Recognised for extensive capabilities and resources to address cybersecurity gaps among organisations and support data protection efforts in the evolving digital space

TM One, the enterprise and government sector solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM”), was named the Frost & Sullivan Malaysian Cybersecurity Services Company of the Year for 2022.

The award was decided based on a series of detailed evaluations following Frost & Sullivan’s best practices criteria, in which TM One excelled as a service partner in addressing Malaysia’s enterprise and government sector cybersecurity needs.

“TM One is recognized based on its extensive cybersecurity capabilities and resources. With a full suite of cybersecurity services and infrastructure, coupled with a deep understanding of the Malaysian market landscape, TM One continuously upholds a strong reputation of effectively addressing its customers’ security needs,” said Anh Tien Vu, Industry Principal, Global Cybersecurity Research Team at Frost & Sullivan.

Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President, TM One, said: “We are honoured to receive the Frost & Sullivan Malaysian Cybersecurity Services Company of the Year Award. With cybersecurity emerging as a top priority for organisations in their transformation journey, we are committed to growing our end-to-end solutions so that we can provide our customers digital freedom and peace of mind as they expand their businesses in the digital space. Understanding their unique business needs, we work with organisations to assess their cybersecurity capabilities and provide advisory services through our dedicated TM One Cyber Defense Centre (CYDEC) – helping them make the right choices to respond to cyber threats more effectively.”

Addressing Cybersecurity Gaps among Enterprises and Public Sector

More Malaysian organisations are now investing heavily in cybersecurity. As they become increasingly present and vulnerable in the digital space, organisations need to adopt a stronger security posture in their information technology, operational technology, and cloud infrastructure capabilities.

Shazurawati said, “One of the key challenges for organisations is the shortage of in-house security expertise, professionals, and tools, requiring them to outsource their security operations. By working closely with customers to assess their security posture, technology maturity, and business needs, TM One offers customised solutions for managed security services, consultation and advisory, and other value-added services to help them navigate today’s complex technological landscape.”

TM One is also strengthening the public sector’s cybersecurity, working alongside the Malaysian Government to enhance digital connectivity and smart innovations for cities and industries to propel the nation towards becoming a digital economy. In addition to connectivity, TM One continues to invest in local data centres, digital infrastructure and services, ensuring data sovereignty remains within Malaysian borders while bringing global best practices to the nation’s public sector.

Its investments to strengthen Malaysia’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is one of its efforts to protect government and public data, with its cybersecurity solutions developed in compliance with Bank Negara Malaysia’s Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) policy and the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA).

Anh Tien Vu said, “One consideration that stood out for Frost and Sullivan was that TM One has earned endorsements and collaborations from local cyber authorities, such as Cybersecurity Malaysia and the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) of Malaysia through its implementation of best practices, and world-class infrastructure backed by experts. Frost & Sullivan commends TM One’s steadfast efforts in providing cybersecurity services that exemplify this implementation of best practices, which have benefited customers and communities tremendously.”

“On top of developing our own end-to-end solutions, TM One continues to strengthen its partnership ecosystem, collaborating with companies from various security domains to diversify its offerings and coverage. This includes FNS Value Co. Limited, the sole distributor of its Blockchain Secure Authentication solution in Malaysia, which helps secure digital transactions and online credentials, and Telefónica Tech – a global leader in cybersecurity, Cloud and IoT, as a partner in delivering Digital Risk Protection,” explained Shazurawati.

“Our efforts to expand our cybersecurity services and to provide customers with cutting-edge security reflect our commitment to tackling today’s growing cybersecurity concerns. With next-gen technologies such as 5G opening up both new opportunities and threats, TM One is poised as the enabler for organisations’ next advantage and security, today and tomorrow,” she concluded.

