INTRODUCTION
The new information technologies are growing considerably in society and are increasingly essential for the future of society.
use-of-tic-in-Colombian-MSMEs-2010The intensive use of the Internet, the globalization of business processes, trade relations between countries are closely linked to the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT) to shorten distances.
MSMEs must participate in the use of these technologies to become competitive with their business strategies and maintain quality to be protagonists and reduce the gap with large companies.
This study allows us to identify the national policy that the Colombian government has generated through the different documents for the appropriation and use of ICTs for MSMEs.
Through the UAN quality group portfolio and through the virtual services company for MSMEs ESVEM, offer the appropriate services that allow companies a well-being in the execution of their administrative processes.
OBJECTIVES
• Identify the factors that prevent MSMEs from implementing ICT as a competitiveness strategy.
• Know the public policy through the documents (CONPES-3582, 2009) related to the implementation of ICT.
• Offer to MSMEs the innovative services offered by ESVEM related to the use of ICT to improve their competitiveness.
ICT DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD
The United Nations Organization for Information and Communication Technologies ITU in 2003, taking as a reference the new ITU Digital Access Index (IAD), which is the first global indicator to classify access to ICTs, covers a total of 154 economies in the world. In the report carried out, the countries are classified into four categories of digital access: high, medium high, medium low, and low, which results in defining their status in the use of ICT and identifying shortcomings and disability with other nations.
The study consisted of four broad categories as important factors that affect access to ICT, as shown in figure No. 1 (ITU, 2010)
Factors affecting access to ICT
Figure No. 1 Indicators that constitute the digital access index
The conclusion of this study in infrastructure shows countries such as Luxembourg and Taiwan (China), where they have reached the threshold of 100 subscribers as an established goal and have the highest mobile penetration rate in the world. The level of knowledge of a country significantly affects its ability to use new technologies, which represents incompetence in terms of ICT. At the Affordability level, it is given by the price of Internet access as a proportion of a country's per capita income and, as developed countries, most of the Internet access is done on national sites, the opposite to other countries than the average. Internet access is directed to foreign sites. The technology used is DSL, Cable Modem and wireless techniques.
COUNTRIES WHERE THERE IS GREATEST USE OF ICT
According to the report presented by ITU applying its
ICT development index, the most advanced countries in the field of ICT belong to Northern Europe, including the Republic of Korea. Sweden stands out in the first places as shown in figure No.2, (ITU, 2009) followed by the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland and Norway, these countries are above other high-income countries in Europe, Asia and North America, making these part of the top 20 countries in the use of ICTs, poor countries, especially the least developed, continue to occupy the last places, due to their limited access to ICTs, in relation to the use of fixed and mobile telephony, the Internet and broadband.
Figure No. 2 The first 10 countries
“Information and Communication Technologies continue their expansion around the world in an unstoppable way, however the digital divide between some countries and others is even more than evident. While in European or American countries almost half of the population uses technologies, in Asia or Africa they do not reach 15% and 5%, respectively. One of the reasons derives from the difference in costs between industrialized countries, 1.6% of income and those with less income, 20%. At the top in the use of ICT are the countries of northern Europe, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Iceland… Only South Korea in second position, sneaks among the European countries.
The report concludes that ICTs continue to expand, but there is still an important digital divide that is dependent on the degree of wealth of nations. Technologies are still linked to the so-called first world societies, one that has the necessary infrastructure to guarantee Internet connection. It is not surprising that there are areas of the world where Internet access is not a reality, if in countries like ours large sectors of the population do not have a connection ”. (Marquez, 2009)
In studies conducted by Robert, Lehr, & Litan, (2006, p. 20) on the impact of broadband on job creation in the United States. According to these authors, a 10% increase in broadband access lines results in an increase in the employment rate between 0.2 and 0.3%. With these results obtained (Katz R., 2009a, p. 20) she concludes in a study where she evaluates the growing impact generated by a fiber optic network is 1.4 in the generation of direct employment (with the construction of these networks) and indirect (in other sectors) as we see in table No. 1.
