Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Written by: Martin Dale Bolima, Tech Journalist, AOPG.

Prior to flying into Las Vegas to take part in the hugely successful Dell Technologies World 2022, Dell’s Amit Midha graciously set aside some of his precious time for an exclusive virtual interview with Disruptive Tech Asia (DTA). And in this digital chit-chat, Amit, who is President, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies, covered a range of topics—the most notable being Dell’s growing reputation as a changemaker, both globally and in Malaysia specifically.

“Technology itself is amazing but technology creating a real societal outcome is very exciting, and that’s what connects to our purpose,” said Midha. “That’s what helps us reimagine the future and that is very exciting for our people and our customers and our partners. An ‘unprecedented opportunity’ is what I would call it with the technologies being put together [by Dell].”

Perhaps true to form, Dell is taking advantage of this unprecedented opportunity by investing in and innovating transformative technologies. These technologies, as highlighted by Midha, include multi-cloud, security, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G. Worth keeping tabs on as well is 6G, which Midha expects will have a proof of concept by 2025 and be launched as early as 2028—pushing internet speeds from 10 gigabits per second to a near mind-boggling 1 terabit per second.

“These are transformative scenarios. A lot of the new networks are really not about the speed as if consumers will consume it but it’s much more about enterprise applications,” explained Midha. “Some of the applications, like digital cities or urban mobility or green power, will all depend on a fast network, low latency, highly reliable, highly secure network supported by ubiquitous computing (multi-cloud) and the talent of putting data to use and creating outcomes—whether it’s manufacturing, banking, healthcare, etc.”

A future with 6G is no doubt exciting but it is important not to get too far ahead—at least not yet. 5G is still here, and it has proven to be transformative in its own right and with the potential to open up even more exciting possibilities. And that is part of the reason Dell is helping out in making sure that 5G is made available in as wide an area as possible, especially in Malaysia.

“From the 5G perspective, we are working with multiple customers to ensure that they are building the infrastructure to support what is required from 5G,” noted Midha. “If you do 5G right, you can reduce costs dramatically, sometimes by around 30%. If you have that cost reduction, that is beneficial as you can invest that money to create better outcomes for enterprises. So, we are working with the top players [in telecommunications] to build the best network, provide inclusive opportunities for everyone and be able to support enterprise applications.”

Equally transformative is the multi-cloud, described by Midha as being an operating model and not a destination. The multi-cloud, according to the Dell executive, is a game-changer mostly because it can help organisations make the most of their data—a.k.a the new oil of the digital world.

“Customers need to take control of their data and put it to use. That’s where the future is,” explained Midha. Unfortunately, most organisations’ data are siloed and kept in different locations, thus making it difficult to access and analyse. The solution is to have the ability to get that data together and put it to good use, and that is exactly what the multi-cloud journey is all about. This is why it is “a critical building block for a digital future”—but one that needs an abstraction layer to manage everything, including costs, compliance, control and outcomes.

These technologies—5G, the multi-cloud and more—are available in Malaysia thanks in part to Dell. Just as importantly, the tech titan has been working tirelessly with customers to help them on their own digital transformation journeys, which are central to the country’s larger Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint. And none of this is surprising given Dell’s long history in Malaysia, some 27 years in the country so far, plus three facilities that are, according to Midha, “integral not only to Dell’s regional operations but also its global operations.”

Of course, Dell’s work in Malaysia is but a fraction of a larger, grander scheme of things: That of the company doing its part in digitally transforming the world. This commitment was front and centre at DTW 2022, which Asia Online Publishing, DTA’s publisher, covered as one of only two Asia-based publishers to get an official invite.

Highlights of this special coverage can be found here (a recap of Michael Dell’s opening-day keynote), here (a look at the company’s sustainability efforts), here (a run-through of day 2’s most important announcements) and here (an in-depth look at Dell’s intelligent retail tech).

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