Malaysiakini will be the official online media partner for the soon-to-be-launched MakeITwork initiative which is expected to make a huge impact on the local SME (small and medium enterprises) community in the coming months.

MakeITwork is a unique industry-wide initiative conceived to accelerate the development of a more globally competitive business community by driving awareness of the latest technology resources available to business owners today.

This initiative is endorsed by SME Corporation Malaysia (formerly known as SMIDEC) and spearheaded by Microsoft Malaysia with support from other industry giants such as Hewlett-Packard Malaysia and DIGI.

The initiative also has the support of Pikom (the National ICT Association of Malaysia), which represents the country's information and communications technology (ICT) industry with more than 1,000 member companies involved in a whole spectrum of ICT products and services and which commands 80 percent of the total ICT trade in Malaysia.

mkini microsoft partnership 29092009 Microsoft Malaysia marketing manager Ramesh Rajandran ( far left ) said that MakeITwork was conceived at the start of the year with industry partners to encourage local SMEs to fully embrace and integrate ICT into their business models so that greater productivity and operational efficiencies can be realised for the benefit of the country's competitiveness.

"In its true role, technology is a powerful business enabler for our local businesses as customised solutions help companies automate processes, make profitable decisions and accelerate growth," said Ramesh.

He said that technology amplified the impact of business success when incorporated into traditional ‘brick and mortar' business models.

"Although we appreciate the fact that majority of SMEs today do not have large IT departments, they should nevertheless consider customised easy-to-use solutions so that they are able to compete globally at the next level," added Ramesh.

"May that be solutions customised for financial management, customer relationship and/or supply chain management, technology serves to enhance and improve what the existing business model is," said Ramesh.

According to him, the objective of the MakeITwork initiative was to carry this message across to the SME community in a most conducive and user-friendly manner.

A nation-building effort

Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran, meanwhile, expressed his support for the initiative, which he described as a "nation-building effort".

"The reach and quality of Malaysiakini 's readership dovetails nicely with the objectives of the MakeITwork programme. We look forward to a successful partnership with Microsoft Malaysia and salute them for championing this nation-building effort together with HP Malaysia and DIGI.

"At the same time, we would also like to thank SME Corporation for their support," said Premesh, who also cited Malaysiakini as a SME that has grown tremendously as a result of the Internet and ICT adoption.

hafsah hashim 290909 Meanwhile in a statement, SME Corp CEO Hafsah Hashim ( right ) said that Malaysian SMEs account for more than 90 percent of companies incorporated in the country.

"SME Corp is keen to help SMEs benefit from the use of IT and we hope that MakeITwork will come to be regarded as a trusted platform for them to understand technology and its role as a business enabler," she added.

"Over the years, many Malaysian SMEs have invested in their IT infrastructure and systems that have made a difference to business productivity and success.

"These companies, recognising a need for innovation and a change in mindset, took bold steps to accelerate their own digital inclusion and joined hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide to realise their potential through smart investment in the power of IT," she said.