From desktop to virtual: NEC joins new age

NEC Computers, known to many in Cyprus as a desktop PC and storage solutions provider, has embarked on an awareness drive to inform small businesses and large enterprises that it has developed into a communications solutions provider.
Gone are the days when a handful of computer manufacturers developed the technology inside the clunky desktop machines and provided software or other solutions to operate them.
“This is the mobile era of 3G and 4G technology, where everything in the form of data, voice, sound and images is transferring from desktop to virtual, as the need for multimedia information demands that this be anywhere, anytime,” explained Tong Chhor, the EMEA Executive Director at NEC Computers.
He told the Financial Mirror in an interview that “this is the evolution that we are living on a daily basis, with networking and innovation being the main driving forces of all IT and communications companies.”
However, things are still slower in this part of the world than in Japan, where NEC is churning out products at a faster pace than the European market can absorb, where the brand is still regarded as a PC solutions provider.
The aim in Cyprus is to develop customer awareness and Chhor has been talking to some of NEC’s largest customers in Cyprus, such as MTN and Cyta, and is now targeting local administration, government and municipalities by strengthening relationships with current and prospective new customers.
NEC is also quite successful in Greece and the Balkans with two partners that are among the top ten IT companies in Greece that are also entering the neighbouring markets of Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.
New solutions include the EcoCentre that achieves energy savings and cost reduction and green IT solutions for companies that help them become more productive. Another NEC innovation is the Virtualised PC Centre for virtualised desktops, while the ‘NEC One’ solution offers ease of integration and evolution, cooperating with a number of vendors and achieving software compatibility.
Innovation has helped NEC weather the storm of the global financial crisis as it changed its business model and is now a $44 bln company that employs 143,000 people worldwide. Being a leader in IT in Japan, it also aims to become a leading player in the European and Middle East server and storage market over the next few years.
Chhor said that the banking and finance industry is another target for NEC as this is one of the fastest developing sectors of the world economy that could also benefit from NEC solutions and experience in compliance, risk management, security, regulation and consolidation.