AWS today announced the launch of AWS Lift in Malaysia, a program to help small and medium businesses (SMBs), get started on their digital transformation journey. New and existing customers that join the program will receive a starter pack of AWS Credits over 12 months, providing access to over 200 fully featured services on AWS, the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform.
The program will help eligible SMBs experience the benefits of AWS services without worrying about the associated costs from investing in new technology. Their first dollar billed on AWS will unlock US$750 (MYR3,353) of AWS Credits in their account and increased usage of AWS services is rewarded with AWS Credits to offset their bill, up to a maximum of US$83,500 (MYR373,370) over 12 months.
Removes barriers to cloud adoption for SMBs
Malaysian SMBs in 2021 accounted for 1,226,494 or 97.4% of overall business establishments, contributing to 37.4% of GDP and providing employment for 7.3 million workers in the nation. In the current economic environment, businesses face increased financial pressure, particularly SMBs with limited finances to weather the rising inflationary pressures.
With a minimum billing fee of just US$1 and no lock-in periods or hidden fees, AWS Lift helps to alleviate cost pressures and provides SMBs with a commitment-free approach to get started on AWS, benefiting from the flexibility of AWS’s pay-as-you-go model, to develop the operational muscle and transform processes to drive new revenue growth.
“SMBs are looking to adapt their business models given the current macroeconomic environment, and this is where technology can help. AWS is enabling SMBs to be more innovative and resilient as they accelerate transformation in the face of ambiguity and change. Through programs such as AWS Lift, we are demonstrating our commitment to invest in and power SMBs of every size and every industry in Malaysia to digitize their business and unlock their economic potential,” said Gunish Chawla, Managing Director, Mid-Market Enterprise & SMB, ASEAN, AWS.
The AWS Partner Network (APN) is a global community of over 100,000 partners from more than 150 countries, with almost 70% headquartered outside of the United States, helping customers all over the world to digitally transform on the cloud. AWS Lift enables AWS Partners to support new-to-cloud customers and make it a seamless experience for them.
Exabytes is an AWS Partner in Malaysia specializing in providing web hosting services to help SMBs grow their businesses online. “At Exabytes, we understand the challenges faced by SMBs when it comes to adopting new technologies”, said Eric Foo, Executive VP and Head of Enterprise, Exabytes Networks Sdn Bhd.
“This month, we have launched our Accelerate Women Entrepreneurship with Exabytes campaign (AWEWE), which aims to support women entrepreneurs in their digitization growth without the heavy burden of costs. As part of this campaign, we have developed the AWEWE Digital Toolkit that will provide women entrepreneurs with free access to digital solutions, workshops, courses, access to co-working spaces, and even shipping conveniences. Our Digital Toolkit will be offered in conjunction with AWS Lift, where credit funding grows as their business grows on AWS. They can now kickstart their digital transformation journey with AWS supported by Exabytes' comprehensive cloud solutions and managed services,”, he said.
SMBs in Malaysia will see business impact with the Cloud
According to the IDC 2H21 Cloud Services Country Report — Southeast Asia, businesses in Malaysia are displaying a strong interest in the cloud. In the report, cloud adoption in Malaysia is expected to grow at a rate of 22.9% compounded annual growth rate from 2021-2026.
In Malaysia, AWS has helped SMBs across all industries digitally transform their businesses by leveraging the world’s leading cloud, including local customers from retail and consumer goods (Baba’s Products), retail and hospitality (StoreHub), technology solutions providers (Omesti Berhad), and data analytics (ADA Malaysia), among many others.
Faithtech Solution is a Malaysian SMB, which leverages AWS to specialize in consulting and management IT services. “As our business focuses on technology R&D, we need to scale our experiments and proof of concepts so we can continue to innovate quickly for our customers,” said Al-Abrar Abdul Wahid, Director of Operation, Faithtech Solution.
“The AWS credits we will receive through AWS Lift will help reduce our IT infrastructure cost while allowing our team to experiment with more advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and the Internet of Things, to help organizations reinvent industries, improve customer experience, and increase productivity. An example is the Maximo Application Suite (MAS) 8.0, which will help our customers harness the power of data analytics to make better decisions. It is great to see AWS supporting local small businesses with programs like AWS Lift, as it helps to reduce the initial investment we need to take to realize value from our experiments,” he said.
AWS commitment to support Malaysia’s businesses for the long term
AWS Lift builds on AWS’s long-term commitment to Malaysia, demonstrated by upcoming investments in local infrastructure, and support for local SMBs to support the country’s digital transformation and economic growth.
AWS Lift is one of many AWS programs designed to help all Malaysian businesses to grow. In addition to supporting SMBs, AWS provides credits, technical support, and training to support startups in their growth through AWS Activate. Hundreds of thousands of startups around the world, including local Malaysian businesses such as Carsome, which is Malaysia’s first tech unicorn and Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform, have benefitted from AWS Activate. Since 2020, Amazon has provided more than US$2 billion in AWS credits to help startups accelerate and grow their business.
In March 2023, AWS announced its commitment to launching an Infrastructure Region in Malaysia, which aims to give developers, startups, SMBs, entrepreneurs, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and nonprofit organizations, greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from data centres located. As part of this commitment, AWS is planning to invest US$6 billion (approx. MYR25.5 billion) in Malaysia by 2037. This will create opportunities for local businesses of all sizes to build, cultivate a highly skilled workforce, spur new job creation, and deliver long-term economic growth.
For more information on getting started with AWS Lift, please visit our website.
