SMEs receive support in digital transformation

The digital transformation guideline framework for each field will include five basic parts such as current status and development trends, guidance for digital conversion frame, digital transformation solutions, recommendations of digital skills that need to be trained for personnel.

The set of evaluation criteria and all documents will be publicly and freely released on the website www.dx4sme.vn that SMEs need to know.

“SMEs can download documents for research and can directly register to connect and request specialized advice on the website. VINASA staff and experts and businesses will quickly provide support to SMEs in digital transformation, a representative from VINASA said.

In the digital transformation program, Ho Chi Minh City has built the city Support and Consultation Center for Digital Transformation (DXCenter) which was step by step put into operation.

DXCenter aims to provide at least 1,000 products and solutions for digital transformation activities and 100 digital transformation models in different fields and serving customers in order of priority SMEs, organizations that have needs for digital transformation, digital technology enterprises want to approach potential customers to transfer technology. This is the go-to address of SMEs in particular and enterprises in general if they want to participate in digital transformation.

According to the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the country has about 800,000 enterprises, of which small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 98 percent.

When the Covid-19 epidemic hit the country, over 90 percent of SMEs were badly affected because the traditional market was narrowed and the output of products was limited.

To maintain operations, SMEs need digital transformation tools to change the way they operate and do business in accordance with the new context.

An owner of a Bengo.vn store specializing in selling mobile accessories and electronic goods Mr. Thanh Hung sat at the cafe to check orders, goods delivery to customers, check the inventory and settle financial bills, even view the workload of employees working at the store easily through laptops.

Nowadays, doing business will be very difficult without using software, without electronic payments, said Mr. Hung.

The owner of the Bengo.vn store is just one of tens of thousands of SMEs who know how to apply digital platforms to their business operations. Many SMEs have applied management solutions, so the market providing platforms and solutions for SMEs is very exciting; especially, after the FPT Corporation made a strategic investment in Base.vn with the goal of promoting digital transformation for 800,000 Vietnamese enterprises, mainly focused on SMEs.

Not only Base.vn but many other information technology enterprises have also provided digital platforms for SMEs to apply. For instance, IT company Haravan specializes in providing retail, e-commerce, and marketing solutions while Misa company specializes in providing accounting software that is super convenient when connecting to e-banking, automatically entering data, automatically making reports, monitoring inventory to store management software, grocery stores.

Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business. It results in fundamental changes to the way a business operates. Vietnamese SMEs have enjoyed the benefits of digital transformation, even more, when all solutions have free versions, trial versions and many support policies for only a few hundred thousand Vietnam dong to millions of Vietnam dong a month for the purchase of the solution. This is the right time for SMEs to boldly participate in the application of technology in management as well as contribute to digital transformation, a representative of Haravan said.

During the complicated development of the Covid-19 epidemic, over 90 percent of SMEs faced difficulties and an average of 10,000 SMEs stopped operating each month. Therefore, it is essential to have a flexible and quick policy to support SMEs to restore operations and overcome difficulties. In particular, the policy to support the application of digital transformation platforms for more efficient business plays an important role.

According to Mr. Lam Nguyen Hai Long, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Informatics Association, DXCenter aims at digital transformation activities, including consultation made by skilled experts and support for technology application with specific solutions.