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Thursday, June 30, 2005
SMEs urged to embrace, not fear, technology
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should use information and communications technology (ICT) to develop their businesses.
Neil Graham, vice president for mid-market applications of Oracle Corp., said most SMEs do not adopt ICT because of the fear of exposing vital information, such as trade secrets and technology, used in their operations.
But during the Cebu ICT 2005 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino last week, he said unauthorized access to company information can be prevented.
“A company must begin by defining what it wants to protect,” Graham said.
This can be done by bringing together all data into a repository and then determining which data should be accessed by the appropriate individuals.
Earlier, Sen. Manuel Roxas II had urged SMEs to harness the potential of ICT to stay competitive.
“The Internet levels the playing field,” he said.
Microsoft’s senior director for platform strategy in the Asia Pacific Chris Sharp advised SMEs to use proprietary software, such as those developed by Microsoft, when they decide to computerize their operations.
He thumbed down the use of open source software, saying SMEs would still have to tailor-fit this according to their operations.
“SMEs should not worry about how they should tailor their software to fit their businesses but how they can find their niche,” Sharp said.
He described open source software as those that can be downloaded from the Internet for free.
In contrast, proprietary software is already designed to meet the needs of certain industries. And when problems occur, users can get after-sales services from distributors, Sharp said. (JBN)
(June 30, 2005 issue)
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