Multimedia University Cyberjaya Emerged Among Top 3 at APAC NetRiders 2008 -the First Networking Skills Competition Held Virtually Across the Region
MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur – Dec. 12, 2008 – Undergraduates from Multimedia University (MMU) Cyberjaya were declared first runners-up, defeating competitors from 13 other countries in the region at the recent Cisco Asia Pacific NetRiders 2008. The competition was Cisco’s first ever regional networking skills competition held over Cisco TelePresence™ and Cisco WebEx™ to demonstrate the powerful collaborative capabilities of the network.
The competition featured 45 participants selected from amongst the best networking masterminds at local networking skills competitions from 15 countries in the Asia Pacific region. Undergraduates from China’s Shenzhen Polytechnic emerged as the overall champions and won an all expenses paid study trip to the US. 
The Malaysian Networking Masterminds from Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, (left) lecturer Khor Kok Chin and the team i.e. Teng Ming Soon, Siew Voon Fei and Kho Dao Bin
“I would like to congratulate Team Malaysia for demonstrating to the world the potential of our local networking talents, as well as their endurance in defying one of the most challenging networking skills competitions ever,” said Anne Abraham, managing director of Cisco Malaysia.
“Their achievement is commendable and they have done our country proud. The Networking Academy programme has clearly had a positive impact on these students and is resonant with Cisco’s mission to helping the industry bridge the ICT skills gap within the country.”
APAC NetRiders is an annual competition held by the Networking Academy programme, a comprehensive e-learning programme that enables students to develop valuable ICT skills for increased access to opportunities in the global economy. The programme was launched in Malaysia in 2001. Since its inception, over 40 academies in Malaysia have implemented the programme, generating a total of 9,000 skilled technology graduates for the workforce to date.
The NetRiders competition tests the capability and skill level of Networking Academy students in the area of computer network hardware design, configuration, development, and maintenance, all of which are covered in the Networking Academy curriculum. The competition involves two levels of testing – a multiple-choice online examination, and an online network configuration through a computer simulation test using Packet Tracer 5.0.
“We are honoured to have come so far in this regional competition. It was a great experience to be given the chance to compete with networking geniuses from around the region. The tests were challenging as they were very closely based on real-life industry problems. Our achievement definitely boosts our confidence and preparedness to step into the real world,” said Kho Dao Bin from MMU Cyberjaya who is currently undergoing his industry practice at Cisco Malaysia.
This year’s competition was conducted virtually and simultaneously for the first time over Cisco TelePresence and Cisco WebEx across different locations and time zones, while judges were based in the United States. Cisco TelePresence is a ground-breaking technology that utilises the latest in video and audio techniques to establish real-time, live, in-person communications. Cisco WebEx provides on-demand collaboration applications that enable individuals, small businesses and enterprise organisations to use the Web as an efficient channel for interaction with their customers, partners and co-workers.
“It was my first experience using Cisco TelePresence, and I was truly impressed by the technology. Cisco TelePresence is far beyond what we can get from typical video conferencing. It was like being physically present in the same room with everyone else. It is a unique way to hold a regional competition without having to travel to a central location,” said Siew Voon Fei from MMU Cyberjaya.
Echoing his fellow team members, Teng Ming Soon felt that coming in second in the region will encourage him to fulfill his dream of pursuing a career in networking.
“In five years, I hope to attain the Cisco Certified Network Professional certification, and move on to Cisco Certified Internet work Expert certification which is the PhD of the networking world. With that level of expertise, I will be able to widen my horizon from a career perspective, and help contribute to the Malaysian economy,” said Teng.
“I am proud of my students as it proves to the world that our country can produce exceptional, world-class networking engineers. We hope other private sector companies in the industry mirror Cisco’s initiative to step forward and offer encouraging opportunities for students, not only to allow their capabilities to be recognised, but also complementing classroom lessons to prepare them for the real-world,” said Khor Kok Chin, the lecturer from MMU Cyberjaya who led the winning team.
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