SINGAPORE – 16 JUL 2024
1. The recently launched Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB) outlined the Government’s support for enterprises and workers in harnessing digital technologies to drive growth. In support of the DEB, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has launched two new solution categories under the Advanced Digital Solutions (ADS) scheme - Omnichannel Retail Management (OCRM) and Integrated Security Management (ISM), targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the retail and security industries. The pilot will run for one year and equip 100 SMEs with sophisticated digital solutions to deepen their digital capabilities, drive digital transformation, and build business resilience for growth in a digital economy.
2. The OCRM and ISM are sector specific integrated solutions which help SMEs unify various business functions, enabling seamless information flow across their operations to better facilitate operations and enable data analytics and insights. The solutions will be assessed for their suitability for SMEs’ adoption before they are scaled up through relevant support such as the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG). This will enable more SMEs to benefit when the successfully piloted solutions are pre-approved by IMDA for mass adoption.
3. Leong Der Yao, Assistant Chief Executive, Sectoral Transformation Group, IMDA, said, "As SMEs grow their businesses and intensify their adoption of digital solutions, the need for seamless integration becomes an important consideration. The OCRM and ISM solutions, curated with shortlisted solution partners, are integral to the broader DEB strategy to empower SMEs to embrace integrated digital solutions. By leveraging these integrated solutions, SMEs are able to streamline operations, elevate their capabilities, and remain competitive in today’s rapidly evolving market landscapes."
Empowering retailers with integrated OCRM solutions to achieve business efficiency and customised offerings
4. Digital solutions that can help integrate and streamline business operations have become ever more important as retailers continue to expand their businesses. The OCRM solution is one such example that enables retailers to connect various customer engagement touchpoints and different functional areas. The OCRM solution category is launched by IMDA in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG). It helps retailers to deliver a unified customer experience across these customer engagement touchpoints, such as physical retail outlets, e-marketplaces and online channels, while at the same time, enables an integrated operations across their back-end functions, such as Inventory Management and Customer Relationship Management.
5. “How consumers shop and engage with brands has evolved significantly, with consumers now expecting hyper-personalisation and smooth transition between various customer touchpoints. The support for OCRM solutions will help retailers navigate these demands and streamlining operations by providing a consolidated view of critical aspects like inventory and customer relationship management,” said Ms Jeannie Lim, Assistant Managing Director, Services & Growth Enterprises, EnterpriseSG.
A centralised platform for integrated facilities management with AI-enabled ISM solutions
6. The introduction of the ISM solution category is a collaborative effort between IMDA and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), aimed at enhancing the operational capabilities of small and medium-sized security agencies.
7. The shift towards integrated facility management signifies the integration and coordination of security services with other facility management functions, enabling a more comprehensive and efficient approach to security provisioning. There is also growing exploration of the Outcome Based Contract model by security service buyers. This model focuses on delivering specific outcomes or results, instead of just providing a set of predefined services (e.g. fixed number of security officers deployed). Given these trends, there is a clear need for security agencies to offer value-added services to security service buyers through an integrated platform.
8. The ISM platform harnesses AI capabilities such as computer vision, machine learning and deep learning, to empower security agencies to extend their services beyond traditional security guarding. The platform can be integrated with other systems to offer comprehensive insights into integrated facilities management through a user-friendly management dashboard. Additionally, it enables real-time monitoring, control and incident responses via an operational dashboard.
9. By leveraging centralised technological platforms, the solutions seek to enable these agencies to integrate their operations seamlessly, thereby elevating the quality of services delivered. Harris Rusdi Chai, Director, Security Policy Directorate, Joint Ops Group, MHA, said, “MHA welcomes this timely introduction of the ISM. There has been growing interest by the security industry to move towards a more streamlined and integrated model of operations, and the ISM provides a ready solution to do so. This will also boost ongoing industry transformation efforts to adopt smarter and more advanced technology to enhance productivity and security outcomes.”
10. With the adoption of ISM solutions, security agencies can elevate their capabilities and extend their service offerings beyond security services, resulting in enhanced services for their clients and potential cost efficiencies. This enables collaboration with other facilities management providers to integrate operations and deliver value-added services to security service buyers through a unified platform.
11. The ADS scheme was announced in 2020, aimed at supporting SMEs to pilot the adoption of integrated digital solutions aligned with Industry Digital Plans as early adopters. Eligible SMEs may receive up to 70% funding support under the ADS grant, enabling them to access these advanced solutions with reduced financial barriers.
12. Please refer to Annex A (58.09KB) for quotes of the enterprises that have benefitted or are looking to benefit from the OCRM and ISM solutions, and Annex B (146.47KB) and Annex C (170.59KB) for the list of OCRM and ISM solutions respectively.
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