• Integration of TM’s robust and secure digital infrastructure for fixed and wireless connectivity and smart solutions will position SSIP as one of the leading industrial parks in Selangor to implement end-to-end digitisation across facilities
• Smart solutions for businesses, industries, residences and community with advanced analytics to deliver a smarter and more efficient city for a greener Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 AUGUST 2022 – NCT Group of Companies (NCT) and Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through its enterprise and public sector business solution arm, TM One, have today signed a Collaboration Agreement for the integration of end-to-end digital solutions for NCT’s landmark Selangor Smart Industrial Park (SSIP).

The collaboration is aligned with NCT’s aspirations to establish dynamic and future-ready property developments while redefining Malaysia’s industrial park concept, with SSIP on track to become the first Managed Industrial Park (MIP) certified park in Malaysia.

Powered by TM’s robust and secured digital infrastructure for both fixed and wireless connectivity, as well as digital solutions including Smart Services, ICT Solutions, Cloud and Cybersecurity Services, among others, SSIP will offer a differentiated experience with the latest in smart innovations – becoming one the leading developments in Malaysia to effectively implement end-to-end digitisation across all its facilities that will enable more efficient, modern and sustainable operations.

In addition to the digitalisation of business and residential facilities, SSIP will also include an AI-managed centralised employee quarters complete with smart surveillance, supporting NCT’s close to 10,000 workforce more efficiently, in a safer and secured environment. It will also house a Smart Wellness Centre leveraging on TM One’s end-to-end comprehensive digital solutions.

SSIP will reflect NCT’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspiration and decarbonisation goals, with plans for 1,000 units of solar-ready factories and warehouses. Coupled with TM’s Smart Service solutions such as Smart Surveillance, Smart Street Light, Smart Building, Smart Premise, Smart Parking and Smart Community, this will also factor into creating a comfortable and greener ecosystem in SSIP.\

Dato’ Sri Yap Ngan Choy, Group Managing Director of NCT said “It is a privilege to work alongside TM to ensure full suite of connectivity to power our SSIP. The role of TM is crucial in providing the groundwork and framework to realise our vision of creating a fully integrated end-to-end digital solution for our clients. With the development and application of advanced technology, we aim to set a new benchmark to transform the design of industrial parks in the country while playing an active role in advancing Malaysia’s digital aspirations. Coupled with the immense economic potential, SSIP will continue to enhance Selangor’s position as the top investment destination in the country.”

Shazurawati Abd Karim, TM One’s Executive Vice President shared, “We are excited to embark on this alliance with NCT and to support their aspirations to establish a smart, efficient, resilient and sustainable industrial park – one that will redefine the digitalisation of property developments in Malaysia.”

“Aligning with TM’s mission to become a human-centred technology company, our comprehensive solutions from connectivity to smart services and digital innovations will advance the quality and efficiency of businesses and residents within SSIP – taking transformation forward for future communities,” she concluded.  

For further information on TM One, visit www.tm.com.my/tmone

Shazurawati Abd Karim – Executive Vice President , TM One

TM One’s LEAP Summit 2022 revolved around the theme of encouraging companies to make their next move in digital innovation and transformation. During the summit, digital experts from across the globe were brought together to shed light on transformation process their companies experienced and discussed pointers for others to be emulated. This article outlines the closing speech by Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President at TM One where she officially launched TM One’s 5G Sphere Programme and shared with us its benefits.

5G to Fill in the Gaps of Our Digitalisation Process

The next generation of mobile network infrastructure has arrived. 5G is now deployed across numerous states, industrial areas, and technology parks in Malaysia and is projected to be accessible to at least 80% of the population by 2024. This will mark another evolution of information and communications infrastructure which will far outweigh our transformative experience during the transition to 4G.

5G is ready to take its place as a new breed of communications infrastructure. Businesses and consumers alike can expect an elevated digital experience through the benefits of 5G, such as:

• Faster transmission of large quantities of data
• Easy computation of data
• Improved real-time detection
• Instant analysis and action for data usage efficiency
• Reduced downtime and improvements in safety
• Better business performances
• Elevated user experiences

The Next Smart Solution for Businesses

For businesses, the adoption of digital solutions must be able to cater to the individual needs of every industry for it to be truly effective. This understanding has deepened over the years across several industries.

