As businesses in Malaysia embrace hybrid work models, the demand for robust data storage solutions is increasing. Synology, a NAS (Network Attached Storage) provider, is stepping up to the plate by unveiling a slew of innovative features during its recent Synology Solutions Day in Malaysia.
Jason Sin, Sales Manager for Synology Malaysia, expressed the company’s dedication to fortifying data security and boosting productivity. Synology’s NAS servers that run on its secure DiskStation Manager (DSM) will play a pivotal role in addressing the evolving needs of businesses.
Tailored Solutions for Malaysia
Synology is introducing four key solutions customized for the Malaysian market: Data Management, Data Protection, Productivity Enhancement, and Surveillance. This strategic move acknowledges the shift from cloud-based storage and solutions to Synology NAS storage, aligning with diverse industry requirements.
Combatting Cyber Threats
Synology presents a comprehensive data protection solution in response to the escalating cyber threats facing Malaysian businesses. This encompasses heightened NAS login security through features like two-factor authentication, multi-factor authentication, passwordless authentication, and IP address restrictions. The company also offers robust backup solutions for devices, PCs, servers, and SaaS (software-as-a-service) accounts.
A notable addition is Immutable Snapshot, a boon for industries handling sensitive records. Paired with WriteOnce Shared folders, it facilitates swift, secure snapshots, preventing data compromise through Write Once Read Many (WORM) actions for up to 30 days. This feature ensures the integrity of critical files by restricting alterations.
Productivity Amplified with Generative AI
In light of the changing landscape, Synology has integrated Generative AI into Synology Office and MailPlus. This allows users to generate written content seamlessly. Tasks like email composition, article translation, and information searches become effortless through AI-powered chat box interactions.
The Mail Merge feature further streamlines communication by automating the insertion of recipients’ details, and optimizing email workflows.
Future Roadmap and Innovations
Synology’s commitment extends beyond the present, with plans to enhance scale-out capabilities and introduce enterprise-level data protection products. High-performance solutions catering to the burgeoning AI storage demands are also on the horizon.
Unity Software Inc., a big player in video game engine software, has hit the reset button and is laying off 25% of their workforce (1,800 jobs). This news comes as part of the new interim CEO Jim Whitehurst, former CEO of Redhat, plans for a company restructuring or “reset”. Whitehurst has taken over the helm of Unity from then CEO John Reiccitiello, who has since retired and left the board in October 2023 after a massive backlash last year because of new “runtime fee” structures.
TLDR for the new pricing structure is that for every new install for a game using Unity, there will be a charge if the game reaches a certain revenue threshold. This angered game developers as this policy came out of nowhere and also worked retroactively. This would be extremely damaging to games that have the free to play model like ‘Pokemon Go’ or ‘Hearthstone’. Eventually Unity had to walk back its changes for damage control, but it may not be enough as developers plan to move on to other platforms.
Unity under Whitehurst seems to have a lot of restructuring planned as they have already terminated an agreement with special effects house Weta Digital, founded by director Peter Jackson. This has already cost 275 jobs on top of the 600 previously trimmed in May 2023. Hopefully, all this trimming, restructuring and refocusing on their core, the Unity Editor and Runtime, and Monetizations Solutions workouts. We will have to wait and see as Whitehurst plans unfold for Unity. So far, shares for Unity have jumped up approximately 40% since the announced reset by Whitehurst.
This article is contributed by Varinderjit Singh, General Manager, Lenovo Malaysia
While I think most of us would expect large organizations to include forward-thinking technology in their overall business strategies, we’re starting to see this with SMBs as well, including relatively small companies, to different degrees around the world.
Not only do customers expect customized on-demand services, so do employees.
Businesses therefore seek to leverage technology to drive faster results and adapt to new market trends. At the heart of this strategic thinking is understanding the new roles emerging technology has around taking on the tasks of time-consuming day-to-day activities so that high-value and skilled executives and employees can focus on driving growth engines.
In a way, we are back to where computing first started, which was to automate processes and make them simpler and faster. What is different today of course is that technologies are so much more advanced, and are continually improving and increasingly embedded into strategy development – very different from the older business model where technology was a cost assigned to operations.
This is therefore about taking teams to the next level in our increasingly AI and digitally-driven world, requiring businesses to find a balance between implementing emerging technology and providing personalized experiences for their customers.
In assessing which technologies perhaps play the biggest parts, I suggest the following.
Hi-speed network infrastructure
Connectivity is clearly essential to any distributed workforce. Without it, device technology is expensive and inefficient, collaboration breaks down, productivity drops, and customers and employees go somewhere else. Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and 5G will be instrumental in delivering high bandwidth, ultra-low latency connectivity, and power to devices all over the world and will expand the landscape of solutions for businesses that want to grow.
