Ericsson organized an online SME training. The training highlighted the importance of SMEs in terms of the Turkish economy.
The opening of the training held in an online environment was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan and Deputy Minister of Information Technologies and Communications Sayan. He stated that SMEs, which constitute 99.83% of businesses in Turkey, are very important due to their contributions both to the national economy and to the Gross Domestic Product.
Drawing attention to the current state of technology, Sayan said, “Thanks to online network systems, people can easily reach from one end of the world to the other and completely eliminate borders. The best example of this is the activity in e-commerce. Our annual growth rate in the e-commerce market has reached 41%. During the pandemic period, the rate of people shopping online rose to 70%. This figure shows that annual growth is also increasing. Undoubtedly, our SMEs that combine their accumulations with technology have taken their share of this pie. The way to increase this share further is through training and equipping SMEs in the field of technology.”
Stating that SMEs are important in social balance, Sayan said, “As you all know, there is a process ahead of us that is exemplary and we hope will end as soon as possible. After the pandemic, 33% of SMEs worldwide and 34% of SMEs in Turkey reduced their number of employees and downsized due to the outbreak. Especially in our country, SMEs have sought solutions to overcome this difficult period. However, it is neither the time nor the place to despair.”
Noting that SMEs are also faced with some risks, Sayan said, “Although it is generally thought that large companies are targeted in cyber attacks resulting in data breaches, SMEs also encounter the same cybersecurity problems, and SMEs that cannot take effective security measures easily become targets. SMEs that are increasingly adopting new technologies such as mobile devices and IoT access more than 50% of business-critical applications from mobile devices, while rightfully worrying that this weakens their company’s security. At this point, it is essential to take steps that do not require large budgets to support the cybersecurity of small and medium-sized companies. In this regard, we, as the Ministry and BTK, are meticulously carrying out all necessary studies. With our AVCI, AZAD, and KASIRGA software, which are produced entirely with domestic and national resources under USOM, we protect our country’s cybersecurity 24/7.”
Also touching on the importance of R&D activities, Sayan said, “When we carefully examine the last 18-year process in our country, we see that our state attaches great importance to R&D in general. This importance is clearly reflected in the figures. According to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the ratio of R&D expenditure to Gross Domestic Product in Turkey was 0.5% in 2002, while today it has increased to more than double. From this perspective, it is clear that Turkey has made great progress in the last 18 years. Undoubtedly, the developments seen in R&D activities have played an important role, primarily with the support of our President and the policies of our Governments.”
President Karagözoğlu: We Want to See SMEs More Effectively in Foreign Markets
Information Technologies and Communications Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also expressed that SMEs undertake a catalyst role. Karagözoğlu said, “Providing the necessary support in the digital field will be the most important contribution to enabling SMEs to achieve efficiency and competitiveness on the scale of large commercial institutions and organizations, as well as to reach a more effective position in domestic and foreign markets.”
Stating that SMEs in Turkey are using technology more and more every day, Karagözoğlu said, “The majority of SMEs in our country are using new technologies or planning to use them. We see training as essential to increase the rate of SMEs using information technologies. I would like to thank Ericsson for its contributions in this regard. As the Information Technologies and Communications Authority, we also provide all kinds of support where necessary. With the awareness of how important domestic and national production is within the scope of our country’s 2023 vision, on one hand, we strive to support foreign companies that will bring knowledge to our country and localize that knowledge, and on the other hand, we take steps to guide our domestic companies.”
Karagözoğlu concluded his speech by emphasizing that SMEs need to enter the world market.