Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has announced a collaboration with SAP, an international market leader in enterprise application software, on data analytics via MDEC’s Data Technology Partnership Programme to further accelerate data-driven enterprises and develop digital talent.
The main objective of this programme is to accelerate data technology adoption among business enterprises and to empower them to take data-driven decisions in their daily operations, as well as to facilitate industry-academia collaboration for digital talent development to meet the growing demand for data scientists and analysts.
MDEC’s chief executive officer (CEO) Surina Shukri (main pic) said, “As we are in unprecedented times due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our ultimate objective of this collaboration is to drive data analytics demand in all sectors that will build a robust data-driven industry in Malaysia. The programme will also enable the facilitation of talent development and industry-academia collaboration. This collaboration will enable Malaysian business enterprises to become more data-driven and take informed decisions for business sustainability and come out stronger when we overcome this very challenging period.”
The collaboration with SAP will help complement MDEC’s Data Technology Adoption Initiative to develop a data technology-driven ecosystem by driving the data technology adoption journey of business enterprises, while providing them access to data technology solutions; data and analytics expert advisory; talent/training development; and use-case sharing efforts.
Surina also expressed MDEC’s appreciation to SAP for taking the initiative to be part of MDEC’s effort to expand the #DigitalVsCovid movement to the business sector and the digital technology ecosystem while continuing to support Malaysia’s aspiration to become the heart of digital ASEAN.
SAP is world-renowned for its machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies that help turn organisations’ businesses into intelligent enterprises.
Its president and managing director (Southeast Asia) Rachel Barger said that the fact that the Digital Economy contributed some 18.5 percent to Malaysia’s GDP (gross domestic product) in 2018 and predicted to surpass the 20 percent target by 2021 is very impressive.
“It serves as testimony to MDEC’s nation-building efforts to propel Malaysia into the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” she added. “SAP is also pleased to be playing our part in Malaysia’s nation-building efforts and to collaborate with MDEC on various programmes,” she added.
Meanwhile, SAP Malaysia managing director Hong Kok Cheong said that SAP remains steadfast on the continued growth of Malaysia’s digital economy. On the talent and education front, he said SAP has been in collaboration with MDEC to continue its mission to develop human capital for Malaysia and to build the “future workforce”.
“Under the SAP University Alliances initiative, SAP has previously collaborated with MDEC on the MyUniAlliance programme, and both parties are now looking at resuming the collaboration this year,” he said.
“The MyUniAlliance programme provides training for some three thousand students per year,” said Hong adding that the programme started in 2011. Eighteen Institutes of Higher Learning [IHL] including two foreign universities have participated in the programme. These IHLs bring SAP’s technology and ‘best practices’ to students in undergraduate and graduate programmes,” he explained.
Besides collaborating with MDEC in nurturing talent and growing the local digital ecosystem, SAP has also established a service delivery centre in Kuala Lumpur for the SEA region.
“SAP has been in Malaysia for 28 years and we have observed the country’s digital economy growing from strength to strength. We have played our part in this growth and now SAP aims to support every company to become an intelligent enterprise. Together, we help the world run better and improve people’s lives throughout the world,” said Hong.
