TECHNOLOGY
Even though Pakistan’s IT and telecom sectors have experienced steady growth over the last few decades, there runs a common perception that the sector is still under-performing compared to its ‘true’ potential. For instance, when compared to our neighbouring behemoth which is the Indian IT and Telecom industry, policy makers in Pakistan are (and perhaps will remain for some time) considerably envious of the kind of investment and revenues generated across the border.
However, considering the still nascent nature of the country’s ICT infrastructure, it is important that we note the kind of advances that have nevertheless been made within a highly challenging and competitive business environment. The kind of environment that now requires an exceptional level of technical know-how from both large and small businesses.
For instance, managers possessing a diverse and multi-faceted background are not only preferred but required in roles that have fast become increasingly versatile amongst today’s corporations. The kind of skill-set now required from them is heavily dependent on a sound technical background in the latest technologies and business platforms. This holds even truer within the rapidly changing ICT industry, where live updates and a continuous data stream have become pivotal in maintaining the cutting edge, required in today’s competitive environment.
Assisting today’s versatile managers and executives with this challenge, are a new breed of IT firms offering unique solutions, categorised under the broad, yet vague nomenclature of ‘digital solutions.’
These for example usually comprise of vast data centres that have become the cornerstone of modern day business practices across major industries. These often include state of the art data hosting and storage services which play an integral role within this evolving milieu of technological advancement, where confidentiality and privacy pose increasingly immense challenges for today’s firms. Recent examples of controversies surrounding leaked documents and confidential information can be found awash in daily news cycles.
Pakistan presents an interesting example of this fast changing scenario where the effects of this trend are becoming increasingly visible with each passing day. The mushrooming of numerous startups and small to medium enterprises thriving on the recent e-commerce boom lays credence to this change.
Online retail outlets, virtual auto and household markets, as well as recent forays into Bitcoin technology all point towards an exciting new phase where data, and more importantly well-managed data plays an integral role for success. From major banks to manufacturing companies, the sheer scale on which automated processes have come to rely on data networking and processing presents a tremendous leap forward in the way even day to day operations are carried out when compared to the last few decades.
This dynamic shift in business practices has lent to a mushrooming of various specialised setups promoting ‘data solutions’ in the country. For instance, dedicated companies such as Teradata have been assisting key institutions such as NADRA in joining the Digital Age for quite some time now. The emerging benefits to both businesses and average citizens have been apparent with the ease and accessibility of a computerised database of the entire populace (not to mention the ease for security agencies as well).
Similarly, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL’s) foray into data solutions presents ‘the’ example of how this segment of the industry is viewed by the country’s largest ICT services provider. By investing heavily in state of the art data centres at major locations across the country, the company has attempted to set the standard for the provision of secure, reliable and easily accessible networking and storage solutions for both small and large businesses across the country.
The kind of services that companies such as PTCL and Teradata are providing, despite operating under the radar, represents a dynamic shift in the very definition of key business infrastructure.
The otherwise costly and time-consuming need to invest in dedicated servers, setting up fibre links or managing other such services is completely removed, freeing up otherwise valuable resources for both large companies and SMEs. Services such as email collaboration, unified communication, and video conferencing, all now cornerstones of modern day business practices are made possible on a large scale only by such dedicated data centres.
With an increasing number of businesses fast moving towards emerging trends such as cloud and wireless computing, a growing market catering to such data solutions is likely to prove as a key driving force behind the country’s drive towards digitalisation.
So far, the data solutions offered by such companies have allowed numerous businesses to protect critical applications and confidential data. They have allowed for enhanced operational efficiencies and have helped create a secure application environment to support new business processes. These services while requiring a significant level of technical know-how on the part of business-owners are fast becoming a necessity rather than an added advantage to today’s businesses.
With the entire region poised for an e-commerce boom much like the one being witnessed in Europe and North America over the last few years, the market for data solutions is likely to get even more competitive as other players set up similar services. With major players such as PTCL so far leading the charge in terms of capacity and technological innovation, it would be interesting to see the scale of investment on which such platforms are likely to be expanded further by other players rearing to enter the Pakistani market. Whereas, these developments may still not be enough to eclipse Indian or Chinese markets within this sector, they would still present an important milestone in establishing the country as a major contributor to ICT services within the South Asian region as a whole.
The writer is a PR practitioner
