Featured Committee: Information, Communications and Technology Committee
The Information, Communications and Technology Committee (ICT) is very active in the Chamber, providing members with timely and interesting speaker events, engaging in advocacy to promote the interests of members and improve the business environment in Japan, and helping to spread information on best practices and emerging opportunities in the ICT sphere.
On October 30, the ICT Committee will have a thought-provoking event featuring Charles Nikiel of saleforce.com, who will use his company as a case study on how foreign companies can succeed in Japan. Charles will present examples of what has worked as an effective marketing playbook and a success formula for the Japanese market, which is the second largest market for salesforce.com after the United States.
Earlier in October, the ICT held a very well received presentation on business continuity planning by Joe Rosolanko of Toys"R"Us-Japan, Ltd., in which one attendee replied, "The speaker shared his experiences and best practices on an issue that impacts nearly all ACCJ members. It was one of the best 'best practices' lunch meetings I have attended because of the information and experiences he shared."
The ICT is also active in advocacy and addresses issues such as: privacy, telecommunications tariffs, cloud computing and adoption of international standards. The ICT also supports the efforts of the Internet Economy Task Force and the U.S.-Japan Cloud Computing Working Group. The ACCJ and Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) have recently issued a joint statement (October 18, 2012) that provides recommendations to both the U.S. and Japanese governments on how to proceed with regards to Cloud Computing. The statement is organized around three major themes: 1) U.S.-Japan cooperation in establishing an international framework for cloud computing; 2) joint efforts to promote cloud computing in developing countries with the goal of overcoming the "digital divide;" and 3) important policy issues and challenges in promoting the greater adoption and use of cloud computing services.
