IBM Opens Three New Branches in ASEAN

Expanded presence taps increasing economic opportunity in region's second and third tier cities

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Oct 09, 2012, 12:08 ET

SINGAPORE, Oct. 9,2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced the opening of three new branch offices in ASEAN as it progresses a business expansion strategy aimed at tapping into high-growth cities and regions in emerging markets.

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The new branches, located in the cities of Ipoh and Malacca in Malaysia and Bandung in Indonesia, increase IBM's footprint in the ASEAN region to over 20 branches. IBM is also strengthening its business partner network in the region to over 6,000 business partners to help provide customers with the support they need to maximize their investment in IT solutions and services.

The rapidly growing ASEAN economy has witnessed record growth in the last five years and analysts expect the region to maintain its economic momentum into 2013.

"The ASEAN region plays an important role in the global economy and is home to a dynamic and rapidly evolving economic environment," said Albert Lee, Vice President, General Business, IBM ASEAN. "ASEAN's second and third tier cities are becoming increasingly important to the region's growth and IBM is increasing its presence in those locations to ensure that local businesses and government organizations have access to the most advanced IT solutions and services."

The move comes as the ASEAN region is moving into a new era of economic liberalization as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is realized. The resulting free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and labor throughout the region is expected to create more demand for intelligent technology solutions that can streamline processes and enhance service delivery for clients in key sectors such as manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, health, retail and the public sector.

"Increasing confidence in the economic ecosystem in ASEAN is driving a surge in demand for IT services and technologies that can help businesses become more efficient and competitive on the global stage," said Surjyadeb Goswami, Senior Market Analyst, Enterprise Computing, IDC Asia/Pacific. "The untapped potential in these markets will bring these countries to the forefront of new investments in technology solutions."

IBM already has been operating in the ASEAN region for 75 years and will use the new offices to encourage deeper engagement with clients and business partners in the new locations.

In Indonesia, IBM already has offices in Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Makassar, and Medan in addition to the new location in Bandung. In Malaysia, IBM has a presence in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu in addition to the new offices in Ipoh and Malacca.

Across the ASEAN region, IBM is working with companies on the ground to develop customized solutions for their unique needs.

For instance in Vietnam, where IBM has a presence in the cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, the company is working with Asia Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (ACB), one of the largest joint-stock banks in Vietnam. ACB selected IBM's Cognos solution to integrate data access across the bank's 100 departments, 300 branches and transaction offices nationwide. Now the bank is able to capture and integrate data from across a number of areas in the bank including account balance inquiries, account transactions, foreign exchange, bill payment for its retail and corporate banking business.

"The the adoption of business analytics gives us a comprehensive and timely view of our business, along with the ability to identify trends and respond in a timely way to changes in the market. This can result in better product offerings and customer service," said Ho Thai Truong Giang, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking Division, ACB.

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SOURCE IBM