to truncate for brevity but it leaves recipients interpreting and deciphering messages, ultimately causing more confusion than efficiency.&nbsp;&nbsp;Spend time to convey messages with the intention to be utterly clear, regardless of what the medium may be. It is better to err on the side of caution and be consciously clear than to be much too vague.



3. No Digital Dominance!



Fresh circumstances call for new behaviours. If a team had worked in a physical office space in the past, working in a remote team means that members (including team leads!), now have to acquire new behaviours. However, undesirable behaviours can also creep up on you unawares! One sneaky one that no one needs is digital dominance. It is an unsettling form of harassment – imagine sending a barrage of messages on different mediums to a team member in the quest to follow up on work activities. This is simply micro-management at a whole new level. It can cause undue stress and can demotivate an otherwise effective team.



It is 9.30pm. Raj, HR Director, receives a text from a colleague who asks what the protocol is, if one receives work-texts long after work hours. Raj recalls having received this query before, from another member of the same team.



Instant Replay:



Consciously chart out an effective process for remote working. Target your digital communications elegantly and effectively; say ‘no’ to digital dominance. In fact on the flip side, try and create virtual rituals for celebration and interaction. It can strengthen relationships and encourage collaboration. A simple idea would be to create a team thank you poster; one that can be personalized to encourage helpful employees on the team at opportune moments.



It appears that globally, 48% of execs in the Regus Global Economic survey said they had been working remotely for at least half their working week; in Malaysia it’s 53%, says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/tech-at-work/half-of-us-work-remotely-malaysia-above-global-average">DNA</a>. The survey also says that 65% of the respondents used video communication between managers and employees. So, just maybe, it looks like remote working and remote communications are here to stay!



Pssst… If you’re keen on getting into the gig economy yourself and perhaps find that WFH job you’ve long been seeking, MDEC’s <a href="https://glowmalaysia.com/?lang=en#">Global Online Workforce (GLOW)</a> programme can help you find your feet.



#DigitalvsCovid #LetsBuildTogether



Article by <a href="mailto: shobha.janardanan@mdec.com.my">Shobha Janardanan</a>

WFH. The newest, rather popular three letter acronym in the WhatsApp lexicon over the last few days in Malaysia….

WFH. Akronim tiga huruf terbaru, agak popular dalam leksikon WhatsApp sejak beberapa hari kebelakangan ini di Malaysia....

Working From Home? Here Are 3 Things You Want To Avoid

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/asdss-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-453"/></figure>



Working
from home (WFH) has been a long-time dream for some people. 



If you
imagined sipping a latte on your sofa while daintily balancing the laptop on
your lap and humming along to your favourite playlist, think again. WFH or
remote working comes with a particular set of distractions along with its
benefits. One of those distractions being your kids.



For parents like Adam and Mia, the Movement Control Order (MCO) until April 28th isn’t a bed of roses. Besides managing the office workload which has now settled itself in their living room, their two school-going kids are also home, wracking havoc. 



Over the
next couple of weeks, the myth that is a work-life-balance will challenge us
all as parents. Adam and Mia will need to overcome all this, by keeping their
two kids entertained – but also, ‘infotained’.



It is thus a blessing that we have tools in these times, to get kids online and expose them to the various educational and entertainment resources. Parent’s groups are a great place to find such resources. However, we decided to save you the time and show you those that provide learning opportunities for kids in kindergarten, primary or secondary school.



Locally relevant:



Online resources:



EduwebTV <a href="http://eduwebtv.moe.edu.my/">http://eduwebtv.moe.edu.my/</a> Free WahEasy <a href="http://www.waheasy.com/">www.waheasy.com</a> Free and Paid ilearnace <a href="https://ilearnace.com/account/login?error=0">https://ilearnace.com/account/login?error=0</a> Free Trial, then Paid EduNation <a href="http://www.edunation.my/">http://www.edunation.my/</a> Free JomStudi <a href="https://www.jomstudi.my/">https://www.jomstudi.my/</a> Free and Paid SJKTflix <a href="https://sjktflix.com/">https://sjktflix.com/</a> Free SJKCflix <a href="https://sjkcflix.com/">https://sjkcflix.com/</a> Free UPSRflix <a href="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-admin/UPSRflix.com">UPSRflix.com</a> Free PT3flix <a href="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-admin/PT3flix.com">PT3flix.com</a> Free SPM Flix <a href="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-admin/SPMflix.com">SPMflix.com</a> Free FutureLearn <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/top-25-online-courses-in-malaysia-june-2020">FutureLearn.com</a> Free and Paid



