KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): Digi.Com Bhd and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) have joined forces to release a Business Continuity Digitalisation (BCD) programme to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) leverage digital opportunities to cope with the fallout from the pandemic.

In a statement today, Digi said the programme will focus on equipping SMEs with the right knowledge to reap the benefits of digitalisation and use the right digital tools and solutions to run their business smoothly, via a series of activities this year that include free webinars and online clinics.

"In addition, with Digi identified as a technology solutions provider (TSP) by MDEC under the SME business digitalisation grant, the company is also keen to help SMEs capitalise on the various incentives from adopting digital solutions," it added.

Digi's chief digital officer Praveen Rajan said: "The Movement Control Order (MCO) has driven many SMEs to leverage digital means to remain in operations, from going into e-commerce to managing their workforce remotely, setting a 'new normal' in how businesses operate. 

"During this period, Digi has remained focused [on] protecting our customers and employees, as well as maintaining our ongoing digitalisation efforts for businesses continuity. Based on our practices, we will be consolidating a 'playbook' with solutions that SMEs can reference and utilise for their BCD efforts," he said. 

Digi said the BCD programme is in collaboration with MDEC's 100GD initiative, which aims to help SMEs adopt digital solutions to improve customer experiences and enhance the efficiency of their business operation. 

MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said many SMEs are still experiencing interrupted supply-chain and operational challenges while still having to manage cash flow and workforce capacity.

"To ensure businesses can overcome these challenges, MDEC and Digi are collaborating to provide the necessary digital tools and support that SMEs need to continue running their business in this current situation. 

"This will certainly help SMEs accelerate their recovery and enable them to adapt successfully in the post-MCO era. Together, we are targeting over 5,000 SMEs to benefit from the programme including the digital workshops," Surina said. 

Under the programme, Digi will help SMEs to assess their BCD readiness and guide them towards the most suitable digital tools and solutions providers to partner with and learn how these tools can help them.

In addition, Digi will also guide SMEs when they apply for the SME business digitalisation grant that was announced in the Budget 2020 tabling last year, where the government has committed to the tabling of a 50% matching grant of up to RM5,000 per company to subscribe to any three of these five digitalisation areas: electronic point of sale (e-POS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), electronic HR payroll system/CRM, e-procurement and digital marketing and sales platforms.