MCF Business Breakfast 2018
The MCA organised a Business Breakfast aimed at encouraging businesses to go digital through the implementation of Cloud Computing. The event was organised in collaboration with EY and RSM, both of which members of the Malta Cloud Forum (MCF), and it was also supported by the other members of the Forum. The event took place on 12th September.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Silvio Schembri, opened the event via a recorded speech, highlighting the benefits and transformational opportunities in operations brought about by cloud computing technologies.
Following this, Michael Azzopardi, Senior Manager at EY IT Advisory, and Christopher Busuttil Delbridge, Managing Director of Evolve Ltd. took the floor as they explored the benefits and challenges posed by cloud computing from the perspective of a business that had first-hand experience with cloud migration. The session took the format of a fireside chat, engaging the audience throughout.
The third session was delivered by Mr Gordon Micallef and Ms Martina Mallia on behalf of RSM, who in turn presented the various paths available for SMEs to exploit cloud-based services that translate into business benefits. This graphical journey to the cloud is not the same for every organisation. However it reflects the reality that every organisation can benefit from one or more cloud-based services. The journey depicted the challenges that SMEs face in dealing with different nodes on the paths, and the benefits to be considered with digital communications, data, customers, finances, and human resources.
Lastly, Caryl McKay on behalf of the MCA stressed the Authority’s commitment to raise cloud awareness and the take-up of new technologies amongst businesses. A survey conducted by the MCA in 2017 found that amongst the 71% of businesses that indicated that they seek to adopt new technology in order to save money, only 51% believed that they are knowledgeable about cloud computing technologies. Moreover, the vast majority of the businesses that were interviewed (64%) do not use cloud computing and do not plan to make use of cloud computing technologies in the near future. 8
In order to address this, the MCA in collaboration with the MCF will next year be undertaking a project called ‘Excelerate’, which aims to encourage businesses to go digital and invest in cloud technologies. Through various information sessions, the project will delve into a number of topics, such as: Cloud Computing; Web Design; Security and much more. The project will be launched early next year with sessions planned to kick-start in March. Different sessions are planned to be scheduled every month and participants will be able to choose the sessions they follow depending on their topic preferences and needs.
