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Bridging the Digital Divide A Critical Imperative to Drive Citizen Empowerment for Indonesia’s Government

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Tegallalang Rice Terrace in Bali, Indonesia

INDONESIA, April 12, 2021 – More Indonesians are looking for a superior digital citizen experience from the public sector, but a gap still remains between citizen expectations and the actual government digital services they received, according to VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW). According to the new VMware Digital Frontiers 3.0 Study, only 29% are happy to keep interacting with the Government digitally and less than one-third of Indonesians (31%) agree that the Government has delivered an improved overall experience last year.

The same survey also revealed that while only one-third of respondents (38%) trust the government in using algorithms for their interests, Indonesian consumers still lead Southeast Asia when it comes to trusting technologies of the future including facial recognition (85%), artificial intelligence (78%) and 5G (85%). This is a clear signal to Indonesia’s public sector that with continued experimentation and innovation with emerging technologies, Indonesia is well-positioned to supercharge the growth of its digital economy on the back of its digital-first consumers.

Indonesia is one of the leading countries when it comes to embracing digital experiences with 80% of respondents defining themselves as “digitally curious” or “digital explorers”, putting them well ahead of Southeast Asian counterparts (averaging 78%) and other nations surveyed – including US (59%), France (55%), Germany (57%) and UK (65%). However, with the persisting digital divide from citizens’ attitude towards the digital experiences they have received, this highlights an urgency for the Indonesia government to harness cutting-edge technologies to drive innovations, agility and improved digital experiences to their citizens as the country continues to progress towards its Pemerintahan Digital Melayani (digitized service government) vision.

More than half of respondents (57%) are in fact comfortable and excited for the Government to access completely accurate data about their daily lives (i.e. spending habits, nutrition and diet, health and location) to better offer digital services to them. 

“It is encouraging to see that more Indonesians are embracing technologies of the future today and there are definitely opportunities for Indonesia to do more with facial recognition and artificial intelligence to meet the growing expectations of our digital-first consumers. This means that on both a public and private organization front, we need to continue pushing the innovation envelope to deliver a superior digital experience to consumers,” said Cin Cin Go, Country Manager, VMware Indonesia. “The Government plays a pivotal role in enabling digital foundation for our businesses and helping to raise the digital literacy of citizens. By working closely with the local communities and innovation ecosystem, I believe we can well respond, adapt and accelerate our progress towards a digital-first nation.”

Despite being more open to embracing digital services, one in two Indonesians (50%) believe it is the Government’s responsibility in improving their personal levels of digital literacy, putting the country ahead of Southeast Asia’s average of 48% and on par with Singapore and Thailand. 44% of Indonesians also trust the public sector in increasing their personal digital literacy levels, highlighting the need for public efforts to continue educating and strengthening digital literacy of Indonesians. To address this, the government agencies have responded with initiatives such as Creative Cyber Movement and are working closely with local communities that will improve Indonesia’s digital literacy as well as the delivery of services and experiences for its digital citizens.

Technology strengthens Asia’s COVID readiness with greater digital transformation outcomes to accelerate economic growth and recovery

In a fast-changing business environment, governments in the region have showcased the value technology brings to enable a connected and innovative ecosystem. While organizations were focused on responding and adapting to the pandemic to ensure business continuity in 2020, 2021 marks a turning point with innovation becoming a priority for future-ready organizations looking to accelerate their growth.

A wholistic approach that enables organizations to deliver superior digital experiences across any cloud, any application and any device, in a seamless and secure manner, will become a critical success factor in Asia’s rapidly digitalizing business environment. Progressing into 2021, VMware outlines key priorities that can further strengthen Asia’s transformation into a resilient, inclusive and innovation-led economy:

  • Empowering governments to build a multi-cloud and app future: Unlocking multi-cloud future with app-driven innovations for greater agility in a consistent and more secure environment that enables continuous innovation
  • Enabling innovation and productivity for a distributed workforce: Future ready workforce solutions will enable a seamless and more secure digital employee experience, driving greater outcomes in the new world of work
  • Intrinsic security for uninterrupted innovation: An intrinsic approach to enterprise security will provide an additional layer of robust protection for mission-critical operations and infrastructures to fast-track business innovation and resilience

“As Indonesia gears up for recovery and growth in the coming year, bridging the digital divide between the government, businesses and citizens will be key,” added Cin Cin. “VMware will continue to be a trusted partner and enabler in strengthening the innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. By harnessing key cloud and app modernization technologies, we can drive innovations, agility and scalability, improving our delivery of an enhanced and personalized digital experiences to Indonesians.”

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About VMware

VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html.

About the VMware Digital Frontiers 3.0 Study

VMware Digital Frontiers 3.0 Study is a global multi-country study conducted from November – December 2020, surveying the behaviors, preferences and attitudes towards digital services and experiences in 2020 of 1,000 consumers per geography from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

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