Succeeding in Asia is not a given; many UK organisations have boldly stepped into the region and sometimes failed to gain the traction they are looking for.
However, these failures haven’t dissuaded competitive organisations and as Asia’s economies continue to grow, the region remains an important target for UK companies looking to go global.
Additionally, as pipes get faster and smarter, and the cloud plays an increasingly significant role in global data management, the way the telecommunication industry supports its partners in Asia continues to change.
Telecommunication companies no longer just support voice and data, but have taken on a critical role as a complete connectivity partner, where their regional knowledge and on the ground expertise can mean the difference between making a seamless and successful move into Asia or not.
Spotlight on Asia today:
Research suggests that today, forty per cent of global economic activity is now occurring in Asia, and world growth is expected to continue being led by Asia over the next decade.
Half the world’s population currently lives in the many diverse nations that comprise Asia, and every day, the number of people living in Asian cities grows by more than 120,000.
With figures like these, very soon Asia will not just be the biggest global producer of goods and services; it will also be the biggest global consumer.
Undeniably, Asia’s re-emergence as the world’s most dynamic economic region has focused many minds on the opportunities and challenges of what we see as the Asian century.
A trusted technology partner:
The growing trend of expanding businesses into Asia does however present some challenges that should be properly understood in order to be appropriately addressed.
Without question, getting your IT support and infrastructure right plays a crucial role when breaking into any new market, and can ultimately determine whether you succeed or fail abroad.
To work profitably in Asia, UK businesses need to take a long-term approach and ideally, work with a technology partner who understands the culture within which the market operates.
The region is incredibly diverse with wide language and cultural differences in each country, and varying levels of political maturity and regulation.
In order to navigate these challenges, there are five things UK businesses should consider on their journey into Asia:
1. Local country infrastructure
Whilst data may be stored in the cloud, companies need to ensure it reaches their end-users in a timely and reliable manner.
Without a resilient global network that can intelligently handle latency issues and network outages, a cloud solution can be rendered useless. Bandwidth costs are another aspect to consider when comparing suppliers, as costs in Asia can be higher than in Europe.
Each country has very different technological infrastructures and capabilities, so access rights differ from country to country, and companies need to consider local regulation.
For example if a UK organisation’s data is stored offshore, it could be subject to the laws of the country in which that storage facility is located. This could lead to scenarios such as a foreign government requesting access to stored information.
2. Security and data governance
UK businesses should consider adopting a cloud infrastructure platform that enables them to host data off-shore safely.
Organisations should thoroughly assess cloud service providers before any service agreements are entered into. Careful examination of everything from physical security of data centres and disaster recovery capabilities, to the software tools in place to prevent unauthorised access, should be carried out as a matter of course.
3. Culture and language
An important component of ICT that is often ignored is the understanding of local markets at a granular level. For example, many businesses consider Asia as a single market entity. The reality is that within Asia there are many different markets with vastly different ways of doing business.
To excel in these markets businesses need to have technical expertise within each region. One important feature to consider is choosing an IT partner that is a member of the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA), an organisation focused on creating awareness and understanding of the cloud market and associated capabilities in countries across Asia.
This membership is ideal because ACCA also engages with governments and regulatory bodies across the region to share insights and encourage greater consistency and transparency on policies and capabilities in each country.
4. Increased flexibility
Due to today’s fast moving and changing business landscape, organisations need to be flexible enough to tackle any unexpected changes in the market or meet fluctuations in business demands – especially when operating in a new region.
This approach does not just apply to processes, but must be reflected in the agility of a company’s IT infrastructure, which is an enabler for an organisation.
5. Greater collaboration and support
As businesses expand into Asia and the surrounding regions, the need for collaboration between offices across the globe is crucial to maintain productivity.
Cloud computing helps to make the complex simple by acting as a globally consistent platform upon which applications can be built and delivered according the same or similar specifications worldwide.
This means that by using the cloud, multinational customers can quickly seize new business opportunities – at home and abroad – and get projects up and running faster, without waiting for IT to be deployed. For instance, Telstra customers can add or remove capacity with the click of a mouse to meet their changing needs.
The opportunity ahead:
Although each market presents unique opportunities and challenges, businesses should rest assured that they are not alone in trying to interpret and understand these challenges with regard to localisation, regulatory, security, and accessibility concerns.
Asia presents significant opportunities for UK businesses, and success cannot be achieved by just taking a long-term approach to market entry, but by being flexible and adaptable, and leaning on the wisdom of trusted partners to ensure approaches are well informed.
In order to make sure expansion into Asia is a profitable venture, companies should look for advice and expertise from technology partners that have the experience in the market and knowledge to guide them.
By taking these actions, organisations can be sure their infrastructure will be ready for the business opportunities that Asia presents.
Sulu.com.hk is a online marketplace for tasks and services in Asia Pacific. The platform is based in Hong Kong, which is one of the financial centre in the region. If you are planning to expand your online service business in Asia Pacific, try www.sulu.com.hk!
Reference: http://www.telstraglobal.com/
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