Internet Exploration: Sky is the Limit

My Facebook friend published his first book recently to indulge his 47th birthday. Writing has always been his hobby, but never his career. The book was produced from his chronologically compiled self-written articles that he posted on Facebook.  Surprisingly, his first print of 5000 copies sold out even before the book hits the bookstores.

How did he make it? Thanks to Facebook, the same social media site where he has been posting his articles; it is also used as a marketing platform where he sells his books. He ecstatically shared an incident where the bank froze his bank account momentarily until further explanation was given as to why a sudden surge of remittances from all over the place happened in his account.

In the past, as an amateur writer, there was no way you could collect pre-orders to justify whether or not to publish a book. Let alone to convince a publisher to put your work on to print; many of them ended up forking out their own cash to fund the publications. Other challenges were to get the book dealer to distribute your books and the bookstores to display them. Not only that, you may find your book sitting helplessly and timidly on the shelf among the bestsellers, do you have extra dollars to churn out for advertising and promotion?

However, at present time, who doesn't have a vast pool of real and virtual friends on Facebook? This resource can easily be tapped onto to engage in sales and marketing. When my friend sent the book out to his readers, they tagged him with the picture of the book that had safely arrived; it became a viral post that boost the sales even more. And, this was not an isolated case; I have a few other amateur writer friends who shared the same success story.

Internet technology has changed the way we think; the life we live; the business we run, and push the limited resources in the past to almost limitless at present. How does one make use of the Internet resources? Can someone teach us and give us some guidance? YES and NO. The Internet world is still full of continuously evolving concept and technology; you just have to open your eyes.

My strategy to build an Internet ecosystem in our business operation is very simple - when things can be done the Internet way, just go for it. That is why we are more Internet savvy than our competitors. And fuzzy logic is applied in Biometrics system; the same trial and error concept can be applied to clear the blur, to get a certain end result.   

Just like when we started our new Software as a Service (SaaS) business, TimeTec Cloud, I told the Cloud team, we can adopt the system from FingerTec, but from what we have learned so far, the ecosystem seems laggard and insufficient. A cloud service needs a deeper Internet thinking; for example business intelligence derived from Big Data and etc. We have to explore the missing components, add to our system and enhance it even in blind sometimes, but it is still better than not trying anything.

Running FingerTec Like A Publishing House

Who runs technology business like a publishing house? We do. Are you surprised? I bet so.

Back in 2005 when I decided to relinquish the non-performing publishing business unit in a subsidiary company, the editorial team was transferred to FingerTec to take charge of the brand’s branding activities and the websites. The team comprised of a few writers, editors and graphic designers.

As a CEO, I assumed the role of de facto chief editor with a vision of FingerTec making great headlines at all times. With this in mind, every product’s image was carefully taken care of not only in terms of the product quality but also in every other aspect of the product which is equally as significant.

The aspects covered include conceptualizing what type of photos are the ones that needs to be taken, the product copy and selecting the images that best portray the product. Being a stickler for details meant putting in a large amount of effort to revamp the image of FingerTec products. From the then plain and banal brand, it has now metamorphosed into a sophisticated brand that is known for products that are futuristic and user-friendly.

Today, that same editorial team fills some of the top posts in FingerTec. Norana Johar was promoted from sub-editor to Chief Operating Officer and Tamy Phoon to Senior Sales Manager. Even after almost a decade, we still carry on the business like running a publishing house and we are proud of it.

Products need explanations; even food products require explanation on how it should be consumed plus some cooking suggestions.  Good writing helps in producing quality tips, user guides and training materials. To construct and market FingerTec as a brand, we need excellent writing, great copies, concepts and fulfillments. And, to enter different markets and countries, translation is another transformation that is inevitable to reach greater audience. Anyhow, the master copy must be of decent quality for good translations.  

Through the writing processes and editorial workflows, we introduced our monthly e-newsletter since 2007 as our marketing tool, which has lasted for seven years now. For the past three years, we have been introducing our Annual Magazine to be distributed globally through exhibitions and our clients. All this can’t be achieved smoothly if we have a team that doesn’t write.

And in this business, website is king. Some people might disagree with me looking at many of those who are using websites to simply list their products and technical info, alongside their company profiles. But, to think that we would just settle for simple information on the website is just plain wrong. Of course the objective is not as easy as that, the target was to make it as comprehensive and as interactive as possible for our clients who indulge in finding information. Who would be better suited for this task? Definitely the editorial team cum marketing that does not only know the inside out of our products, but also understand the need to market them right.

