300 local SMEs already signed up for Cisco’s digitisation drive

From left: Cisco Systems (India) Operations Sales Director Mukundhan Manimandiran, Cisco India and Sri Lanka Commercial Sales Managing Director Sudhir Nayar and Cisco International Sri Lanka and Maldives Country Manager Gerald Vethanayagam – Pic by Ruwan Walpola

By Himal Kotelawala

Networking giant Cisco last week launched Cisco START, an initiative the organisation says is designed to help Sri Lankan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) build their digital foundation and become globally competitive.

According to Cisco India and Sri Lanka Managing Director Sudhir Nayar, Cisco START serves as a platform for SMEs to go digital in seven clicks or 10 minutes, at a cost not exceeding $70 per user per year for a typical 50-user business.

Nayar said 300 customers have already signed up for the service, adding that Sri Lanka is “absolutely ready” for the next big wave of digitisation, given the country’s high literacy rate and its growing per capita GDP.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to help SMEs to go digital, to give the right amount of impetus to the digitisation drive of the country,” he said.

Among the more high profile private enterprises whose digitisation Cisco has assisted with is Nations Trust Bank, according to Nayar. The company has also helped the Government of Sri Lanka set up a core network of 800 offices.

“We have also advised the Government on the Megapolis project and smart city project,” he said.

Speaking at a media conference held in conjunction with the launch, Nayar said one of the benefits of digitisation will be transparency. Asked if such transparency will come at the cost of privacy, he told Daily FT that as long as a proper authentication system was in place, such concerns need not arise.

“I really don’t think so. That’s where a really good secure system comes into play, where you set up your system to authenticate the right user with no malicious intent to come in.

“I don’t think it has any impact on privacy. You’re securing yourself. If you’re opening up information, if you’re making your information available you don’t want anybody with a malicious intent to come in. You block that. Everybody else should be able to come in, use it and get out. Always look at a possible threat and a possible inclusion,” he said.

Asked if citizens would have to take it in good faith that the Government won’t misuse the information, he said a foolproof system needed to be set up.

“You make your system foolproof and only the right authenticated people should be able to use it.”

Two years ago, Cisco India launched a Smart City project in Jaipur, Rajastan, which Daily FT covered. Nayar claimed that the project has shown “very good” progress, citing as an example an electronic police post set up at a shopping mall for the benefit of women who may not be comfortable going to the actual police.

So far, no towns in Sri Lanka have been identified as potential smart cities, although Cisco says it has, together with the Government, looked at different areas.

“No concrete decisions just yet, but we’re engaged with them on an advisory level.”

“SMEs and midmarket account for almost 52% of Sri Lanka’s GDP and employ a workforce of over a million people making it one of the most critical high-growth segments in the country. With Sri Lanka looking to drive growth through digitisation, SMBs have become an essential component of the country’s digital transformation journey. However, SMBs face challenges such as access to right technology, lack of skill sets as well as high entry cost that limit their ability to scale and seize opportunities provided by digitisation,” the conglomerate said in a press release announcing the launch.

Cisco START aims to make it easy for SMEs and midmarket customers to embrace digitisation by providing them with access to a suite of simple, secure and smart enterprise-class technologies, specifically tailored to their needs, particularly in the form right-sized, right-priced solutions, enhanced operations, and improved workforce productivity, it added.