Values Determine Relevance

The mural painted by inmates

Another history was made earlier this week when Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur demolished the infamous 100-year old Pudu jail in Kuala Lumpur to widen the roads in that area and to have plans for redevelopment. The move had aroused anger and disappointment in many people who appreciate places of history. Historic items must be preserved, according to them, who are convinced that Pudu jail was a historic site that could tell a lot of the nation’s stories. The jail that was built in 1891 was closed in 1996 when all the inmates were transferred to the new prison in Sg Buloh. From 1996 onwards, the former Jail was made a museum for a short period of time and then again in 2004 before it was closed for public.

Is this a piece of art that should be treasured?

I don’t really get the point of why people were being sentimental about this place. The fact that it’s old is one but there are many other things that are old and useless. Tower of London for example is a place of history that contains interesting stories of the English royals and the heads that were chopped (quite often) there. But, Pudu Jail to me was just a jail in the middle of the city centre that was not even kept well by the government and didn’t even house notorious criminals. Yeah, there are famous prisons such as the Rock, Chateau d'If in Marseilles and the one in the Devil’s Island of France that are now tourist attractions. But, for everything that needs to be preserved, it has to have values and it has to be taken care of. This place was ignored. Period.

The protestors were talking so sentimentally about the mural. Yeah, it was great that the criminals were given something to do and some of them could paint but after so many years, the mural was worn down and it’s not an eye pleaser at all. It's not like it's Banksy's. In fact, those who championed this issue were not even looking at the mural when they passed the place before this issue surfaced. Should the government pay attention to the place? I vote yes but since they are not, why waste such space.

I say conserve the places that have values to society and future generations. In this time and age, do something that has values for if not, it has no relevance.

Coming back to FingerTec, we are always thinking about creating values for our customers. What’s the point of doing something if it has no values? The support micro sites currently are being used by our clients for sales and support materials.

Haven't registered yet? www.fingertec.com/registration

We do not want to follow other people’s moves blindly, just because. Our website is created in such a way for a purpose, we do not do according to normal business’s corporate website. Complains were lodged when we first introduced the website because people were not used to it. The newsletter is not for us to boast about our company and the brand but we offer information so that our resellers could pick up relevant news for their sales and marketing activities. We let our sales and support personnel standby online in case you need them to assist you swiftly, not just available icons to indicate there’s someone online when in fact it is none. In short, whatever we do, the plan is to offer value added services to all our clients. If it has no purpose, stop it.

by Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ

iLoveTechnology

Last night my husband came back with a pad in his hand. Do not cringe just yet, it’s iPad! I squealed like a little girl for a brief two seconds. How could I not? Yeah, it is a blown up version of iPod touch but it’s full of awesomeness! Using the same iTunes, I quickly sync my applications into iPad. Love the way they do iBooks, easy to download, easy to read and it is visually stunning, the book on iBooks I mean and the iPad of course! Unfortunately, they do not yet have their iBookstore to sell good titles to iPad users. I’m sure a group of people is living on coffee and nicotine to get the store set up and launch while iPad is still the hot topic of the gadget-craze urbanites. I went to Kobo store instead and bought a couple of ebook titles and the experience was simply amazing!

There was a time 10 years back when we (as part of the group) were interested in the ebook business but the interest turned stale after encountering countless hurdles and inconveniences. Though the development of ebook improves a lot since then, iPad and Kindle bring the trend to another level of sophistication. I can flip my ebook like flipping the print book, and smiling while doing it. I don’t need to go to the bookstore to browse through thousands of books; I can browse, pay and read in a matter of minutes. Pretty impressive I must say. My point is, development of technology takes time but it’s the time worth waiting.

Technology is awesome. It makes our life better in so many ways. I work in technology-based business. Who would have thought that your fingerprint could be used as your private key? We bumped into glitches when we first started but now, 10 years later, everybody is looking for convenience. This year, face recognition technology is making its debut. Look and go is the concept of the Face ID 2 where you do not need to touch anything and you are good to go. FingerTec will continue to progress in biometrics industry, providing people with conveniences.

Yesterday I bought something on eBay, now I’m reading my book on iPad, tomorrow who knows what the future has in store for me. And that to me, what makes life interesting.

by Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ

The (Biometrics) Time is Now

Volcanic ash cloud left and returned to Europe early this month but the effects were not felt in IFSEC 2010. The exhibition staged over four days in the NEC Birmingham ended on Thursday, May 13^th and my feet couldn’t be happier. Remind me not to wear a 3-inch heels the next time I stage a solo 4-day show.

Fingerprint products are not novelty in the industry but the increasing stability of the technology entices vast amount of opportunities. Demands for biometrics products from end-users are escalating; making fingerprint technology inevitable as an option. Unlike face recognition technology that created a new kind of excitement, consumer confidence in this technology is still at its infancy. I reckon it’d take sometimes for the technology to take gain its place in the industry as compared to fingerprint technology.

Interestingly, the most common question I received during the show was “What industry do you target these products for?” I thought the answer to the question was apparent but obviously I was wrong.

