IBM opens 3 new branches in Asean
By Digital News Asia October 22, 2012
- New branches in Ipoh and Melaka in Malaysia, and Bandung in Indonesia
- Move comes as Asean moves into new era of economic liberalization
IBM has opened three new branch offices in the Asean (Association of South-East Asian Nations) region as part of a business expansion strategy to tap into high-growth cities and regions in emerging markets.
The new branches, located in the cities of Ipoh and Melaka (pic) in Malaysia and Bandung in Indonesia, increase IBM’s footprint in the region to over 20 branches, the company said in a statement.
IBM is also strengthening its business partner network in the region to over 6,000 partners to help provide customers with the support they need to maximize their investment in IT solutions and services, IBM said.
The Asean economy has witnessed record growth in the last five years and analysts expect the region to maintain its economic momentum into 2013, IBM said in its statement.
“The Asean region plays an important role in the global economy and is home to a dynamic and rapidly evolving economic environment,” said Albert Lee, vice president, General Business, IBM Asean.
“Asean’s second- and third-tier cities are becoming increasingly important to the region’s growth and IBM is increasing its presence in those locations to ensure that local businesses and government organizations have access to the most advanced IT solutions and services.”
The move comes as Asean is moving into a new era of economic liberalization as the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is realized.
The resulting free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and labor throughout the region is expected to create more demand for intelligent technology solutions that can streamline processes and enhance service delivery for clients in key sectors such as manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, health, retail and the public sector, IBM said.
“Increasing confidence in the economic ecosystem in Asean is driving a surge in demand for IT services and technologies that can help businesses become more efficient and competitive on the global stage,” said Surjyadeb Goswami, senior market analyst, Enterprise Computing, IDC Asia/ Pacific.
“The untapped potential in these markets will bring these countries to the forefront of new investments in technology solutions.”
IBM already has been operating in the Asean region for 75 years. In Indonesia, IBM already has offices in Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Makassar and Medan. In Malaysia, it has a presence in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu.
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