Design and engineering teams must also offer new possibilities for thinner and more flexible designs for mobile employees working in hybrid workspaces. Companies like Lenovo are designing unique laptops with a built-in secondary e-Ink screen in the top cover or foldable displays that extend versatility and mobility. An example is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold operating on Windows 11 Pro. Use Windows 11 Pro for Workstations to blaze through workloads with lag-free multitasking across your most demanding applications.
The key here is technology equipped with always-on, always-connected capability.
Personal AI transformation
In the near future, PCs that currently provide AI-enabled enhanced video, audio, and security capabilities will transform into full AI PC devices. They will not only have the power to provide a personalized digital assistant experience but also learn over time, adapt and predict tasks, and offer solutions for improving workload management using intuitive natural language interaction.
Personal AI technology is expected to be instrumental in helping workers maintain high levels of productivity while also promoting healthy and sustainable work habits. By assisting with task prioritization and workload management, Personal AI can offer more predictive and insightful answers to questions or tasks.
While Cloud LLMs and Personal AI may differ in functionalities, they can offer diverse and complementary benefits to different users. Used together, they can provide a more comprehensive and personalized smart assistant experience that will accelerate speed and efficiency at every stage of workflow, ultimately helping businesses gain a significant competitive edge.
AI-enabled services and products
The last six months have seen the world wake up to the opportunities of AI-enabled services. For example, some workplaces have incorporated AI chatbots to provide employees with resources around the clock, adding convenience for those seeking answers to common questions about employee benefits, scheduling, insurance, vacation availability, and sick time. By allowing some HR processes to be accomplished without human intervention, chatbots offer a better allocation of HR staff members’ time toward addressing more complex employee inquiries. The use of such AI chatbots however has raised concern in some areas. Since most are public cloud-based resources, the issues of data integrity, security, and privacy are crucial considerations. AI services can help assess and guide the appropriate solutions and areas of investment in regard to Cloud, Private, or Personal AI models.
And we are already seeing that companies that smartly adapt to incorporating AI-enabled services and products have a competitive advantage. AI and machine learning can enable targeted data analysis, so employees can focus on creative and social tasks that AI simply cannot.
To take organizations to the next level, businesses must strategically implement technology such as infrastructure, cloud, and AI tools that will help them scale. Businesses need the ability to integrate new technologies and workloads efficiently and seamlessly, often within resource, budget, and capital restrictions.
That in turn requires new strategic thinking around the impact and opportunities that emerging technology enables.
This article is contributed by Varinderjit Singh, General Manager, Lenovo Malaysia
The manufacturing industry is shifting from hands-on to virtual with AR & VR, to increase efficiency, enhance employee training & cut costs.
As augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies expand beyond the gaming world, they are seeing increased awareness and adoption across a variety of industries – particularly manufacturing. In an era dominated by data and one that is constantly shifting to adapt to the needs of the new workforce, emerging technologies have the opportunity to completely disrupt the manufacturing industry as we know it.
AR/VR enables a new generation of workers to be smarter, faster, and more capable by connecting people and computers in real-time, hands-free scenarios. This new wave of immersive computing enables workers to access technical knowledge and data on the go, interact with 3D models to collaborate and innovate with peers and dive into digital experiences that enhance engagement and learning. By empowering employees to do more, AR/VR technologies allow enterprises to solve problems in unexpected and inventive ways.
Lenovo’s ThinkReality solutions are making it easier than ever to build, deploy and manage enterprise AR/VR solutions. ThinkReality is a scalable cloud and device-agnostic software platform supported by Lenovo’s expert consulting, deployment and support services. As the global manufacturing industry prepares to adjust to new challenges and opportunities, ThinkReality is ready to support it.
In addition, the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 3 operating on Windows 11 Pro is an excellent choice for businesses and employee training. Use Windows 11 Pro for Workstations to blaze through workloads with lag-free multitasking across your most demanding applications.
Manufacturing’s New Reality
The manufacturing industry now has approximately 2.72 million workers in Malaysia, accounting for about 18.1% of the workforce, and continuing to grow. With a transitioning workforce, globally, the manufacturing industry is forecasting a deficit of 7.9 million workers by 2030, resulting in an unrealized economic output of $607.1 billion (RM 2.8 trillion) if current initiatives remain unchanged.
