The Dell Technologies Forum Hanoi, the US tech giant’s flagship event, was held on October 5 in Vietnam’s capital, bringing together leading experts to share groundbreaking ideas and provide insights into cutting-edge technologies that are shaping the future.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Tran Vu, General Director and Country Manager in Vietnam of Dell Technologies, noted that the end of this year will mark an important milestone for Dell - the 40th anniversary of the corporation’s founding. Since its earliest days, Dell has consistently pursued its mission of using technology to drive humanity forward. In Vietnam in particular, Dell is proud to help its customers on their digital transformation journey. “Today’s Forum is our chance to share how technologies will transform and accelerate ideas into better innovations,” he said.

All businesses, one way or another, will go down the digital transformation path and be forced to embrace the opportunities, Mr. Chris Kelly, Senior Vice President, Data Center Solutions for Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) at Dell Technologies told the gathering. “We are here to make the process more efficient, remove obstacles, and deliver a better return on investment,” he said.

To keep up with the rapid pace of change globally, APJ businesses should prioritize innovation in addition to daily business management and operations, said Mr. Paul Carter, Vice President, Client Solutions, APJ and Greater China regions at Dell Technologies. “Small but practical ideas can create a ripple effect, helping to improve productivity, profits, and determination,” he went on. “Business leaders can do this by aligning innovation projects with company goals while fostering a culture of continuous learning.”

Results from a recent study by Dell show that only 17 per cent of businesses in APJ are effectively implementing innovation. Those doing so have demonstrated comprehensive innovation strategies and are well positioned to overcome the challenges from the global recession, supply issues, and environmental impacts, etc.

This global study collected opinions from 6,600 employees in more than 45 countries and territories on the role of innovation in business and what organizations should do to sharpen their people, processes, and technology to innovate effectively. In the APJ regions alone, the study took opinions from 1,700 employees in Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. Participants completed a survey to assess the level of innovation maturity in their business.

Up to 60 per cent of respondents said they are concerned that their organization will be outdated in the next 3-5 years, while 59 per cent believe that employees are leaving their jobs because the level of innovation is not as expected and 58 per cent evaluated that their business’s technology is not modern and worry that it will lag behind their competitors.

The study also highlighted the challenges businesses face in applying a structured, data-driven process to drive innovation at all levels. As a result, less than one-third (28 per cent) of IT decision-makers say their innovation efforts are driven by data. At the same time, the lack of process and strategy is one of the reasons why companies struggle to implement innovation, with 40 per cent of survey respondents saying that a lack of time and overwork are the main challenges hindering the ability to achieve innovation.

To further improve the innovation process, Dell Technologies’ study suggests that organizations need to prepare three main resources: People, Processes, and Technology.

To encourage employees, businesses need to nurture a culture of innovation, promote every idea to make a difference, and learn from each failure. Mr. Carter noted that when prioritizing developing practical ideas, businesses can create a spillover effect, helping to improve productivity, profits and determination. And Dell Technologies stands ready to share its experience as a pioneering innovative business and also its many solutions and services presented at the Forum.