USE AND APPROPRIATION OF ICT IN COLOMBIA
Colombia, with the support of the Colombian government, aims to be competitive by 2019, increasing the economic sector with the use of ICT, as Katz says (2009b, p. 155) “In the ICT producing sector, the plan is particularly specific, to achieve that the software sector grows in its export level. Likewise, the plan focuses in detail on the adoption of ICT. The plan also represents ambitious quantitative goals. It is projected that at the end of the digital plan period, 100% of administrative employees will have an Internet connection and 50% of companies will make their purchases online. On the other hand, it plans as an objective that the competitiveness of Colombian companies, especially MSMEs, improves by 50% through the use of ICT ”.
According to (Llanos, 2009), in Colombia the National government in its political agenda has considered of great importance the strengthening of ICT through the implementation of a National ICT Plan 2008-2019, in order to make greater use of technologies of information and communications. (Llanos, 2009, pp. 4-5).
The National ICT Plan 2008-2019 contemplates a series of policies, actions and projects in eight main axes, four transversal that impact the interests of society and that are community, regulatory framework, research, development and innovation, online government, and four vertical who seek the appropriation of ICT for priority sectors for this plan, education, health, justice and business competitiveness. This plan emphasizes three fundamental aspects that must be carried out in the short term, which are: improvements in access to infrastructure, massification of ICT in SMEs, and consolidating the online government process. (Ministry of Communications, 2008, pp.
3-4).
The country is aware of the importance of ICTs for economic and social growth, and therefore to promote business competitiveness, alliances between the private sector, academia and the government should be considered in order to promote the development of the infrastructure on which the ICT will operate. The development and massification of ICTs in MSMEs is a priority for the country.
PROFILE OF MIPYMES IN COLOMBIA AND THEIR ROLE IN THE NATIONAL ECONOMY
In 2005, the Superintendency of Companies conducted a study showing that of 19,109 companies that reported financial statements to this entity, 13,277 were family businesses, that is, 70%. All of them MSMEs where individuals united by blood ties, kinship or affinity, exercised administrative control over them.
Given the representative nature of this type of companies in Colombia, in 2001 the Superintendency of Companies carried out a study with a sample of 600 family companies in the country in order to find out their dynamics and especially the business development processes that allow continuity to them through generations of owners. The study yielded the following results:
- 33.9% are still in the hands of the founder.
- 29.7% are in the power of the second generation, that is, their children.
- 3.4% are in the hands of the third generation.
- 72.8% of these companies were founded after 1970, therefore they are in a stage of growth and maturity.
Taking into account that a good part of family businesses do not reach the second generation “because the passage from one generation to another in business management is a critical factor”, it is observed that most family businesses are in this stage transition (Vélez Montes, Holguín Lagos, De la Hoz Pinzón, Durán Bobadilla, & Gutiérrez Ayala, 2008, pp. 1-3).
On the issue of the problem of family businesses, the
Superintendency of Companies in the book "Causes of the compulsory liquidation of companies in Colombia", identified ten causes of which one is the "mixture that arises from family problems and the management of the company ”and it is also stated“ that according to world statistics, less than 13% of these companies exceed the third generation ”(Vélez, Et. al., 2008, pp. 10-12).
Another study carried out at the Latin American level with 661 entrepreneurs from Argentina,
Bolivia, Colombia (Bogotá and Medellín), Costa Rica, Ecuador (Quito and Guayaquil), El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, during 2002-2005, indicated that the success or failure factors of family businesses are:
- Income of non-family members.
- Criteria for the entry of family members.
- Criteria for setting remuneration.
- Difficulties working with relatives.
- Succession planning and criteria for choosing the successor. (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, p. 11).
In Colombia, MSMEs play a preponderant role, as can be seen in the data provided by (Valencia Cossio, 2008) about their incidence in the national economy.
- They are 97% of the country's companies.
- They generate 63% of employment.
- They generate 37% of production.
- Its production structure is more flexible.
- They are more responsive to changes in demand.
- Through their articulation and integration into the productive structure, they generate competitive advantages.
