“ENTERPRISES in the country continue to realize the benefit of the Cloud not only as an investment but a tool for real business transformation,” Mina Luz-Lim, Country Managing Director of Oracle Philippines declared to a small group of technology media recently.
Lim also asked “how can companies best harness the power of data in a way that easily delivers real-time, streamlined insights without compromising security?” She then pointed out to how a modern, solid, reliable Cloud infrastructure can be maximized so that it can respond to the demands of customers to the enterprises of today.
These enterprises Lim referred to include Security Bank, PhilCement, Baguio City government among many others are Oracle Cloud residents and have reaped the value of being able to be agile, flexible and data driven in the management and progress of their businesses. This business success also comes with something that is both customer- and environment-centric: sustainability.
“Our system works to deliver efficiency. And with efficiency comes sustainability. This not only makes companies running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure faster and more flexible, it also brings with it a better bottom line–not just profit–but a positive impact to the environment and society too,” Lim said as she pointed out how there is a direct correlation between having a connected data strategy and the success of a company.
“There is so much data being generated out there,” Lim points out explaining that responsibly managing it and making the best out of this data means more precise perspectives and better insights. But without an infrastructure where to manage it, all the information may not be useful at all given the varied and growing complexities of data ingestion, data processing, data management, and data security.
She then points to artificial intelligence and machine learning as the coming together of processes that ultimately free up manpower by handling the mundane routines, so there is more focus on creatively tackling problems. Lim also said that AI and ML are “life rafts” that rescue businesses and keep them afloat in the massive sea of data. By doing so businesses identify areas where they are able to disrupt and create meaningful changes, instead of simply drowning in data.
Oracle believes that harnessing all the data available is the beginning of a true corporate digital transformation.
“It is no longer a buzzword,” Lim points out responding to a question from Malaya Business Insight. Digital transformation used to mean one or sections of businesses digitalizing. According to the Oracle Chief, this can no longer be the case because the pandemic had created new opportunities which needs to be matched and responded to by companies. As an example she mentioned how the retail sector was disrupted, requiring digitalization not only in ordering but all the way to warehousing, delivery and feedback. She also cited as an example, the Baguio City Government portal which helps manage a return of tourism to the country’s summer capital, with attention to safety protocols and contact tracing–something impossible to do in real time without the power of OCI.
“With the adoption of a strong Cloud foundation the City of Baguio has been able to adapt quickly to serve the tourists while ensuring their physical safety and deliver on its smart city goals,” Lim said in an earlier statement.
Towards the conclusion of the media roundtable, Lim recommended the creation of small, tactical teams of data scientists utilizing the Cloud, AI and ML to quickly respond to the accelerated pace of the pandemic-induced digitization. Small teams are more agile, able to quickly deploy, in order to maintain, and improve a company’s digitalization.
