Malaysia: Webse to go big on the web

Webse Sdn Bhd is aiming to go big in the web solution business.

After winning the platinum award in the technology/ICT category at the inaugural Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010, it has now set its sight to become the top global halal portal company.

Its chief executive officer Calvert Wong says: “By winning the SOBA award, it has provided us a platform and further proven our strategic move into the halal market. We will continue to enhance our solutions and marketing strategy to penetrate the global halal market. To become the world’s number one halal business portal, Webse is also planning to get listed on the local bourse in order to achieve this ambitious move.”

The company is also the winner of the silver award for the SME of the Year category.

The awards have also provided some confidence and accreditation to confirm our strength as one of the top companies in the technology segment, he adds.

Calvert Wong … ‘By winning the SOBA award, it has provided us a platform and further proven our strategic move into the halal market.’

With its good publicity through various media, Wong says the conferment of the award has definitely enhanced the company’s reputation and set a benchmark for it to move to greater heights in the international arena.

Wong, who is one of the three founders of Webse, feels the SOBA achievement is meaningful and quite different from other awards which the company has won as it goes right down to the criteria and emphasises on the quality of specific areas.

Passion and focus are the main keys to success, he notes.

“We must first love what we do in order to do the best. Besides that, sharp thinking and smart implementation are also important.

“For instance, we need to be sharp in foreseeing the opportunities and problems from time to time and provide the most efficient solutions beyond our customers’ expectations,” he says.

The company was founded in 1999 by Francis Chong (managing director), Wong and Sam Hwang (chief operating officer) who capitalised on the dotcom era in the early stage.

Its name Webse, is an acronym for Web System Expert, that reflects the company’s aim to provide specialised web solution in the region.

It acquired Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status in 2002. Since then, Webse has been involved in the research and development of the web industry.

Today the company is one of the main players in the web industry, engaged in web development, web maintenance, servers farming to the more advanced e-commerce, e-insurance and e-banking applications.

On the main obstacles the company faced in the early years was the bursting of the dotcom bubble, which forced many information technology companies to close down due to the sudden lack of capital flowing into the industry.

However, because of passion for the business, in addition to being patient and adopting a prudent business model, the company managed to survive the dotcom storm, he says.

He advises aspiring SOBA entrants to participate in this reputable award in order to prove their strength.

“Winning this award proves that the company has a competitive edge over other competitors and hopefully will help to inspire us to greater heights,” he says.