According to Korn Ferry’s Future of Work study, “Developing countries with strong manufacturing centres may begin to struggle due to significant talent shortages – by 2030, Brazil could suffer manufacturing worker deficits of 1.7 million and Indonesia could see worker shortages reach 1.6 million. The United States already struggles with shortfalls in highly skilled manufacturing talent and this deficit is expected to increase over the next decade, reaching a 2030 shortfall of 383,000 such workers, equivalent to more than 10% of the highly skilled workforce.”
As a result, the manufacturing industry, which has traditionally been slow to evolve, is moving at rapid speeds towards AR/VR integration to help solve for the skilled workforce gap. IDC forecasts worldwide spending on AR/VR will reach $160 billion (RM 759.7 billion) this year, up significantly from the $16.8 billion (RM 78.8 billion) forecast for 2019, with the five-year compound annual growth rate for AR/VR spending reaching 78.3%.
The uptick in AR/VR enterprise growth will be a direct result of manufacturing’s growth, where companies are using technology to boost productivity, increase security and ensure accuracy in the industry.
Hands-on Training
According to Deloitte, the number of new jobs in manufacturing is expected to accelerate and grow by 1.96 million workers by 2028. This job surge calls for the industry to keep up with the demand for new talent and to quickly adapt and integrate new technologies—to boost both revenue and employee productivity.
Technicians need to quickly adapt to this environment and determine efficiencies across their entire operations. One such way is by enabling new technologies that enhance employee training.
In most manufacturing environments, hands-on training is difficult because shutting down equipment or a production line to brief new employees is unrealistic. Additionally, there are certain pieces of equipment that might be too expensive to purchase just to dedicate solely to training new hires.
However, with VR, on-the-field training is possible, as new employees can be placed in a virtual environment that mimics the work they would be doing on the ground. Allowing employees to learn through real-life experiences leads to increased knowledge retention and gives them the ability to practice complex scenarios they would normally not have access to in traditional training environments. The technology also allows employees to absorb the information through real-time application, save time in traditional forms of training and equip them with the expertise they need to fill the industry skills gap. Companies also benefit because virtual training prevents disruption in normal operations.
Safety & Maintenance
Being able to train employees from a distance boosts learning, saves employers money long-term and, most importantly, provides a safer environment. While company manuals and training courses exist, there needs to be other resources employees can take advantage of to effectively prepare for the variety of high-risk situations they might face over their careers. With AR technology, employees are able to experience potentially dangerous scenarios repeatedly, helping to avoid injury and equipment damage.
As an example, aerospace manufacturers are using AR technology to increase efficiency and improve quality control at their installation and inspection facilities. Employees use augmented reality glasses to see digital mockups over images of real systems to identify faulty parts which helps ensure safety and speeds up the maintenance process. AR helps ensure accuracy while also speeding up the process of daily inspections.
Worker Productivity & Business Efficiency
The result of a more experiential onboarding and training process is employees who are more prepared for their daily tasks, which leads to increased productivity. Beyond training, AR/VR solutions help businesses work smarter and more efficiently. For example, manufacturing company leaders can use VR to reskill their employees to learn new skills, or alternatively, AR solutions can give engineers access to interactive 3D renderings to more quickly assemble a specific component.
Additionally, over the years these technologies have evolved to help businesses be even more efficient. For example, to adapt to the increasingly mobile and technologically-driven workforce, these solutions now come in the form of hands-free head-worn devices that can be used to deploy both simple and complex AR solutions for enterprises – reducing error rates, improving time to build a system and minimizing costs.
Looking Ahead
ThinkReality is conceived for today’s world and the future. The Lenovo ThinkReality platform provides a proven, scalable, and streamlined path from proof of concept to productivity for enterprise AR/VR applications. The platform is a complete solution that lets you focus on problem-solving by working across diverse hardware and software. Build, deploy, and manage applications and content on a global scale, with global support.
While AR/VR technologies are still facing integration roadblocks in the industry, they hold a substantial role in propelling the manufacturing industry forward in the coming years. Ensuring employees are properly trained, productive and safe is just the starting point for the future of AR/VR in the manufacturing industry. As we look ahead, enterprises will continue to see the value of AR/VR in enhancing operations. By building in smarter technologies into the enterprise ecosystem, businesses will transform the manufacturing industry as we see it today.
New technologies can take many forms. Often, they come from generally straightforward, incremental product advances over the course of years; think the Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) process shrinks that underpinned many of the advances in computing over the past decades. Not easy, but relatively predictable from a high-level enough view.
Other shifts are less straightforward to predict. Even if a technology is not completely novel, it may require the right conditions and advances to come together so it can flourish in the mainstream. Both server virtualization and containerization fall into this category.