 







You Tube Channels:



Tutor TV <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/astrotutortv">https://www.youtube.com/user/astrotutortv</a>
Free



TV Channels: 



ASTRO TVIQ Channel 610 catered to kids aged 4-15 years Tutor TV UPSR (Channel 601) Tutor TV PT3 (Channel 602) Tutor TV SPM (Channel 603) 







Internationally relevant:



Online resources:



BrainPop <a href="https://www.brainpop.com/">https://www.brainpop.com/</a> Free and Paid Tynker Coding for Kids <a href="https://www.tynker.com/">https://www.tynker.com/</a> Free and Paid Beast Academy <a href="https://beastacademy.com/">https://beastacademy.com/</a> One month Free Trial, then Paid Khan Academy <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/">https://www.khanacademy.org/</a> Free Udemy <a href="https://www.udemy.com/">https://www.udemy.com/</a> Free and Paid SmarterMe <a href="https://www.smarterme.sg/homepage">https://www.smarterme.sg/homepage</a> Free, then Paid 







You Tube Channels:



Crash Course Kids <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids?fbclid=IwAR1JLeaaeq1ei65FHcSGp4HV4Fcv1BbiTmRkRJeXQBPrlkEfsIvVYzzkFio" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids</a> Free Science Channel <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceChannel?fbclid=IwAR2N101BD_oT0NWeFUxFUrnk55SD0hKvMb0XDqevTT6Yfis251HzCVIHLi8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceChannel</a> Free Kids Learning Tube <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EFWpvc1wYuUwrtZ_BLi9A?fbclid=IwAR14dNenSNyQejY2AnjrQYl6G24YnTJjdDhXUFwLBqcMGwBhx3eRUTmNTq4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EFWpvc1wYuUwrtZ_BLi9A</a> Free







These lists, though not exhaustive, are a great way to get
online learning going at home, as parents fight to steer kids away from the
alluring abyss of social media or video games for weeks!



To ensure Malaysia successfully navigates and continues to
thrive in this digital age, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
constantly undertakes efforts to lead Malaysia’s digital economy forward to
become the heart of digital ASEAN. The resources above are just the tip of the
iceberg, but an ideal place to start. 



Learning, they say, begins with exploring.&nbsp;



Explore <a href="https://mdec.my/digitalvscovid/">digitalvscovid.my</a> today, to know of the various learning opportunities and programmes for Malaysians! 



by <a href="shobha.janardanan@mdec.com.my">Shobha Janardanan</a>

Working from home (WFH) has been a long-time dream for some people. If you imagined sipping a latte on your sofa while daintily balancing the laptop ….

Bekerja dari rumah (WFH) telah menjadi impian lama bagi sesetengah orang. Jika anda membayangkan menghirup latte di sofa anda sambil mengimbangi komputer riba ....

E-Learning Resources For Kids, So Parents Can WFH In Peace

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/edagang.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-458"/></figure>



MASUK bulan ketiga dunia ‘membicarakan’ tentang virus
Covid-19 yang kini dikategorikan sebagai pandemik oleh Pertubuhan Kesihatan
Dunia.



Sudah tentu impaknya besar terhadap ekonomi apabila pelbagai sektor termasuk perlancongan, penerbangan, perhotelan serta pembuatan terkesan dan berdepan dengan cabaran yang sangat sukar.



Malaysia sendiri tidak terkecuali apabila kerajaan
pada bulan lepas mengumumkan Pakej Rangsangan Ekonomi bernilai RM20 bilion.



Menariknya, antara yang diberi perhatian oleh kerajaan ialah sektor ekonomi digital yang mana Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) diberi dana sebanyak RM20 juta untuk program Perkhidmatan e-Dagang Setempat (PeDAS) bagi menaik taraf Pusat Internet Desa kepada hab e-dagang.



Jelas di sini bahawa ekonomi digital termasuk sektor e-dagang mampu menjadi ‘penyelamat’ ketika sektor utama berdepan ketidakstabilan akibat wabak berkenaan.



