Microsoft Brings Digital Transformation to the C-Suite

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Microsoft is leading the discussion on digital transformation in the Philippines. The tech leader held several C-level roundtable discussions on the impact and necessity of digital transformation in today’s modern business environment. These discussions were attended by CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, CMOs, and CHROs from industries such as banking, professional services, retail, education, real estate, power & utilities, and telecommunications.

CIO & COO Roundtable event executives with Microsoft Leaders

“Microsoft is committed to helping leaders understand the economic implications of digital transformation in the society. Digital Transformation is emerging as a key driver of sweeping change across industries globally. More than a mere buzzword, it now has the capacity to significantly improve business revenue and create broader social good,” said Christian Lim, Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Philippines.

At the CEO Round Table event, Microsoft took a closer look at the economic impact of digital transformation in the Philippines. Andrea Della Mattea, Area President (APAC) for Microsoft, reported that the impact of digital products and services to the economy of SEA nations will skyrocket from 6% to a staggering 48% by 2021. This growth will result to an economic increase of more than $60 billion. But more than the rise of revenue and decrease in costs in businesses, digital transformation also has the capability of improving consumers’ lives and bringing about social good.

The highlight of these discussions was the different perspectives and insights from organizations like Union Bank, PhilCare, and Rustan Coffee Corporation, to name a few. UnionBank executives: Edwin Bautista, Director, Chief Executive Officer, Henry Aguda, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation officer and Arvie De Vera, First Vice President, Head of Fintech Group, shared the secret to the success of their work on digitizing finance. Aiming to resolve the problem of financial inclusion, UnionBank called in futurists and tech experts to help reach out to remote communities and give them access to financial tools.

As Microsoft gears up to host another series of C-level roundtable discussion this August, it remains focused on supporting business leaders in their journey towards shaping better opportunities for business and society through innovation.

For more inquiries, please contact Microsoft at enterpriseph@microsoft.com.

Microsoft joins DICT in Empowering the Filipino Through Digital Transformation at National ICT Summit 2018 in Davao City

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“Empowering the Filipino through Digital Transformation”. That is the theme of this year’s National Information and CommunicationsTechnology (ICT) Summit held in Davao City. The summit is the culminating event of a month long celebration of ICT in the Philippines.

Since 2008, June of every year has been celebrated as ICT Month by virtue of Proclamation No. 1521, series of 2008. This is in recognition of the power of ICT as a strategic tool in governance, in delivering government services, and in driving economic growth.

The National ICT Summit was well attended, with over 500 government executives, ICT managers and practitioners, local government officials, academics, the private sector, students, and ICT industry players participating in the event.

Gracing the event was none other than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte who was guest of honor and speaker at the two-day summit.”

President Rodrigo R. Duterte with the delegates of the NICT Summit 2018. In the photo are keynote speakers from Microsoft Philippines, Joanna Rodriguez, Public Sector Director and Atty. Raul Cortez, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs Director. (Photo courtesy of CIOFF Foundation, Inc)

A faster and more efficient Government

In today’s digital world, it’s clear how huge ICT’s role is in the development of government services. Throughout the entire month of June, the DICT showcased projects that harnessed ICT to improve the efficiency of government processes that positively impact the Filipino public. From seminars, conferences, fora, focus group discussions, to technical trainings, there was no shortage of activities that presented and discussed emerging ICT technologies, products, services and new paradigms.

At the summit, the DICT showcased how ICT transforms the way government flagship and mission-critical projects such as the bold "Build, Build, Build" Program and the "Ambisyon Nation 2040" are efficiently implemented, monitored and managed.

To empower the Filipino, the government is looking to ICT to improve access to accurate information and develop more efficient services. This is through complementing government ICT plans, programs, policies, guidelines and standards affecting processes and the delivery of information and services to the people.

Digital transformation, cybersecurity, and AI

Also present at the National ICT summit was Microsoft, a digital transformation leader who presented global best ICT practices, emerging technology solutions, tools and paradigms that will allow the Philippines to leap-frog development stages.

In a keynote presentation, Microsoft Philippines discussed the economic impact of digital transformation, the hidden costs of cybersecurity, the future that is artificial intelligence, as well as the value of ICT in the development of the country. 

“ICT remains a core component in the transformation and development of the Philippines. As the world moves toward a more digital way of life, so must our country. Technology is the great equalizer, and the key towards reaching our full potential,” said Christian Lim, Country COO - Microsoft Philippines.

