Malaysia's i-City Built on Cisco Connected Real Estate Infrastructure by Datacraft

SINGAPORE, Nov. 10 -- Datacraft, Asia's leading independent IT solutions and services company, has implemented Cisco Connected Real Estate (CCRE) solutions, and delivered world class infrastructure and services to i-City, Malaysia's premier global intelligent city.

i-City, a RM 2 billion ICT-enabled commercial development on a 72 acre freehold site, is situated in the strategic neighbourhood of Shah Alam, Malaysia. i-City is fast gaining traction as the regional hub for high-technology companies and knowledge communities. Designated by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) as a MSC Cybercentre, the first phase of the development comprising 300,000 sq ft of Cybercentre Office Suites has been completed and is ready for occupation. Future phases would transform i-City into a fully integrated township, comprising a shopping mall, corporate towers and offices, office suites, hotels and serviced apartments. i-City will also house multiple high-performance data centres and a digital media hub.

Designed from the start to become the next-generation international and cyber-gateway to the country, i-City is expected to attract global mix of technology companies and knowledge workers, creating a vibrant knowledge-based working environment. An essential element to help realise this vision is CCRE. The introduction of CCRE means that a converged IP network is built into the underlying infrastructure of every building (similar to common utilities such as power, water and gas), providing a powerful platform to transform the way in which buildings are managed and how services are delivered.

CCRE is the foundation on which disparate building management systems, HVAC, lighting and transportation, energy management, video and security access controls will integrate with traditional IP-based communication and collaboration systems such as e-mail, messaging, voice and productivity services. Every element from cooling, lighting, security, digital signage to voice and video communication can be controlled centrally. This revolutionary approach to city design has enabled i-City to help the entire community generate new revenue streams, reduce capital and operating expenditure, and improve overall operations efficiency by reducing the complexity of building systems connectivity, prolonging asset life, and improving management capabilities and performance through real-time information.

When fully completed, a high-speed scalable fibre-optics network will span across the entire 72-acre development, connecting all of the office suites, commercial towers, retail tenants and hotel to i-City's high-performance data centre which is also the communication and operations hub.

"Technology is an essential component of the entire ecosystem. Our vision is to promote i-City to be a conducive environment where work, play, learn and live intermix seamlessly!" said Lim Boon Siong, Deputy CEO of i-Bhd.

A comprehensive range of network and telecommunication, hosting, software service on demand, estate management and security services is made available via i-Office2, the designated operator tasked at providing fully managed office services to i-City tenants and residents. Visitors to i-City are able to surf on i-City's super broadband service anywhere, anytime at speed of up to 20Mbps, and experience the true satisfaction of high-speed internet surfing. E-mail access, browsing, online entertainment, games, messaging, online shopping, file attachment and transfer, voice communication, video and VPN access become easier and faster. In addition, i-City tenants are able to stay connected using Cisco's unified communication of voice, video, and messaging 24/7 throughout i-City. Designed to empower employee knowledge, employees can access the relevant information no matter which channel is being used - e-mail, voice, fax or instant messaging. When fully deployed, the Cisco unified communication experience will revolutionise the way people work, learn and socialise in i-City and beyond.

i-Office(2) is a joint venture partnership between Office Squared Malaysia (owned by ServCorp -- a global leader in office facilities and workspace management) and I-R&D Sdn Bhd (owned by i-Bhd, one of Malaysia's leading property companies).

"Today, cities must compete intensively to provide the ambiance and convenience to attract leading corporations as anchor tenants and talented individuals to live in the neighbourhood," said Chong Hoi Ming, General Manager, Datacraft Malaysia. "i-City has taken an important step to secure its future as a connected community that offers secure and scalable IT capacity, capable of handling future expansion needs -- and of course providing a wider range of services as more companies and people move in."

"We are proud to be the exclusive services partner for i-Office(2) and to have implemented this project with i-City, which is currently the largest CCRE deployment in Malaysia."