Summary Bullets:
- TM ONE has expanded its ICT portfolio and strengthened its professional service capabilities.
- However, there is still a gap in its partner ecosystem compared to other providers.
TM ONE held its third LEAP Summit virtually in November 2020. At the event, the provider shared various initiatives not only in enhancing the country network infrastructure in line with the government’s plan, but also in expanding its portfolio and capabilities as a digital transformation partner to Malaysian enterprises. Its focus is on the future of work (e.g., robotics, automation AI), digital competency or skillset, agile working, and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0). The provider also shared several actual use cases and showcased its portfolio and capabilities in cloud, cybersecurity, 5G and IoT, and data analytics. This post discusses TM ONE strengths and gaps in the market as well as recommendations for the provider and buyers in the country.
Wide ICT Portfolio
One of TM ONE’s biggest advantages in the enterprise ICT market in Malaysia is its wide service portfolio. As an incumbent carrier in the country, the provider offers comprehensive network services from fixed line to wireless including SD-WAN and IoT. Furthermore, TM ONE also offers various ICT solutions such as cloud, data centers, unified communications, security, and analytics. As shared at the event, the provider has been actively expanding its portfolio, including the launch of Cloud Alpha, as well as adding new capabilities in managed security services such as cyber threat intelligence, expanding its Smart Services offerings, and introducing analytics solutions (e.g., managed business intelligence). These solutions also reflect enterprises’ current ICT needs for their digital transformation initiatives to achieve agile ICT and enable remote workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. This sets the right path for TM ONE to be the leading ICT provider in the country by extending its lead against other domestic competitors and closing the gap with global players.
Enhanced Professional Service Capabilities
Another key highlight at the event is how TM ONE has strengthened its professional service capabilities over the last few years. Aligned with its portfolio expansion from a carrier to a digital transformation partner, professional service capabilities are becoming crucial in positioning outcome-based solutions and addressing customers’ specific needs. TM ONE’s enhanced professional service capabilities were also demonstrated at the breakout sessions. For example, for cloud, the provider shared its capabilities in assessment, prioritization, and migration from on-premises to hosted environments. This is crucial and addresses one of the requirements of enterprises with their cloud migrations, e.g., prioritizing applications to move to cloud for cost optimization and ensuring successful migration with minimum business impacts. It also sets TM ONE apart from many other cloud providers that just sell the services without any value-add. TM ONE also shared its other professional service capabilities such as consulting/advisory in helping customers to achieve business outcomes from their smart service solutions, enabling customers to become cyber resilient organizations, and creating business values from operational data.
What’s Next for TM ONE
Despite a wider portfolio and stronger professional service capabilities, TM ONE’s partner ecosystem remains a key competitive gap in the ICT market. For example, in its cloud services, while it has interconnections to major cloud providers, TM ONE only offers Azure as part of its hybrid cloud services. There is still a lack of professionals certified by AWS and Google. Competitors such as Maxis and other local system integrators are leveraging this advantage to capture the increasing public cloud market opportunity. For SD-WAN, TM ONE uses Meraki as its main partner, while other providers are offering several options (e.g., Viptela, VeloCloud and Fortinet) to address diverse enterprise needs. And for IoT, while TM ONE leverages its research and development (R&D) team for application development, it is missing some advanced features offered by leading vendors such as Azure IoT Edge, Software AG, and PTC Thingworx.
IT Connection 