IMDA’s CTO-as-a-Service now open to all SMEs

CTO-as-a-Service has consultancy services that assist SMEs to shift to digital.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has opened its Chief Technology Officer-as-a-Service (CTO-as-a-service) to all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore to aid in their business transformation.

Since December 2021, the selected early SME users in various sectors have been using CTO-as-a-Service to help businesses assess their digital readiness, and needs as well as have quick access to market-proven and cheap solutions.

IMDA noted that the SMEs have used the CTO-as-a-Service platform to perform self-assessment of digital readiness, identify digitalisation needs and gaps, discover and learn from other SMEs that implemented digitalisation projects, receive immediate recommendations based on their business needs and profile, on relevant subsidised digital solutions that they can adopt, and compare more than 450 digital solutions by their functions and subscription fees.

Meanwhile, the CTO-as-a-Service also has digital consultants that will help SMEs who do not have the in-house expertise to implement digitalisation projects.

Upon SME's request consultancy services, the digital experts will work with SMEs to:

• Seek a deeper understanding of their business needs and priorities;
• Tailor digital solutions and training roadmap for their business;
• Incorporate essential cybersecurity risks, basic data usage and protection requirements into their digital roadmaps; and
• Provide project management services to help SMEs see through the implementation of their digitalisation projects.

Moreover, those who will use digital advisory and project management services, requested through the CTO-as-a-Service, for the first time will be free for eligible SME users, specifically, those who are registered and operating in Singapore, those who have a minimum of 30% local shareholding, group sales turnover less than $100m per annum or group employment less than 200 employees, as well as those who have not taken up any CTO-as-a-Service digital consultancy previously.

If the SMEs want to continue with the digital consultancy service, subsequent usage or enhancement of services will be based on commercial agreements.

According to early SME users, their decision making for digital solutions improved through the CTO-as-a-Service. They also noted that they did not need to access multiple websites to search for digital solutions and grant support.

Those who continued with their digital consultancy services said the digital consultants were well versed in creating digital solutions and training roadmaps catering to SMEs’ needs and priorities