Menyingkap sejarah PeDAS, ia mula dilaksanakan pada
hujung tahun lalu yang merupakan inisiatif Kementerian Komunikasi dan
Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM) dan MDEC.



Program berkenaan antara lain bertujuan memberi
peluang kepada usahawan kecil dan sederhana untuk mengasah kemahiran dalam
perniagaan e-dagang.



Ketika ini terdapat 10 pusat PEDAS di seluruh negara iaitu Tanjung Malim (Perak), Tanjung Kling (Melaka), Kuala Nerang (Kedah), Balik Pulau (Pulau Pinang), Kuala Kurau (Perak), Sungai Koyan (Pahang), Sungai Mati dan Pagoh (Johor), Kota (Negeri Sembilan) dan Beranang (Selangor) dengan kira-kira 50 peserta.



Orang ramai yang ingin mendapatkan maklumat lanjut
mengenai PeDAS boleh mengunjungi laman web <a href="https://www.go-ecommerce.my/campaign/perkhidmatan-edagang-setempat">https://www.go-ecommerce.my/campaign/perkhidmatan-edagang-setempat</a>.



Sementara itu, sektor peruncitan dalam talian juga
masih rancak beroperasi apabila pelbagai syarikat&nbsp; terus tampil membantu masyarakat yang ingin
mendapatkan barangan keperluan selepas kerajaan melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan
Pergerakan sehingga 31 Mac ini.



Sebagai contoh, Jocom yang merupakan syarikat berstatus MSC Malaysia kini menggunakan tagline ‘stay home, stay safe’ dan 'don't panic’ menerusi platform media sosial mereka.



Ini penting bagi meyakinkan orang ramai bahawa dalam
‘tempoh berkurung’, syarikat berkenaan akan selalu ada untuk menghantar
barangan yang dibeli selain menawarkan diskaun untuk beberapa barangan
terpilih.



Satu lagi medium membeli-belah popular dalam talian, Lazada yang juga merupakan rakan strategik MDEC turut menampilkan beberapa promosi bagi membantu rakyat negara ini.



Syarikat berkenaan menggunakan tagline 'Keep Calm and Shop From Home' bagi menenangkan rakyat yang ketika ini mungkin risau dengan perkembangan semasa Covid-19.



Dalam industri pelancongan pula, Menteri Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri menyarankan penggiat industri pelancongan dan kebudayaan supaya memanfaatkan platform dalam talian bagi mempromosikan produk mereka ketika tempoh Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan sebagai persiapan menarik semula pelancong selepas situasi wabak reda nanti.



Katanya, beliau melihat inilah masanya untuk meneroka sepenuhnya pasaran dalam talian untuk meningkatkan pendapatan.



#DigitalvsCovid



Artikel oleh <a href="mailto: firdaus.ismail@mdec.com.my">Mohd Firdaus Ismail</a>

MASUK bulan ketiga dunia ‘membicarakan’ tentang virus Covid-19 yang kini dikategorikan sebagai pandemik oleh Pertubuhan Kesihatan Dunia…..

SEKTOR  e-DAGANG JADI ‘PENAMPAN’ EKONOMI SAAT  KESUKARAN AKIBAT COVID-19

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/WhatsApp-Image-2020-04-17-at-6.29.53-PM.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-589"/></figure>



Pada Lewat
1994,&nbsp; seorang lelaki dari Baling, Kedah,
Abd Manaf Omar memulakan perniagaan menjual satay di beberapa tapak
pasar malam di pulau Langkawi. Itulah sumber pendapatan utama untuk membesarkan
lima anaknya. 



Satay yang dihidang bersama kuah kacang pantas menjadi
bualan penduduk sekitar kerana kelazatan dan kesegaran tekstur dagingnya.



Selepas 26 tahun berlalu, perniagaan berkenaan masih
bertahan namun mengalami evolusi selaras dengan perkembangan teknologi digital.




Hari ini, anak sulungnya, Zainah ,42, meneruskan legasi
berkenaan namun menyuntik idea segar apabila menjenamakan semula perniagaan itu
sebagai TerraGrill Langkawi.



Menurut ibu kepada tiga anak itu, selepas bapanya tidak
sihat, dia mengambil keputusan berhenti kerja sebagai pengurus di sebuah
syarikat antarabangsa bagi mengambil alih perniagaan pada 2011.