The decline of newspapers, print media or publishers is foreseeable in the Internet era. The soaring newsprint prices, slumping ad sales and precipitous drops in circulation were clear indications of the downfall. But life will find its way, truly enough, besides the emerging online media.  The editorial profession have shifted to find its place in a lot other industries in the Internet era. The closure of our publishing unit marked the beginning of utilization of editorial skill in a different perspective, an effort that was proven to be genius in its own right.

From our experience, in order to maintain a dynamic marketing strategy as a driving force for the business, our editorial team definitely is the answer.

Reason Why We Should Focus Beyond Biometrics

A number of people tend to get the impression that our company specializes in fingerprint products and technologies only. Although this perception is not exactly accurate, it is observed that the term ‘biometrics’ looks catchier at first glance and this works in our favour as it becomes the conversational piece for the general audience, making it a useful ice-breaker for market penetration.

I agree that without fingerprint technology, it's rather hard for us to penetrate into certain industries. Ideally, we should declare ourselves a solution provider, or an expert in time and attendance, and access control industries. And, biometrics should just be a credential, or a threshold that presents itself as a more sophisticated solution.

Fingerprint: ice-breaker for market penetration

My advice to customers, don’t place biometrics as their sole consideration when sourcing for time and attendance or access control solution. Biometrics technology is indeed an important aspect to consider but the right solution is even more crucial when buying the solutions. Instead of only considering the performance of the biometrics readers, they should spend more time studying details of the software to match the actual requirements. It is imperative for customers to list the requirements down and test the software inside out, determine whether it could integrate with the existing payroll system and how it works as your access control system in totality.

Often times a lot of customers allow themselves to be distracted by the fingerprint technology performance when in reality what they ACTUALLY require is time and attendance system. It has becoming a common belief that when vendors parade their fantastic fingerprint readers, the software that comes along is equally fantastic to handle their T&A requirements. We always receive many questions about biometrics rather than the software before clients conclude the purchase. This, in my opinion, is very wrong. When this happen, clients might be happy with the front end clocking system, but if they are not careful in selecting the software, they might take a lot of time and effort to handle the backend processing. The system might fail to handle the payroll system and at the end of the day, the promise of office automation never takes place.

Cloud solution for time & attendance 

After technology and market breakthrough in biometrics, FingerTec has been pouring much of our resources in R&D to complete the time and attendance and access control solutions. We believe that to compete with the real industry players, we have to deliver the real solutions and even so, we must deliver it better even though we came it later. We strongly believe that the advantages of biometrics credential are transient; the bona fide solution will last forever.

Just like how biometric readers replaced some RFID solutions to becoming the new trend in the past decade, biometrics itself might look less appealing when smart phone has the fashionable tendency as a new clocking credential.

That's why we set forth "Beyond biometrics” as our motto, urging customers to go beyond biometrics, because only then they’ll see the full picture and obtain the total solution they have hoped for. 

FingerTec Websites: Help Yourselves with Our Vast Assets!

We have hundreds of resellers around the world. I can say that all of them know that fingertec.com has a decent website. The question is, how good is our website? I believe some of our resellers are yet to find out the benefits that our website could bring about. So, when I have the chance to meet up with our resellers, mostly I will end up promoting how they could exploit the websites to boost sales and reduce technical supports. It might sound like a broken record, but I believe that this is important.

Many resellers were probably blown away and overwhelmed by the website’s vast ocean of information when they first visited fingertec.com. FingerTec is indeed doing a good job; and usually they will give us thumbs up for the effort. And they would browse, read the contents, but after a while, I reckon the visits become less and quick, hopped from one page to another, and eventually they’d stop visiting. To some, business will continue as it is and nothing is plucked away from the website to better their sales and support.  They’ll just praise us for having a strong and better presentation than the rivals in the cyber world. And this is not what I have hoped for.

In fact in the Internet era, the functionalities of a website should be so much more than a mere declaration of the cyber presence. The level of commitment can be varied. For example, like Facebook, website is them. There is no Facebook once you went offline. And for Amazon, this company literally doesn’t exist in the real world, no matter the vast list of merchandizes they’re offering. But for companies like Wal-Mart, even though they began with physical stores, without online establishment, the future looks somehow bleak.

With FingerTec, our brand soared high only when we revamped and re-launched our website a few years back. Bit by bit, we put our efforts into building a resource center, training site, display cabinet, technical helpdesk, service booth, and etc.  Whatever you want to call it, potpourri-of-information-website or a salmagundi-website, this website is there for our resellers to unleash the virtual power to boost their sales and reduce supports.