The importance of MSMEs is a reality not only for Colombia but also worldwide, where their broad participation in job creation and in the production of goods and services is recognized. As stated by "Alvaro Cala Hederich in the essay Situation and needs of small and medium enterprises", only after the nineties it is recognized that in Colombia there are more than a million small and medium enterprises that contribute more than 50% of GDP and that generate more than 70% of the national employment in the sectors of industry, commerce and services. However, most of these companies do not have a commercial register and only a small part of them are legalized and appear in the records of the Chambers of Commerce. “It is estimated that the number of business units,More than 90% belong to the group of small and medium-sized companies that are not certified by the Chambers of Commerce, do not keep legal accounts or have registered accounting books, do not belong to unions and associations, do not pay taxes or make parafiscal contributions to social security ”. This does not give an overview of the situation of MSMEs and at the same time a great possibility of promoting the services that the virtual company ESVEM will offer to improve and streamline processes, allowing MSMEs to have more presence and participation in the environment.This does not give an overview of the situation of MSMEs and at the same time a great possibility of promoting the services that the virtual company ESVEM will offer to improve and streamline processes, allowing MSMEs to have more presence and participation in the environment.This does not give an overview of the situation of MSMEs and at the same time a great possibility of promoting the services that the virtual company ESVEM will offer to improve and streamline processes, allowing MSMEs to have more presence and participation in the environment.
On the other hand, in the use of ICTs for Mypimes they bring great benefits to companies, studies carried out by (Llanos Naranjo, 2008, p. 14) found that only 2% of Colombian entrepreneurs invest in ICT, according to the Colombian Chamber of Informatics (CCIT), in 2006 the gap in investment in ICT between large companies and MSMEs in Colombia was quite large, the study explains that the investment of large companies is 2000 times more than MSMEs as can be seen in Table No. 2.
Table No 2 Source: MiPyme Digital Program, Ministry of Communications, based on DANE and CCIT indicators.
According to the global indicator NRI-Network Readiness Index 2008-2009, which measures the benefits of the use of ICT in economies, it was concluded that Colombia has adequate availability of ICT technology, both from national and foreign suppliers, but the poor training of company personnel is the main cause of the low level of utilization compared to other countries in the world.
PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS SCOPE
In 2001 DANE conducted a census of 1,054,695 informal establishments with less than 10 employees and only 16,197 were formal, that is, 1.5%. (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, p. 13).
Other figures published by the (DANE, 2009), show that 80.1% of the establishments reported in the Annual Manufacturing Survey (EAM) for 2007, employed less than 100 people, 16.7% between 100 and 500 and 3.2% of the companies had more than 500 employees.
According to Law 905 of 2004, the following table is the classification of MSMEs.
Tables No 3. Classification of
MSMEs * Where SMMLV refers to the Current Legal Monthly Minimum Wage.
The informal situation of MSMEs means that they do not have access to financial markets and they are forced to resort to informal credit mechanisms.
Law 590 or also called the Mipyme Law, which was modified by Law 905 of 2004, establishes obligations for entities such as SENA, BANCOLDEX, PROEXPORT, COLCIENCIAS and FONDO NACIONAL DE GARANTIAS to generate strategies so that MSMEs can have access to national markets and international and linking them to government purchases, governed by Law 80 of 1993.
On the other hand, the Colombian Fund for the Modernization and Technological Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - FOMIPYME - was created with the objective of financing projects, technological development programs and the creation of instruments for the promotion of MSMEs.
Likewise, and within the framework of the Mipyme Law , the Venture Capital Investment Fund of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - EMPRENDER - was created, which is controlled by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, in order to promote entrepreneurship.
Within the national policy enshrined in the document (CONPES-3424, 2006), the Banca de Oportunidades is formed to provide credit opportunities and other financial products to MSMEs with advantages such as exemption from the four per thousand tax, under certain conditions. It also includes reforms to the guarantee regime to grant attractive interests for these sectors.
