- 36% Thai respondents in VMware Digital Frontiers 3.0 study agreed that the Government now delivers an improved digital overall experience, slightly behind the 38% ASEAN average
- Consumer trust in facial recognition (74%), artificial intelligence (70%) and 5G (81%) create a fertile ground for greater public sector innovation in the country
- Half of Thai respondents (50%) believe that the Government is responsible for increasing their personal level of digital literacy – on par with Indonesia and Singapore
THAILAND, April 29, 2021 – The delivery of superior digital experiences and raising of personal digital literacy levels of citizens have emerged as key imperatives for the Thai Government to drive its Thailand 4.0 vision, according to VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW). The new VMware Digital Frontiers 3.0 Study revealed the presence of a digital divide between Thai citizens and government with only 36% of respondents stating that the Government has delivered improved digital experience as compared to last year and only 30% of respondents happy to keep interacting with the Government digitally.
However, with Thai consumers expressing greater trust in technologies of the future including facial recognition (74%), artificial intelligence (70%) and 5G (81%), there is an opportunity for Thailand’s public sector to harness emerging technologies to deliver cutting-edge digital citizen services that will delight consumers and drive the country towards its Thailand 4.0 vision.
The study also revealed that 86% of Thai consumers define themselves as “digitally curious” or “digital explorers”, with 50% of them stating that they trust the Government in using algorithms for their interest. The data is clear: Thai consumers expect the Government to deliver superior digital experiences that will foster greater public-private collaboration and engagement.
On the important topic of trust, only 31% of respondents stating that the Government has given them the assurance that their data and information is secure, lagging behind its Southeast Asian counterparts including Singapore (56%), Malaysia (42%), Philippines (41%) and Indonesia (33%). To encourage more consumers to embrace digital government services, it is critical for the government agencies to strengthen their digital foundation to bolster confidence and improve the delivery of a seamless and secure digital experience to its citizens.
“Thailand is well on the road to success in charting a sustainable return to economic recovery and growth with its digital-hungry population. However, to further accelerate this growth and unlock new opportunities, the public sector plays a critical role in enabling cutting-edge digital experiences for its citizens as well as driving innovations for the local ecosystem,” said Ekpawin Sukanan, Country Manager, VMware Thailand. “As we continue to progress towards our Thailand 4.0 vision, the Government must first strengthen our mission-critical digital infrastructures for businesses and build digital trust amongst citizens to bridge the divide within the nation. By harnessing next-generation technologies such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence, the country will be in a better position to deliver enhanced digital experiences to digital-first Thai citizens.”
Despite being more open to embracing digital services as compared to their global counterparts, half of respondents (50%) believe that it is the Thai government’s responsibility to increase their personal digital literacy levels, putting the country ahead of Southeast Asia’s average of 48% and on par with Indonesia and Singapore. With only 37% of Thai respondents trusting the Government to raise the personal levels of their digital literacy, this highlights the need for greater public efforts to continue educating and strengthening digital literacy of Thai consumers. The local government agencies have since responded with holistic initiatives including the Thailand 4.0 plan to boost digital literacy, competence, and connectivity in the country to drive continuous innovations and delivery of superior digital citizen experiences.
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 Thailand gears up for recovery and growth in the coming year, the Government plays a critical role in building a strong foundation of digital trust and moving the needle in digital literacy,” added Ekpawin Sukanan. “To that end, VMware remains committed to helping the Government and businesses strengthen their digital foundation and better respond, adapt and accelerate to current and future challenges in the digital era. We will continue to work closely with the innovation ecosystem to accelerate Thailand’s innovation journey and transform into a digital nation for our consumers.”
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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 behaviours, 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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