What’s next? Someone once said that predictions are hard, especially about the future. But here are some areas that Red Hat has been keeping an eye on and that you should likely have on your radar as well. This is hardly a comprehensive list and it may include some surprises, but, it is a combination of both early stage and more fleshed-out developments on the horizon. The first few are macro trends that pervade many different aspects of computing. Others are more specific to hardware and software computing infrastructure.
Artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)
On the one hand, AI/ML belongs on any list about where computing is headed. Whether coding tools, self-tuning infrastructure, or improved observability of systems, AI/ML is clearly a critical part of the computing landscape going forward.
What’s harder to predict is exactly what forms and applications of AI will deliver compelling business value, many of which will be interesting in narrow domains, and will likely turn out to be almost good enough over a lengthy time horizon.
Much of the success of AI to date has rested on training deep neural networks (NNs) of increasing size (as measured by the number of weights and parameters) on increasingly large datasets using backpropagation, and supported by the right sort of fast hardware optimized for linear algebra operations—graphics processing units (GPUs) in particular. Large Language Models (LLMs) are one prominent, relatively recent example.
There have been many clear wins, but AI has struggled with more generalized systems that interface with an unconstrained physical world—as in the case of autonomous driving, for example. There are also regulatory and legal concerns relating to explainability, bias and even overall economic impact. Some experts also wonder if broad gaps in our collective understanding of the many areas covered by cognitive science that lay outside the direct focus of machine learning may (or may not) be needed for AI to handle many types of applications.
What’s certain is that we will be surprised.
Automation
In a sense, automation is a class of application to which AI brings more sophisticated capabilities. For example, Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed with IBM watsonx Code Assistant is one recent example of a generative AI service designed by and for Ansible automators, operators and developers.
Automation is increasingly necessary because hardware and software stacks are getting more complex. What’s less obvious is how improved observability tooling and AI-powered automation tools that make use of that more granular data plays out in detail.
At the least, it will lead us to think about questions such as: Where are the big wins in dynamic automated system tuning that will most improve IT infrastructure efficiency? What’s the scope of the automated environment? How much autonomy will we be prepared to give to the automation, and what circuit breakers and fallbacks will be considered best practice?
Over time, we’ve reduced manual human intervention in processes such as CI/CD pipelines. But we’ve done so in the context of evolving best practices in concert with the increased automation.
Security
Security is a broad and deep topic (and one of deep concern across the industry). It encompasses zero trust, software supply chains, digital sovereignty and yes, AI—both as a defensive tool and an offensive weapon. But one particular topic is worth highlighting here.
Confidential computing is a security technology that protects data in use, meaning that it is protected while it is being processed. This is in contrast to traditional encryption technologies, which protect data at rest (when it is stored) and data in transit (when it is being transmitted over a network).
Confidential computing works by using a variety of techniques to isolate data within a protected environment, such as a trusted execution environment (TEE) or a secure enclave. It’s of particular interest when running sensitive workloads in an environment over which you don’t have full control, such as a public cloud. It’s relatively new technology but is consistent with an overall trend towards more security controls, not fewer.
RISC-V
While there are examples of open hardware designs, such as the Open Compute Project, it would be hard to make the case for there having been a successful open processor relevant to server hardware.
However, major silicon vendors and cloud providers are exploring and adopting the RISC-V free-to-license and open processor instruction set architecture (ISA). It follows a different approach from past open processor efforts. For one thing, it was open source from the beginning and is not tied to any single vendor. For another, it was designed to be extensible and implementation-agnostic. It allows for the development of new embedded technologies implemented upon FPGAs as well as the manufacture of microcontrollers, microprocessors and specialized data processing units (DPUs).
Its impact is more nascent in the server space, but it has been gaining momentum. The architecture has also seen considerable standardization work to balance the flexibility of extensions with the fragmentation they can bring. RISC-V profiles are a set of standardized subsets of the RISC-V ISA. They are designed to make sure that hardware implementers and software developers can intersect with an interface built around a set of extensions with a bounded amount of flexibility designed to support well-defined categories of systems and applications.
Platform software
Perhaps one of the most intriguing questions is what happens at the lower levels of the server infrastructure software stack—roughly the operating system on a single shared memory server and the software that orchestrates workloads across many of these servers connected over a network.
It is probably easiest to start with what is unlikely to change in fundamental ways over the next decade. Linux has been around for more than 30 years; Unix more than 50, with many basic concepts dating to Multics about ten years prior.
That is a long time in the computer business. But it also argues for the overall soundness and adaptability of the basic approach taken by most modern operating systems—and the ability to evolve Linux when changes have been needed. That adaptation will continue by taking advantage of reducing overheads by selectively offloading workloads to FPGAs and other devices such as edge servers. There are also opportunities to reduce transition overheads for performance-critical applications; the Unikernel Linux project—a joint effort involving professors, PhD students and engineers at the Boston University-based Red Hat Collaboratory—demonstrates one direction such optimizations could take.
