HK IT execs get tips to face downturn

Hong Kong businesses were last week advised ways to utilise technology in meeting the challenges of the current economic crisis.

At Microsoft's AchieveMORE Summit, experts shared experiences of using IT to help businesses to respond more quickly to market changes and new business opportunities; protect their capital investment and lower operating costs; and prepare to capture future growth opportunities more quickly than competitors when market conditions improve.

"The economic downturn is hitting all businesses hard, including the IT industry," said John Phillips, enterprise technology strategist, Microsoft Asia Pacific. "However, IT is also in the midst of a profound transformation that positions it as a savior for businesses that need to increase efficiencies and be ready to turn crisis into opportunity."

Focus on ROI

In the panel discussion, chief information officers (CIO) shared how their priorities shifted to help businesses survive the downturn and still be primed for the upswing.

"The focus today must turn to gaining maximum business value from not only new projects, but also those previously implemented in the good times", said Patrick Slesinger, director and CIO of Wallem Services. "Without economic or commercial pressures, implementations can tend to take the easier rather than best path."

Last year, Slesinger's IT team implemented one of the biggest enterprise resource planning solutions in Asia, and was among the five winners of CIO Asia magazine's CIO Award.

The award recognised Wallem's or successful implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX to improve the efficiency of the Hong Kong-based shipping company's financial reporting services through improved collaboration, business intelligence and knowledge management.

Better customer relationship

At the small and medium business (SMB) session, two local SMBs shared their experiences of using Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008. ITK Products Company, a printing firm, indicated a better workflow transparency and a 30 per cent decrease in human error during the production process since the deployment.

"We don't have a dedicated IT employee but with Windows Small Business Server 2008 we don't need one," said Rico Lee, executive director of I Concept. "I implemented it myself in only two days and 80 per cent of administration can be done through a centralised administration console.