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A Necessary Bet on Technology

Luis Aaron Jiménez - Assetel
Co-founder and President

STORY INLINE POST

Andrea Villar By Andrea Villar | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Fri, 05/29/2020 - 14:39

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Q: What factors have helped Assetel grow its position in the Mexican market?

A: Since its creation, Assetel has been adding business units to boost its participation in the market, while increasing its high-value solutions and maintaining customer service with innovation, which is part of our DNA. Our talent is another crucial factor in our value proposition. We have invested a lot in training our people to make sure they have the right skills and most relevant certifications, particularly in cybersecurity and cloud. Our constant evolution gives us the capacity to create added value for our clients. 

Q: What companies are Assetel’s ideal target segment?

A: We are well-positioned among the SMEs in the private sector but we also like to work with large companies. We help them to focus on their own business, while leaving the technology aspect to us. SMEs lack specialized personnel and technical knowledge. That is why we have developed an added-value proposal that includes services such as dedicated internet, managed services including firewalls, switches, access points, IP telephony, and cloud. It is crucial to guide our customers step by step and with ease through the process, allowing them to have the same state-of-the-art technology as any big player. Moving the client’s operations to the cloud through a single point of contact improves their operations and secures their most important asset which is data. Considering that in 2018, according to AMEXCAP, 99.8 percent of the companies in the country were SMEs, it is a niche that represents a big opportunity for us to grow and expand alongside our clients.

Q: What efforts are you making to convince companies about the importance of digitalization?

A: Digital evangelization remains an important issue and the message is clear: if companies fail to digitalize, they will disappear. This is something we have already seen with companies like Sears, Blockbuster and Kodak. I have actively participated as a speaker in many technology forums to bring the technification message to more people. Furthermore, I was president of the Industrial Cluster 4.0 and during my time, we endorsed initiatives focused on the digital transformation of SMEs. We still work very close with the government to find out how to articulate with the technological ecosystem of Jalisco in benefit of Mexican companies.

Q: What are the main areas of opportunity that still exist in Mexico regarding digitalization?

A: Retail, agro-industry, healthcare, fintech and government are some of the sectors that must rise alongside technology, as well as IoT, cloud, AI and cybersecurity. Angela Merkel mentioned at Hannover Messe 2018 that a country’s development depends on SMEs and entrepreneurs. This comes from someone that leads the country where Industry 4.0 was born.

Big Mexican and international companies have the ability to adapt, apply and obtain the benefits from Industry 4.0 but SMEs sometimes do not know or care, since they lack the time and the resources to do so. Furthermore, in terms of innovation, Mexico is not at the level of other countries. We are in fourth place in Latin America, just after Costa Rica, Panama and Chile, even though we have a much bigger economy. Usually, companies invest in things that create value for their business while technology has always been left aside, even though it could be a game changer for their business.

Q: What can the country do to accelerate the technification process?

A: It is a big challenge. In Mexico, we have to believe we can produce things that are equal to or even better than other countries. We need to change our mindset and believe that Mexico can produce quality products and services. Training is crucial in technology adoption, as well as incentives for academia, private industry and the government to help technology developers. On the other hand, Mexico has big problems that can be solved using technology. For example, mobility in big cities is changing due to the impact of technology solutions like Uber, Didi or Cabify.

Our priority for the next few years is to consolidate the new services we are offering, while venturing into IoT, AI and software applications. Industry 4.0 is here to stay. Assetel is committed to helping companies to access a digital world and achieve innovation.

 

Assetel is a Mexican company based in Guadalajara and founded in 1999. The company is an IT and solution service provider for companies, helping them maximize their productivity, operation and collaboration by offering internet, cybersecurity and cloud services

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