The advent of digital has seen Singtel evolve into a technology-led, data-driven, agile digital services provider. Group Enterprise CEO Bill Chang discusses how, drawing on our own experience, we are helping enterprise customers to digitally transform, increase their innovation capacity and outperform their competitors.
Bill Chang
CEO, Group Enterprise
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR ENTERPRISES TO DIGITALISE AND ARE THEY DOING IT FAST ENOUGH?
Bill: Major technological advances have disrupted industries, making it easier for companies to enter new business verticals and challenge incumbents. This has turned old notions of competition on its head, making digital transformation a necessity rather than an option.
Our own experience in the telco industry is a good example. The smartphone started the mobile internet and data revolution, disrupting our traditional telco revenues in voice services. We had to respond quickly by developing new business models around data and digital while preserving the value in our core business.
This is a dilemma and challenge that companies routinely face. While they recognise the need to digitalise, they aren’t moving fast enough nor do they have the digital capabilities to do so effectively. The Singapore Government has been trying to address this by throwing its support behind various initiatives, building digital ecosystems and pushing for greater industry collaboration. But enterprises also need a reliable partner to help chart their digital roadmap, and guide and catalyse their operations.
HOW IS SINGTEL HELPING OTHER ENTERPRISES IN THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS?
Bill: Our own transformation experience, coupled with our expertise, positions us well to help enterprises. With our solutions in data analytics, cloud, cyber security, robotics, automation, IoT and 5G, enterprises can kick-start their digitalisation journey, maximise efficiencies and even develop new business models. The beauty of these solutions is the fact that it can benefit any size of enterprise – from one-person operations to multinationals.
Enterprises which are already digitalising can partner and use our resources to co-create and test concepts in a secure environment like our FutureNow Innovation Centre which we launched in August. They can also tap into our R&D labs to test technologies like AI, cyber security, augmented reality and automation to reimagine the customer experience and redefine their businesses, products and services. We have developed a framework for digital transformation where design thinking is applied to understand customers’ needs and develop solutions to meet them. We can further help enterprises scale their businesses with our customer base and reach across the region.
WHAT CAPABILITIES HAS SINGTEL DEVELOPED TO HELP ENTERPRISES SUCCEED IN THEIR DIGITALISATION EFFORTS?
Bill: As advanced connectivity is a prerequisite for digitalisation, we have strengthened our core network capabilities with software-defined networks to improve reliability, resource management and efficiency. This has allowed us to develop capabilities in new technologies that will change the way enterprises and industries operate, such as cloud, cyber security, IoT, analytics, 5G, AI and robotics.
Critically, with the rise in cyber attacks globally, the deployment of these systems needs to be secure. With our consolidated cyber security capabilities and resources provided by our global cyber security brand – Trustwave – we not only monitor but are able to detect, hunt and coordinate an effective response to address cyber threats within an enterprise’s infrastructure. This helps us better secure enterprises and innovate new services and solutions to stay ahead of the competition.
Our broad range of digital services and cyber security capabilities provides enterprises with the tools to become agile, digital organisations that can adapt to a constantly changing digital economy.
HOW DO THESE TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES HELP ENTERPRISES PREPARE FOR THE INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE?
Bill: Cities and industries of the future will be powered by intelligent connectivity – a convergence of 5G, IoT and AI that will form the backbone of a new hyper-connected era.
This is already playing out in the maritime space, where analytics, cloud and IoT are being dovetailed to monitor the performance of ships in real time and predict issues before they occur. This will help enterprises to be safer and more efficient when managing their fleets. Healthcare is also undergoing a digital overhaul, empowering doctors to remotely perform and monitor complex surgeries in real time, maximising efficiencies and extending their expertise to patients worldwide. Backed by actionable data insights, enterprises will be able to build digital business systems that will give them that highly coveted competitive advantage.