During COVID-19 crisis, several business activities have slowed down due to social-distancing measures. The New Normal, however, has given a big boom to e-commerce. Priceza, a provider of product search engine and price-comparison shopping site, has lately estimated that Thailand’s e-commerce market will be worth Bt220 billion this year. With such 35-per-cent growth, e-commerce will then account for between four and five per cent of the country’s retail industry.
The figures reflect the fast-changing business landscape in the face of digital-disruption trend. Online distribution looks set to become main distribution channels in the future. For a business to move ahead in this direction with efficiency, it definitely needs a good “back-end system”.
Fast, Stable and Secure
Porravee Niloubol, assistant head of sales at dtac Business, says consumers’ purchase decisions are based on several factors such as product quality, brands, purchasing convenience, and after-sales services. In the digital age, consumers want greater convenience and thus “customer experiences” become key components of customer-journey.
The backbone of great customer journey in the digital age is “IT system”. Considered a back-end system, it has integrated “data” for business management, solutions, and decision-making.
“Business fads are changing fast these days. Each one catches on so swiftly and soon is on the way out. To be a winner, a business must respond to consumers’ needs at the right time. During COVID-19 crisis, some products have unexpectedly become popular. Air fryers, for example, suddenly become a big hit. They are selling so well. If we want to be a player riding on those fads, we need to prepare our back-end system well. The system will determine our potential and competitiveness,” Porravee explains.
In the past, the lead time for a campaign launch was about two weeks with preparations being made in terms of marketing, sales, and inventory during the period. At present, the lead time however is significantly “reducing” as every business seeks to respond to consumers’ needs in the timely manner. Some needs last just a short while, after all.
A back-end system therefore needs to be fast, stable and secure so as to ensure that purchase-order data are stored safely. Enterprises with a huge volume of transactions, in particular, must pay serious attention to their back-end system.
Stepping into Cloud Computing Era
In the old days, IT systems were usually composed of separate components namely software, hardware and internal-communication networks. Such structure, however, often caused problems such as high cost. Fortunately, IT technologies have evolved to a point that Cloud Computing is now available for enterprises to gain easier access to efficient IT systems.
The key concept behind Cloud Computing is “the sharing of resources”. It focuses on computer resources and applications (that serve each function of enterprises such as accounting, customer relations, and hotel management), data storage and data processing. With Cloud Computing, all components of back-end system are connected over internet.
The old IT architecture connects software, data warehouse, and users of big organizations together via Intranet (Private Link) to ensure fast data transmission. However, such architecture requires a huge investment budget and weeks if not months of installation. Cloud Computing, meanwhile, relies on resource-sharing operations and thus can offer “pay-per-user” services. Importantly, its installation takes just a short time.
DTAC Smart Connect is a perfect solution to enterprises using Cloud services especially AWS, Azure, Google, and Alibaba. With this solution, it will be so easy for them to manage Cloud. Even when they use services from not just one Cloud provider, DTAC Smart Connect ensures data-transmission efficiency by giving Direct Connect. Their data can be sent directly to the intended Cloud without the need to go through a private link first. Such Direct Connect, which is in essence an express route, reduces their expenses. They have no need to lease a private link anymore.
“Data transmissions on old IT architecture can be compared to train rides. Passengers can only travel from one station to station based on tracks that have been laid down. DTAC Smart Connect is different, though. Our solution is like the provision of drone-based deliveries. Data can go to intended recipients using the quickest route. AI (artificial intelligence) technology is in place to identify the fastest route. Cloud service providers, for example, will be able to retrieve a shipping report in just one minute instead of hours. The availability of such information means our customers will be able to make the right decisions faster and with greater accuracy,” Porravee says.
Leave Complicated Stuffs to Us & Enjoy the Ease of Use
Poravee explains that dtac Business positions itself as the provider of “business solutions” that respond to every communication need. Backed by solid systems, dtac Business is well ready to help enterprises manage their businesses with more efficiency. Lately, it has integrated Smart Connect powered by NetFoundry to its services. Through its collaboration with the US-based Cloud-solution provider NetFoundry, dtac Business aims at giving its corporate clients the ability to ensure their back-end system keep pace with the fast-changing world.
With NetFoundry’s technological expertise, dtac Smart Connect users can be rest assured that it will take just 10 minutes to install their back-end system. Data transmissions over the system will also be between three and 10 times faster than before. Better still, the system will demonstrate greater stability as its security features are on par with US military-grade data protection security. As Cloud Computing removes any need for Intranet (Private link, hardware and traditional communication system, it reduces installation expenses by between 40 and 80 per cent too.
Smart Connect powered by NetFoundry has four major components namely Fabric, Gateway, Client and Data usage. Customers may shop for what they want based on their actual needs. dtac is pleased to reveal that a budget of a little over Bt10,000 is in fact enough for an enterprise to get an efficient IT system that will pave way for its perfect digital transformation.
NetFoundry’s partners are reliable Cloud Solution providers like Amazon Web Services, Google and Azure. Customers of dtac Business will have the privilege to choose the services of any of them. It can be said that, “Thanks to dtac, all your business needs will be fulfilled”. dtac now embraces the “Be Simple, Honest and Human” theme in implementing its customer-relations strategies.
“Rajiv Bawa, chief business officer of dtac, has the policy to put any complicated stuff in our hands so that customers can enjoy easy-to-use and highly-accessible services,” Porravee says.