English - OpenBook Launch Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11 APRIL, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
MIRC, SSITA TO INCREASE SME ICT ADOPTION THROUGH “OPENBOOK” PROGRAM
The MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC) is set to spur IT procurement among SMEs with the launch of the MIRC-SSITA Openbook Program.
Developed through a partnership with Share Services IT Advisory Sdn Bhd (SSITA), the Openbook Program is a new IT procurement program
for SMEs to purchase IT products and services at the lowest possible price. Openbook is a realization of MIRC’s mission to create a
platform for IT purchases for SMEs at the lowest possible cost. “The partnership with SSITA makes this mission a reality,” said MIRC
Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Wong.
According to SSITA Founder, Francis Quek, the benefits of the OpenBook membership is the center focus of this program.
“We focus on helping SMIs and SMEs to purchase technology at the pricing level where vendors usually offer to major MNCs.
OpenBook not only allows bulk purchases, it also encourages competitiveness among entrepreneurs by doing transactions better,
faster and business owners are well informed at the same time,” said Quek during the launch.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dato’ Kong Cho Ha said that the Openbook Program
represents a first and a step towards a right direction for MIRC to create a platform to reduce IT purchasing cost. “Now, SMEs
has no excuse to blame on high IT investment cost for their lack of IT adoption. The Openbook Program makes it possible to purchase
IT products and services at the lowest price direct from the IT vendors,” Kong added.
The Openbook Program works by leveraging the combined buying power of OpenBook members. Members will not only have the privilege
of buying special discounted items offered by major computer dealers, software and office equipment vendors, they are also given the
guarantee that they are buying products with genuine component. OpenBook also puts the purchasing power into consumers’ hands as they
can submit their order and manage their accounts online, through SSITA’s online procurement system.
Openbook is supported by major IT vendors such as CA, Canon, Epson, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Toshiba and SAP, who are also the
initial partners to the Openbook program. “We expect more than 5000 Openbook members within six months and we plan to add more Openbook
vendors to serve our members,” said Quek. Under the program, Openbook members pay an initial fee of RM380. Part of its membership benefits
allows Openbook members to purchase IT products at suppliers’ pricing. SSITA will also offer free helpdesk and support, technical advisory
and IT asset review as part of its services to Openbook members.
In conjunction with its promotional launch, SSITA will waive the RM380 initial fee to the first 300 Openbook membership signup and members
of MIRC P5 Program. “SMEs in Malaysia are “underserved” in the technology sector. This may be due to the lack of understanding of the SME
market and their needs. Partnering with MIRC allows us to access SME market intelligence and subsequently create a procurement program that
is developed for the SME market,” Quek added.
Kong lauded the commitment and cooperation given by major Openbook partners. “It’s not every day we see major ICT players get together
and collaborate on a major project like Openbook,” said Kong. The success of Openbook will create a new marketing blue ocean in marketing
IT products to the SME industries,” he added.
“MIRC is determined to make the Openbook Program a success. We will bring the Openbook Program to all our roadshows. This platform will
also help spur the ICT industry especially those in our e-Enablement partnership program,” said Wong.
SSITA is a company under the MIRC Incubation Program that has successfully rolled out several successful companies in its acceleration program.
“This is a testimony of the success of the MIRC Incubation Program that combines market access and business enrichment to accelerate companies to achieve faster time to market,” said Wong.
For more information on the OpenBook Program, please contact Francis Quek at 03 – 2161 5411 (
francis.quek@ssita.com) or go online at www.ssita.com
About MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC)
The MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC) is the leading one-stop ICT Centre in the country. Headquartered on the 12th Floor of Wisma MCA,
Kuala Lumpur and with a Northern Region Representative in Penang, MIRC is focused on helping competitive Malaysian technopreneurs in the ICT Industry.
It has been MIRC’s mission to drive innovation and deliver business values by optimizing ICT usage to achieve innovation, transformation and
growth especially for those who involve in the ICT industry. MIRC is providing supports as well as assistance to the vibrant upcoming technopreneurs
so that they become competitive players in the aggressive ICT industry.
MIRC’s good and pure intentions to help Malaysia Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) can be seen through the MIRC’s SME Development Program that
aims to help and address various problems faced by SMEs. Among the problems faced by small and medium technopreneurs are funding, grants, soft loans,
business management practices, technology adoption and market access. Therefore, it is MIRC’s hopes that through various workshops, seminars and exhibitions
held by MIRC all over Malaysia, these vibrant technopreneurs could take their business up to another level. Technopreneurs should grab these opportunities
as the services provided by MIRC are FREE.
Other than that, MIRC also initiated the MIRC e-Enablement campaign. This is a free matchmaking program between ICT companies and SMEs to help in matching
SMEs with the right ICT solution and vendor. Through this program, MIRC aims to help SMEs in Malaysia to innovate and achieve growth. So far, MIRC has reached
out to more than 15,000 SME and ICT companies through the e-Enablement campaign.
MIRC is also and MSC Status accredited Incubation Centre. Through MIRC’s Incubation Program, MIRC participates in developing technopreneurs through its
Centre of Excellence, comprising of facilities, marketing support services, market access, business mentoring, funding, branding and IP protection services.
About Share Services IT Advisory Sdn Bhd (SSITA)
SSITA, a leading IT Management and IT governance professional firm headed by a group of IT veterans with decades of IT management experience and consulting
knowledge that employs standard based solutions and methodologies such as ITIL, COBIT, COSO, BAM, iAS, SOA, PRINCE2 and DSDM as the foundation in helping our
multinationals and brick-and-mortar customers in simplifying their IT complexities into advanced building blocks to leapfrog their IT tools to support their businesses goals.
SSITA aims to deliver professional cost effective solution to our customers by leveraging the cost effectiveness of P. R. China IT worker with a combined
workforce of over 200 IT personnel and the success model experience gained from mega IT projects experienced by our group of senior IT veterans heading the service delivery of SSITA.
SSITA vision is to help our clients in making their Information Technology functions with conformant to IT standards, elimination of risk, reduction of cost,
enhancement to business support, and increase revenue by simplify IT function and technology into “working business tool”.
SSITA aims to assist our clients in the area of Outsourcing Services, Business/IT Advisory Services, Business / IT Software Application and OPenBook™ Program.
For Editorial Contact:
Ms. Sarimah Samad
MCA ICT Resource Centre (MIRC)
Level 12, Wisma MCA,
163 Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (03) 2161 1618
Fax: (03) 2160 3618
Email: sarimah@mirc.org.my
Website: www.mirc.org.my
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