AIS links with Microsoft for cloud deal

Orapong Thien-Ngern, general manager of Microsoft Thailand, said the company was cooperating with AIS to provide a global cloud service to the Thai telecom firm’s individual and business customers. 
The deal includes a network partnership, cloud solutions, and integrated billing. However, the firm will provide public cloud with intelligent cloud that will allow users create useful and touched cloud for customers and support digital transformation for business.
“A successful digital transformation requires technologies that take an organisation’s capabilities to the next level,” Orapong said. “This includes data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, Internet of Things, and augmented and virtual reality, which are technologies that can take business in interesting directions.” 
He added that the digital trends that would take off in Thailand this year were cloud service, analytics, data science and big data that would enable businesses to analyse information to support their operations. 
Pratthana Leelapanang, acting chief marketing officer of AIS, said that under the cooperation with Microsoft, AIS would provide cloud applications to end users and businesses in Thailand. 
It will also provide Microsoft products and after-sale services to customers. 
AIS customers will be able to use advanced features in services such as Office 365 and the Microsoft Azure cloud platform for tasks ranging from something as simple as sending e-mails to big-data analytics or video.
Pratthana said more than 60 per cent of the Thai population now had Internet access. Cloud technology will have important roles for healthcare and business, while the Internet of Things (IoT) will also become more popular this year. His company has laid down the AIS Fibre network to cover more than 5 million households, and aims to have a million fixed-broadband subscribers by the end of this year, up from 300,000 in 2016. 
Nontawat Poomchusri, managing director of Accenture Thailand, said cloud technology, IoT and machine learning would be active in Thailand this year. Meanwhile, businesses will change their processes to support the new technology. 
Moreover, the financial, retail and telecom industries are actively utilising digital transformation. The arrival of more international companies from China and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region is also a factor driving digital transformation for business.