The impact of Asean free trade area (AFTA) on the information technology (IT) industry in Malaysia / Irzan Ismail

The trends in global IT in the new millennium are irreversible, and it is imperative
that we study them and address them in a serious and concerted manner. The
beginning of the new millennium marks a new era in global information technology
and its management. While the eighties and the nineties witnessed global business
and global IT expansion, the issues in global IT have now reached a new level of
interest and maturity. The introduction of the free trade area concept has somehow
influences the IT industry. As we can see now that globalisation has now become a
threat to every industry. These industries are either directly or indirectly affected by
such rapid development in the world economy. IT is one area that is so vital to
organizations where the capability to control information will give them a
competitive advantage in the business environment. Global IT management is the
new paradigm of the next millennium; domestic IT and urn-national IS are now only
parts of the broader global IT, and it is absolutely essential that we view all aspects of
IT and IS from the comprehensive and all-embracing lens of global IT management
and the impact of the free trade concept on the industry.