For example, financial services have refined and regulated selection processes for highly specific digital solutions to manage the large catalogue of services within the industry, from processing loan applications to financial product acquisition.

Another example can be taken from the usage of digital solutions in public spaces. Amsterdam’s smart city shows proof of the utilisation of smart solutions managed to streamline cost management, while simultaneously accelerated their smart city planning process. Within the manufacturing industry, digital solutions have transformed the management of production lines, resulting in highly efficient operations and cost savings.

While brief, these are just a handful of examples which indicate the versatility of the digital services being provided in serving specific industry needs, and how a targeted approach can generate insightful decision-making and streamlines operation. This understanding, coupled with the introduction of 5G, shows heavy promise in accelerating the adoption of these solutions and the benefits that come with it, paving the way for businesses to update and elevate performances even further.

However, while we strongly encourage businesses to begin scaling up their digitalisation efforts, we must also keep in mind the risks that come with. Indeed, a heavy reliance on technological tools and services presents a higher vulnerability to cyberattacks.

Shazurawati quoted a 2022 Kroll Cyber Risk and CFOs study of CFOs in Asia Pacific where 84% of the respondents confirmed they had more than three cybersecurity incidents in the last 18 months

A ranking by VPN service company SurfShark, placed Malaysia at the 11^th spot as a highly invasive and digitally threatened country. This indicates that unfortified businesses may experience an influx of cybercrimes in the future, resulting in potential data and financial loss.

While we chase our dreams of achieving total digital transformation, we must ensure that pursuing and upgrading our cybersecurity networks remains an uncompromisable priority.

Considering our new digital landscape and the potential vulnerabilities that come with it, there is a real need for a safe acquisition and integration process of digital solutions for businesses to be able to align their processes towards an IR 4.0 nation.

Entering a new era of productivity and safety with TM One’s 5G Sphere Programme

A new alliance between TM One and global and Malaysia’s top tech and smart services partners has now given rise to the 5G Sphere Programme.

The programme is an ecosystem of smart and digital solution enablers for enterprises for their innovation and transformation to the Next. TM One 5G Sphere partners harness the 5G services and capabilities to accelerate the fit for purpose solution and use cases from ideation to implementation for enterprises. All industry verticals public sector services, healthcare, education institutions, factories, manufacturers, and the transport and logistics sector could benefit from opportunities to smarterising their business operations with multiplicity of IoT-related solutions.

These tools will boost education institutions, factories, manufacturers, and the transport sector in revamping their systems and operations. There are also opportunities in propelling businesses in reaching 5G-related opportunities that lie on the horizon (i.e. Video monitoring, logistics, and fleet management). 

If there is one lesson to be taken from the uncertainty we experienced during the pandemic, it is one which highlights the value of innovation to businesses that is proven to be an effective investment for business sustainability and stability.  Rooting today’s efforts towards supporting tomorrow’s needs is key for strong, resilient organisations, capable of withstanding dynamic changes of the business landscape and even creating growth trajectories within the competitive market. As Malaysia’s business landscape continues to evolve, TM One is your trusted partner to propel you to greater heights towards a digital nation.

To register your interest in TM One 5G Sphere Programme, please visit https://www.tmone.com.my/5g/

Panelists:

Fabian Bigar, Chief Executive Officer, MyDIGITAL
Effendy Shahul Hamid, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Digital Assets, CIMB Group
Ir. Dr. Lim Eu Shawn, Chief Global Solutions Officer, Aerodyne Group

Moderator:

Manoj Menon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, twimbit

This article summarises the second panel discussion held during our LEAP Summit event which discussed trends and tips for Malaysian businesses to stay on top of their digitalisation game. The panel was moderated by Manoj Menon from twimbit, and was joined by Fabian Bigar from MyDIGITAL, Effendy Shahul Hamid from CIMB Digital Assets, and Ir. Dr. Lim Eu Shawn from Aerodyne Group as the panellists, who shared their experiences on digitalising their own organisations and the impact that the government initiative had upon their journeys.