In (CONPES-3484, 2007) the results between August 2006 and August 2007 indicate that 1,251,222 microcredits have been granted for a value of 3.9 trillion pesos and other financial services have been granted to microentrepreneurs such as bank accounts. low amount savings. In this same document, the development of strategic lines aimed at improving the low capacity to innovate by means of:
- Promote access to financial services.
- Promote the formalization of business activity.
- Encourage the development of the market for non-financial business development services.
- Strengthen the capacity for innovation and technology transfer.
- Promote the use of ICTs.
- Access training for work.
- Facilitate access to markets.
- Promote entrepreneurship.
- Promote productive articulation and business associativity.
DEVELOPMENT BY SECTORS
As can be seen in the government's economic development model, there is an interest from the public sector to promote and encourage the creation of companies that were born as MSMEs, and a high percentage, such as family businesses, facing the greatest threat to the survival of the company or business, the lack of a "management model that develops long-term visions." (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, pp. 14-15).
As can be seen in figure No. 3, the highest concentration of MSMEs is in Bogotá, whose incidence may be due to:
- In Bogotá there are control bodies and “decisions are concentrated in the executive and in the technical bodies of economic planning.
- Public order situation.
- Population density, which favors the perception of business execution.
These data with a slight variation are corroborated by the (DANE DA, 2009), where a concentration of manufacturing companies is recorded in the metropolitan areas of Bogotá with 70.4%, Medellín with 17.1% and Cali with 11.9%. These results show that the target market for the use of ICTs is concentrated in metropolitan areas, which facilitates the insertion of these companies in ICTs, due to the ease of connectivity with the internet.
Current situation of appropriation and use of ICT by Colombian companies and its relationship with productivity and competitiveness
The following table shows the concentration of economic activities aimed at the provision of services, according to the survey of informal micro-enterprises in 13 metropolitan areas.
The survey shows that the greatest informality occurs in the trade and services sector, due to the ease of establishing businesses without higher costs and technological resources, but this implies a risk for consumers and users of services and for the institutional development of the State.. It is also estimated that informal activity absorbs 60% of underemployment, constituting a challenge for the creation of wealth.
On the other hand, this phenomenon makes the variables on the number of MSMEs and their geographical distribution difficult to determine and there is also no systematic record and analysis of the problems of capitalization, credits, human capital formation, access to international markets, processes of modernization and technological innovation, productivity, etc. (Vélez, Et. al., 2008, pp. 16-17).
The economic risk for the consumer is greater with informality, because these companies cannot guarantee quality standards and implementation of ICTs in the productive sector because they are marginalized from the opportunities offered to join national development programs. On the other hand, "informal activity absorbs 60% of underemployment and constitutes a real challenge for the creation of wealth" (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, p. 17).
Most informal business establishments do not have an identifiable management system. Family members with experience in the business but with low academic level work there, which hinders the progress of the company. In the characterization of this type of companies, it is noted that due to their size there are restrictions in the use of technologies that make them more competitive, losing the ability to innovate processes, compete, export and finance themselves. Some limitations that can be seen in the operation of informal businesses are:
• Excessive dependence on own funds due to the restriction of access to bank loans
• High financial costs due to the risk they represent.
• Provision credits more financial than commercial.
• Small markets
• Incipient technological development
• Low qualification in human resources
• Inadequate or non-existent organizational structure that makes it difficult to introduce new management techniques.
• Low quality and cost conditions for exporting, which prevents taking advantage of the opportunities of international markets. (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, p. 19).
"In this way, governments, through policy instruments, must equalize the opportunities of companies with a lower degree of development, generating actions aimed at achieving insertion in the growing options of global markets, building up their capacity to modernize production processes, develop attractive products, improve access to markets, and select their business opportunities ”(Vélez, Et. al., 2008, p. 20).
In the survey carried out with family MSMEs, the following data were found according to the classification based on the number of employees of Law 905.
• Small business with 56% participation.
• Micro-business with 23% • Medium-sized business with 10%
• Large companies with 11%.
It is noteworthy that 79% of family MSMEs are micro and small businesses.