More speculative is the form that collections of computing resources might take and how they will be managed. Over the past few decades, these resources primarily took the form of masses of x86 servers. Some specialized hardware is used for networking, storage and other functions, but CMOS process shrinks meant that for the most part, it was easier, cheaper and faster to just wait for the next x86 generation than to buy some unproven specialized design.
However, with performance gains associated with general-purpose process shrinks decelerating—and maybe even petering out at some point—specialized hardware that more efficiently meets the needs of specific workload types starts to look more attractive. The use of GPUs for ML workloads is probably the most obvious example, but is not the only one.
The challenge is that developers are mostly not increasing in number or skill. Better development tools can help to some degree, but it will also become more important to abstract away the complexity of more specialized and more diverse hardware.
What might this look like? A new abstraction/virtualization layer? An evolution of Kubernetes to better understand hardware and cloud differences, the relationship between components and how to intelligently match relatively generic code to the most appropriate hardware or cloud? Or will we see something else that introduces completely new concepts?
Wrap up
What we can say about these predictions is that they’re probably a mixed bag. Some promising technologies may fizzle a bit. Others will bring major and generally unexpected changes in their wake, and something may pop onto the field at a time and from a place where we least expect it.
This article is contributed by Jay Ar Juan, Senior Commercial Director, foodpanda Malaysia
In the rapidly evolving food industry landscape, digitalisation has become more than just a trend – it is now a necessity for survival and growth. The surge in technological advancements has propelled restaurants into a new era, reshaping the way they operate and connect with customers. Embarking on a journey through the impact of digitalisation on the food industry, we’ll explore recent changes and how food delivery platforms navigate this transformative landscape, with a specific focus on its implications for local vendors in Malaysia.
From a restaurant’s perspective, digitalisation is about leveraging technology to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and drive business growth. This is a crucial aspect of driving the business as a whole. The benefits of it are extensive, ranging from increased efficiency to data-driven insights that enable personalised customer interactions. Particularly in the last few years, we’ve witnessed a profound impact on communities as restaurants adapt to these changes. The food industry is inherently competitive, and the digital shift provides a competitive edge.
The evolution of the food industry has resulted in several fundamental changes. One prominent shift is the rise of delivery services, enabling restaurants to expand their reach and increase revenue. Additionally, data-driven insights have become invaluable, allowing businesses to tailor their offerings to suit customer preferences. These components will put small business owners on a level playing field with mammoth chains. The community impact is substantial, with local businesses gaining visibility beyond physical constraints. Even small roadside vendors can now showcase their offerings to a vast audience using platforms like foodpanda.
Digitalisation upscales businesses, including food
Embracing delivery services has not only expanded revenue streams but has also eliminated geographical barriers, allowing restaurants of all sizes to compete on a level playing field. The convenience of ordering from anywhere has become a customer expectation, providing businesses with a broader reach.
Being part of a marketplace like foodpanda democratises visibility, giving even the smallest establishments a chance to showcase their offerings. A roadside stall will have the same opportunity for eyeballs via the app as a massive restaurant chain at the most valuable rental space in a busy shopping district. With just a few taps, customers will be able to discover even the most obscure vendors within seconds.
Additionally, the integration of technology has brought about data-driven insights, enabling personalized experiences by analysing customer preferences. This not only tailors menus and marketing strategies but also enhances customers’ overall satisfaction. The rise of contactless dining, payments, and reservations, coupled with the use of platforms for marketing, has further enhanced convenience and customer engagement, fostering loyalty and attracting new patrons. Digitalisation is not merely about efficiency, it’s a holistic approach aimed at creating memorable customer experiences and ensuring the sustained relevance of restaurants in an evolving landscape.
Supporting the restaurants in their digital transformation is foodpanda with tools at their disposal. The Panda Partner app is available on both Google Play and Apple App Store, providing vendors with insights into sales, operations, and marketing, all from the convenience of their phones. Traditional advertising methods are being replaced by digital marketing through the Panda Partner app, making it easy for restaurant operators to market themselves through several simple clicks, even for those without prior digital marketing knowledge. The transparency in tracking results enables vendors to be more strategic in their marketing efforts, contributing to their growth as entrepreneurs.
In the past, data and results simply weren’t trackable, such as knowing how many customers visited their stores and placed an order from thereon. Restaurants and even large chains normally have had to spend big money to analyse these data for them. But with foodpanda’s digital marketing support, they would know how much they have spent and how much sales they generated from these marketing activities, fundamentally allowing them to be better entrepreneurs.
