Somsak Petthaweeporndej becomes one stop shop IT Services, joins with HPE to tackle Data Transformation
Somsak Petthaveeporndet
VST ECS (Thailand) Company Limited
Become a One stop shop IT Services
Joining forces with HPE to advance Data Transformation
“Our goal is to be One-Stop-Shop IT Services, so we invest in both personnel Knowledge from product brand owners is continuously added. So that the team has in-depth knowledge of each brand to provide services to customers and business organizations at all levels, covering every solution.”
Digital Transformation It is something that business organizations have focused on for the past 3 years. Many companies aim to transform their organizations by using digital technology as a tool to increase productivity and be able to adapt to current changes in a timely manner. As the Covid-19 virus outbreak situation reinforces every organization's importance of Digital Transformation. Clearly that Whoever is different and can adapt quickly will have a higher chance of winning.
bank finance Had a special interview Somsak Petthaweeporndet Chief Executive Officer, VST ECS (Thailand) Company Limited Overview of the IT Distributor business, strategies and business goals Moving forward with the Data Transformation project to change the working style and joining forces with HPE to develop Pay-Per-Use IT infrastructure supports future growth.
Place the position as Value-Added Distributor
step towards being One-Stop-Shop IT Services
Somsak began his special interview by projecting a business picture that VST ECS (Thailand) Company (formerly known as The Value Systems Company Limited) is one of the first wholesale distributors of IT products. Thailand was established in 2531. Currently, it is a subsidiary of VST ECS Group, Hong Kong, a distributor of IT products in the Asia-Pacific region. There are over 48,000 distribution channels spread across China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
VST ECS operates as a distributor of IT products covering 3 main groups: 1. Consumer 2. Commercial 3. Enterprise Solution under more than 50 world-leading IT brands. In addition, it also creates Consulting team System installation support team (Implement) and IT service team for business organizations Along with Cloud technology experts who are ready to take full care of the system.
In terms of revenue proportion of VST ECS, Consumer and Commercial businesses are the 2 main cores with the largest proportion of revenue, approximately 40%, Enterprise Solution 30%, and IT services another 30%.
“We don't want to be just a distributor. Performing general wholesale duties But want to develop yourself into a Value-Added Distributor position. Of course, if the Reseller has experience, they can do it themselves. But if not, we have a team ready to fully help. Because we want to support the needs of Resellers in every dimension.”
Somsak said The challenge for the IT Distributor business at this time is preparation. To cope with changes in the world economy and the economy in Thailand. And must be able to distribute products to resellers efficiently. VST ECS takes care of products of up to 50 brands, and most of them are world-class brands. Therefore, there must be preparation in terms of personnel. Manage enough products And there must also be a Finance system that supports many formats. Whether it's a buyout One-time purchase, rental or installment payments to give Resellers the most flexibility in doing business.
“Our goal is to be a One-Stop-Shop IT Services, so we invest in personnel. Knowledge from product brand owners is continuously added. To provide the team with in-depth knowledge of each brand to provide services to customers and business organizations at all levels, covering all solutions. From gathering user needs Writing project Sizing & Architect design until delivering work and closing the project. That makes VST ECS different from other IT Distributors and is also a preparation for expanding success to branch offices in the countries in the group. CLM in the future as well.”
In addition to preparing There are still 3 important elements that support VST ECS to become One-Stop-Shop IT Services is
1. Having a variety of good products, more than 50 brands, and also being a global brand with high market demand.
2. Having a strong financial position The bank therefore provides good support. Resulting in lower administrative costs.
3. VST ECS is an organization that has executive level employees who have been working with the organization for a long time. Makes you understand the business Understand partners because throughout 33 years in the IT Distributor business, it is not easy to get to this point. Since 2017, VST ECS has been growing all the time. and able to overcome every crisis that comes very well
Somsak further said that VST ECS also has a vision to expand its business to become a distributor of electric motorcycles. Because of the present The trend of electric vehicles is becoming more popular. It is seen that within the next few years, electric cars will be very popular. But before getting to that point, VST ECS believes that within the next 5 years, electric motorcycles will come first.
“We opened a new business. With two electric motorcycle brands, Thomas and iMotor, now in their infancy. We believe that electric cars will definitely boom, but within the next 2 years, what will come first is electric motorcycle Then electric cars will follow. Because right now electric cars still have problems with charging times that are too long. If this can be done in 5-20 minutes, electric cars will be possible quickly.”
The electric motorcycle market is becoming more popular in provincial markets such as Tak, Surin, and Nakhon Pathom, while other provinces Some sales are starting to come in. and has a rather good growth trend As for the electric car market, VST ECS looks at marketing various accessories. that will occur in the future, such as electric charging equipment, batteries, and also looking at joining hands with many partners to provide a service provider for installing electric charging stations in various buildings.
