Chief Technical Officer, VirtualFlex, Mr Navin Lal,

Head of Sales in New Zealand, Vertiv, Mr Mark Langford,

Members of the Media,

Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.

It is a pleasure to join you in officially launching the strategic partnership between Vertiv and VirtualFlex today.

VirtualFlex started its operation with only three employees seven years ago, thereon the team has grown to eighteen employees – providing cutting edge I.T. products, cloud based solutions and Internet services.

As acknowledged – “the best collaborations create something bigger”. And today, we are witnessing just that, through the achievement and partnership between Vertiv and VirtualFlex – we are preparing the industry for something greater.

This partnership will be relevant to your industry members in acquiring high-end architected virtualisation, storage and end-user computing solutions.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We live in a digital world, so indeed this partnership will contribute to “changing the way we think” and ultimately how we do business.

It is always encouraging and heartwarming to see businesses progressing and specialising in a specific field.

VirtualFlex is an example of commitment and sheer determination. A business that began with only one client through a referral, now has over a hundred clients ranging from individuals, small and medium businesses and Government agencies, to name a few.

Now that’s a feat for celebration and an achievement for the industry – Congratulations Team VirtualFlex!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This success is a lesson, for every business whether you are small or a large business – “your customer’s perception about you, is your reality”, so treat every customer as your source of learning and most importantly your reason to strive for excellence in everything you do as an organisation.

The Fijian Government has invested in the Information, Communication and Telecommunication (‘ICT’) sector, because going digital is no longer an option but it is a default.

We will continue to provide internet connectivity to unconnected Fijians through the connectivity rollout programme – by doing so we are focussing our efforts towards a technology-driven tomorrow.

We are at a point where the ICT sector is creating a knowledge based society and economy. Simply put – on our hand-held devices, on the point of sale when you’re at the supermarket or boarding the bus – we all have to be receptive to the digital world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The 2022/23 national budget provides duty exemptions and tax holidays for investments in infrastructure that supports the ICT/BPO sector, such as contact and data centres. This opens an opportunity to cultivate an environment that supports and encourages ongoing learning, development for ordinary Fijians that have the passion to be employed in the I.T field.

For the first time, the Fijian Government has allocated ten PHDs and twenty Masters-by-research scholarships for full time studies. Other lucrative incentives are also introduced such as the TELS scholarship which includes the ICT field. So we are equipping students to be prepared to enter the job market and be a part of the industry.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Fijian Government is committed to improve the quality and efficiency of service delivery through reforms, including better connectivity and accessibility to technology. We have invested in infrastructure that will enable services to reach Fijians faster, taking services closer to the people.

We want Fijians to live in smart and futuristic communities. So, we have ensured that our children have equal access to education. Fijians living all over Fiji, especially in maritime communities have to be able to access free-to-air television through digital connectivity. We also provided the relevant IT infrastructure and connectivity and today we have 95 percent of Fijians connected. Fiji is the third cheapest country for internet plans. These, amongst others, have led to Fiji transforming into a digital economy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Coming back to today’s event, there is no doubt that Fiji is the economic and technological hub of the Pacific – and partnerships such as that of VirtualFlex and Vertiv indicate our capabilities as a nation in the digital space.
I once again thank VirtualFlex for their hard work and thank Vertiv for having the confidence in what Fiji has to offer. I wish you all a pleasant afternoon and invite you to have fruitful discussions during the informative sessions planned for the rest of the programme.

Vinaka vakalevu and thank you.