Going beyond the pandemic lifeline
Amid the challenges posed by the pandemic, there are restaurants that have adapted to digitalisation and have experienced significant differences in their business. For instance, one of our restaurant partners in Penang, Uncle Lan’z, has strategically leveraged digitalisation to reach customers beyond the usual coverage area and saw a significant surge in sales and heightened brand recognition. Digitalisation became the backbone of Uncle Lan’z’s business, with delivery alone accounting for 70% of total sales during this challenging lockdown period. A partnership lasting over four years has positioned Uncle Lan’z as one of the highest-grossing vendors in the northern region, underscoring the transformative impact of embracing digital platforms.
Similarly, Gerai Ulique Corner faced adversity during the lockdown, leading to a temporary closure of the outlet. With digital platforms providing support, restaurant owner Cik Norlia started selling her fare from home, ensuring business continuity and fostering loyalty. The adaptability facilitated by digital platforms allowed Gerai Ulique Corner to resume business fully as the economy recovered, showcasing resilience in the face of challenges.
On the other hand, the advent of food delivery platforms has contributed to the rise of F&B operators that exist purely for the food delivery market. For cloud kitchen operator Foodle, the partnership with foodpanda since Q3 2022 has brought substantial growth through exclusive collaborations and benefits. Enjoying priority placement on platforms, dedicated marketing support, and access to specialized promotional opportunities, Foodle thrived as a dynamic and diverse cloud kitchen business. By leveraging digital tools to assess physical store potential, facilitate collaborations, and focus on top-performing items, Foodle’s success story exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between cloud kitchens and digital platforms in the evolving landscape of the food industry. The digital transformation facilitated by platforms like foodpanda is reshaping the restaurant landscape. The benefits of going digital are evident, from increased reach to data-driven insights and enhanced customer experiences. As we navigate the ever-evolving food industry, embracing digitalisation is not just a choice but a strategic imperative for sustained growth and resilience. foodpanda remains a key partner in this transformative journey, empowering restaurants to thrive in the digital era.
After a beta test spanning a few months, GXBank Berhad (GXBank), Malaysia’s first digital bank, has officially launched its app. The app will be the main touchpoint for users. It aims to provide a user-friendly and accessible banking experience to millions of Malaysians. GXBank is an officially licensed bank under Bank Negara Malaysia. Being the first digital bank approved and launched, GXBank aims to revolutionize the financial landscape with its innovative approach to banking.
GXBank faces an uphill climb to convince Malaysians to come on board as the first and only digital bank at the moment. However, the bank is committed to promoting financial inclusion and empowering Malaysians to take control of their finances. That said, the bank’s intuitive app, designed with simplicity and accessibility in mind, caters to individuals from all walks of life. It can also be the tipping point for a lot of digital natives as conventional banks continue to struggle to digitize their services to serve digital natives intuitively.
GXBank shares that data gathered during the beta testing phase revealed that Malaysians are actively looking to replenish their savings which might have been affected by the recent pandemic, and they are actively utilizing GXBank’s features to manage their finances responsibly.
The GXBank app actively enables this with their key feature – ‘Pockets’, a digital savings tool designed to encourage and support saving goals. Nearly 50% of beta testers have embraced Pockets, demonstrating the strong appetite among Malaysians to save for emergencies, holidays, and investments.
In addition, GXBank’s debit card, the GX Card, seamlessly integrates with the digital banking experience. The card offers a range of attractive benefits, including unlimited 1% cashback on every transaction, zero markups on foreign transactions, and 1.5x GrabRewards points when used at Jaya Grocer.
GXBank first foray into the digital banking space marks a significant step forward in Malaysia’s digital economy. It now remains for the bank to show that Malaysians are ready for the change that this will mark in their banking habits. The beta test which involved more than 20,000 is a good indication of the Malaysian public’s appetite for alternative banking solutions after dealing with brick-and-mortar banks. It will also mark a significant shift in the banking landscape as conventional banks will now need to compete with new contenders that can have a leg up when it comes to digitization.
GXBank, the Grab-led digital bank, has quietly introduced its GX Debit Card. This announcement comes on the heels of the announcement of its banking app earlier this month. While the current app focuses on basic savings, the anticipation surrounding the debit card launch is generating considerable interest.
According to the GXBank website, the GX Debit Card will be launched soon. The card features a sleek, minimalistic, modern design in renders. It is also being touted to provide users with unlimited 1% cashback on everyday transactions. That is on top of GXBank’s pledge to not markup on exchange rates and have transparent overseas transaction fees for the time being.
