Cisco and Government of Malaysia unveil collaboration framework to help accelerate digitization

News Summary

Malaysian Government and Cisco leadership hold official meeting on the fringes of the US-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, DC to define digitization initiatives.

Scope of collaboration includes partnering and leveraging expertise through Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, a long-term strategic partnership with government, industry, and academia to build inclusive communities through technology and innovation.

Key pillars of the framework include digital adoption across public sector, energy sector, SMEs, and telecommunications service providers.

Kuala Lumpur & Washington DC, May 12, 2022 – Today, the Government of Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant economies, and Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet, unveiled a collaboration framework aimed at advancing Malaysia’s national digitization agenda.

The collaboration was formalized at an official ceremony attended by Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Fabian Bigar, Chief Executive Officer, MyDigital Corporation, Y.B. Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia’s Senior Minister of International Trade and Industry, Guy Diedrich, Senior Vice President and Global Innovation Officer at Cisco, Dave West, President, Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China and Hana Raja, Managing Director, Cisco Malaysia. The ceremony took place in Washington, DC, between Cisco and MyDigital Corporation, coinciding with events around the US-ASEAN Special Summit hosted by United States President Joe Biden.

The ceremony further signifies Cisco’s commitments and sets the foundation for Cisco’s new CDA program in Malaysia, and is aligned intimately with Malaysia’s digital transformation agenda and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint – MyDIGITAL – which aims to foster social inclusion and economic resilience through mass-scale digital transformation.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rapid advancement of digital transformation have highlighted the importance of digitalization in both the public and private sector. To fully leverage the potential of a digital future, all stakeholders must come together to drive the growth of digital economy, including bridging the digital divide. We look forward to work together with Cisco and bring the CDA program to Malaysia. This is a significant step in making our digital future a reality,” said Fabian Bigar, Chief Executive Officer, My Digital Corporation.

Cisco’s CDA program in Malaysia will focus on four key pillars:

Digital transformation in public sector,

Digital transformation in industry, especially focusing on transformation and innovation in the energy and utilities sector,

Digital transformation in small and medium-sized businesses, and

Digital transformation in service provider sector, focusing on 5G innovation.

Through these strategic pillars, the CDA program will leverage strong collaboration across industry partners, academia, and government leadership to foster sustainable communities and resilient economies through innovation and digital solutions.

“Our CDA program uniquely positions Cisco and our partners to be the bridge between a country’s digital ambitions and the benefits of a digital future. The model is based on high degrees of trust and deep engagement across ecosystem partners in the public and private sectors. We are excited to partner with the Malaysian government and community leaders to address key societal challenges by harnessing strategic co-investment and relentless co-innovation,” said Guy Diedrich, Senior Vice President and Global Innovation Officer at Cisco.

Built on a long-term strategic partnership with government, industry and academia, the program aims to build sustainable, secure, and inclusive communities powered by innovative technology solutions.

The CDA program is the latest milestone in Cisco’s longstanding and continued commitment to Malaysia. The Cisco Networking Academy, a global IT and cybersecurity education program that partners with learning institutions to empower all people with career opportunities, has been running in Malaysia for more than 20 years. The program helps to address the shortage of IT-skilled workers by preparing students ahead towards industry-recognized certification and future career in the technology front.

Since its launch in Malaysia in 1999, the Cisco Networking Academy has collaborated with 122 education institutions across the country. The efforts have resulted in over 112,000 students being trained to date. Connecting the programs, Cisco hopes to leverage the deep network in student training and development, and further accelerate the success of the latest initiative.

In 2021, Cisco and Cybersecurity Malaysia (CSM) also entered into a memorandum of understanding to strengthen Malaysia’s cybersecurity capabilities through cooperation in research, development and the sharing of information and knowledge between Cisco and CSM. Ensuring cybersecurity is a tenet in the success of a country’s digital economy. The CDA program will build on and extend the ongoing efforts to provide a safe environment for digital services to support the citizens.

“The challenges of the last two years have shown us the opportunities that digital adoption can create. Digital interactions and cloud-first models have become the default for businesses across Malaysia. That, coupled with the government’s focus on MyDIGITAL, means there has never been a better time for public-private partnership to realize the country’s digitization agenda. At Cisco, we are committed to work together with all stakeholders to drive a new era of growth and power an inclusive future for all by addressing the digital divide,” said Hana Raja, Managing Director, Cisco Malaysia.

Cisco’s CDA program aims to stimulate global digitization. Currently, Cisco is working with national, state, and local governments in 44 countries around the world, with over 1,200 active or completed projects worldwide to accelerate their national digitization agendas, co-develop cutting-edge solutions, and deliver beneficial services to their citizens more effectively. Cisco’s CDA programs have supported the creation of net-new jobs, GDP growth, and helped nurture innovation ecosystems.

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Cisco products are supplied in Malaysia by the channel partners of Cisco International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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