Roshan Silva, Dialog Enterprise’s General Manager – Large Enterprise, shares insights into the company’s commitment to advancing Sri Lanka’s ICT infrastructure and driving socio-economic development with strategic collaborations with the public and private sectors, capitalizing on their deep expertise in information and communication technology to create transformative solutions to foster digital inclusion, economic growth, innovation, efficient governance, and environmental sustainability.
Silva shed light on the significant strides made in its mission-critical communication projects, the challenges and the anticipated advantages for the energy and transportation sectors. He also draws attention to Dialog Enterprise’s initiatives in intelligent networking and large-scale cloud migration, vital for supporting data-centric industries like banking, finance, and manufacturing, crucial sectors in the country’s economy. Furthermore, Silva discusses Dialog Enterprise’s adept use of AI and IoT technologies, showcasing its leadership in steering digital transformation across Sri Lankan businesses. By spotlighting specific projects leveraging these technologies, Silva articulated the company’s steadfast dedication to technological progress and fostering innovation, efficiencies, and economic growth within Sri Lanka.
Dialog Enterprise (DE) is at the forefront of major ICT projects with the private and public sectors. How do such partnerships align with DE’s broader vision, and what outcomes are you aiming to achieve for the nation?
Dialog Enterprise is deeply committed to several key initiatives aimed at driving positive change across Sri Lanka. One pivotal focus is Digital Inclusion, wherein collaboration with the government aims to bridge the digital divide by extending connectivity and technology solutions to underserved areas. This concerted effort ensures that every citizen gains access to essential digital tools and information, fostering a more connected society.
Moreover, in fostering Economic Growth, our close partnerships with both the private sector and government play a crucial role. By enabling businesses to operate more efficiently and expand their market reach, we actively contribute to creating new employment opportunities. Our technology solutions play a significant role in nurturing a thriving business ecosystem, thereby fueling the country’s economic growth.
At the heart of our endeavours lies a commitment to innovation. Through strategic partnerships that leverage the collective talent and creativity of the nation, we actively support research and development initiatives. This dedication propels technological advancements, positioning Sri Lanka as a regional hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Efficient Governance stands as another vital pillar of our efforts. By collaborating closely with the government, Dialog Enterprise provides cutting-edge ICT solutions that elevate public services and streamline administrative processes. This collaboration aims to ensure transparent and effective governance, enhancing public services for all.
Lastly, Environmental Sustainability remains a core value. Our commitment to sustainable practices and eco-friendly technology solutions is reflected in collaborative efforts with both public and private sectors. Together, we strive to foster environmentally friendly solutions, contributing significantly to a cleaner and greener Sri Lanka.
The recent projects that had been undertaken amidst unprecedented challenges. Could you share some insights into the challenges faced during the implementation of those projects in the energy, banking, finance and manufacturing sectors and anticipated benefits?
In our portfolio of Mission Critical Communication projects, the success story of the Mission Critical project for LECO stands as a testament. However, the implementation of the MCPTT (Mission-critical push-to-talk) solution for LECO posed several challenges. Seamless integration with LECO’s existing IT infrastructure was a primary hurdle, necessitating close collaboration between our Dialog Enterprise team and LECO’s IT experts. This collaboration was crucial in developing and rigorously testing essential interfaces. Another obstacle revolved around staff training, leading us to design a comprehensive programme covering basic operations and advanced features like geolocation and recording. Rigorous testing and commissioning were also imperative to ensure the system met LECO’s rigorous standards and could perform reliably even under demanding conditions.
Despite these challenges, the MCPTT solution promises significant benefits for LECO. It’s poised to enhance operational efficiency by providing a secure and reliable communication platform for swift responses to outages and emergencies. Additionally, the system enhances staff safety through features like geolocation and communication recording, ensuring their well-being during unforeseen incidents. Furthermore, the system’s improved efficiency promises cost savings for LECO, reducing outage frequency and enhancing cost-effectiveness.
In the realm of intelligent networking and cloud migration, our partnership with the financial, banking, and manufacturing sectors has been pivotal.
We’ve been a reliable partner in their digitalization journey, offering the latest networking solutions. Our solutions’ reliability is underscored by certifications, awards, and recognition received recently. Leading in the SDWAN intelligent networking solution market, our challenge lay in import restrictions, but we’ve navigated these hurdles to ensure smoother import processes and timely project deliveries despite challenging circumstances.
Being the sole VM Ware Sovereign Cloud certificate holder in the country showcases our commitment to assisting data and analytics-driven industries. We lead in this segment as well, having overcome previous challenges and anticipating promising yet more challenging future landscapes. We stand ready to embrace these challenges head-on, leveraging our expertise, best practices of project management and commitment to continued innovation and excellence.
How is DE utilizing AI and IoT to drive digital transformation in Sri Lankan businesses? Can you share a specific project where these technologies have boosted innovation and efficiency?
Dialog Enterprise has played a pivotal role in spearheading digital transformation by seamlessly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive progress within Sri Lankan businesses.
We are designing and deploying AI-driven solutions that empower businesses through task automation, improved decision-making processes, and extracting valuable insights from data. We have meticulously crafted a suite of products tailored to diverse organizational needs by leveraging our extensive experience and insights from client interactions and internal development within the Dialog group. A noteworthy offering is our customized version of ChatGPT, meticulously calibrated to align with individual organizations’ AI policies. It is a bespoke approach enabling organizations to curate content access, ensuring relevance to their specific internal requirements. Through configurable settings, the solution empowers organizations to restrict access to designated professional staff during office hours to optimize OpenAI services.
Additionally, DE extends its reach to IoT-based solutions, empowering businesses to monitor and manage their assets, operations, and processes with enhanced efficiency. Our impact spans the IoT domain, where our automation solutions have delivered tangible benefits across various industries, including food manufacturing, supermarket chains, financial facilities, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture, encompassing tea and rubber plantations. Our IoT offerings cater to over 5,000 enterprises, including esteemed corporate entities. By establishing real-time visibility and control over conventional processes, we remain steadfast in our commitment to assisting businesses of all sizes in enhancing production and efficiency and unlocking new opportunities by offering a reliable path to navigate economic challenges.
In addition to our in-house AI and IoT solutions, Dialog Enterprise collaborates with external partners to introduce groundbreaking solutions to the Sri Lankan business landscape. A prime example is our predictive maintenance system, powered by AI and IoT, that monitors and identifies potential equipment issues before they escalate. By monitoring subtle changes in performance and predicting maintenance needs, the system empowers your company to transition from reactive to predictive maintenance, resulting in various advantages:
Minimized Downtime: Proactive maintenance significantly reduces unplanned downtime by addressing potential issues before they lead to equipment failures, ensuring a continuous and streamlined manufacturing process.
Cost Savings: The shift to predictive maintenance minimizes costs associated with sudden breakdowns and optimizes the allocation of maintenance resources, leading to cost efficiencies.
Extended Equipment Lifespan: Proactive measures contribute to an extended machinery lifespan, maximizing the return on investment for the manufacturing company.
Enhanced Efficiency: AI algorithms continuously refine their predictive capabilities over time, learning from historical data and adapting to changing conditions, resulting in ongoing improvements in operational efficiency.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: These developments showcase the efficiency of data-driven decision-making. Leveraging insights derived from AI and IoT, your company can make informed decisions regarding maintenance schedules, resource allocation, and overall operational strategies.
These projects underscore our commitment to driving digital transformation through innovative AI and IoT solutions. By cultivating a culture that embraces continuous improvement and efficiency, such initiatives benefit businesses and contribute to the broader landscape of technological advancement and economic growth in Sri Lanka.