We provide resellers with free passes to a vast variety of information, a member account credential. Without this account, you will only receive discounted benefits from our website. The only thing that is stopping you from digging the information to better the business is you.

As someone who buys FingerTec products for business, always remember to enter the website with a strong motive, and leave with something valuable. What is of value on our website, is depends on what you’re looking for. For example, there are 769 video clips so far, from marketing, product intro, technical supports, user guides and etc. Take the links to help you in your sales bid presentation, user training, hardware repairs, and much more. It doesn’t cost you a thing and it adds value to your efforts.   

You have a plan to demonstrate FingerTec at a customer site? Come prepared. Choose your demo set from our website. You need step-by-step Powerpoint presentation materials, search and download them without any cost. If you want raw files to update and insert your company’s information, please do so.

If you want to conduct a proper survey on your customer’s premises before you can prepare a proposal for an access control project, please get the form downloaded from our website.

We have a series of academic research papers for technology and industrial in readily print-format should you want to enhance your professionalism in submitting proposal or pricing quotation.

Don’t forget that we also have a training website with comprehensive materials at your disposal to train both trainers and trainees. After training, they can sit for online exams and receive our print certificates upon passing the exams. For a more interactive online training, we offer FingerTec webinar page to register a course of your interest. You want to train your partners in your region remotely by deploying our webinar platform? You’re welcome to use our webinar platform, cost-free, no-fee involved.

These websites are enriched to assist you in reducing technical supports. Promote and educate the end-user technical modules to your customers. You can teach them to repair hardware through videos and how to claim warranty straight from the websites.  

If you need to provide your customers with FingerTec’s souvenirs, require some from marketing material page, we have over ten specially designed souvenirs displayed on our website for you to choose from.

Basically, FingerTec job is to prepare resources that you can use to better your FingerTec business. We figured that you might need assistance so we extend our support through our websites. Please be hungry for new things, new information and keep coming to the websites and help yourselves with everything that we have to offer.

Transformation That Reshapes Habitual Behavior

I wrote about the Microsoft’s transformation last month after Satya Nadella was named the new CEO of Microsoft, but talked scantily about our own transformation even though we’re very much at the crossroad of our self-stirred transformation. Right. Why should I bother about transformation, even if Microsoft failed to transform? I should have minded my own business.

Some of my staff commented that our glory is still in progressive manner, and we don’t have external forces like Microsoft to push us; do we really need this transformation?

In fact, I drafted and highlighted the transformation in FingerTec Five-Year plan (from 2010 to 2014) four years ago, the short statement goes like this,” To further strengthen FingerTec’s global position, the third phase 5-year plan was introduced in 2010 with a transparent objective to achieve business and technology transformation. We aim to climb the vertical ladder to provide comprehensive solutions for access control market, and to employ cloud-computing technology for deployment in time and attendance industry. The use of Android platform and other biometric features such as face and vein recognition would be a part of FingerTec technology transformation plan to enhance our new product lines.”

But nobody seemed to really notice the word “transformation”, until lately, when their habitual operation routines were disrupted by a new set of processes. Then everybody suddenly realized that the past 4 years were merely technology transformation, which only involved the R&D of product development. Now, when the new products take their turn for the debuts, other departments have to be involved, and suddenly they found out that the old way is no longer the right way.

Cloud Computing

This is how it usually works; every of our hardware has a clear price tag, and the software is bundled as a complimentary item. With TimeTec Cloud introduced as SaaS (Software as a Service) solution, we reverse the priority; customers need to sign up for a longer subscription period with payment in advance and the hardware will be given free of charge. A string of approaches that follow have to be different to produce desirable outcomes. And for Ingress and Ingressus as well, to position this product in the vertical market, the typical methods suddenly look passé. 

Old habit dies hard. When business operations become a habit, and when the habit is proven to yield excellent results, it’s extremely hard to bend the habit even the slightest. Habitual behavior can easily become addictive engagement that reflects individual pattern, and collectively it forms an organization culture. To change the habitual behavior, ones must outline the important steps, the new tasks, new activities, new expectations in details, and constantly reviewing and revising them at personal level. In short, we have to re-mould our business operations to shape our new habitual behaviour.

Reshape habitual behavior

However, why am I making everybody’s life difficult by initiating the transformation in the first place? The question needs no answer. Because if you’re in the IT industry, you know you just have to do it to secure the future.

