Cisco Launches National Digitization Program in Thailand

BANGKOK — Cisco and Thailand are collaborating on a framework for digitization across the country to “accelerate” Thailand’s digital and creative economies.

The framework will be under Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program and also power an “inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Cisco last month.

The framework was introduced at a hybrid event attended by several officials from Thailand and Cisco.

Cisco’s CDA team collaborates with governments to accelerate their national digitization agendas and deliver services to their citizens faster and more effectively. 

The CDA program in Thailand is aligned with the government’s Thailand 4.0 initiative, which is aimed at triggering a new wave of economic growth in the country. It aims to build the country’s competitive advantage with a focus on key technologies to enhance productivity, quality, and innovation in key sectors across the country.

Cisco’s CDA program in Thailand will focus on three key areas: digital acceleration of local enterprises; technology and business innovation; and digitization of national infrastructure. These areas will be underpinned by a focus on cybersecurity. Through the strategic pillars, Cisco said it intends to invest its technologies, infrastructure, tools, knowledge, and expertise to “empower crucial stakeholders to enact their digital transformation plans.”

The CDA program in Thailand will drive various initiatives, with specific focus on the following areas:

• Connected health care: Cisco will work with health care stakeholders to leverage technology to enable delivery of health care services across the country, especially in rural areas. This is a critical priority area as the pandemic has highlighted the important role technology plays in ensuring quality health care for everyone, regardless of location. 
• 5G for enterprises: Cisco will help develop and test new 5G network solutions to bring more value to enterprises and enhanced network experiences to customers. With the ability to transmit huge amounts of data at faster speeds, 5G will help bridge the gap between customers, apps, and business technologies. It will help boost real-time predictive maintenance, smarter automation, and new business models, especially in key sectors like manufacturing.
• Smart cities and transportation: Cisco will contribute to Thailand’s socio-economic development with its technologies that power the underlying infrastructure for smart cities. It will especially focus on modernizing transportation investment within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and in mega-projects for air, rail, land, and sea transportation across the country.
• Cybersecurity: Cisco will establish a cybersecurity training center in Thailand to upskill local talent in the sector. The Cybersecurity Academy is a controlled, interactive environment where current and prospective cybersecurity professionals can collaborate to detect, investigate, and mitigate cyber attacks. Organizations can incorporate skills and processes that will enhance the capability to effectively respond to an incident in real-life and reduce its potential impact. Cisco will also help build a resilient and sustainable cybersecurity framework for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in Thailand.

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“We are focused on ensuring that we continue to lead the way in the post-pandemic future, which will be led by digital adoption, technology, and innovation,” said Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Thailand’s minister of digital economy and society. 

“To fully leverage the potential of a digital future, all stakeholders will be the key players. We are delighted to work together with Cisco to launch their CDA program in the country. This is a significant step in making our digital future a reality.”

Taveewat Chantaraseno, managing director of Cisco Thailand, said over the past two years, digital interactions and cloud-first models have “become the default for businesses across Thailand, driven in large part by the pandemic.”

“Businesses have seen first-hand the opportunities that digital adoption can create,”  Chantaraseno said. “That, coupled with the government’s focus on Thailand 4.0, means there has never been a better time for public-private partnership to realize the country’s digitization agenda.”

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