IT spending by the Government is set to hit US$324.2mil (RM1.23bil) this year, according technology research firm IDC. In total, government IT spending this year would be about 4.3% more than 2003, when it amounted to an estimated US$310.8mil (RM1.18bil).
The Government sector is expected to account for about 12.6% of the US$2.57bil (RM9.77bil) in total IT spending forecast for 2004.
IDC Malaysia senior analyst Andrew Wong said the rollout of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) to other areas in the country, and further development of some of the MSC's Flagship Applications would be some of the catalysts for public sector IT spending.
"These initiatives have created an 'uproar' of opportunities and made an impact on the overall ICT market in Malaysia," he told In.Tech on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced recently that the MSC would be expanded to Bayan Lepas and Kulim High-Tech Park as the two newest cybercities after Cyberjaya.
There has also been progress in areas that are expected to drive spending further, such as the Smart School Flagship Application. All primary and secondary schools will be upgraded into smart schools gradually, instead of building such schools, the Prime Minister said last month.
Wong said the computerisation of schools would be a major item on the bill.
The Government has also made several other major moves on the IT front this year. Besides MSC-related efforts, it is driving the initiative to make Malaysia a preferred shared services and outsourcing location, and recently unveiled an Open Source Software (OSS) implementation masterplan for the public sector.
Spending in these "newer areas" would also be significant, said Wong.
Driven by the continued development of these initiatives, Government spending is expected to reach US$413.3mil in 2007, or 11.9% of total IT spending in the country.
"(These initiatives) will affect ICT vendors' go-to-market strategies," said Wong.
The main opportunities for local and foreign vendors that want to take advantage of the Government's IT spending trends lie in areas related to the MSC, including e-government integration projects and the national rollout of the project.
Wong also said that OSS and shared services would present significant opportunities, as well as new "convergence technologies" the Government is likely to experiment and focus on, such as Java smartcards and RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.
Autor: Raslan Sharif
Quelle: The Malaysia Star, 18.08.2004
