End-to-End Solutions Help Spur Mexico’s Digital Transformation

Q: What is Lenovo's role in Mexico’s digitalization process?

A: Mexico’s digitalization process has been taking place for a long time, with an entire tech ecosystem participating in the country’s development. It has taken a long time for institutions, particularly those in the banking and public administration sectors, to invest in digitization processes and databases that used to be managed in an analog fashion, using tons of paper. It has also taken them a long time to make their services and procedures available digitally. The implementation of digital signatures delivered through smartphones has also been a long-term process for these institutions.

For our part, Lenovo makes significant contributions to end-to-end solutions in this digitization process. Through Motorola’s portfolio, we can guarantee end-to-end solutions because smartphones are a fundamental part of those designs. We invest in research and development to make sure that our entire hardware portfolio which includes not only Lenovo Data Center infrastructure but Motorola and Lenovo devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs) are part of the process. Public institutions need a digitalization infrastructure that can support millions of users accessing information in real-time, which is where Lenovo guarantees that this transition occurs smoothly and safely, in regard to the data’s integrity and accessibility.

Q: How has Lenovo managed the resistance to digitalization that exists among certain segments of Mexico’s population and institutions?

A: Consultants, such as Boston Consulting Group, have studied the factors that determine the rate of adoption of digital transformation. They discovered it is less about general market resistance and more a case-by-case situation. This remains true regardless of a company’s plan for digital transformation and the quality of the alliances and partnerships that you make with key suppliers and service providers. For instance, if your corporate culture and the perspective of your workers is not designed to be permeated by digitalization practices, then such practices will simply fail. The only thing we can do to offset this resistance is by demonstrating the value these practices provide to an entire company instead of just those in charge of technology procurement. You have to demonstrate to the average worker that digitalization tools make tangible contributions to the efficiency of processes managed daily. Some workers assume that digitalization will take away their job, replace their functions within the company or otherwise render them redundant or obsolete. The opposite of this must be demonstrated to them. They must understand that digitalization will instead make their jobs easier and will allow them to accomplish more within the functions they are employed to fulfill.  

Q: How important is digitalization to the development of Mexico’s economy and industrial growth?

A: It is of vast importance. All countries are now competing to attract technological investment. Therefore, countries must prove that their digitalization practices reflect an environment ready to receive investment in the medium to long term. 5G is a perfect example of this. Those countries that have spent the most to develop their 5G networks and infrastructure are the ones attracting the bulk of technological innovation investment. This goes beyond the telecommunications sector: 5G already has significant applications in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, for example.

Q: What are some of the most important smart infrastructure projects you are developing in Mexico?

A: We are looking to add smart technological elements to Mexico’s infrastructure projects and other industries. A good example of this are smart retail systems. These include tools through which retail consumers can easily access the retailer’s e-commerce functions from their smartphones and avoid visiting a location. If they are already at a location, these tools make their visit more efficient through our self-service kiosks that can enable functions like smartphone digital payments. Customers can access promotions that are not necessarily physically advertised or present at the location, some of which could be personalized to online profiles. They could also get in line digitally. We want these smart technologies to be more flexible, allowing them to run on a variety of public, private and hybrid clouds. Our portfolio is now transitioning into the application of these types of systems for all kinds of institutions and sectors.                          

Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions is focused on delivering smarter technology aimed at creating a more inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable digital society.