To put it simply, FingerTec products target office automation industry for the most part with our time attendance and door access system.

FingerTec range is relevant to offices ranging from small to medium enterprise. Having bundled the powerful software with all our models, FingerTec system offers more value for less money. The ability of the system to record precise time attendance and access control besides producing relevant reports have been able to reduce the workload of the human resources to the maximum. FingerTec system also provides an option for a company to start small and expand. This versatility of this system is a valuable investment for many companies. The range that we provide covers various kinds of office setups and requirements.

During this visit, I had a chance to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. I don’t know much about Shakespeare but I bet he was a genius in English literary world; he is the pride of England. I got a chance to read some of the jokes by him and he was indeed an observant and perceptive writer. English people are known for their dry humor. Watch The Office or The Extras, you’ll get what I mean. Or simply watch Simon Cowell in action. FingerTec is in the business of security where seriousness and formality are anticipated. We, on the other hand, always find ways to loosen up a bit and inject humor in our materials; some gets it and some not. Truth be told, some of our artworks tickle people in a different way. We appreciate the feedback and we would make some changes in the future for the benefit of all. Jokes are only relevant if people laugh. It’s hard to please everybody but the most important thing of all is we don’t offend anybody.

IFSEC is an annual meeting point for the majority of security players in the UK and Europe and FingerTec is proud to be a part of the industry. I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr Jeremy from AIS Malta, Mr Olukayode Osunsan from Logix Uganda, Mr Mikael from Denmark, Mr Faisal from Dubai, Dr Riyadh from Al Salam Iraq, Mr Chukwame from Rapid Vigil, Nigeria and last but not least Mr Bob Marshall from CSD, London.

by Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ

Much Ado About Marketing

Listen up! I'm selling!

Theoretically, an investment in the media is an important marketing strategy to build and grow a business. Advertisements in print media and electronic media are without a doubt could grow a business in the shortest amount of time possible; it has been proven time and time again. The only problem with that theory is budget, which many new startups and SMEs do not have to splurge on such luxurious marketing activities. A few insertions in the national newspaper could be your margin for a few months and without tactfully planning for the media coverage, a company could end up spending more money than earning it. Renting a billboard could put your products out there but at the same time location is the most important factor for outdoor advertisement and the prime locations translate to even more money.

The more pressing matter for small companies is how to grow a business without spending a fortune on advertisements?

The username to success is hard working and the password is writing. A business couldn’t grow if your resellers and customers didn’t have clear understanding of your products, of what you do and didn’t receive sufficient support. The business is judged by the way you run it. Every time a customer deals with you is an experience. As a metaphor, when choosing a restaurant, the priority is good food and good service. The rests are trifling. Obviously, the good food is your product. On top of the non-negotiable good product, customers are often impressed and sustained by good service, which in FingerTec business means pre and pro sales support.

We do business internationally and for us, the best way to let our customers enjoying good service without having to meet them face-to-face is to make everything they need available at all times without much hassle. In short, giving them what they want, online. Local resellers do come to the office once in a while, but most of the time information is obtained online.

While driving home I saw a huge billboard with an interesting advertisement. I typed in the URL and hit return to find out that nothing’s offered online for me, their prospective customer. And the interest level was reduced to zero starting that day. The point I’m getting at is that, customers nowadays are inquisitive. They no longer believe in messages thrown at them blindly and always looking for answers from various channels. The best way to obtain information is through the website because it’s anonymous, borderless, cheap and fast. Information must be available for clients reference at all times because night here is day somewhere else. Information could be expensive when sales or projects are at stake. And that’s why we at FingerTec believe that the password to success is the ability to write what you know and share it with others who are interested in your products and activities.

Writing is powerful

A few years back we came out with the idea of producing our very own newsletter. It was not a new idea in marketing, however it is the new way to get to your customers and potential customers without burning cold hard cash on advertisements. In marketing term, it is permission marketing where if you don’t like it, please request to be excluded. With the newsletter, we share our ideas, we share latest information and we keep our brand in fresh in your mind. Participations from our partners worldwide are also encouraged for a better relationship and contents. Many could argue that not everybody reads the newsletter but we believe that many do. Always focus on the positive to generate the positives.

New media is the way to go. Many government bodies recognize this factor and starting to offer online way of doing business with them. Employee Provident Fund in Malaysia is offering i-Akaun for members to check their accounts online. Banks have done more businesses online and reckon the crowds are lesser in the branches. At least I haven’t been to the bank for at least 6 months or so now. New generations are into new media because the information is direct from the source, and we assume that nothing’s lost in translations.

Coming back to writing, it is an important factor for companies to make it in the new media. We are neither Shakespeare nor Stephen King, but we have our own stories to tell. And perhaps there’s someone in your company who could write and tell your stories to your clients too. Invite your clients to share their stories with you because you have a common topic to discuss about, the business. The impact might not be sudden and apparent but gradually you will build that much needed connection between you and your clients, and hopefully towards a fruitful and prosperous journey together.

by Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