Pernec looking into cloud computing business venture

KUALA LUMPUR: Pernec Corp Bhd is looking at venturing into cloud computing as part of a new business venture in the near future.

Its group managing director Abdul Karim Abdul Sallam said there was no specific investment set aside for this venture yet because they were still looking into the matter.

"The high Internet penetration rate has created a market for a lot of new products and services. Among the planned products that we have is Cloud, the next-step solutions for telecommunication devices where data and applications are not stored in the respective device but rather in the Cloud.

"This technology will give a lot of flexibility to a user who can now choose and manage applications online using software hosted externally," he said in an interview with the Business Times, recently.

He said the company will strengthen its share in traditional businesses and at the same time, continue to scout for opportunities in new areas.

One of them is the development of nomadic WiFi infrastructure for telecommunication operators in the country.

"To date, we have built over 4,000 hotspots nationwide, including in Sabah and Sarawak. Pernec does not directly operate these hotspots but develops them for its clients and work hand in hand with them," said Abdul Karim.

The robust growth of broadband Internet is attributable to encouraging demand from the consumers and the increase in the use of smart devices such as smart phones and tablets.

"The high interest in social media platforms has become a catalyst for the rapid growth where we find that there has been a marked change in consumer behaviour with the advent of these communication platforms.

"Consumers are now more vocal in sharing their opinions and we won't hesitate to use the social media platform to air their sentiments," he said.

But with this new business venture, he said the company will be looking for local ICT companies to work with Pernec on a co-creation basis.

"We want to develop contents and applications for local consumers. Right now, there are just too many contents and applications sourced from outside the country and we need to reduce this," he added.

On why the company is participating in the Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) 2012, he said it is because the company wants to enhance the investment literacy of the public, particularly those living in the suburban and interior of Sabah.

"We are participating in MSAM 2012 because we understand our role as part of the big Permodalan Nasional Bhd (Pernec is a subsidiary of PNB) family and we want to contribute as much as we can.

"The exhibition will give us the opportunity to get closer to the public and get feedback on the range of services that we provide such as the WiFi hotspots and public telephony.

At the same time, we are able to promote the innovative range of our ICT products and services like the latest green-tech LED, system integration and advertising media, he added.