The Gist of Transformation

Microsoft has finally chosen Satya Nadella as its CEO, succeeding Steve Ballmer, who announced his retirement plan four months ago. Microsoft is indeed a fortunate one. Although it remains cocooned in its own glorious past; it still has the time and loads of cash to move forward. Unlike the not-so-smart-or-lucky Nokia and Blackberry, when the ‘smart’ storm swiped, they’ve been blown out. Yes, just like that!

New Microsoft Chief: Satya Nadella

Microsoft was born and boomed in the so-called personal computer era that never meant for personal use, instead fully loaded with office software. The only widespread of personal functionality was its computer games. Maybe that’s the perception Microsoft had that sparked the xBox. Microsoft is a household brand name but its products never actually enter deep into any household level.

The era that allowed the should-be-stealthy operating system to charge every computer extravagantly has dwindled when personal computing power was liberated by smartphones. Microsoft seemed stuck in its Office Suite.

When Amazon stirred a retail industry revolution by deploying the Internet technology, it sells consumer products that are meant for everybody. The strategy is crystal clear. But later on when Amazon ventured into cloud computing, it sells cloud platform that meant clearly for enterprises, only the meticulous service concept was being brought in.

Cloud or Cloudy?

In response to the call for change, Microsoft brought in Nadella, prior to his appointment, was the head of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise division. Which means, Microsoft will continue to stick to its office solutions.

I’ve never underestimated the potential of office and cloud solutions, but unlike enterprise software solution giant, SAP, I think Microsoft will never draw a line to step away from producing consumer products. However, the lack of user-experience DNA in Microsoft would deter them from producing any great consumer products.

The challenge for Microsoft is clear. The IT industry is now spoiled with the astronomical choices of fast, cheap, easy to use personal stuffs that reduce consumer tolerance rate to almost zero. The intolerance attitude soon will be extended to office and enterprise solutions.

The adoption of cloud computing in enterprise solution is just good for structural change, but to be successful, the providers have to rethink and provide solutions that absorb all the superfluous micro-troubles that they conveniently left for the ‘grumpy-yet-tolerance’ users in the past. That should be the gist of its transformation.

So, the challenge for Microsoft is clear. And for FingerTec and TimeTec as enterprise solution provider as well, we’ll bear that in mind, and will keep on strengthening our gist of transformation at all times.  

Internet Ecosystem

Do you still go to banks when E-banking is available, allowing you to pay your bills and make e-transfers with a fingers’ snap? Do you still flip through dictionaries to search for the meaning of some incomprehensible words, when you’re holding an iPad? Or do you even still stop to ask for directions, when the GPS can guide you through and through?

That’s how Internet has permeated our daily life. When you know the Internet can help in a much easier way, why bother with the conventional?

How to build Internet Ecosystem for Business?

We use the same approach to build our Internet-friendly ecosystem for business. Why bother with the conventional way, when you have a broadband superhighway? After years of practice, with bits and bytes replacing brick and mortar, we have built quite an effective ecosystem, handling all the processes online.

It’s easier to build a normal Internet ecosystem. You have the time and liberty to consider and fine-tune the system. You can always fall back to some conventional methods, for example, if the Google Adword advertising is not up to your expectation, old media is still waiting in line to grab your ad money. The modular subsystems can either be plugged or unplugged and still be played. Or you can have both, if they’re not contradicting each other.

SaaS Provider: Holistically Internet Proven Ecosystem  

But when our TimeTec Cloud was introduced, we have not the slightest of such luxury in options. When it comes to SaaS (Software as a Service), the comparison of both ecosystems is like David and Goliath. You may just offer a tiny part of any workflow solution to your customers, but as a SaaS provider, your operation must be holistically Internet environment proven.

No subsystems can be segregated; they must be highly integrated. No fallback plan is allowed. A forefront web portal is also an entrance for customers to log in to its applications, also the threshold for resellers to check their sales status and manage their customers.  The admin page has to extract data for further analysis. A lot of modules and sub-modules work together to form a SaaS; database, platform, analysis, security, marketing, technical support, management, CDN, and etc.; they hold together in solidarity like a piece of PCB board, every chip has its dedicated functionality.  

We were lucky to gain our admission ticket to enter the time and attendance industry from biometrics hardware by solving buddy-punching problem. SaaS is another opportunity for us to transform the industry. And now, as almost every employee carries a smart phone, employers are forcing more enterprise Apps into the handheld gadget.  How an integrated Cloud solution attaches the detached mobility with more great features is becoming yet another competition in the enterprise solutions.

The race is on. I believe our ecosystem counts.