The GX Debit Card claims to be “the only cashback card with no limits,” offering 1% cashback across various spending categories. The promotion of an RM1 fee waiver at 10,000 MEPS ATMs nationwide adds to the card’s appeal. However, accessing the card presents a challenge as GXBank’s public beta is limited to 20,000 Malaysians.
Being a digital bank, GX Debit Card users can expect convenient card management through the app – which is not in beta. The app will allow users to self-serve features like freezing the card and customizing transaction preferences. That said, there doesn’t seem to be anything indicating support for popular digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.
While the GX Debit Card offers enticing cashback benefits, it’s worth noting that there are fees which are currently being waived. According to the documentation available, this includes an RM12 card issuance fee and an RM1 transaction fee for MEPS ATM withdrawals. Additionally, there is a 1.2% administration fee for foreign currency transactions or overseas card use. There isn’t any word on when the fees will be enforced. However, the product information sheet points to the waivers only being until 31 December 2024.
Users interested in trying out the offering from GX Bank will need to register on the waitlist for the app and request the debit card from there. However, there is no word on how long this will take or if GXBank will be expanding the public beta currently underway with 20,000 participants.
Where it was once heavily reliant on customers’ experience through physical interactions, it is now primarily dominated by digital experiences where bots dominate these interactions. From a customer interaction model where nearly every experience the consumer goes through is positive or unique, it is now one where AI and Bots guide consumers coldly through touchpoints. Oftentimes, this paradigm and approach leave customers dissatisfied and irate.
This is where Infobip is now looking to change things by looking at the emerging behavioural trends of consumers. Today’s consumers want things to be faster, more efficient and personalised all while being online. The company is placing their focus on adapting Generative AI into its systems with the intent of providing customers with a more personalized experience shopping online akin to the experience they’ve become accustomed to offline.
Back to Basics – Interactions & Experiences Matter
“…It goes all back to the basics.” That is the overarching theme of the solutions that Infobip is developing. Miguel Turnbull, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Infobip explains a fundamental shift in the paradigm of customer interactions, “The goal is to bring back personalization and the uniqueness of these interactions to a digital experience. So still, in the comfort of your phone, being able to have the same experience you would have if you physically went to a shop.”
Infobip’s Executives at the recent panel discussion.
This could not be more true with the shift of consumers from buying offline to buying online. A phenomenon that was put into overdrive over the course of the recent pandemic. In fact, the business landscape has changed so drastically we’re seeing the re-emergence of experience-centric behaviours rather than choice and brand-driven ones.
George Ni, Regional Director of Partnerships and Alliances for APAC at Infobip explains, “It is about experiences as Miguel said, but it is also about timely responses meaning that I want it tomorrow, I want it now and how do I quickly get into a particular experience platform? It has evolved that it is no longer a single point-to-point service provision but a single point-to-multi-point or multi-point to multi-point service provision and this is what we call the ecosystem. Meaning that a vendor who must survive in this business today will be required to survive in this greater ecosystem.”
An Omnichannel Solution for a Multifaceted Problem
Infobip is developing solutions that will help businesses leverage business insights and interconnectivity. The mainstay of their offering – the Infobip exchange marketplace – empowers businesses to stay on the ball by democratising the marketplace and allowing businesses to more readily monetize their intellectual properties. Of course, with an open forum like the Infobip marketplace, businesses are also able to collaborate and develop solutions that can then be provisioned.
Infobip’s solution in assisting future partners or businesses in this era of change is by providing an Omnichannel Platform; A platform provides a range of services across channels seamlessly. Together with this, they have also created user-friendly stack automation tools known as SaaS (Software as a service) layers consisting of diverse building blocks or APIs that partners can easily incorporate into their platform.
Conversational Cloud with Generative AI in Forging Lasting Business-Customer Relationships
In leveraging these tools, brands and businesses will be able to leverage their insights to forge lasting relationships – albeit digitally – with their customers. In fact, according to Velid Begovic, Infobip’s Vice President of Revenue in APAC, the cornerstone of this lasting relationship is smoother, more thoughtful and efficient communication between brands and their audiences. This can be achieved by using an emerging technology called the conversational cloud.
Velid Begovic, Infobip’s Vice President of Revenue in APAC, expounded his views on the shift in paradigm and the emergence of the conversational cloud.