&nbsp;“ Ketika itu, ayah bersama
pekerjanya hanya mampu menghasilkan 3,000 cucuk satay yang dijual di pasar
malam. Langkah pertama yang saya lakukan ialah dengan memindahkan operasi ke
sebuah kilang bagi membolehkan syarikat dapat mengeluarkan lebih banyak produk
dan kini kapasiti pengeluaran mencecah 7,000 cucuk sehari,” katanya ketika
dihubungi baru – baru ini.



Jenama Terragrill semakin berkembangan apabila turut
menawarkan makanan lain seperti nasi ayam penyet, soto ayam serta soto tulang
malahan mereka kini beroperasi secara dalam talian. 



“ Kami masih mempunyai tapak&nbsp;
di pasar malam namun kini turut membuka sebuah kafe di Pekan Kuah dengan
dibantu oleh 22 pekerja bagi termasuk operasi&nbsp;
kilang, tapak jualan pasar malam dan kafe . Dua lagi pula bertugas
sebagai penghantar makanan,” katanya.



Terragrill Langkawi semakin ‘meletup’ apabila Zainah membuat
promosi di platform digital seperti Facebook, Instagram dan laman web dengan
angka jualan mencecah RM40,000 hingga RM60,000 setiap bulan.



Jenama satay ini merupakan antara 100 usahawan di Langkawi
yang menyertai Program 100 Go Digital yang dianjurkan Malaysia Digital Economy
Corporation (MDEC) di pulau berkenaan pada tahun lepas.



100 Go Digital yang dilaksanakan dengan bantuan pihak
berkuasa tempatan itu antara lain bertujuan untuk membantu dan membolehkan
perniagaan tradisional dalam sektor utama bergerak ke arah digitalisasi untuk
meningkatkan kecekapan dalam pengurusan perniagaan dan pengalaman pelanggan.



Usahawan yang ingin mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang program
100 Go Digital boleh melayari laman web <a href="https://mdec.my">https://mdec.my</a>
atau menerusi Facebook 100 Go Digital.



Bercerita lanjut mengenai manfaat menyertai program itu
pula, Zainah yang juga graduan bidang Ekonomi Industri dari Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM) berkata, dia kini turut mengaplikasikan sistem pembayaran tanpa
tunai di kafenya bagi kemudahan pelanggan.



Katanya pelbagai manfaat selepas melaksanakan langkah
berkenaan termasuklah tunai harian mudah diuruskan, kurang masalah shortage
selain menjimatkan masa kerana tidak perlu ke bank setiap hari untuk memasukkan
duit.



Ketika negara berdepan wabak Covid -19, Zainah berkata,
syarikatnya beroperasi seperti biasa namun mengakui terdapat cabaran yang perlu
ditempuhi.



“ Seperti perniagaan kedai makanan lain, kami hanya
menawarkan jualan secara bungkus sahaja manakala untuk penghantaran pula,
langkah tambahan seperti mewajibkan penghantar makanan mencuci tangan sebelum
dan selepas&nbsp; melaksanakan tugas,”
katanya.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://blog.mdec.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Teringin-sate-ketika-PKP_-Tempah-dalam-talian-sahaja-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-594"/></figure>



Zainah memberitahu, pada hari pertama Perintah Kawalan
Pergerakan berkuatkuasa, pesanan dalam talian masih seperti biasa namun mula
mencatatkan peningkatan sebanyak 20 peratus hari berikutnya.



“ Pada tiga hari berikutnya pula, pesanan meningkat sebanyak
80 peratus sebelum berkurangan pada hari kelima selepas pihak berkuasa meminta
tempoh operasi perniagaan ditamatkan lebih awal,” katanya.



Namun beliau berharap perniagaannya akan terus bertahan
kerana baru -baru ini Terragrill mula meluaskan pasaran apabila kini turut
menjual produknya di Shah Alam, Subang Jaya dan Puchong , di Selangor bermula
bulan lepas.

Pada Lewat 1994, seorang lelaki dari Baling, Kedah, Abd Manaf Omar memulakan perniagaan menjual satay di beberapa tapak pasar malam di pulau Langkawi….

Collaboration: The Key to Developing a Sustainable Digital Economy

MDEC