Making an Exemplary Stance Towards a Sustainable Post-MCO Action Plan

As one of the leading tech companies in Malaysia that has adopted very well towards the current deteriorating economic situation, Sedania has evolved from its core business in airtime sharing into one that focuses on various Fintech, Greentech, Esports and IoT businesses, and in doing so has diversified risks and unforeseen economic challenges, such as the recent Movement Restriction Order decision.

From an economic perspective, the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to nations across the globe. Unarguably, it has acted as a catalyst that induced the digitisation of businesses, by presenting a threat to retail businesses without online presence to face the consequences of their traditional operations. According to a recent Webinar from Nielsen research, in March and April 2020, consumers have now increased payment through e-wallets, and considered online delivery purchases more than they have before, and we see a potential new way of living as consumers accustomed towards confined living behaviours.

Essentially, COVID-19 has quickened the digital disruption of industries and reformed the way we consumed products and services. Throughout the MCO, the usage of internet has exponentially increased, and that in itself is a plus points for Sedania holding a strong portfolio of technologically advanced solutions, catapulting the brand ahead of its game - Esports, Sharing Platforms and Fintech now shares limelight in news reporting, more than ever.

It is safe to say that as a tech Company, we manage to find opportunities in situations like this global pandemic, that naturally presents itself as a curveball for any business. Fore-fronting technological solutions, we incorporated live, eat and breathe digital in our daily operations. Companies that came late into the digital adoption would not have coped with the MCO and in turn dropped out of the race against clock in transitioning into a digital adopter before or when the order was implemented.

For Sedania, we have and will resume business via online, through daily staff video conferencing for check-ins and check-outs, full integration of presentations and meetings in live video chats, as well as 24/7 digital doc monitoring to name a few. We are very well prepared for the potential resurgence of another COVID-19 wave, with the exception of green tech and IOT business rendered un-deployable.

In light of recent circumstances, we have also launched an internal Sedania Pandemic Proofing system to ensure sustainability of its products and services. Contrary to the latest update from our government to allow selected businesses to operate under the restricted movement guidelines, Sedania is firm in our stand in ensuring the safety of our employees is prioritised, and takes extra precautions in reducing exposure towards contributing in the resurgence of this pandemic. We understand the seriousness of another outbreak, as such, it is more crucial for us in helping the nation to get back on its feet by reducing the risks of resurgence through the continuation of working from home on a digital basis whilst stepping up efficiency of work.

Of course, MCOs are not meant to end COVID-19, rather, flattening the curve. And we have. We flattened the curve to ensure our health systems are protected and do not collapse. That said, to resolve the pandemic issue at a national level, our target is to zeroise the virus from public circulation. It simply means the identification of infected and potentially infected patients with speed using technology. When it comes to digital zeroisation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can agree that the mere introduction of mobile application as a solution, borderlines between inadequate and obsolete.

In the past month, ’contact tracing’ has been Malaysians’ sought-after word. But how much do we understand the efficiency of its implementation? Some of us may be aware of a few attempts of contact tracing via mobile applications such as Gerak Malaysia, My Sejahtera and My Trace. Adopting realistic approach will reveal some challenges through such adoption to tackle a further widespread of this national pandemic: Not one standardised application set in motion; Lack of measures set to compel nationwide download; Lack of measures set to verify registrations; And lack of measures set to ensure retention of application or to counteract uninstalls. Furthermore, drilling into the more fundamental rights of Personal Data Protection Act, may place the applications we have introduced in a disadvantaged disposition to address the download of application to be tracked and monitored.

We have introduced a platform that will be able to address the issue - Pandemic Proofing Nation platform, which can be deployed in less than a week. It is a bona fide testament for Sedania as an innovation house. Moving away from the conventional app-focused path to contact tracing, we took the unpopular route where our tracing system uses cell data and other linked data like Call Data Records (CDRs) to generate a list of citizens who are at a high risk of infection after a positive test is known. Our COVID-19 Tracing and Quarantine Management Platform is technologically advised in its capabilities to automatically identify patient C and patient B once we have identified patient A. Once identified, our platform will send out a text notification for them to attend testing at selected facilities and/or conduct self quarantine. Any movement on these potentially high-risk patients will be tracked and recorded. This will provide intelligence to trigger actionable solutions, such as issuing warning or deploying a team to receive the patient.

Needless to say, that such technology is more effective than mobile application, with value that does not deteriorate even after the MCO is lifted. This innovative Sedania platform is compellingly needed as it takes only 1 infected patient in public circulation for it to quickly multiply into 1,000 patients in a very short time. So the ability to identify potential patients with speed and scale automatically, is key in the introduction of preemptive measures.

We are a strong believer of sustainable resources, and in effective allocation towards preemptive measures, as opposed to reactive actions. Whilst COVID-19 may be the first pandemic in decades to disrupt our economies and lives on a large scale, it will not be the last. We urge for decision makers to consider technology as our real first line of defence which will significantly reduce the risk posed towards our subsequent line of defence such as armed forces and food delivery troops, eventually providing a softer blow in the last line at hospitals. We at Sedania are ever ready to extend our reach for the society, as for each day’s delay, we suffer a compounding economic penalty to all of us and to our nation.