KUALA LUMPUR (May 4); The National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) has urged corporate executives holding top ICT positions in the company, to play a greater leadership role in driving the organisations to improved overall business performance.

In a statement today, PIKOM Chairman, Chin Chee Seong said regardless of the industry vertical or sector, the role of ICT and technology is undeniable in supporting the business.

“In fact, technology can be considered the single investment that can support the business in a holistic manner.

“Automation is pervasive at all functional levels of the organisation, and business analytics is heavily relied on for strategic decision-making,” he said.

Chin said based on this development, rather than adopting the customary “reactive” approach with regards to ICT investment, top IT management such as Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and senior IT directors are encouraged to be more vocal at the boardroom level, to drive for greater technology investments and deployment in the business.

He explained that by and large, companies still adopt a passive stance with regards to ICT.

“The push to make solution upgrades or purchase new technologies is a direct result of a negative incident i.e. failed system, security / data breach, system downturn that resulted in a financial or business loss.

“It is often an afterthought or reactionary deployment as a direct result of a business incident or mandatory requirement,” he said.

Chin said the onus is ultimately on CIOs and CTOs to show the way forward in being champions of technology within their organisations.

“If they desire to play a bigger leadership role in driving the business — to convince the board of directors to invest in ICT and evolve into an ICT-centric organization, then step forward with strong ideas that leverage on ICT to give the business a leading edge.”

”Today, businesses are being disrupted by technology. New business models such as Uber, Grab, AirBnB are changing the way business operates. The new on-demand, shared economy is shaking the very basis of existing players. It is imperative that businesses innovate to remain relevant,” he said.