KUALA LUMPUR: Electronic marketing (e-marketing) awareness is still in its infancy stage among local businesses despite its potential for international exposure and networking at minimal costs. Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said e-marketing was the way to go with some of the larger industries already adopting such marketing techniques. “Entrepreneurs need to be aware of the many areas of the ICT as enabling tools in business as well as a tool to move their business into a more knowledge-based economy,” he said. Kong was speaking in conjunction with Penang ICT Week 2007 next week which will feature talks and the MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC) Business Leadership Summit 2007. Also in the programme is an e-marketing conference that will highlight topics such as branding, innovative leadership, e-commerce as well as marketing techniques like blogging and email marketing.
Talk shop: Kong (second from left) exchanging views with (from left) Wong, Teneo Technologies CEO Jeffri Shahul Hamid, KrisTEL Customer Interaction managing director Amita Krishna, Rentwise communication manager Dorothy Dass and Chan on Thursday.
Kong, who is also MCA New Technology & Innovation Bureau chairman, said entrepreneurs should look at e-marketing as a long-term investment. As for tools and technologies, he said the government provided grants and incentives to help local manufacturers to market their product globally through ICT. “There is a need to educate small and medium enterprises on how to leverage on ICT to maximise market exposure,” he added. MIRC chief executive officer Andrew Wong said the ICT week was to eliminate misconceptions about ICT and to create exposure. Ebay education specialist Chris Chan said online trading was not only about selling and buying but also creating a presence. “SMEs should work together with online trading websites to further market their products globally as it will also raise the bar for product quality and standard,” she said, adding that there are currently six million registered local users with the website. The Penang ICT Week 2007 will be held from Dec 13 to 18. For details, visit www.mirc.org.my.
By Lee Min Keong, ZDNet AsiaMonday, July 09 2007 09:05 PMMALAYSIA--Some industry observers have lashed out at the quality of broadband services in the country, which they say will undermine the government's bid to transform Malaysia into a global ICT hub.Teneo Technologies CEO Jeffri Shahul Hamid told ZDNet Asia that broadband service providers still have a lot of room for improvement. The reliability and general broadband speed of broadband services in Malaysia are still "below average" compared to other developing countries, Jeffri said, in an e-mail interview.A Web site services provider, Teneo Technologies' business is directed impacted by the quality of broadband services, he said. "If the broadband service is not satisfactory, our business will be affected tremendously," he noted. "In our case, there is only a single services provider and we haven't got the option to subscribe to secondary or backup lines."Jeffri's sentiments affirm the findings of a recent survey, also bemoaning the state of the country's broadband services.Conducted by economic think-tank Executives Working Together (TEC) Asia and the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), the study revealed that CEOs in the country were generally unhappy with the state of Malaysia's broadband services. Over 170 CEOs were polled in the First-quarter 2007 TEC-MIER CEO confidence index survey.Some 70 percent of respondents indicated that broadband Internet access was slow, noting that broadband service providers seemed unable to deliver on the promised access speeds.In addition, 64 percent of the CEOs said service providers in the country were inefficient, while 56 percent complained about inadequate broadband coverage and 38 percent lamented the costly service.Raymond Chee, managing director of Emerge Systems said poor broadband services would adversely affect the adoption level of business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce. Emerge Systems is one of Malaysia's largest corporate hosting service providers.In an interview with ZDNet Asia, Chee noted that the high cost of bandwidth and "lackadaisical attitude" of the country's main broadband service providers caused Malaysia to lag behind other countries in the region, such as Korea and Singapore. This must be urgently addressed, he added, given the government's ambition to transform Malaysia into an international IT hub.Chee believes it is only through open competition that Malaysia can improve on its broadband provisions within the shortest period of time."The 'sleeping giant' service providers will have to face competition from smaller aggressive local broadband service providers, or foreign players with huge budgets, if Malaysia wants to improve its broadband services," he said.David Wong, group CEO of SnT Global, agreed: "The majority of areas in Malaysia are still covered by only one ISP (Internet service provider). And not much effort is put in by the ISP [to improve its broadband services]." SnT Global is a business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider."If your company is involved in e-commerce, you can invest in the best infrastructure available," Wong said, in an e-mail interview. "But your potential customers might not be able to do business with you because the broadband service at their premises is down."To ensure there is competition in the market, he suggested that the Malaysian government should open up the "last mile" to other service providers."When an industry is monopolized, there's no competition to drive the incumbent telco to achieve excellence," he said. He noted that competition through the emergence of WiMax service providers, for example, would help energize the industry."All the ISPs are eyeing the WiMax wireless spectrum for fast deployment of broadband services," Wong said, adding that he was hopeful WiMax services will be rolled out by year-end at an affordable pricing.Alternative broadband access services such as WiMax and BPL (Broadband over Power Line), have been touted as possible solutions for breaking the monopoly most incumbent telecommunications providers have over last-mile access.In March this year, Malaysia's telecommunications industry regulator snubbed the country's top telcos such as TM, Maxis and DiGi, when it instead awarded 2.3GHz WiMax licenses to four lower-tier telcos. The licensees have until year-end to roll out their WiMax services to 25 per cent of Malaysia's population in their respective designated areas.Each licensee is expected to invest between 250 million ringgit (US$72.5 million) and 300 million ringgit (US$87 million) during the first three years of its WiMax deployment.Lee Min Keong is a freelance IT writer based in Malaysia.http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62028004,00.htm
