Company targets emerging Asean markets where demand for data storage is on the rise

Information retrieval specialist AIMS Data Centre Sdn Bhd is ready to make a push into the regional markets in Asean, planning to venture into Vietnam and Myanmar within a year.

CEO Chiew Kok Hin said the company data storage in Malaysia is now 90% utilized and AIMS is looking to add remote data storage in emerging Asean markers where demand for such services is also rising.

“To certain extend, Malaysia is a small market compared to the rest of the Asean’s population. There is still so much we can do if we go regional. We are not here to be only a local player but also regional. We see the opportunity of growing in Asean where the trends indicate that there is a need for the kind of service we are offering,” he told The Malaysian Reserve in a recent interview.

Chiew said since the launch of both of its data centre in Kuala Lumpur and Cyberjaya, the take-up rate has been encouraging with its storage nearing capacity.

AIMS, which is a unit of Time dotCom Bhd, owns 37,500 sq ft of space in Menara Aik Hua and 13,000 sq ft of data centre space in Cyberjaya.

On May 21, Time dotCom Bhd announced that the group was allocating some RM250 million in capital expenditure (capex) for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2013 (FY 13), of which RM100 million is to be spent on its submarine cable investment in Asia Pacific Gateway (APG).

Time dotCom Bhd CEO Afzal Abdul Rahim was quoted recently as saying that the group is on the lookout for further acquisitions, especially fixed line telecommunication companies, metropolitan fibre players and data centre companies outside Malaysia, such as Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore.

Chiew said after TIME acquired AIMS last year, the subsidiary has been given certain advantages such as additional access to certain segments of customers.

“The acquisition has positioned us to provide value proposition to our customers. Being part of a bigger group, it has given us added advantage of being a one stop solution of our services,” he said.

~ Article by Farah Adilla. Published in The Malaysian Reserve. 3 June 2013