ASOCIO-The Leading Voice of the ICT Industry in the Region

Manoo Ordeedolchest
President, ASOCIO

September 21, 2003

Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization, ASOCIO is a group of computing industry associations from Asian-Oceanian region. Established in 1984, in Tokyo, Japan, ASOCIO is dedicated to promote, encourage and foster relationships and trade between the various members and tasked to develop the computing industry of the Asian Oceanian economies.

At present, ASOCIO has 18 members encompassing Japan, Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. In addition, ASOCIO also has 5 guest members from USA, UK, Canada, Spain, and France.

ASOCIO has been serving the region as the leading voice of the ICT industry. The main missions are to coordinate the interests of members, to formulate and propose model legislative for the advancement of the interest of the computing service industry, to promote opportunities for the interchange of opinions on matters affecting the computing service industry including cooperation with other organization on matter of common interest, and to confer and cooperate with any association, society or institution having objects similar to those of ASOCIO.

During the past 20 years of ASOCIO’s existence ASOCIO has initiated a series of common pledges that fostered the development of ICT industry in the region. To name a few, there are:

1. It urges each member economy to adopt good practice in government ICT goods and services procurement. ASOCIO believes that effective government procurement of ICT goods and services plays a key role in stimulating ICT industry growth. It can lead to the development of leading edger ICT solutions for the benefit of government, but also stimulating ICT innovation, commercialization and export opportunity. Government contracts are an important means of developing local industry, both through revenues and future business opportunities. To this end, governments should encourage direct contracting opportunities, rather than subcontracting.
   
   
2. ASOCIO has supported the ASEAN initiative on Connected Asia, known formally as the Asian Belt. The objective of the project is to harness the complementary strength of the various ICT centers of excellence in the region to enhance Asia’s and Oceania’s competitiveness in the global ICT domain. Connected Asia is seen as a virtual network that made up of Asian nodes of ICT excellence, which together form an integrated and dynamic ICT community. The initial agreement is to concentrate on collaborations offering potential for cross-border inter-firm collaboration in ICT such as,
   
   
   • Innovation Trade Fair – A trade fair that would bring together innovators, ICT startups, and venture capitalists, to better match ideas with sources of capital.
     
     
   • Database of Regional Opportunities – The database would capture information, such as major tenders for IT hardware and software projects in the region, developments in ICT industries regionally and globally, and legal regimes associated with ICT industries in the region.
     
     
   • Certification of ICT Professionals – A high quality certification process for ICT Professionals that would encourage flow of talent across regions.
     
     
3. Member associations of ASOCIO agree that software quality has direct impact on customer satisfaction; it is the most important issue in growing the software industry. Through quality management of the software development process, software companies can reduce costs incurred by defects in final products, failure to meet schedules and budges, and unnecessary user overhead. This in turn can strengthen the software industry and improve the relationship with users. ASOCIO agrees to cooperate and make every effort toward improving the quality in software products and services.
   
   
4. ASOCIO members believe that international trade and investment in the ICT industry should be encouraged for the mutual benefit of each member organization’s corporate members, and for the economic well-being of the respective members’ information technology industries. Therefore, the member organizations of ASOCIO agree to assist each other on reciprocal basis by providing assistance to bona fide corporate members, providing a basic referral service for trade and investment enquiries to corporate members, and providing additional mutual exchange benefits on a reciprocal basis.