SINGAPORE--Beyond focusing only on its traditional base of enterprise customers, EMC is planning to look more closely at midsize and growing companies in Singapore this year to extend its customer base.
Joe Ong, the storage vendor's local country manager, said this group of smaller enterprise customers offers good business opportunities for EMC. In light of the economic downturn, larger enterprises in the country have become more stringent in their spending processes, Ong said Wednesday during a media roundtable here.
However, these smaller and emerging businesses continue to spend "on projects and technologies that they see will help them be more competitive in the current situation", he said.
EMC defines such customer deals as those valued at under US$500,000 each.
More companies in Singapore, especially those in this segment, realize the importance of storing information more intelligently and the relevance of efficient data backup and recovery. Ong added that they see these as key components in helping them better manage their information infrastructures, while driving costs down.
"In 2008, we saw companies in Singapore invest in content management and archiving solutions as well as security solutions. This trend was driven by the ever-growing number of transactions companies must track and preserve, in compliance with the regulatory authorities, and to protect data from theft and misuse," he said.
IT vendors in Singapore are also getting a boost as a result of various government funding initiatives, making it easier for smaller companies to procure such technology, he added.
EMC's customers have indicated that their priorities for 2009 include the need to save money, attain a faster returns on investment, reduce risk, and prepare for the delivery of next-generation datacenters, Ong said.
One way EMC aims to help its customers with these issues is by recruiting more partners to add to its current network of 45 in Singapore, he added.
"We will give these partners more autonomy to make decisions [to resolve issues faster]," Ong noted, adding that training is another channel of empowering its partners.
For customers that do not have their own in-house technical expertise, EMC also plans to introduce its "Residency" services, where a consultant--employed either by EMC or its partner--is stationed at the customer's site to provide assistance.