by LYDIA NATHAN / pic credit: RedHatAPAC FB

THE digital economy has enabled businesses to tap into new opportunities for growth widened while providing solutions for society and government to improve efficiency.

Red Hat Inc country manager for Malaysia and Brunei, Eric Quah, said digital transformation is vital to facilitate automation and drive businesses to grow and move with the times ahead.

Quah said the society also gained from the digital economy, such as through new job opportunities created for gig workers as business models have changed.

“For businesses, it is safe to say traditional practices have been disrupted because of the new business models.

“For instance, physical products and services have turned digital, while cloud computing allows businesses to procure services without having to own and maintain assets,” Quah said in a virtual briefing recently.

He said governments could increase the scope and quality of public services by investing in digital technologies.

He said a few organisations have adopted and are utilising Red Hat’s automation products that have helped them increase productivity and efficiency of services such as licence applications, tax filing, and procurement processes.

Quah said government agencies are not facing challenges on the technology but rather more on the policies in their digital transformation journey.

“The mindset of agencies needs to change so services can be opened up and consumed to integrate. That is the first milestone for governmental agencies to deliver better services.

“Some agencies are more forward-thinking than the rest, for the need to be able to work inter-department or inter-agency has proved most useful. Talent and skills is a challenge, but management services can definitely be a solution,” Quah said.

Overall, he said Malaysia is on par with other countries in the region in technological advancement and talents for a digital transformation.

He said the critical point is to focus on government policies and programmes to support entrepreneurs.

“This involves the entire ecosystem, including the private sector as one of the main players that can play the role of accelerating the MyDigital initiative,” Quah added.