Globe, GCash, Cauayan City Ink Strategic Partnership to Deliver 1st World Internet

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Globe Telecom and the Cauayan City government have hammered out a strategic partnership to deliver 1st world internet services as well as create a digital cashless ecosystem, which will be undertaken through GCash.

The partnership involves deployment of an integrated network plan to improve mobile coverage and provide high-speed internet service in the city. The rollout forms part of Globe Telecom’s One Digital City initiative, intended to expand network coverage and enhance capacities, particularly for fixed-line, in a bid to elevate the state of the country’s internet.

“Accelerating ICT development enhances inclusive economic development as it significantly improves delivery of public services, enables enterprises to access valuable information and spur transformation in growth areas. We are grateful for the support that the Cauayan city government extended to Globe and we hope to replicate this partnership in other areas in the country,” Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu said.

As part of using technology for governance, GCash, the mobile money platform of Globe, and Cauayan City have embarked on a pioneer initiative to implement the co-branded Citizen ID cards initially for 5,000 government employees and constituents to provide easy access to social and financial services that will bolster the economy forward. Eventually, the IDs will be rolled-out to all 130,000 constituents of the city.

The Citizen ID may be used to electronically pay government fees and taxes, utilities and other bills electronically and purchases from local merchants; for disbursement of salaries, stipends, allowances and other benefits to citizens, government employees and volunteers; and in the provision of easy, fast and flexible Fuse loans for sustainable livelihood development programs for micro and small and medium enterprises.

Enabling e-payments will help increase access to social and financial services for citizens, reduce opportunity cost lost in cash handling, and tighten security of funds and transparency in government transactions.

Globe has been aggressively ramping up network investments as it gained access to new spectrum resources following partial acquisition of San Miguel’s telecommunication assets such as the 700 megahertz (MHz). Specifically, the company committed to deploy 4,500 sites in about 95% of cities and municipalities in the country within a 3-year period.

The company’s collaboration with the Cauayan city government is also in line with its initiative, which started early this year, of creating an internet superhighway by deploying high-speed broadband technology. Specifically, the company plans to deploy high-speed broadband technology in 2 million homes nationwide by 2020.

Globe has also been pouring significant investment for its corporate data network with additional investment of $50 million. The company started rolling out a capacity expansion program for its corporate data network to address bandwidth requirement of its enterprise clients as they make use of various data solutions to improve business efficiency, enhance productivity, and boost competitiveness. With the partnership, the initiative to enhance Globe Telecom’s corporate data network is also expected to benefit enterprises based in Cauayan as well as help promote social inclusion through technology.

Only One Quarter of Southeast Asian Firms Ready for Digital Leadership

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Nearly one-quarter of Southeast Asian businesses are Digital Leaders, a new study by SAP SE and Oxford Economics, the“ Leaders 2020 study” shows. This is higher than the global average of 16%; this new class of high-performing companies is reporting stronger profit growth, higher employee engagement, and cultures that are more inclusive.

These high-functioning organizations have executives who communicate a company-wide digital strategy, keep management and worker skills up to date, and streamline organizational structure.

Analysis of Southeast Asian firms in the Leaders 2020 study also affirms the business benefits of diversity, showing a correlation between those who are leading in digital transformation and those who have a heightened understanding of the importance of diversity. Digital Leaders around the world and Southeast Asian respondents are both more likely to recognize diversity’s positive impact on culture (66%and 62%, respectively), but only Digital Leaders are more likely to see the benefits in financial performance (37% vs. 25%).

Companies have become more diverse in Southeast Asia than in other regions over the past three years. Three-quarters of Southeast Asian respondents saw diversity improvements in the general workforce of their organization, and 42% saw an increase in board and senior leadership, compared with 67% and 34% globally. However, less than 40% in Southeast Asia state that their company has effective diversity programs in place, signaling more could be done, especially at the senior executive and corporate board levels.

The Leaders 2020 study also found that only 61% of Southeast Asian executives (vs. 55% globally) are making data-driven decisions, a key factor that makes a Digital Leader. It is of little wonder that only 62% of Southeast Asian executives (vs. 59% globally) feel that employees are equipped with the skills necessary to keep up with digital technology.