According to the concentration in each sector, the following figures are available:
• In the industrial sector, 28% are micro-companies and 66% are small companies.
• In the services sector, 21% are micro-companies and 51% are small companies, 15% are medium-sized companies and 13% are medium-sized emerging companies.
• In the commerce sector, 36% are micro-companies and 55% are small companies and 9% are medium-sized companies.
• In other sectors, 11% are micro-companies and 50% are small companies, 11% are medium-sized companies and 28% are emerging medium-sized companies.
A family business strategy is to retain and qualify its staff, projecting their family values as a natural asset, through the structuring of formal business initiatives.
Regarding the generation of income, one of the aspects that shows the influence of the MPF in the national economy is sales, since in addition to being generators of wealth, they contribute taxes and have an appreciable influence on fiscal policy. carried out by Fundes, it is shown that the majority of the companies are in the range of those that sell between $ 1000 and $ 5000 million a year, according to figure No 4: (Vélez, Et. al., 2008, pp. 24-25).
Another important aspect within the characterization of MPFs is to determine the sector of the economy where their activity is concentrated. It is understood that there are three economic sectors: primary or extraction of goods directly from natural sources; secondary or industrial when there is transformation of raw materials into manufactured or semi-processed products and the tertiary or service sector. In this order of ideas, it was identified that the service sector is the one with the highest number of MSMEs and MPFs, as related in table No 5:: (Vélez, Et. Al., 2008, p. 26).
The use of technology was also evaluated, with the following results: companies in the industrial and commercial sectors are those that have the best technological endowment, reporting 70% that have competitive technologies and more than 50% with cutting-edge technology, while that companies in the service sector report respectively 28% and 15%. Considering technological vulnerability as a determining aspect in competitiveness, the deficiency in this aspect of a considerable number of companies stands out.
The normalization of the processes and the certification with quality standards, reflects the company's ability to enter competitive markets, therefore it is also an indicator of its competitiveness. In this sense, the authors show in the results of the study that about 40% of the companies with more than 50 employees have implemented some standardization procedure; while 19% of small companies and only 8% of micro companies have done so.
INSERTION IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
The textiles and clothing sector is the most prominent in the export structure of Colombian SMEs and 36% of the MPF have an export vocation, however in the services sector only 3% of them export.
Given that the services sector is the one that has grown the most and continues to have this trend due to the rise of ICTs that "places companies in a scenario of digitization and greater connectivity, making the border between tradable and non-tradable goods ”(Vélez, Et. al., 2008, pp. 27-29).
INNOVATION AND CUSTOMER ORIENTATION AS A COMPETITIVENESS FACTOR
According to (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009), a proactive orientation towards the client favors the existence of factors that promote innovation, especially focused on the use of ICT, however this depends on aspects such as the type of organization, the degree of customer orientation and the impact on the strategic situation of the company. (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, p. 56)
In the same sense, customer orientation is seen in the business strategy and tactics, in the first, designing strategies aimed at developing competitive advantages that allow adding value to the product or service, and, in the second, the establishment of communication mechanisms efficient with the customer, especially through the use of ICT, so that the customer can perceive the added value of the product that is offered. This is important considering that the client's needs may be express or latent. Express needs are recognized directly and the client is aware of them, while latent needs are those attributes that, although not so explicit, are perceived by the client (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, pp. 56-57).
The authors affirm that the literature shows examples and investigations that recognize that in companies the success obtained in the markets is proportional to the degree of customer orientation they develop and the way companies communicate with their customers (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, p. 57)
And as pointed out by …….., in the hypotheses “the proactive orientation towards the consumer enhances cooperation between the company and other agents in the environment” (p.58); “The proactive orientation towards the consumer enhances the use of ICT in the company” (p.59); "Proactive customer orientation encourages the development of new products by companies" (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, p. 60).
It is increasingly common to find alliances with different actors external to the company such as distributors, consumers, universities, research centers or competitors, where strategic alliances are sought that facilitate competitiveness and mutual benefit. (Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, p. 60).
