Thailand, Cisco partner on digital strategy to drive growth

The government of Thailand and technology leader Cisco partner under Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program (CDA).

The implementation of Cisco’s CDA program, which is currently being rolled out in 44 countries worldwide, will help Thailand to accelerate digitisation and power an inclusive recovery from the pandemic.

Helping to make Thailand 4.0 initiative a reality

The program is strategically aligned with the government’s Thailand 4.0 initiative – designed to trigger a new wave of economic growth. It aims to build the country’s competitive advantage with a focus on key technologies to enhance productivity, quality, and innovation in key sectors.

As Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, Thailand’s economy “has always been a torchbearer for the region,” says Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society, and this move to partner with Cisco marks a significant step in making Thailand’s future a reality.  

“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,” he adds.

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, and many businesses have seen first-hand the opportunities that digital adoption can create.

The CDA program will power an inclusive future for all

The program will focus on three key areas for Thailand – digital acceleration of local enterprises, technology and business innovation, and digitisation of national infrastructure – and will be underpinned by a focus on cybersecurity, critical to the success of any digital initiative.

Through these strategic pillars, Cisco will invest its technologies, infrastructure, tools, knowledge and expertise to empower crucial stakeholders to enact their digital transformation plans. The program will drive various initiatives in Thailand, focused on these areas:

• Connected healthcare Cisco will work with healthcare stakeholders to leverage technology to enable delivery of healthcare services across the country, especially in rural areas.
• 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. This is critical as the ability to transmit huge amounts of data at faster speeds with 5G will help bridge the gap between customers, apps, and business technologies.
• Smart Cities and transportation Cisco will contribute to Thailand’s socio-economic development with its industry-leading technologies that power the underlying infrastructure for Smart Cities. It will especially focus on modernising 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 centre in Thailand to upskill local talent in the sector. The Cybersecurity Academy is a controlled, interactive environment where cybersecurity professionals can collaborate to detect, investigate, and mitigate cyber-attacks.  

Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program (CDA)

Launched just a year ago, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way to stimulate global digitisation and help countries and governments power an inclusive recovery, Cisco’s CDA program has grown exponentially, rolling out to 44 countries.

Among those countries in Asia working with Cisco to accelerate digitisation are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and now Thailand. 

For South Korea, the program has “helped the digital transformation in education by offering free video conferencing solutions to educational institutions during these difficult times”, according to Sye-Kyun Chung, South Korea’s former PM.

Cisco works with national, state and local governments to accelerate their national digitisation agendas, co-develop cutting-edge solutions, and deliver beneficial services to their citizens more effectively.