By Cat Yong
The National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) has introduced a mobile platform called PIE (PIKOM Industry Engagement),that aims to increase interaction between ICT businesses and professionals, in the industry.
Downloadable from Google’s and Apple’s app stores, PIE includes a business directory of members and ICT businesses, a knowledge management repository hosting IDC and Gartner research papers, ICT news articles and related materials, a job listing function and even a mobile purchase and payment engine, that is due to be ready by June 2015.
With all the data that the app could potentially generate, there is also third-party analytics capability wrapped around the app, for more relevant member engagement.
Led by The Media Shoppe CEO, Christopher Chan, who is also a PIKOM Council Member, PIE aims to increase interaction with the industry, and was initiated as a way to holistically engage with the different communities within PIKOM – institutes of higher learning (IHL), HR functions, distributors and resellers, IT leaders, IT outsourcing companies and more.
For example, there are ongoing trials with private colleges like HELP Institute, where PIKOM member companies provide tech support as well as internship opportunities to these private IHLs. In turn HR departments of these companies have a pool of talent to pick from, for their internship programmes.
PIKOM Chairman, Cheah Kok Hoong said, “People don’t realise the breadth of value that the association offers. PIE is being developed to help members leverage the PIKOM network which comprises over 1000 ICT companies.”
This disconnect is due in part, to different communities being siloed off from each other.
Cheah also said, “When we first introduced PIE at the recent PIKOM/PC Fair in February 2015, retailers were our targeted segment.”
During the fair, an integrated business-to-business (B2B) or buyer and seller platform was available on PIE, for distributors and dealers to showcase their respective deals and acquire IT products amongst themselves.
There are many more PIKOM-organised events and activities that PIKOM participates in, coming up in 2015 – closed door events, special collaboration projects, sharing of research findings, job postings, industry events local and abroad, and so on.
The PIE mobile app would keep members updated on these developments and they can decide which they wish to leverage on, if they choose to do so at all.
The PIE mobile app also support social media, and the smartphone’s camera and GPS capabilities. Chan also cautioned that PIE is still a work in progress, with many other components being built into the one integrated platform; for example an event management system and attendee notification system.
The app is currently sized to be able to cater to up to 20,000 members.
Cheah described, “PIE is centred on the four key pillars of community engagement, community building, community learning and community empowerment, and is part of the Association’s strategy to nurture a more dynamic and proactive ICT community in the country.”
