As the second-largest economy in ASEAN, Thailand is considered by many to be an entry point to the ASEAN market due to its strategic geographic location, cultural diversity, technological advancement, and well‑connected infrastructure. The country is also observing a faster-than-expected digital transformation. So what is driving this accelerated transformation in Thailand, and what are the implications for the future of the Thai cloud market? Today, we speak to Mr. Chang Foo, Chief Operating Officer of Tencent Cloud Thailand to explore these questions.

With a background in electrical engineering, Chang spent most of his early years as a consultant in the United States before relocating back to Asia. Upon returning, he spent several years as a Chief Technology Officer, driving strategies and technology with his over ten years of experience as an end-user of technology. In 2014, he decided to make the leap to Tencent, where technology was core to the business. “Since then, I’ve seen significant growth in our business, particularly on the cloud front, and am happy to be part of the continued growth we see going forward.”

Digital transformation and cloud potential under the pandemic

The pandemic has undoubtedly brought major disruptions worldwide, forcing businesses to find new ways to operate in order to survive. There’s no exception in Thailand. “I would say we all need to seize the moment. The pandemic brings a multitude of challenges, but it also brings various opportunities to all of us. Businesses need to operate differently to cater to consumers as their behaviors evolve and become more open to changes and convenience. Take this time to assess your business and evaluate how automation and technology can elevate your business. Change and transformation are always difficult, but during this pandemic, changes are increasingly more accepted and welcomed by all parties.”

In their search for better ways to improve business agility during the pandemic, enterprises and organizations across various industries in Thailand have been expediting their adoption of new digital technologies such as cloud computing, big data and analytics, and the Internet of Things over the past few years.

Chang cited a new Thailand Digital Transformation Survey by Deloitte Thailand, which suggests that 56% of surveyed companies in Thailand have entered the digital adopter phase, compared to 12% before the pandemic. “The implementation rate of advanced technologies has increased since the start of COVID-19, including a 19% increase in cloud technology implementation, 16% in IoT, and 15% in mobile applications. These increases are clear evidence that COVID-19 has fast-tracked the digital transformation of businesses and organizations in Thailand.”

Despite the apparent growing trend of cloud adoption among Thai companies over the next few years, Chang pointed out that many organizations in the country are actually “barely scratching the surface” of the cloud’s vast potential. “While some leading companies are doing quite well, introducing cloud-first or mobile-first as their business strategy, most others have yet to reach the full potential that cloud technology has to offer.”

Customizable and out-of-the-box offerings for enterprises

As a digital enabler, Tencent Cloud strives to provide enterprises across the globe with cloud solutions that enable digital transformation and improve business agility. In Thailand, Chang expressed that the company primarily focuses on food and retail, media, and financial service sectors, and is aiming to expand to others, especially the healthcare industry.

“We have a special focus on SaaS and PaaS, as here in Tencent Cloud we provide customizable, ready-to-go solutions that enterprises can implement instantaneously. These solutions meet the modern-day needs of businesses and organizations to adapt to abrupt changes. We are also proud of our intelligent solutions including e-KYC (electronic Know-Your-Customer), AI (Artificial Intelligence), OCR (Optical Character Recognition), as well as TCC (Tencent Cloud Conference) and a suite of audio and video solutions,” Chang added.

Smart solutions for Industry 4.0

In addition to the previously mentioned sectors, the manufacturing industry also plays a very important role in the overall economy of Thailand. For entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industry, embracing the rapidly changing environment and integrating technology with business operations is an inevitable requirement. Intelligent manufacturing systems have become an important cog for driving the transformation of Thailand’s manufacturing into the era of Industry 4.0. And for businesses looking to step into the arena of smart manufacturing, cloud technologies and artificial intelligence are the gateway to achieving the industry standard.

“We appreciate the importance of being a part of supporting the Thai manufacturing entrepreneurs. As our commitment to being a digital enabler for enterprises, we assist them in transforming into digital systems efficiently. Leveraging Tencent Cloud's robust infrastructure, we can integrate cloud operating systems, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, security, and other cutting-edge technologies in response to any context of the business to allow them to operate intelligently. With these smart cloud solutions, businesses can increase the production capacity to meet changing market demands seamlessly. What’s more, enterprises in the manufacturing industry can also elevate their business operations and the production systems, leading to an increase in competitiveness in the global market.”

Strong global infrastructure network, extensive local expertise

The digital transformation rate in Thailand is snowballing, and so is the market competition. When asked about what he believes sets Tencent Cloud apart from other industry players, Chang emphasized that with years of experience in technological innovation, a strong infrastructure, and an extensive global content delivery network, Tencent Cloud is poised to provide Thai customers with high-performing, easy-to-maintain, intelligent, and flexible cloud services.

“We have a growing infrastructure network that now spans across 26 regions and 70 availability zones, of which two of them are in Thailand. These two data centers are both Tier-3 design facilities and are located in a prime network hub located right in the heart of Bangkok. It highlights enhanced data processing performance and flexibility, thanks to servers equipped with the latest technology and GPUs that help increase the performance of various processing while creating superior usage latency in various use cases and scenarios.”

Chang highlighted that strong local expertise gives Tencent Cloud another competitive edge in Thailand. “While we have a strong global footprint and years of technology experience from Tencent, we also have a local support team in Thailand who can provide service and consult with the need of Thai customers. The local professional team can respond quickly and customize solutions based on customer needs.”

Work together, win together

As a leader of the Thailand team, Chang holds a strong belief in transparency and teamwork. “When managing teams, especially senior leaders, I often find ways to involve them in different aspects of our business. Allow them to be part of the overall process to ensure their voices matter. ‘Work together, win together’ is indeed my motto.” Perhaps that ideology doesn’t just apply to Chang’s team in Thailand, but also to the relationship between Tencent Cloud and its customers and business partners everywhere—work together to unleash the potential of the cloud and win the digital transformation race together.