By April next year, small and medium enterprise (SMEs) that want to leverage technology to grow their business will have a more convenient way to purchase their infocomm and business operations-related (non-infocomm) products and services.

Speaking at the 11th Infocomm Commerce Conference, Dr Lee urged infocomm companies to start forging partnerships with other players to develop SME-specific solutions

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore will issue a Call for Collaboration (CFC) later this year, for companies to develop one-stop solutions for SMEs. These solutions will include hardware, network connectivity, basic web development and office productivity tools. Point-of-sale and customer relationship management solutions may also be included. To round off the offering, the package might even contain help in making company stamps, logos and letterheads.

Dr Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, announced this at the 11th Infocomm Commerce Conference organised by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry conference in August. "I would like to urge infocomm companies to look out for this CFC as well as to start forging partnerships with other players to develop SME-specific solutions for our businesses," he said. Trade associations that have plans to promote the use of infocomm to their members can also work with IDA on their requirements, he added.

Vendors at the seminar welcomed the CFC. Mr David Ng, the senior vice president of NEC Asia Pacific's Enterprise Business Group said: "NEC would be keen to participate in such a programme as we have a wide range of solutions and services readily available for this market segment. We would want to work closely with IDA to ensure that the services and products offered initially meet with SME requirements."

Hewlett-Packard was similarly interested. Welcoming the CFC, Mr Robin Seow, General Manager, Personal Systems Group, HP Singapore, said the company is committed to helping SMEs leverage technology to support their business objectives. It is also looking forward to making a significant contribution to this initiative with its expertise, knowledge and strong network of partners, he added.

The upcoming CFC is part of IDA's plan to help SMEs migrate to the digital age. An IDA survey shows that about seven in 10 businesses with less than 200 employees do not have a web presence. The IDA's aim is to have 80 per cent of SMEs adopt broadband and establish an online presence by 2010. To this end, the IDA launched the SME Infocomm Resource Centre at Singapore Polytechnic in June this year. The centre showcases technology, organises workshops and provides consulting services to SMEs.

IDA and Spring Singapore have also set aside S$5 million to help SMEs grow using infocomms. The fund will be used to defray up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost of manpower, hardware and software needed to develop an infocomm solution for an SME.

Dr Lee noted that with Singapore's economy doing well, now is the best time for companies to invest in technology. This is because businesses now have the additional revenue to make that investment, he said. "Today, infocomm technology is no longer a luxury, but an essential part of every business's operation," he said. "It enables you to remain competitive, for example, through virtual storefronts for brand promotion and market developments, or raise efficiency of back-end processes by applying digital solutions."

He cited the example of traditional Chinese medicine clinic chain Ma Kuang Healthcare Group. Through infocomm technology, it has linked up its 23 clinics around Singapore so that the head office has a consolidated view of the clinics' operations and performance. Patient records and an inventory system for Chinese medicine and prescriptions are available online. As a result of this investment in technology, data entry errors are reduced and new branches can be set up quickly. Ma Kuang's operational efficiency and service quality has increased 20 per cent since the introduction of infocomm technology, he said.

Speech by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and The Arts at
the 11th Infocomm Commerce Conference 2007 .