He explains, “The rise of conversational cloud, a set of cloud-based solutions facilitating business-customer interactions, is driven by the shift to mobile-first online experiences. Brands are moving beyond reactive social media use to adopt a proactive conversational strategy. WhatsApp for business is gaining traction, especially in regions like Malaysia. Brands are integrating Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to extend conversations across various channels, including in-app, popular OTT platforms, and traditional communication channels. This shift reflects a broader transformation of transactions into conversations, emphasizing the importance of immediate and responsive communication. Brands embracing a conversational-first approach aim to provide a personalized and outstanding customer experience, setting the stage for success.”
We’re seeing an increase in the importance of these interactions. Platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram now rate pages and businesses on their responsiveness. While we can use chatbots, Generative AI and conversational cloud are the natural next steps in developing solutions that will allow businesses of any size to forge lasting relationships with their customers.
A Delicate Balance Between Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Service (CS)
It has become more apparent that customer service and customer experience go hand in hand. However, there needs to be a delicate balance between the two; one that is unique to each business but makes all the difference in a world where CX and CS go hand-in-hand. According to a recent McKinsey report, 71% of customers expect relevant and personalized attention from brands and are frustrated by not getting quality responses, especially through online engagements.
Infobip is looking to drive a shift in paradigm to alleviate and turn around the outcomes from these customer interactions. According to Turnbull, “The McKinsey report is unique, as we also have reports from our groups stating that 75% of people are tired of talking to robotised machines.”. He further explains, “In a world of abundant choices and rapid technological advancements, consumers’ impatience is fueled by the vast information and options available. Brands must adapt by promptly delivering information and responding to customer needs, the increasing pace of technological development, using the example of ChatGPT as a trend that gained widespread attention. This technology, integrated into their platform in collaboration with Microsoft, aims to provide a humanized experience through chatbots its why Infobip was the first to integrate their platform ChatGPT technology. By infusing personality into these automated solutions, brands can enhance the consumer-brand relationship. This personalized approach is crucial as brands compete fiercely for customer attention and loyalty.”
At The Edge of A Paradigm Shift, Poised to Lead
It comes as no surprise then that businesses will need to inevitably invest in technologies that will enhance and improve their CX. It would then be prudent for businesses to look at solutions that will not only provide short-term advantages but also long-term outcomes.
Source: Infobip
The Malaysian business landscape has already, albeit defiantly, tapped into this strategy. However, the nation still remains an early adopter of technologies which empower this strategy. This can be seen in both individual and large-scale aspects like governments and businesses. In fact, Malaysia’s speed in moving from a nation depending on cash to a cashless one demonstrates the nation’s willingness to adopt and adapt to technologies in day-to-day business systems.
While Infobip continues to deliver solutions in the form of data centres, SaaS stacks and even advisory, it falls to the businesses themselves to develop policies and approaches that will minimize exposure and keep potential threats at bay. With growing concern among businesses and the general public about data privacy, it would be prudent that businesses then make strides to deploy these technologies tactfully.
GDS, a key player in high-performance data centres, inaugurated its Nusajaya Tech Park (NTP) Data Centre Campus in Johor, Malaysia. The grand event, attended by dignitaries like YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, marked GDS’s strategic entry into Southeast Asia.
GDS takes a huge step in expanding to Southeast Asia with the Nusajaya Tech Park Data Center Campus, the region’s first. The campus, featuring Nusajaya 1, 2, and 3 data centres, covers 22,500 square metres and boasts an impressive 69.5 MW IT power capacity. This move positions GDS to address the growing demand for robust digital infrastructure in Southeast Asia as digitization becomes more imperative with the advancement of AI-driven digitalization.
GDS’s strategic categorization of industry players and its customer-centric approach set it apart. With a 22-year track record, GDS has developed an understanding of the diverse needs of its customers and the budding ecosystem of digitized services. This has enabled them to foster an ecosystem that is able to meet these requirements. An example of this is the innovative Smart DC product that utilises AI and IoT for efficient data centre management.
As digitization continues its rapid deployment across businesses in Southeast Asia, GDS’s Nusajaya Tech Park Data Centre is being geared to address the need for rapid deployment. GDS will employ cutting-edge prefabricated technology, enabling the swift construction of data centres. The NTP Data Center Campus currently hosts 40 employees, with ambitious plans to expand headcount significantly. As the move into Malaysia – and particularly into Johor – will necessitate the expansion and hiring of a workforce with relevant digital skills, GDS will be actively collaborating with colleges, nurturing future talent and contributing to the local tech ecosystem. That said, the company will also be working on hiring skilled talent and upskilling talent to meet the demands of its business.
GDS envisions a robust expansion of its data centre footprint across Malaysia and Southeast Asia in the next decade. The launch of GDS NTP Data Center Campus Phase 1 signifies a strategic focus on SIJORI locations, actively building an ecosystem to meet the region’s growing data centre demands.