As the country embraces digital technologies, Microsoft urged attendees to be vigilant and reminded them of the value of cybersecurity -- in terms of economic loss and loss of trust. Similar to the Comelec breach in 2016, breaches can come from anywhere, so it is extremely important the government’s data is secure.

Moreover, AI is a technology that is becoming more pervasive and can be a big contributor to the Philippines’ digital transformation. In particular, Microsoft highlighted conversational AI, such as chatbots, and how it is already making waves around the world. In fact, AI is already being utilized to serve local communities in other Asian nations like China and Japan.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio testing the virtual reality features of the Hololens as showcased by Ellinov, a Microsoft partner. Microsoft Philippines leadership team was present as well to welcome the Mayor. (Photo courtesy of CIOFF Foundation, Inc)

“Microsoft is all about empowering people and organizations with technology. So it goes without saying that we are staunch supporters of the administration and the DICT’s mission to empower Filipinos through digital transformation,” said Lim. “Through the digital transformation of our government processes, we don’t just address operational inefficiencies, but create meaningful economic impact as well, leading to further development of the Philippines.” 

Microsoft PH employees to get enhanced leave benefits

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Multinational company rolls out new leave policies for parents and family caregivers

Microsoft Philippines has introduced a new suite of enhanced leave benefits for its employees, including a minimum of 20-weeks paid leave for birth mothers and a minimum of six-weeks paid leave for new fathers.

“We believe in fostering a healthy work-life balance. And at times, your personal commitments and responsibilities outside the office deserve all your focus. This is something Microsoft fully understands and supports,” described Karrie Ilagan, Microsoft Philippines Managing Director.

The company’s enhanced leave benefits also cover adoptive parents and parents who choose to have a child via surrogacy.

Likewise, the Information Technology leader has leave policies for family caregivers—allowing employees to take a four-week full-paid leave to care for immediate family members with serious health conditions.

“Our employees bring their best to work everyday to support our mission, strategy, and culture. In return, we want to bring the best to them as well by continually providing them world-class benefits to ensure they have the time they need to take care of those that matter the most in their lives,” concluded Ilagan.

About Microsoft

Microsoft  (@microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Microsoft Philippines, the local subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation, has been constantly bringing innovation and making its technology available to Filipino businesses and individuals since 1995. As a committed and trusted partner in nation-building, Microsoft Philippines has made it its mission to fuel growth and healthy communities, as well as transform locally-based businesses and empower them to compete in the global economy.

PLDT through PLDT SME Nation partner with Microsoft launched Digital Campus Suite

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The nation’s leading telecommunication and multi-media service provider Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), through its business unit PLDT SME Nation, and partnered with Global IT giant Microsoft Philippines, had launched the "Digital Campus Suite" a new service package that will enable students, academe and even their parents access to online learning programs and to earn  Information Technology certification for critical IT skills that are now in demand in today’s digitally driven industries.

Through the Digital Campus Suite, schools and universities will have high-speed connectivity with PLDT myDSL Biz or iGate, an online access to training courses of the Microsoft IT Academy Program.

PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan

Last Wednesday, August 26, 2015, during the Digital Campus Suite launched held at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel, PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan shared “We at PLDT are confident that this partnership can significantly contribute to enriching the digital content of Philippine education. By enabling schools through these programs, we are helping them, both educator and student, to gain new critical skills and lean IT courses with globally competitive technology programs that have become essential in today’s digital workplace.”

Though the Digital Campus Suite, schools will have high-speed connectivity with PLDT myDSL Biz or iGate and online access to training courses of the Microsoft IT Academy Program. 

Schools will receive licenses to Microsoft Office 365 to help students and teachers interact and teach using Cloud tools and platforms.

Educators and students will have access to the digital curriculum and earn IT certifications in the Microsoft IT Academy Program for fundamental technology skills, as well as courses that enable students to become more competitive for employment.

The suite also includes laptops, tablets, and WiFi access points in campus to enhance the overall digital education experience.

PLDT SME Nation, Microsoft and COCOPEA have joined forces for a digital innovation that will help change the landscape of Philippine education. In photo, from left, are: PLDT EVP and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto, PLDT Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, COCOPEA Chair Bro. Jun Erguiza, FSC, Ed. D, Microsoft Philippines Country Manager Karrie Ilagan, PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno, PLDT SME Nation FVP and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde and APAC Education Partner Director Rani Burchmore.