Pushing Through the Turbulence of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic presented a slew of unprecedented challenges to businesses, ranging from lockdown restrictions to disrupted supply chains and the dwindling availability of physical labour – challenges which forced many businesses to, unfortunately, throw in the towel.

However, businesses and organisations that managed to weather the storm have now credited their survival to the most valuable weapon in today’s business landscape – digitalisation.

CIMB’s Effendy Shahul Hamid first shared how the pandemic negatively impacted their equities in domestic markets and other firms. However, with today’s updated regulations and internal systems, the industry has managed to bounce back in record time as a new key player has entered the playing field.

Financial technology, or fintech, is now shaking up the industry by spreading the usage of apps and AI analytics to automate several traditional forms of banking such as loan applications and wealth management. To accommodate the newly ravenous appetite for convenience in banking services, the financial service market is now racing to increase technology utilisation into several verticals.

Regulatory frameworks and legacy systems have long since constricted banks’ ability and agility to introduce service revamps. However, as fintech continues to upend the landscape and customer expectations, traditional banks now find themselves at a critical inflection point – the continuing inflexibility of service and a hesitance to transform processes may now spell obsolescence.

Effendy once again emphasised the role of tech integration in facilitating CIMB’s goal of improving their customer experience and are a critical factor in attracting customers back to physical banks, a number that has been dwindling over the past 6 years.

Several organisations have already seen the benefits in integrating financial services into their organisations, with a key result being greater product distribution. Touch ‘n’ Go’s loan application alongside its’ main mobility ecosystem has effectively diversified their revenue portfolio. Meanwhile, Lazada’s Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) offering has elevated customer spending power. However, despite the benefits, non-financial institutions are finding that they lack the credibility and trust placed in traditional banking institutions. This highlights a great possibility of product and service-oriented businesses joining forces with traditional banks to deliver a new breed of convenience and credibility in customer experience.

Aerodyne’s Ir. Dr. Shawn Lim also shared how the Malaysian drone-based solutions provider relied on technology to manage their pandemic struggles. With many of Aerodyne’s operating industries affected by the COVID19 lockdowns, the company found opportunity in shoring up the manufacturing industry. Providing drone services for powerline inspections plugged the lack of labour, while reducing costs as well. An eye for spotting problems solvable by technological solutions opened up another opportunity for Aerodyne as they began rolling into the plantation industry – an industry previously completely out of Aerodyne’s radar. By providing problem-solving technological solutions through automated harvests, pesticide application and targeted fertilisation, Aerodyne was able to prevent a RM250 million’s worth of crops from being spoiled – clear evidence that realistic, targeted application of technological solutions can transform entire industries, equalling to success and sustainability for an organisation.      

Government Initiatives Easing the Path of Digitalisation

Alongside businesses’ efforts to harness the benefits of digital transformation, a strong support system is crucial in ensuring a smooth transition. The Malaysian government has been making great strides to encourage digital transformation in the nation. One of the key efforts is in launching initiatives such as MyDIGITAL in 2021, with the aim of elevating Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high income country.

MyDIGITAL spearheads the execution of The Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, a comprehensive national strategy to promote the country’s socioeconomic development, using cutting-edge technology.

The first phase of MyDIGITAL sought to solidify the framework of the nation’s adoption of digital technology. Fabian Bigar from MyDIGITAL shared how the budget for bringing micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) online has now grown from RM175,000 to RM1 million – indicating the appetite among MSMEs to participate in the digital economy.

Collaborations have been the cornerstone to success of the initiative. Fabian also shared about how several organisations, including TM, have contributed expertise and manpower to help spearhead MyDIGITAL’s initiative. These collaborations also include making iterative improvements to the MyDIGITAL framework. As the initiative moves into Phase 2, stakeholders such as the MyDIGITAL team, external organisations and government agencies conducted a thorough review of Phase 1, outlining learnings and improvements to be made. This cooperative approach has been instrumental to the framework’s development and signals the mutual desire across all stakeholders in pushing Malaysia towards a more digitally-inclined future.

