Our e-infrastructure is slowly improving<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Now I no longer have to suffer from the always-
\non envy. After KabelVision installed my cable modem, I no longer
\nhad to limit my Internet time. No matter how much I use the
\nInternet, the cost would be the same -- a little more than Rp
\n400,000 per month (including the cable TV service).<\/p>\n
I have also subscribed to McAfee ActiveShield, which protects
\nmy PC from virus infections. When I received a file from a client
\nrecently, it recognized the macro virus right away. I can now
\ntell it to scan my hard disks using the latest virus definitions
\nthey have. I can download white papers on new technologies.<\/p>\n
Internet banking is another e-convenience that we will soon
\ntake for granted. Thanks to Klik BCA, I am now able to check
\nwhether my clients have transferred their payments to my account.
\nI can also transfer funds as if I were using a BCA ATM, except
\nthat I am still sitting in front of my PC.<\/p>\n
I can now do more things on my PC, and I am now expecting my
\nphone bill to drop next month. If it stays the same next month,
\nthen something must be wrong with Telkom's billing system.<\/p>\n
The cable TV-based Internet access is just one of the
\nofferings that have become available to us in the last two years
\nor so. Buildings, real estates, resorts, etc., will also have
\nfast access to the Internet thanks to the availability of
\nsatellite-based Internet services. Internet cafes, known locally
\nas warnet, also contribute significantly to the proliferation of
\nthe Internet throughout Indonesia. It is not too optimistic to
\nexpect that, the Internet will be everywhere in this country, and
\nwe can access it whether we are tethered to the jack on the wall
\nor we are using a wireless connection.<\/p>\n
Those of you who have started using SMS and WAP on your cell
\nphones will agree that things are getting better. Improvements
\nmay come slowly, perhaps, when compared with our neighbors
\nSingapore and the Philippines, who were able to take advantage of
\nthe new services earlier. We do see technology trickling down
\ninto our territory.<\/p>\n
On the users' side, we are seeing a lot of improvements --
\nthanks to a more open and conducive investment environment. Let
\nus just hope that there will no more shortsighted government
\npolicies and regulations that may hamper the growth of Internet
\naccess in this country.<\/p>\n
What about the supply side? The last two years have also
\nwitnessed the birth of a number of dot-com companies. Some may be
\nin trouble, but others are making the right move to wade the cash
\nflow problems arising from hyperbolic optimism on the future of
\nInternet businesses. However, another encouraging factor is the
\ninvolvement of medium and large information technology (IT)
\nvendors in encouraging e-commerce and e-lifestyle here. Seminars
\norganized or sponsored by global players such as Cisco Systems,
\nIBM, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle and others, which filled our
\nschedules during the 1997 and 1998 problem years, have begun to
\nshow positive results, and they seem to be reinvigorating their
\nactivities in line with our recovery from the crisis.<\/p>\n
Last week, for example, Oracle Indonesia organized its
\niDevelop seminar and exhibition series, which involved a number
\nof its partners in Indonesia. While the seminars featured Oracle
\ntechnologies for the e-Economy, the exhibition features solutions
\ndeveloped by local companies such as AG-IT, Berca and Pratesis.
\nPratesis, for example, showcased an application for distribution
\ncompanies that was built on Oracle database. These local
\ndevelopers were members of a worldwide network the company calls
\nOracle Technology Network. Oracle boasts that 2,500 developers
\nworldwide sign up for membership of this program, which is
\nexpected to have one million members by the end of 2000.<\/p>\n
Just next week, the world's largest ERP software company, SAP,
\nis also organizing a two-day seminar. The first day will feature
\nSAP technologies, while discussions on the second day will be
\ntargeted to high-level executives. SAP has also made its
\nnotoriously expensive technology more affordable by launching its
\nMySAP.com e-business platform. This platform enables Indonesian
\ncompanies to collaborate with each other as well as with
\ncompanies from other parts of the world and join industry-
\nspecific marketplaces.<\/p>\n
Success in the e-Economy is certainly not dependent solely on
\ntechnology. Businesses that want to make it in the new economy
\nwill need to think of different business processes, solutions,
\norganization, systems and all their integration. More often than
\nnot, they will need external expertise and knowledge to help them
\ndesign better processes and solutions. There are a number of
\nmanagement consultants around, and one of the players in the
\nIndonesian scene is the 10-year-old, Netherland-based Magnus
\nManagement Consultants (MMC). MMC takes pride in its discipline
\nin completing its projects. While the industry standard is 50
\npercent, MMC claims that it has been able to complete 95 percent
\nof the project it undertakes in time and within budget.<\/p>\n
By no means should we ever forget home-grown and regional IT
\nplayers. Jatis, for example, was the consultant behind the
\nconstruction of Klik BCA, one of the e-conveniences that I
\nmentioned earlier. Other Jatis' clients include BII, Bank Mega,
\nPT Kewalram Indonesia , BPPT, PT Travoo Online, AboutHR.com and
\nEzyHealth Asia Pacific, Ltd. Having reidentified itself as e-
\nBusiness enabler, Jatis has 150 professionals working in Kuala
\nLumpur, Singapore and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Clearly, all the recent developments in e-infrastructure and
\nthe active involvement of global, regional and local IT service
\nvendors gives us strong reasons to be more hopeful. We still need
\nto overhaul our extremely dilapidated national education system,
\nwhich has not shown any positive change so far. We still have to
\npush the political elite and bureaucrats to do their job for us.
\nWe have to prevent the Digital Divide from getting wider and
\ndeeper, but, overall, the positive signs are there already.<\/p>",
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