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HP has launched an initiative to help small and medium businesses (SMB) in Singapore accelerate growth through an IT transformation kit worth up to $20,000.
The ‘SMB Tech Makeover Challenge’ is targeted at SMB owners, offering an incentive to make the leap out of their current mindset on technology adoption, and transform infrastructure for "higher productivity, better security and greater savings".
The challenge will begin on 1 June and end on 30 September 2019.
This is the first of its kind initiative in Singapore for HP, however, there are similar roll-outs across the region, catered to the unique business environment between less mature markets and the city-state.
The initiatives in places like Indonesia, for instance, differ in there direct engagements with SMBs who prefer to work out of co-working spaces in those less mature markets.
On the other hand, Singapore SMBs on the whole tend to be either on their own or with associations, according to HP. That is very different than the model that is seen in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, where co-working spaces tend to be more prevalent.
For these less mature markets, it is more about education than driving challenges because of the different levels of adoption.
“SMBs are the lifeblood of our economy and contribute to almost half of Singapore’s GDP,” said Ronnie Lee, managing director of HP Singapore. “As they look to accelerate business growth and look to attract a multi-generational, mobile workforce, they need to rethink their business to have a competitive edge in a fast-changing environment.
“HP is uniquely positioned to partner with SMBs to support their transformation journey with PC and print innovation and services to help future-proof their organisation."
According to an SMB survey conducted by HP Singapore in 2018, 36 per cent of 1,728 respondents listed security and productivity as their top priorities, while 28 per cent of respondents saw cost savings as a top priority.
Furthermore, according to the IDC Future of Work study, five generations will work side-by-side by 2020. This changing workforce demographic is pushing SMBs to rethink the way they work.
The challenge also aims to educate SMBs on how the right IT investments, together with industry knowledge and expertise, can maximise workforce productivity, improve security and enhance savings for business.