Staying Relevant with the Upcoming Digitalisation Trends

However, beyond the first steps of digitalisation, the business world must learn to brace for the rapid advancements of technology and the changes that come with it. Within this year, the advent of 5G alone has hugely elevated the capabilities of smart solutions and its’ potential to streamline operations for several industries – this looks to set off another chain of trends and solutions that may transform the business landscape again.

Effendy and Shawn both shared the key business trends that are looking to greatly impact their industries.

Effendy’s take on the trends which will impact the banking industry include:

• The evolution of core banking systems: Banks must re-evaluate their technology, strategy, delivery strategy, and product origination and production to be on par and capable in delivering new consumer expectations effectively.
• Partnerships to generate customers: Banks need to work with multiple partners to complement their weaknesses in creating a holistic offering and encourage customer growth.
• Motivating and upskilling available talent: Many of the changes required from banks can be driven by internal manpower – banks must invest in their available talent and ensure existing teams have the skills required to thrive in a digital ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Shawn shared his thoughts on key business trends that are set to change Aerodyne and many other tech organisations:

• Hyper-competition: As markets become more saturated, the right application of tech and a solid business model is essential in delivering to customers.
• Reskilling talent for a digital economy:  Companies need to be able to cater to the displaced manpower as smart solutions slowly take over the operations of the company.
• Pivoting for an inclusive ecosystem: Digital tools must be built to strengthen the current ecosystem and empower the next level of business for entrepreneurs.

The First Step into Digitalisation for Businesses

It is clear that digitalisation is crucial for a company’s growth and this journey starts by highlighting the priorities of the company which can vary drastically for each company.

• MyDIGITAL values revising the work they have conducted to improve their work in the future.
• CIMB values core decision making which revolves around data intelligence.
• Aerodyne pushes for building a resilient ecosystem and sustainable practice.

In spearheading the digitalisation process, organisation and industry leaders have a big role to play. Hesitance and uncertainty are givens when transforming entire business processes. However, the role of digitalisation in creating resilience and sustainability for today’s business world is not inescapable. The panel concluded that to do this effectively, industry leaders must be open to learning from others, with a strong sense of humility within oneself, and have a certain degree of faith that the digitalisation process will pay off.

To find the ideal digital and smart solutions by TM One which can enable and accelerate your Next digitalisation journey, visit www.tmone.com.my

Panelist:
Datuk Bacho Pilong, Senior Vice President, Project Delivery & Technology, PETRONAS

Moderator:
Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President, TM One  

Puan Shazurawati was joined by Datuk Bacho Pilong for a fireside discussion where he discussed Petronas’ digital transformation. This article illustrates Petronas’ journey toward digitalisation and how it has helped them stay competitive and current with trends.

Digitalisation Gives Petronas the Foresight on Upcoming Trends

Well-known as Malaysia’s Energy company, Petronas is part of the Top 10 Energy brands globally and is considered to be a valuable ASEAN brand, based on the 2022 Brand Finance Global 500 report¹.  After being established in 1974 by young and eager talents, Petronas first took on a regulatory role by supervising integrated Energy companies (IECs) and then honed in on its Energy trades. Datuk Bacho Pilong shared that Petronas aspired to add value to gas molecules, which later catapulted Malaysia’s liquified natural gas (LNG) industry. The organisation made its first breakthrough in 1998 by producing and selling its first cargo of oil through a first successful international venture in Vietnam.  To date, Petronas has impacted over 100 countries such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Africa.