“A diverse workforce encourages bold, innovative ideas to flourish and in turn, presents insights which are only made possible through that diversity. It is of little coincidence that these two capabilities – leveraging data for decisions and maintaining a diverse workforce – both occur for high-performing organizations,” said Scott Russell, president and managing director, SAP Southeast Asia.

The Leaders 2020 research findings for Southeast Asia revealed at SuccessConnect 2016, the premier conference held by SAP SuccessFactors for HR and C-suite executives in Singapore, shows that it pays to be a Digital Leader:

Byline: Don’t Neglect Security in M&A Due Diligence

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Look at any M&A due diligence checklist and you’ll see the same things: financials, customer information, sales, real estate, intellectual property, contracts—and the list goes on. One thing you may not see is information security, and that can be a crucial mistake.

Like any other critical component of running a business, security needs to be right at the top of the list for M&A due diligence. When combining two companies, they often have different and sometimes even incompatible systems and data. That can create opportunities for hackers. If a company is in the news for a merger or acquisition, it’s a fair bet that hackers and data thieves are going to try their hand at breaching its security. A good business decision can turn bad very quickly if security is an afterthought.

A CFO’s job is to realize the optimal business case, mitigate the risk, and protect the company’s assets, both tangible and intangible. In addition to data, some of a company’s most critical assets are its reputation and the loyalty of customers. An acquisition can make customers of both companies apprehensive. If that’s followed up by a massive breach of sensitive customer data, the companies’ customers will flee in droves.

To avoid that worst-case scenario, here are some things to keep in mind during the M&A process.

Microsoft Selects SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite to Transform HR Globally

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SAP SE announced that Microsoft has chosen the full SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite, including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, for its 114,000 full-time employees. Microsoft selected the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite for its global capabilities, flexibility and extensibility, and open platform strategy. Microsoft expects not only to reduce costs and drive greater operational efficiency but also to deliver an enhanced employee experience consistent with its mobile-first, cloud-first philosophy that attracts and retains talent, fosters employee engagement and drives improved business outcomes.

Microsoft is the latest addition to a group of global organizations that have selected SAP SuccessFactors human capital management (HCM) solutions to run human resources (HR) in the cloud. As more companies are transforming HR to meet the demands of the digital economy, they are embracing market-leading SAP SuccessFactors solutions to help standardize, simplify and optimize HR processes, and to help increase employee engagement and accelerate innovation through cloud-based HCM.

More than 1,350 leading companies, including Microsoft and Ernst & Young, have selected SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, an innovative core HR system that goes beyond automation to help businesses manage global workforces more efficiently in the cloud.

“HR today has become overly complex, especially for large global enterprises contending with hundreds of legal and regulatory jurisdictions,” said Mike Ettling, president of SAP SuccessFactors. “Microsoft recognizes that transformation requires simplifying that environment, but just as importantly, as a global technology innovator, it also realizes the importance of providing its people with cloud-based solutions that are cool and easy to use. We’re proud to partner in supporting Microsoft’s continuing journey.”

Fortinet Predicts Tipping Point For Cybersecurity as Threats Become More Intelligent, Autonomous, and Difficult to Detect Than Ever Before in 2017

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The evolution of threat landscape creates urgency for increased security accountability at multiple levels to avoid impact to global digital economy

“The expanding attack surface enabled by technology innovations such as cloud computing and IoT devices, a global shortage of cybersecurity talent, and regulatory pressures continue to be significant drivers of cyber threats. The pace of these changes is unprecedented, resulting in a critical tipping point as the impact of cyber attacks are felt well beyond their intended victims in personal, political, and business consequences. Going forward, the need for accountability at multiple levels is urgent and real affecting vendors, governments, and consumers alike. Without swift action, there is a real risk of disrupting the progress of the global digital economy.” - Derek Manky, global security strategist, Fortinet 

Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, today unveiled six predictions from the FortiGuard Labs threat research team about the threat landscape for 2017. These predictions reveal the methods and strategies that Fortinet researchers anticipate cyber criminals will employ in the near future and demonstrate the potential impact of cyber attacks to the global digital economy.