“In this way, for industrial companies the variable with the greatest discriminating power is external cooperation, while for services it is the use of ICT. On the other hand, the indirect effect that the use of ICT has on innovation processes (through its influence on the development of cooperation processes), although it is confirmed for the general model, is rejected for the sectoral models. In this way, in the case of industrial companies, the variable considered is not significant, while for service companies the coefficient shown by the variable has a negative sign, which leads to consider that ICT indirectly inhibit the development of innovations in the field of products ”(Jiménez & Torrent Sellens, 2009, p. 72).
INNOVATION AS A PUBLIC STRATEGY TO MODERNIZE COLOMBIAN MIPYMES.
Innovation is conceived as the “introduction of a new, or significantly improved, product (good or service), a process, a new marketing method or a new organizational method, in the internal practices of the company, the organization of the workplace or foreign relations ”(OECD, 2005a, cited by DPN, 2009, p.8). In this context, what distinguishes an innovation from an invention is that the first is put on the market and that is why it is so important to improve the country's competitiveness.
Innovation can occur within companies or in research centers that take them to the market as a good or a service, becoming a process of social appropriation of knowledge that involves from suppliers to consumers.
Now, research (R&D) is understood as “the creative work carried out in a systematic way to increase the volume of human, cultural and social knowledge and the use of this knowledge to derive new applications in all fields of science. science and technology, and involves basic, applied research and experimental development (OECD, 2005a, cited by DPN, 2009, p.8).
Thus, it is understood that, in this context, activities related to the generation and use of knowledge (scientific and technological activities) must include the teaching and training of scientists and engineers, that is, qualified human resources to develop ACTIs (DPN, 2009, p. 8)
Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI) are a source of economic development and consolidate its growth, therefore it is taken into account as a policy of the Colombian State to increase the capacity to generate and use scientific and technological knowledge in the country. Within the framework of this policy, six strategies have been formulated, namely:
• Promote innovation in the Colombian productive apparatus. Support for innovative entrepreneurs.
• Strengthen the institutional framework of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation (SNCTeI), through Law 1286 of 2009, which makes Colciencias an Administrative Department.
• Strengthen human resources so that they are capable of generating and using knowledge to generate wealth. The Colciencias investment project "Training Human Resources for
Research" is drawn up, in order to have more PhDs in the country.
• Promote the social appropriation of knowledge, through the dissemination and support of entities that carry out these activities.
• Develop strategic sectors in the long term, with goods and services of high added value, that is, with high scientific and technological content. It prioritizes in “instruments and programs in the strategic areas of energy and natural resources, biotechnology, health, materials and electronics, information and communication technologies, logistics, and design and construction of citizenship and social inclusion” (DANE DA, 2009, p. two).
• Develop and strengthen Science, Technology and Innovation (CTeI) capacities, through cooperation for research and acquisition of robust equipment and the strengthening of regional CTeI systems.
On the other hand, the Survey of Technological Development and Innovation in the service sector, carried out for the years 2004-2005, applied to 4,393 establishments in 15 subsectors, shows that the highest amount of investment in technological development for 2005 was carried out by the subsector of residential public services with $ 529,832 million pesos, followed by the subsector of universities with values around $ 417,764 million pesos, commercial banks including the Bank of the Republic invested $ 489,646 million pesos, wholesale trade invested $ 330,745 million pesos, companies dedicated to travel agencies were the ones that invested the least, reaching an amount of $ 29,475 (DANE DA, 2008)
According to technological development and innovation activities in 2005, Figure No 5 shows the distribution (DANE DA, 2008, p. 4)
TRENDS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The trends that the Colombian MSMEs must face for 2010 in the implementation and use of ICTs are "cloudcomputing12", virtualization, mobile Internet and computer security. This has been revealed by a recent survey by the BITKOM high-tech association in the ICT industry.
45 percent of respondents and 44 percent identified virtualization and cloud computing as top topics. In third place, with 42 percent Internet-mobile and computer security. "In difficult economic times, the focus of technologies allows users to be more efficient and more powerful." As another mega-trend mobile Internet has established itself. With the increasing proliferation of smart mobile phones, mobile Internet in the business environment has become a mass phenomenon.
