Businesses must leverage on the power of the
Internet to save costs and increase productivity in the wake of Asia’s
economic recovery, said Randy Harvey, president of Interchange Software
Group and executive vice president of Sterling Commerce.
Harvey said Asia can learn from the American experience of using IT
and the Internet to transform its business processes and turn a profit out
of it.
There is a need to drive operating costs down for Asian companies to recover, he commented, and the use of electronic commerce and the Internet can help improve a business’ potential and trading efficiency.
“Many of our customers in Asia have gone ahead in embracing Internet-based
e-commerce solutions and realized significant savings in their day-to-day
operations through supply chain management, business process integration or
virtual retailing solutions,” he said.
He suggested that Singapore businesses’ cautious attitudes towards
e-commerce have long been neutralized by the overwhelming positive support
for it.
“Given the right mixture of caution and commitment, businesses need
not fear technology at all,” he said. “Security is only a marginal concern for the
vast majority of transactions companies make electronically over the
Internet,” he added.
Harvey will be in Singapore to speak at the Internet World Asia @ Singapore ’99 Enterprise Internet Forum on March 3, 1999 at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center.
He will be speaking at the
session “Exploiting the Internet to stay competitive–the new operating
structure of future businesses.”
The Enterprise Internet Forum will be opened by deputy chief
executive of the National Computer Board, Michael Yap.
Yap will be delivering the
forum’s opening address on the direction of Singapore’s IT 2000 Masterplan
and what Singapore ONE has to offer to businesses seeking to leverage on
Singapore’s position as an e-commerce hub.
Speakers from Federal Express,
Hewlett Packard, Nuance Communications, Singapore Network Services and
Telepost will be represented at the Enterprise Internet Forum.
An Asian Internet Advertising Forum will be held on March 4, 1999 to discuss
the challenges of the Internet as a medium for marketing and advertising
strategies.
The Internet World Asia @ Singapore ’99 exhibition is jointly organized by Penton Media, Inc. and Reed Exhibition Companies, and will be co-located with APRICOT ’99, another Asian Internet event which takes place from March 1-5, 1999.
