Cloud hosting service provider ICONZ-Webvisions (iWV) and business analytics experts ClayOPS have announced a new partnership that will give SMEs in Singapore greater access to affordable business analytics tools and services.
While leveraging on data can revolutionalise companies' operations and improve their business strategies, it is often beyond the budget of smaller companies. These small - and medium - sized firms cannot afford the technology and expertise involved. The tie-up between iWV and ClayOPS, however, will allow these SMEs to tap into the specialised business analytics tools developed by ClayOPS, a Singapore start-up, through the access provided by iWV, a large-scale provider of cloud-hosting services.
The tie-up not only gives SMEs access to a one-stop suite of specialised yet affordable services, but will also help them join in the national push to turn Singapore into a Smart Nation. Part of this vision sees companies mining and analysing data from their operations so that they can maximise their efficiency and spot opportunities for growth. Capturing data through the use of sensors, then analysing them, can give data-driven firms an advantage in business operations and strategic decisions.
"The ability to slice and cut data, and pinpoint areas of improvement in a fast and cost-effective way is highly desirable for business owners and leaders," says Albert Wong , Group CEO of iWV. "Leveraging on business analytics used to be only available to large enterprises because of the exorbitant costs and efforts involved. Today, with our partnership with ClayOPS, we can empower our clients with the ability to analyse their data via solutions that are simple and affordable."
Matthew Choo , Director, Business & Consumer Insights, of ClayOPS, notes that MNCs and SMEs face similar challenges and opportunities when it comes to mining and analysing data. But SMEs are often placed at a disadvantage because they do not have the same access to data analytics that larger companies have, or are unaware of the value of these services.
"ClayOPS is in the business of helping clients understand and use their data better," he says. "We are able to take our expertise, experience and technology we built for MNCs and make them easily available for SMEs. But ClayOPS being a local SME ourselves, we lack the resources and expertise to reach out widely to SMEs. With the iWV team, we share the same business direction and have the necessary complementary skill sets to help firms be better at using data."