Teneo likely to venture into Singapore and ThailandBy Goh Ee KoonLocal web-based software application firm Teneo Technologies Sdn Bhd is planning to expand to the Asean region to fast track its growth.Chief executive officer Jeffri Shahul Hamid said the company was banking on its chief product WebLITE (a suite of modular web applications that transformed business or corporate websites into an effective sales and marketing tool) to spearhead its growth.WebLITE helps business owners to pick the necessary applications in an easy, cost-effective way and maintain and update them without the hassle of going through a web developer or website maintenance company.“A lot of firms pay a maintenance fee for updating or changing content on their websites, which sometimes can be as high as RM3,000 a month, but on average range from RM80 to RM120 per change. You can forego a lot of that with WebLITE because customers can buy what modules they need for their solutions,” he said.The company, partly owned by Teneo Communications Sdn Bhd (which he also started) and a private investing entity, opened its doors for business four and a half years ago. Its focus is developing web applications like WebLITE but also offers web design and hosting services.It also develops new versions and features, which are released to subscribers who sign up for maintenance. “We're currently running Version 2.6 of WebLITE and expect to launch Version 3 in the middle of the year. It will be more graphic user interfaced-friendly.”Teneo Technologies Sdn Bhd's clients are primarily small and medium industries and public-listed companies.While the company would continue to expand its presence in Malaysia, the Asean region had been targeted for its next step, he said.“We will likely start in Singapore for our first overseas venture and are looking at options in Thailand now,” he said, adding that the strategy was through strategic partnerships with established firms in the countries concerned.“We are looking for partners, like web design and web hosting companies that can deliver WebLITE's services to them, as well was branding and advertising firms,” he said.He said the web hosting industry is undergoing a price war, which charges as low as RM150 a year to host a “plain website”.Jeffri said there had been a surge of interest in the product over the past nine months.Its primary target in Malaysia is SMEs who need a good, high-value option at a reasonable price. Teneo Technologies may also consider mergers and acquisitions in future.He said a listing on Bursa Malaysia's Mesdaq board was a possibility but that would probably happen in two years or so.Teneo Technologies that has MSC status, hopes to achieve up to five times growth in sales this year.“It will mean a lot of sleepless nights and hard work but it will be worth it,” he added.
For more information on Global SMEs 2006, please visit www.globalsme.com.my
In line with the Malaysian Government mission to develop and enhance SMEs within the country, Teneo Technologies will again be participating in this year's SMIDEX 2006 & Asean +3 SME Convention.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite SMEs, Corporates, Web Designers, Web Hosters, Partners and Customers to our exhibition booth (B9) to experience and know more about our flagship solution, WebLITE. Come visit us during the event to see how WebLITE can streamline and value-add your online presence. To schedule an appointment for the event, please email info@teneotech.net.
Click here for more information about SMIDEX 2006 Annual Showcase.
Teneo Technologies Sdn. Bhd. Earns Certified Partner Status In Microsoft Partner Program
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 06 March 2006 - Teneo Technologies Sdn Bhd (‘Teneo’), today announced that it has earned certified status in Microsoft’s Partner Program, which recognises Teneo’s expertise and impact in the technology marketplace. As a Certified Partner, Teneo has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customer needs. Microsoft Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, that give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.Teneo realises that business owners are constantly seeking web application solutions that can be easily deployed, relevant, scalable and cost effective. WebLITE was created to address these needs exactly. Using innovative techniques and latest technologies, WebLITE offers solutions to small businesses and enterprises to increase the manageability, effectiveness and interactivity of their web presence, all at a reduced cost from traditional solutions. Businesses are now able to deploy powerful business driven applications easily. “Only companies that have demonstrated high levels of customer service, proved their experience and attained advanced certification receive the designation of Microsoft Certified Partner,” said Allison Watson, Vice President of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. “Today, Microsoft recognises Teneo for its skills and expertise in providing customer satisfaction with Microsoft products and technology.”In addition to earning certified status, Teneo has declared a Microsoft Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry.The Microsoft ISV/Software Solutions Competency recognises the skill and focus partners bring to a particular solution set. Microsoft Certified Partners that have obtained this competency have a record of developing and marketing packed software based on Microsoft technologies.“We are extremely pleased to have earned certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program. The certified status allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers,” said Jeffri Shahul Hamid, CEO of Teneo. “The benefits provided through our certified membership will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for customers.”The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in December 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The Microsoft Partner Program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognises partner expertise, rewards the total impact partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.Teneo Technologies was founded on the simple criteria of using technology to drive and solve business problems. Our flagship solution, WebLITE, is a suite of modular web applications that can transform any typical website into a more effective sales and marketing tool. WebLITE was built on proven technology and its modular approach allows business owners to pick and implement the necessary applications. Businesses will now be able to deploy powerful web applications in an easy, scalable and cost-effective manner to continuously improve their web presence.
