PIKOM, the National Tech Association of Malaysia emphasises that information technology (IT) support must continue to remain as an essential service during the economic recovery phase.
In anticipation of an announcement by the Government relating to a possible lockdown and tightening of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), Pikom chairman Danny Lee stated, "Currently, we can clearly see the healthcare system is stretched, both the infrastructure and manpower are experiencing constraints and extreme fatigue. At the same time, we need to address a mid-term to longer-term economic recovery."
As evident during the earlier phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), and the subsequent conditional and recovery phases, the work-from-home situation is part of the new normal. With that in mind, the IT systems that support employees to work remotely require physical or in-person intervention regularly to ensure that the system is performing at the optimal levels. These include replacing faulty parts, increasing storage capacity, troubleshooting connection issues among others.
"So It is imperative that the ICT sector to continue operating which will directly ensure the economy keeps running," said Lee
He said Pikom understands that the government has to do the right thing to curb the rising cases of Covid-19 infection but IT support and services must be made essential in whichever level of movement control decided by the government.
The association also stresses that to address the Covid-19 situation, a targeted approach would be a more balanced response, which allows economic activity as whole to continue. Identifying the localised problem areas that have been causing the Covid-19 cases to increase and applying stricter measures and enhanced SOPs to combat the situation.