Petronas made an early start on its digital transformation journey, which began 5 years ago when advanced tech was still new to Malaysia. Thanks to this decision, the company was able to monitor the market trends closely, giving it an upper hand at predicting and preparing for the consequences of COVID19. While most of the world were struggling to stay connected, Petronas was able to maintain communication among its employees by rolling out collaboration tools as provided by TM’s cloud services. Not only did this result in Petronas being able to continue its operations, the company was able to continue monitoring and managing its international offices. This borderless connectivity between Petronas’ geoscientists, petroleum engineers, and engineers in Kuala Lumpur allowed the team to consistently deliver outputs without disruptions. Within 6 months, top notch cloud-enabled processes and capabilities allowed Petronas to execute its field development plan immediately and seamlessly.

Today, Petronas is moving beyond the fundamentals. The organisation is working to strengthen its essential building blocks, connectivity, and cloud storage to 90%; the systems and processes which proved essential in shoring up the organisations’ resilience and enabled its’ innovations.

The Key Beliefs Propelling Petronas’ Successes

Needless to say, Petronas is a prestigious company known for its’ prosperous growth and world-class operational processes. However, Datuk Bacho shared that the company is still able to scale new heights, mainly in decarbonising its’ operations and creating even more business opportunities. To attain these goals, the organisation is using digital transformation as its’ main weapon and taking a data-driven approach. The approach is powered by three fundamental beliefs:

• Data is an asset: Petronas is looking to harness the millions of data points it gains when its platforms produce hydrocarbons. These data points will be instrumental in creating actionable insights and uncovering new opportunities for the company.

• Digitalisation is an accelerator: Having digitalised its operations, Petronas is also working to deploy automation and robotic tech to streamline its operations

• Tech is a differentiator:  To ensure that Petronas stays ahead of the game and the upcoming trends, the company is looking to continue leveraging on cloud services and automation.

Moving to actualise these components will enable end-to-end transparency and will unlock billions in value for the company and nation.

Leveraging Advanced Tech for Efficient Operations

Petronas in its entirety, has been implementing new technology to streamline its operations. Datuk Bacho also revealed how the decline of production levels and the increase of unit production costs would be detrimental to the bottom line. To overcome that hurdle, advanced technology like robotics, automation, and digital technology have been deployed, reducing the organisation’s OpEx from 30% to 25%.

Recently, Petronas has been utilising remote autonomous operations (RAO) to manage activities offshore and cut back on personnel during offshore projects. The deployment of RAO provides the team with the flexibility to send in a maintenance team to conduct routine and corrective maintenance whereas operations can still be overseen and directed from the headquarters. He also shared how Petronas has been actively deploying robots that communicate with the mother platform. The robots, named ANYmal, are surface operation robots designed for autonomous surveillance and inspection in potentially harmful environments.

The deployment has effectively improved workflows, reduced labour and increased safety by minimising personnel exposure to high-risk tasks.

Petronas’ Future with Digital Twins

To conclude the session, Datuk Bacho shared Petronas’ efforts of introducing digital twins in order to simplify the organisation and reduce residual siloed work processes within the company. During the second-half of this year, Petronas launched its own digital twin, a single system accessible by all employees of the organisation. Below are some benefits Datuk Bacho highlighted:

• Creates comprehensive visibility and transparency across all of the company’s processes, unlocking greater value for the business.
• Makes information visible by providing personnel with equal access to upstream, gas, and downstream business operations.
• Provides each team with a dedicated workstation to encourage collaboration, dialogue and participation across teams.
• Unlocks greater financial value for the company.

Digital twins encourage transparency among all levels of personnel in the organisation. By leveraging on this newly introduced digital twin system, Petronas aspires to be transparent with society with its carbon emission by starting its endeavour in carbon tracking, in hopes of moving Malaysia as a carbon neutral nation by 2025.

Datuk Bacho’s sharing session effectively highlighted how Petronas’s digital transformation and its’ deployment of cutting-edge technology has helped optimise its’ systems and operational processes. He also highlighted how working with select service providers with the right expertise and technology was pivotal in making the transformation a success.

Visit www.tmone.com.my to learn about TM One’s products, solutions and services that can enable and accelerate the Next digitalisation of your business

1 Brand Finance, ‘Global 500 2022’ (2022), https://brandirectory.com/rankings/global/