PLDT beefs up business solutions for SMEs

MANILA, Philippines - Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has beefed up its business solutions offered to the country’s thriving small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs).

PLDT SME Nation has tied up with Sun Business, IP Converge and ABM Global Solutions to roll out a suite of Internet-based and real-time integrated business solutions for SMEs.

PLDT SME Nation category head for cloud services Enzo Tanedo said the package includes 18 cloud-based applications loaded with compelling features to cater to the needs of SMEs.

Tanedo said the applications include HR and payroll; accounting; supply chain management (SCM); customer relationship management (CRM); Bus eReservation; electronic medical records; Google apps for business; Salesforce.com; and SAP Business One on-demand.

He pointed out that cloud-based applications allow enterprises to select among the solutions that fit specific requirements, or combine them with other cloud applications to establish a link with other departments, creating a seamless workflow process.

He added that these applications are Internet or cloud-based and would enable enterprises to consolidate mission-critical data from a single store branch to up to 500 branches nationwide.

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said in a statement that the solutions enable companies to increase their revenue opportunities, enhance business efficiency of both their front and back-end operations, yet at a lower total cost of ownership assuring investment protection as they expand in the future.

 â€œToday’s launch of PLDT SME Nation’s cloud-based business solutions is particularly a significant one, as it represents our sincere commitment to supporting the growth of one of the most important industry segments of our society,” Pangilinan stressed.

PLDT president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said PLDT SME Nation supports the growth of local enterprises with the technology to help them automate and streamline their workflow processes resulting in higher efficiency and lower cost.

“In today’s digital era, enterprises need to innovate in the way they manage their operations and the manner in which they interact with their customers in order to be ahead in their industry,” Nazareno said.

For his part, PLDT executive vice president Eric Alberto said the SME market is considered the biggest business segment in the economy comprising about 99.6 percent of all registered firms; employs 70 percent of the labor force and contribute up to 32 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“PLDT SME Nation realizes this trend and plays a crucial role in helping companies revolutionize their businesses by offering them robust, reliable and the most advanced cloud-based business solutions,” Alberto said.

In keeping pace with global technology developments, an increasing number of local enterprises, including SMEs, started introducing and adopting cloud computing in their operations, deploying business applications that allowed them to eliminate the need to purchase more computer hardware or software for upgrades.