Alibaba Cloud confirms commitment to Malaysia’s nation-building efforts

Alibaba Cloud Malaysia is working hard to grow its local cloud channel ecosystem as part of the company’s “passion and commitment” to Malaysia’s nation-building efforts.

In a statement, country manager Kenny Tan said that this initiative forms part of the company aligning itself to contribute specifically to Malaysia’s digital economy.

“As a locally registered company, Alibaba Cloud Malaysia is in an ideal position to catalyse digital transformation spanning both the public and private sectors, aiming for the enrichment of the lives of the rakyat [the people] and local businesses,” said Tan.

“Our local partners, in turn, will be an extension of Alibaba Cloud Malaysia and our emergence as one of the top Cloud providers in the world,” said Tan

According to international research firm Gartner, Alibaba Cloud is alongside Amazon Web Services and Microsoft as one of the world’s top three cloud computing platforms.

“With such empowerment comes great responsibility and this is true for us here in Malaysia as well,” explained Tan.

“Late last year, prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the “Cloud First” strategy as a national agenda. Being in this industry itself, we have great confidence that this will serve to catalyse the digital economy even further. This ties in to another item on the national agenda, which is digital transformation.”

Alibaba Cloud Malaysia, as a provider of cloud infrastructure and services, is on the front line of this manifesto, said Tan.

“Through faster delivery of information technology services, digital services in the country can now offer businesses the capabilities once only to be had by massive corporations,” Tan said.

“We allow them to work in or with technologies to offer new and better services, such as data sharing and online transactions, in which resources are retrieved from the Internet through web-based tools and applications. The cost is only a fraction of what it used to be. And the limit is nearly inexistent, thanks to the scalability of cloud services.”

“With a strong local presence in Malaysia, Alibaba Cloud has tied itself to the future of the country. The purpose is not only to offer cutting-edge cloud computing technologies, but to also extend these capabilities to various industry verticals, including those who face regulatory obstacles in areas such as data storage,” he added.

Late last year, the Alibaba Group announced the first Electronic World Trade Platform, or eWTP hub outside of China, which offers Malaysian small medium enterprises (SMEs) the infrastructure for doing commerce with services encompassing e-commerce, logistics, cloud computing, mobile payment and talent training and which also forms part of the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ).

Earlier this month, Alibaba Cloud Malaysia also announced a collaboration with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and City Hall (DBKL) to make Kuala Lumpur the first city outside of China to implement its “City Brain” solution. The solution is aimed at making traffic flow smoother within Malaysia’s capital.

At the event, Alibaba Group president Simon Hu said: “Cloud computing, data technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have become fundamental tools for all companies and organisations to operate effectively.

“Building on this partnership, we are happy to see Malaysia become the first country outside of China to adopt the “City Brain” solution. Through this initiative, we aim to empower all Malaysian stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, with the tools to enhance efficiency, advance in innovation and to succeed in the digital age.

“Malaysia remains one of our key investment markets. We have strong confidence in the country’s digital economy vision and its National Artificial Intelligence Framework. This collaboration with MDEC and DBKL solidifies our longstanding partnership with Malaysia.”

The Alibaba Group is also the Official Cloud and eCommerce Partner at the ongoing Winter Olympic Games.

“Through our technology, we help create a more efficient and enjoyable experience for all audiences of all sizes,” said Tan.

Tan then proceeded to quote the Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma: “Like the Olympic Games, Alibaba believes in creating a level playing field, giving everyone the chance to compete on the global stage.”

“Here in Malaysia, it is this very mission which excites us as we wake up in the morning and go to work every single day,” he concluded.