Ideal Systems (Singapore)

Ideal Systems, established in Singapore in 2011, is not just a witness to the thrilling and rapid era of innovation in broadcast media technology, it is also one of the top SMEs in Southeast Asia firmly in the driver’s seat of systems integration.

Boasting a customer base that consists of numerous broadcast media (TV channels) in Asia, Ideal Systems is powering ahead as a systems integrator and technology supplier. Even though broadcast technology is changing from hardware-based to IP- (internet protocol) and Cloud-based processes, this SME is adept and agile in providing IP and Cloud technologies to their customers.

Agility in responding to customer needs is one part of the Ideal Systems success story; offering complete turnkey services is the other part that makes this SME a cut above their competitors who often limit their services to simply product sales and support.

Weathering economic volatility is also part of their agility in responding to challenges, in addition to the holistic customer-centric approach to projects, from facility and systems design and build, through to live channel broadcast.

A competitive media market also means Ideal Systems has to stay ever-aware of emerging and innovative technologies that will help strengthen foundations for them and their customers.

But this growth is not just restricted to technological innovation in the market; as an SME, Ideal Systems themselves have grown in scope and in geographical spread, having recently opened new offices in Dubai, Malaysia and Indonesia. A new Cloud enabled technology was also recently launched by the company in 2016, called “Ideal-Live”, enabling sports and news organisations with the ability for live signal acquisition from the field and managed in the cloud. Growing forays into new markets and new regions augurs well for this company’s ten-year plans.

While the future looks optimistic, Ideal Systems has notched several milestones of which they can be understandably proud. Firstly, the company was responsible for building Asia’s largest Outside Broadcast set and production facility for a reality TV show. They are also credited for having built the fastest TV studios in Singapore for Fox Sports, completing the build in a record 12 weeks from start to completion. Additionally – though their achievements number more than these – Ideal Systems successfully built the largest multi-TV channel facility in Singapore for Encompass Digital Media, involving 200 TV channels.

With growing success comes the insight into what it takes to maintain a competitive edge, be it attracting talented people with deeper skills sets, or achieving economies of scale and wider scope of project experience. SMEs can expand beyond their native market, as demonstrated by Ideal Systems, and the ability to evolve a company’s capabilities from a limited project capability is one of many ways. This becomes more essential when an SME operates in an industry as fast-moving as broadcast media and technology.

The advice from Ideal Systems on how to sustain a business in the face of diverse challenges is to not fear change but rather embrace it, immerse yourselves in it and drive it. Change is more constant in certain sectors than others, and where change is constant, the commercial survivors in business will be the drivers of the chariots of change.