The capabilities of communications networks must follow the exponential development of uses and traffic. The generalization of the high definition image and in the future of the 3D image requires broadband access, or fiber optic connections.
According to (Lorentz, 2009, p. 98). Hybrid architectures (satellite and terrestrial infrastructures) are presented as an interesting solution for satellite access. The O3b project (Google, Liberty Global and HSBC) proposes a central satellite network that powers cellular terrestrial relays or WiMax, allowing the deployment in emerging markets of low-cost access solutions.
TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN COLOMBIA
Colombia currently has large public and private companies that within its technological infrastructure offer high-speed connections through fiber optics such as:
Internexa (ISA), Telefónica-Telecom, UNE-EPM Telecomunicaciones, Edatel, Telmex and ETB, with a transmission capacity of 400 Gbps.
According to a study carried out by FUNDES Colombia, SMEs invest in ICTs with the following purposes:
Lack of knowledge of technology and lack of funding are the main obstacles to the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in MSMEs.
Today's MSMEs have many free software solutions that can be alternatives to proprietary software but that have its drawbacks that it is necessary to know when implementing free software in MSMEs.
The catalog of software tools that are at the hand of users to meet their needs is wide and we can classify it into:
Business Intelligence (BI)
Content Management (ECM / CMS)
Customer Relations (CRM)
Business Distributions
Document Management (DMS)
Electronic Commerce
Business Resources (ERP / HRM)
Financial Management
Services and Infrastructures
Collaborative Software (Groupware)
Internet
Office
Management of Projects
Point of Sale
Utilities
ICT PRODUCTION COMPANIES IN COLOMBIA
The following companies are dedicated to the production of ICT goods and services within Colombia (Digital, 2010)
ETB: Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá (ETB).
Telefónica: Telecommunications business group that integrates Telefónica Telecom, Telefónica Móviles Movistar, Terra and Atento.
UNE - EPM Telecommunications: Public Companies of Medellín.
Telmex: Leading company in the communications market.
Telebucaramanga: Company of Telecommunications of Bucaramanga SA
Comcel: Company that provides cellular telephone services.
Movistar Colombia: Mobile phone company.
EMCali: Cali public services company.
Avantel: Telecommunications services company.
HARDWARE PRODUCTION COMPANIES (Digital, 2010)
Dell Colombia: American multinational that manufactures products related to information technology.
Hewlett-Packard Colombia: (HP) is a computer-related hardware and software provider.
IBM Colombia: International Business Machines multinational that manufactures and markets computer software, hardware and services. SOFTWARE Y SERVICIOS INFORMÁTICOS (Digital, 2010)
PSL: Productora de Software SA
Google Colombia: Google is a company that offers services related to blogs, videos, advertising, email, among many other alternatives.
Microsoft Colombia: Company that develops, manufactures, licenses and produces software and electronic equipment, especially computer science.
Oracle: Software developer for databases, management systems and applications of its own development.
ASSOCIATIONS OF ICT PRODUCERS (Digital, 2010)
Fedesoft: Colombian Federation of the Software Industry (Fedesoft).
Parquesoft: Parquesoft is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of services related to digital art, science, technology and communications.
Asocel: Association of the Cellular Industry of Colombia.
CONCLUSIONS
The country must begin to play a leading role in the implementation of ICTs, and cannot be oblivious to the technological advances that are constantly generated for the benefit of the economy and well-being of the country.
Online business, electronic commerce are processes that large companies have included in their daily work, that is why the virtual company ESVEN must provide the means for MSMEs to enter the dynamics of online business.
The challenge for the virtual company ESVEM is to initiate an awareness plan that will change the mentality of the managers of the MSMEs on the use and appropriation of ICT as an innovative factor in their processes and improvement of the quality of their products.
Faced with the reality of the country, there are many sectors where there are no communications and Internet services, this being worrying since the ICT plan of the national government has as a goal by 2019 that all Colombians are connected to the Internet.
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