 in in believing that technology is an enabler.){kind=link}
Embracing technology innovations and advancements to bring about a positive impact in shaping the lives of the people has been the key differentiator for the Filipinos which is also reflected in the recent VMware Digital Frontier 4.0 survey by VMware, Inc. According to the survey, Filipino consumers are the most confident (78%) in Southeast Asia (SEA) in believing that technology is an enabler in connecting families and people in their communities during a pandemic. Filipinos surveyed have also demonstrated the highest faith (83%) in the digital progress of the nation and the potential of technology in creating jobs and livelihood to create a stronger economic impact.
As the Philippines advances in its journey toward a digitally empowered future, Filipino consumers continue to show high reception to new technologies compared to other SEA countries – 55% are aware of the concept of Metaverse and optimistic about its implications of it, the highest in the region. 43% of the Filipino consumers surveyed also believe that the metaverse will be favorable for society. The survey also reveals that high internet service (76%) and better connectivity (68%) are the most important contributing factors for Filipino consumers to buy homes in the future, leading to adaptability than the rest of the world (55.5%).
“Fostering digitalization and modernization requires more than the ability to acquire immersive technologies. It also means creating environments where businesses can leverage innovation by delivering meaningful change to drive the best results for the customers. As the Philippines assesses the implications of COVID-19 and the economy shows a strong growth momentum, enterprises must equip their customers with secure digital offerings by strengthening their ability to develop and deliver superior digital experiences that are easily accessible on any app, any cloud, and any device. VMware intends to continue to be a trusted partner and enabler in helping Filipino businesses adapt and accelerate into this new digital reality where digital experience will be key” said Walter So, Country Manager, VMware Philippines.
As digital innovations accelerate in the Philippines across industries, Filipinos are found to prefer digital empowerment in some sectors more than others. They have shown the least enthusiasm and acceptance (21%), compared to the rest of SEA (25%), in embracing robotics in healthcare or having virtual medical consultations with doctors (22%), whereas the study found that Filipinos are relying heavily on technology to create advanced ways of managing and working with the finances – second highest in Southeast Asia (67%) after Thailand (68%). However, the Filipinos still prefer in-person interactions over chatbots the most in this region (76%) in the finance and banking sector, 4% more than the rest of SEA.
The respondents from the Philippines also strongly believe that technologies that push new boundaries are necessary to improve the well-being of citizens and society. Hence, 78% of the respondents in the Philippines feel that connectivity in rural areas must improve to create a truly digital future, the second highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Six in ten respondents (61.4%) in the Philippines are worried that their older relatives are not able to keep up with the new digital world and that organizations should further their agenda to include every community as they propel towards creating a digitally empowered society.
Similar to last year, personal data privacy and security remain top concerns for consumers in the Philippines. The consumers are highly apprehensive about how their data is being used by organizations and the government; 51% of the respondents think the government has not been transparent enough in this regard, up from 46% in 2021, and 60% are paranoid about being tracked by organizations on their devices and 29% cite the loss of privacy to organizations with access to their personal data as their top concern. The Filipino consumers have shown the most eagerness in this region (65%) to pay more for internet services if that meant keeping their data private.
A robust and inclusive tech economy for a digitally empowered future
The Philippines’ accelerated digital economy post-pandemic reflects the need for rapid business transformation to meet the evolving needs of the customers. In building the Philippines’ rapidly digitalizing business environment, a robust approach that enables organizations to deliver superior digital experiences across any cloud, any application, and any device in a seamless and secure manner are of paramount importance.
With an eye on securing long-term success and accelerating growth in the new world of work, businesses must re-think how their customers can harness technology to better innovate and collaborate in this digital-first environment. VMware outlines key priorities that will further strengthen the Philippines’ transformation into a resilient, inclusive, and innovation-led economy:
- Empowering businesses to build a multi-cloud and app future: Unlocking multi-cloud future with app-driven innovations for greater agility in a consistent and more secure environment that enables continuous innovation.
- Enabling innovation and productivity for a distributed workforce: Future-ready workforce solutions will enable a seamless and more secure digital employee experience, driving greater outcomes in the new world of work.
- Intrinsic security for uninterrupted innovation: An intrinsic approach to enterprise security will provide an additional layer of robust protection for mission-critical operations and infrastructures to fast-track business innovation and resilience.