Take on Data Transformation projects
Change work systems and go digital
Somsak said The spread of the Covid-19 virus is a very important stimulus. In pushing for business organizations in every industry to drive the Digital Transformation project, VST ECS has prepared intensively in this regard. There is a project called “Data Transformation” being driven to move all data in the system online. It is considered a big change. that takes a working model that has been in existence for more than 30 years and runs it on a cloud system to increase productivity to the utmost.
VST ECS also sees trends from being an IT Distributor that even if the economic situation is good or bad, Overall, the IT market is still able to support itself. Even though it has not grown at a 2-digit level, the perspective that is clearly seen is IT has become an important tool that helps business organizations increase productivity in their work and is considered a necessity that every organization must have at this time. Especially during the Covid-19 outbreak where people are being careful in their lives. The role of IT is even more important.
“VST ECS drives the Data Transformation project. By bringing all information online. Every executive will be able to manage their people in real time. See a broader and clearer picture of work We have canceled our new office expansion project. Because it is considered that there is no need anymore After being able to manage it with Data Transformation In the face of the Covid-19 outbreak, it is even more clear that we need to change faster.”
The Data Transformation project helps VST ECS to manage its organization more efficiently. By using information in the organization Whether it is disbursement Employee attendance dates are uploaded to the cloud system so that all executives can see the information in a broader perspective. and have enough time to focus on event planning
Somsak admits that doing Data Transformation Highly challenging Because it is related to making an emergency backup plan. Therefore, I had to come down and drive this project myself. From the planning stage data management Investment in required software and equipment It is open to various departments. Inform your needs about what kind of team management you want to have. before having the team develop the system These processes are quite complicated. But if you look at the investment aspect, it is considered very worthwhile. Because since the beginning of this project, only 3 million baht has been invested.
“Planning that focuses on creating continuous and stable growth. Must understand business very well Breaking down business problems Clearly know the organization's strengths And must be able to promote what is there without breaking the traditional work culture. Can be flexible for personnel to work more easily Organizations must listen more. Then employees will be ready to support the steady growth of the business.”
Joins forces with HPE to create Pay-Per-Use infra
Support future business growth
Somsak said Another important cog in driving business. is to have an IT infrastructure that is in line with the current situation Able to support growth according to the organization's plans and goals by VST ECS, which has experience and has been in the IT market for a long time. When the time comes to transform your IT infrastructure has chosen to partner with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Thailand (HPE) by transforming its entire legacy IT infrastructure into a Pay-Per-Use Hybrid Cloud with HPE GreenLake services.
In the past, VST ECS invested in all IT infrastructure hardware itself because it was a distributor, making it cheap. But at present, work processes have been improved to create continuously higher productivity. In addition, work styles have been changed to be in line with the Covid-19 virus outbreak situation, which changes work processes. while maintaining maximum efficiency You must ensure that back-end technology must be ready to accommodate changes in a timely manner, and HPE GreenLake answers this need very well.
“We partnered with HPE to implement an online check-in system and run everything on HPE GreenLake, with the goal of announcing the elimination of time-based attendance regulations by 2022. To give employees more freedom in their work In line with the New Normal way of life and will measure work efficiency from Productivity by looking at work reports on the system instead.”
Somsak said The reason for choosing HPE GreenLake is because the VST ECS IT system is the heart of the company. and cannot be stopped Because they have to take care of more than 50 brands of products with more than 10 million part numbers, therefore they need an IT system that is located in the country. Can be controlled and VST ECS has been a partner with HPE for a long time, so they decided to change the old system to all HPE GreenLake and were able to build a second backup data center to work 2×24 as well.
HPE GreenLake services can also significantly eliminate administrative issues. In the original system Many organizations may encounter issues with Maintenance Service Agreement (MA) renewals, which can cause problems down the line. But using HPE GreenLake, these problems will not occur because HPE will take care of it all.
“We chose HPE GreenLake because it transforms IT infrastructure into a utility that charges based on usage. Increase or decrease IT resources as needed. There is no need to purchase urgently for installation. Don't worry about limited capacity from the first purchase. And you don't have to worry about renewing your MA contract. Both of these are big problems for organizations that used to invest in their own IT systems.”
Somsak continued that HPE GreenLake services also help organizations avoid the need for large capital expenditures. Because the cost model is calculated based on actual usage. For example, in the past, an ERP system was invested with a budget of approximately 30 million baht and received 30 days of credit to pay, but when it was HPE GreenLake, which charged monthly fees. This allows the organization to not have to pay a large sum of money at once. But the remaining funds can be managed to create maximum productivity. VST ECS believes that HPE Greenlake can meet business needs in both the short and long term.
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