A study conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that increased spending on IT cloud services will open up an estimated 14-million new jobs worldwide. The same report also noted that there was an apparent “widening ICT professional skills gap” and a “shortage of skills” in the Asia-Pacific region.

PLDT is very active in partnering with schools and learning institutions to built their technology and connectivity resources in support of the education sector’s need to improve ICT learning among the students and academe.

Kat Luna-Abelarde

PLDT FVP and head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde said “This initiative fully aligns with PLDT SME Nation’s efforts to empower the future generation with an ICT-enabled education system. ICT skills are no longer just added value to employment but are now necessities in today’s business and entrepreneurial landscape.” 

“An educated population is what we need to build a progressive Philippine economy, but we can’t educate tomorrow’s leaders with tools from the past. The increasingly competitive workplace is being driven by technology and digital literacy, and the Digital Campus Suite gives educators and students access to tools that will build their capability to excel in that environment. Our partnership with PLDT SME Nation helps us create a bigger impact on all aspects of education,” said Microsoft Philippines General Manager Karrie Ilagan.

Photos: Arts & Travel Magazine

Three Industry Leaders: PLDT SME Nation, Samsung Philippines and Microsoft Philippines forge a Partnership to Empower SMEs with Broadband and Digital Solutions

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The Philippines’ fast-growing digital, social and mobile users definitely creates unprecedented opportunities for the 800,000 strong small and medium enterprise (SME) market segment. However, the challenge today is how SMEs can efficiently tap and engage this community.

Today, there are over 34 million Facebook users, over 10 million Twitter followers and with over 44 million Filipino internet users and counting. 

With this, PLDT SME Nation partners with Samsung & Microsoft Philippines to create innovative business solutions that will enable entrepreneurs to run their business better, grow faster, be more globally competitive and engage with the country’s digital, social and mobile population.

SMEs can now enjoy the benefits of having PLDT SME Nation’s premium and faster fixed and wireless broadband solutions running on our latest fiber and LTE network. These broadband offerings provide unlimited access which give entrepreneurs the ability to continuously conduct online activities without the fear of bandwidth throttling. Our services also feature committed information rates or CIR, which guarantee minimum bandwidth speeds for businesses and a static IP used to power up their websites and enable faster inter-office data transfers.

Second, PLDT SME Nation boasts of its most robust network and nation-widest reach for its fixed, wireless and now satellite service, ensuring that entrepreneurs will have the best broadband service suited for their business wherever they are. 

Lastly, these new broadband packages come with supercharged flexible freebies ranging from relevant and business enabling Cloud Solutions such as Microsoft Office 365 and PLDT Cloud apps for video monitoring, asset tracking, POS, infrastructure and more. SMEs will also be able to get for free and choose the latest array of smart devices from Samsung Philippines and High Definition (HD) TV content from Cignal.

In an event entitled “Growing your Business in the Digital Age”, PLDT SME Nation together with two other industry leaders, Samsung and Microsoft, announced this partnership to create and introduce groundbreaking technologies and tools that will enable SMEs to efficiently manage their businesses anytime, anywhere. 

In his welcome remarks, PLDT Executive Vice President and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto highlighted the significance of the partnership saying, “This collaboration and synergy among today’s leaders in the telecommunications industry ushers in a new era of enablement for the small and medium enterprise market segment.

Through this strategic partnership, SMEs will have access to game-changing business tools such as faster and nationwide fixed and wireless broadband solutions, latest gadgets and devices and relevant collaboration cloud applications which should ultimately lead to higher levels of operational efficiencies, expanded market reach, higher profit margin levels, and in the process create higher economic multiplier for our country” Alberto adds.

PLDT SME Nation showcased some of this technology’s capability during the event, inviting several bloggers from Cebu and Manila to virtually take part of the press conference from remote locations using Microsoft Office 365.

To signify the formalization of the partnership among the three companies Alberto was joined on stage by PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde, Samsung Philippines Managing Director Harry Lee, Samsung Philippines Business Manager James Kwon, Samsung Philippines Enterprise Director Irene Catane, Microsoft Philippines Director for Small, Midsize Solutions Partners Diana Tibbs and Microsoft Philippines Business Group Lead Tovia Va’aelua for the push-button inauguration. 

Abelarde pledged PLDT SME Nation’s commitment to provide SMEs with the best broadband and digital solutions saying, “PLDT SME Nation reaffirms its support for Filipino SMEs as it continues to innovate and form partnerships with industry leaders to provide our country’s aspiring entrepreneurs with only the best broadband solutions for their businesses.”