TODAY'S business environment is increasingly competitive and global in nature.

To compete in such an environment, businesses need to constantly sharpen their competitive edge, refine their business model and explore new opportunities. Infocomm can provide businesses with a competitive advantage.

SMEs can also make use of infocomm to improve their productivity and generate greater business growth. But SMEs may sometimes have limited resources, if at all, to explore how new technologies can help them get ahead.

Help is now at hand.

SME business owners may be keen to reduce the cost of their overseas phone calls or wonder how they can make use of the free basic tier Wireless@SG, which they've heard so much about.

However, these SMEs may not have dedicated infocomm staff to explore other suitable possibilities.

Such SMEs would then benefit from an objective source that is capable of giving SME-friendly advice, including details on how to install and use software for immediate benefit to the business. This source is the SME Infocomm Resource Centre (SIRC), which serves as a first stop service centre for the SMEs.

The SIRC is a joint initiative by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Singapore Polytechnic.

Free software

Since it started in June last year, SIRC has successfully provided 75 SMEs with infocomm advisory services, including popular ones that address the following:

- How to market and sell products overseas;
- What are the cheapest and fastest ways to tap into, and reach out to, overseas markets;
- How to cut costs on IDD calls through infocomm;
- How to access e-mail on the go;
- How to secure computers to prevent hacking;
- How to ensure safe transaction when customers make online purchases with SMEs.

Apart from providing infocomm services, the SIRC also helps SMEs leverage the many common free software which allows them to enjoy the benefits of infocomm technology. Examples of such software include productivity tools such as Open Office.

Workshops

For SMEs that are interested to find out how new technologies can be applied to meet their business needs, the SIRC also conducts workshops that help SMEs to understand infocomm and its business benefits in simple terms without the technology jargon. Some of the SIRC workshops include:

- How to expand your business using e-commerce;
- How to set up an e-commence website;
- How your business can benefit from new blogging technologies (e.g. Web 2.0);
- How to improving your business operation using an accounting system;
- What you should know about infocomm security.

For further details and updates on how SMEs can leverage SIRC, visit www.sp.edu.sg/sirc

This article is contributed by the SME Infocomm Resource Centre@Singapore Polytechnic and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore