IDC Says UC&C Markets Continue Strong Growth and Shift of Market Focus is Obvious in Future Roadmap

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 June 2014 – The recent IDC’s Asia/Pacific Semiannual Collaborations and Video Tracker revealed market shares of major Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) vendors in Southeast Asia have inched up 5.7% to US$221.2 million in 2H13 (second half of 2013), compared to 1H13 (first half of 2013). Other key findings include:

• Factory revenue in 2013 hit US$430.8 million, or a slight 2.1% growth on a year-over-year (YoY) basis due to deterrent factors such as "as-a-service" (UCaaS) ,cloud-based and freemium offerings

• Enterprise telephony continues to play an integral part of the UC&C market, dominating 42.8% of total revenues in 2H13, followed by enterprise collaboration apps (32%), contact center applications & equipments (14.7%) and enterprise videoconferencing solutions (10.6%)

• Although enterprise telephony has recorded the largest proportion from the UC&C market, total market share has dwindled 7.8% compared to 2H12. This short fall was mainly caused by traditional PBX/ key system, analogue and digital phones where IP telephony market continues to propel its strong growth in the region with 6.1% YoY. On the contrary, enterprise collaboration apps, contact center and enterprise videoconferencing solutions have sparked with 2.5%, 1.8% and 3.7% growth respectively

"We see IP telephony will continue stemming in the region as traditional PBX/ key system will soon reach the end of its life cycle, companies will need to equip themselves to get ready to tap the upcoming ‘mega upgrade cycle’ such as IP hardware and IP PBX systems/ lines,” said Tan Hwee-Xian, Market Analyst, Communications, IDC Asia/Pacific. “There are continuing growing interest in the implementation of enterprise collaboration apps, videoconferencing and contact center solutions in the region. However, with widespread availability of "as-a-service" arriving in the marketplace, we are expecting more UCaaS offerings to appear in the market which will be sharpened up as a key UC trend, as observed in Singapore's market."

Breakdowns of UC&C Markets in Southeast Asia

Singapore – Largest revenue, US$56.14 million
Such mature market has declined 5.7% YoY due to proliferation of future workplace technology with cloud base, freemium and "as-a-service" offerings. 62% of enterprises deemed applicable to reduce spending on UC&C/ videoconferencing-related deployments, however perceived applicable to increase used of managed services and move part/(s) of on-premises deployment to hosted/utility-based service. Collaboration apps comprised the highest revenue with 44.1% from total UC&C market, followed by enterprise telephony (36.3%), enterprise videoconferencing solution (7.1%) and contact center solution (3.9%).

Malaysia – Second largest revenue, US$44.4 million
Enterprise telephony continues to be the largest revenue contributor (47.9%), followed by collaboration apps (30.8%), contact center (13.1%) and videoconferencing solution (8%). Despite the market has surged up 23.9% half-over-half (HoH), total UC market for 2013 has bogged down 9% compared to 2012 due to Malaysian 13th General Election which has plummeted UC&C market in 1H13 by 14.5% over the same period of time in 2012. Such drastic downward trajectory has affected 2013 market, causing last year’s market to be less stellar than it was in 2012.

Indonesia – Third largest revenue, US$39.9 million
Similar to Malaysia, enterprise telephony is the largest revenue contributor (46.8%), followed by collaboration apps (30.4%), videoconferencing solution (13.8%) and contact center solution (9%).

In terms of HoH comparison, 2H13 UC&C market has dropped 4.1%. This shortfall was caused by the weakening Rupiah which has once plummeted to over 12,000 per US dollar during its peak (lowest ever since 2009) and has caused both economic curse and windfall for local businesses. Festive season like Hari Raya Aidilfitri has also led to a low IT expenditure in 3Q13 and spurred across to 4Q13 with its lethargy exchange rates.  Despite the shortfall, the market has indicated a strong 9% YoY growth compared to 2H12, notably IP telephony market with a sharp 36% YoY growth, driven  by the presidential election that will be held in 2014 along with local elections which will spur the IP telephony market.

Philippines – US$38.9 million in revenue
UC&C continue to gain impetus in Philippines where it has sustained its stronghold as top contact center hub in Asia Pacific. Total UC&C market has accumulated up to US$38.9 million in 2H13, showing a 24.3% YoY growth, highest among all countries in Southeast Asia. Philippines has also experienced the most severe natural calamity last November with typhoon Haiyan, although the devastation was massive, it was concentrated in the central and eastern provinces where center of BPO in greater Manila was not affected. Enterprise telephony comprised the highest revenue share (40.8%), followed by contact center solution (28.7%), collaboration apps (23.4%) and videoconferencing solution (7.1%).

Thailand – US$32.1 million in revenue
Despite political crisis and economic recession in late 2013, Thailand UC&C market grew in terms of revenues, around 13.3% in 2H13 compared to the same period in 2012 and increased over the 1H13 by 12.8%. Enterprise telephony continues to be the largest revenue contributor in UC&C space (US$12.9 million), followed by collaboration apps (US$7.7million), contact center (US6.9 million) and videoconferencing solution (US$3 million). The political unrest has resulted in delay of many projects delivery, however, there were many deals for UC&C solutions that most key vendors closed in the 3Q13 which resulted in good market performance and has compensated for the slowdown in demand and shipments in 4Q13.

Vietnam – US$11.1 million in revenue
Vietnam is relatively small in UC&C market as total 2H13 has recorded US$11.1 million, representing 50.5% of total revenues generated throughout the year of 2013. The market has experienced 6% YoY growth compared to 2H13 with enterprise telephony continues to be the largest revenue contributor in UC&C space (49%), followed by collaboration apps (24.2%), videoconferencing (19.4%) and contact center solution (7.5%).

IDC is optimistic towards such emerging market as demands on UC&C remained at the high side with 70% of enterprises deemed "not applicable" to reduce spending on UC&C/ videoconferencing-related deployments. This implied that Vietnam will continue to invest on-premise UC&C/ videoconferencing related deployments.

"We believe UC&C industry will continue to grow in the region; however different markets will have different needs. Vendors and service providers, especially local providers should consider the needs of local market as well as their ICT budget when comes to future roadmap to offer the UC&C solutions that could cater the needs of different markets," added Tan.

IDC forecasts UC&C markets in Southeast Asia will worth US$650.6 million by 2018, up from US$433.6 million today. This marked 8.5% of Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), although there are signs of market growth slowing down in traditional on-premise market in the region.

Malaysian CIOs Starting to Shift Focus from IT Efficiency to IT Effectiveness: MDeC & IDC Study

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 May 2014 – In a recent International Data Corporation (IDC) study commissioned by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), results conveyed that the Malaysian CIOs are about to make the important step of shifting their focus from IT efficiency to IT effectiveness. In 2014 and beyond, enterprise IT function will be judged on the success in meeting the demands of business users rather than the reduction in cost of technology operations in a business. These results were presented to the Malaysians CIOs in the second workshop of the CIO Survival Guide Series, themed Survival of the Cloud Fittest yesterday.

The study showed that most Malaysian organizations are still at an early stage of cloud service adoption, with mostly ad hoc and opportunistic use of commodity and non-critical cloud services. This is typical of the first stages of clod adoption and an emerging understanding of cloud services use. It shows a continuing focus on cost control of IT functions rather than an awareness of how cloud services have evolved to provide business as well as technology services.

Chris Morris, Associate Vice President, Services Asia Pacific, Lead Analysts of Cloud Services & Technologies, IDC Asia/Pacific said, “A better understanding of cloud usage patterns in other markets will provide excellent insight but the art and science of managing IT in Malaysia will need to continue its current evolution. Cloud services must be managed and optimized for the target business environment to deliver full value.”

Morris added, “The transformation of a CIO into a manager of services rather than a manager of technology will significantly alter the management of a traditional IT department. A CIO could become a broker of services for business, sourcing the best solution to the line-of-business (LOB) demands, however, this solution will create many challenges in the service delivery management.”

Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer of MDeC said “MDeC realises the value and potential of cloud computing and is continuously working with ICT industry players, stakeholders and other government agencies in driving the cloud computing revolution in Malaysia. Our efforts through the Cloud Computing Enablement Initiative under MSC Malaysia and incorporating cloud computing as one of Digital Malaysia’s eight projects have helped to spur the development of cloud computing in this country further. By getting more Malaysian businesses to turn to the cloud for their needs, we will become one step closer to becoming a developed digital economy to be reckoned with.”

Current state of cloud development in among Malaysian IT enterprises:

• Shift of IT investment focus from cost minimization to IT departments
Malaysian enterprises are shifting focus from cost minimization to actively driving IT departments to innovate more quickly as a way of boosting revenue and profit. This will be an additional pressure for any CIOs from new directions. In 2014, it is believed that CIOs must externally source more of the required IT services which will often be delivered from the cloud.

• IT departments react slowly when moving from a tactical focus on efficiency
Malaysian enterprises must move from delivering cost-effective services to a more challenging goal of being more strategic and effective. This is a vital transition for any businesses because the best solution is not the cheapest when assessed against the business goals.

• The awareness level of cloud benefits in medium-sized organizations is higher compared to larger organizations
LOB managers are more interested in high-value business services delivered by IT to meet business goals. CIOs will start looking at service delivery in a different way when assessing IT on this basis. This heightened awareness means LOB managers are less burdened by legacy systems, allowing medium-sized organizations to be able to position themselves advantageously for future growth and competitiveness.

• Not ready to use cloud services for business-critical functions
There is a lingering focus on tactical goals for cloud deployment but slowly growing understanding on the importance of the strategic value of cloud services in Malaysia; however, large enterprises are still not well advanced about how cloud services can best be used. These could be caused by a number of factors:
o Immaturity of services available
o Opaque legislation
o Lack of cloud skills
o Low understanding of building a business case based on business value instead of cost saving

IDC predicts by 2017, most Malaysian organizations will be using cloud services from different suppliers to meet different business needs, dramatically changing the way in which business goals can be achieved and the role of the Malaysian CIO.

This second workshop of CIO Survival Guide Series examines different stages of cloud development among Malaysian IT organizations and provides solutions to improving the assimilation rate of new services into leading companies. Please visit the web portal (http://www.ciosurvivalguide.com/) for more information about the joint educational workshop.

Buyer’s Conversation with Telefonica Global Solutions: Achieving Greater Cost and Operational Efficiencies with Virtual Network Operator, Nevigate

Direct Cost Savings, Simplified Partner Management and Quicker Processes cited as key benefits according to customer, Telefonica Global Solutions

Singapore, 14 May 2014 –Singapore-headquartered independent global virtual network operator (VNO) Nevigate Communications (Nevigate), and customer Telefonica Global Solutions (TGS) recently concluded a discussion with IDC on the role of virtual network operators (VNOs) in helping Service Providers (SPs) achieve better balance between network quality and reach priorities with lower price pressure.

In the resulting research entitled “IDC - Buyer Conversation: Global Coverage, One-Stop-Shop and On-Site Support are Key for Virtual Network Operators Success”, Doc #AP3053207V, Feb 2014”, Nevigate and Telefonic Global Solutions discussed how VNOs allow SP customers to access greater choices in network partners to build seamless, flexible and resilient global networks. At the same time, SPs enjoy Single Point Accountability through its VNO partner, ensuring ease of Partner and Billing Management, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) management and have a single point contact for post-sales support services.

“The key ROIs from using Nevigate include direct cost savings, single supplier on global service, lesser turn- around time and faster internal process for procurement, " said Eduardo Mayo Romo, Procurement Manager – APAC, Africa & Russia, Telecom Services, Telefonica Global Solutions.

“Virtualised, IP-based innovation is the foundation of the VNO business model. I believe VNOs will   revolutionise how global carriers build sustainable business partnerships so as to meet exponential capacity demands, improve operational and cost efficiency, enhance service levels and meet network reach expectations of their end-customers ,” said GK Tan, Managing Director, Nevigate.

Microsoft delivers data platform for the era of ambient intelligence

• Big data survey by IDC and Microsoft shows that organizations have the potential to unlock US$278 billion worth of data dividend in Asia Pacific
• Businesses with a comprehensive approach to data stand to realize 60% increase in return on data assets; deliver mission-critical performance

KUALA LUMPUR — May 8, 2014 — In concurrence with the ongoing ‘Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur’ program happening this week, Microsoft Malaysia (“Microsoft”) held a customer event at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel to announce the launch of new data platform solutions which includes SQL Server 2014, Microsoft Azure Intelligent Systems Service (ISS) which enables Internet of Things; and Analytics Platform System (APS), a low cost Big-Data-in-a-Box appliance. These new data platform solutions enable Microsoft to deliver the most comprehensive data platform to organizations looking to harness greater business value from their information today. Conjunction

Microsoft also shared the results of new IDC research that shows companies that take a comprehensive approach to data stand to realize an additional 60 percent return on their data assets — an Asia Pacific opportunity of US$278 billion.

Carlos Lacerda, Managing Director, Microsoft Malaysia.

Nations, businesses and communities are living in a mobile-first and cloud-first world surrounded by technology that are increasingly connected. In this new world of ubiquitous computing, data is the fuel for intelligent systems and services to improve how we work, live and play. Microsoft envisions a world where we are surrounded by intelligent computing, ushering in an era of ambient intelligence.

Carlos Lacerda, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia, stressed the importance of a data culture — one that encourages curiosity, action and experimentation — for everyone and every organization. “The era of ambient intelligence has begun, and we are delivering a platform that allows companies of any size to create a data culture and ensure insights reach every individual in every organization,” Lacerda said.

Built for the era of ambient intelligence, Microsoft’s comprehensive data platform includes new Internet of Things capabilities and provides customers with the building blocks they need to connect their data, refine and analyze it, and deliver insights to people who can take action.

(L-R): Isaac Jacob, Vice President, Enterprise Practice Group, Fusionex; Arun Ulagaratchagan, General Manager, Cloud & Enterprise, Microsoft Asia Pacific.

Most Comprehensive Data Platform for the Data Future

Today, Microsoft expanded its data platform with new products and services, including the following:

• Launch of SQL Server 2014. The latest version of the world’s most widely deployed database delivers real-time performance with built-in in-memory technology and public cloud scale and disaster recovery with Microsoft Azure.
• Limited public preview of the Microsoft Azure Intelligent Systems Service (ISS). This new Azure service helps customers embrace the Internet of Things and securely connect to, manage and capture machine-generated data from sensors and devices, regardless of operating system.
• General availability of the Analytics Platform System (APS). APS combines the best of Microsoft’s SQL Server database and Hadoop technology in one low-cost offering that delivers “big data in a box.”

These new solutions build on 12 months of innovation — including Power BI for Office 365, a cloud-based, self-service business intelligence solution with groundbreaking natural language capability; Azure HDInsight for elastic Hadoop in the cloud; PolyBase to bring structured and unstructured data together in a data warehouse appliance; and Power Query for Excel, which makes it easier for people to discover data — to deliver the most comprehensive data platform with real-time performance built into everything.

IDC and Microsoft Survey on Data Dividend in Asia Pacific
Data is currency for business today. A new research commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by IDC estimates that organizations could realize a “data dividend” of roughly US$1.6 trillion in additional revenue, lower costs and improved productivity over the next four years by putting in place a holistic approach to data that spans datasets, analytics and more. In Asia Pacific, the potential data dividend is US$278 billion over the next four years. The research was conducted among more than 2,000 mid-sized and large organizations in 20 countries worldwide. More information on the methodology can be found at the Microsoft Cloud & Enterprise News Bytes Blog.

According to the survey, the key opportunity areas for organizations in unlocking its data dividend are:

• US$29 billion in customer-facing data scenarios, such as using data to improve customer acquisition, retention, support and pricing optimization. 
• US$88 billion in operations data scenarios, such as using data in process or operations optimization; plant, facilities, equipment maintenance or utilization; demand or supply chain management, logistics and more. 
• US$42 billion in innovation data scenarios, such as leveraging data in product or service improvement or innovation; research and development innovation. 
• US$120 billion in productivity data scenarios, such as using data in human capital, IT optimization, regulatory compliance and more.

“Customers who take a comprehensive approach to their data projects realize a higher data dividend than customers who take a point-by-point approach,” said Dan Vesset, program vice president, Business Analytics and Big Data, at IDC. “This new research shows that by combining diverse data sets, new analytics and insights to more people — at the right time — businesses worldwide can tap into a more than trillion-dollar opportunity over the next four years.”

Malaysian Businesses Bet on Microsoft to Realize Their Data Dividend
Companies today – including in Malaysia – are facing an increasing diversity of data within their own businesses, driven by business applications; unstructured social data; the Internet of Things; and much more. However, many businesses are keeping their data in silos and often in the hands of a small number of people across organizations, who analyze these data sources using older, complex or limited analytics tools.

Speaking at a media briefing session at the event, Arun Ulagaratchagan, General Manager, Cloud and Enterprise Division, Microsoft Asia Pacific, said, “Microsoft’s goal is to help businesses to unlock insights on their data and make them ubiquitous and real-time, by putting big data to work. Our aim is to help customers increase the return on the data currency by connecting data across their company, connecting it to the world’s data, enriching it through analysis and delivering insights to as many people as possible – as quickly as possible.”

Also present at the media session was Microsoft’s partner and IT specialist in software products and solutions delivery – Fusionex – who concurred with Microsoft’s vision of world that is increasingly data-driven. “With the right data analytics tools, our customers across verticals in Malaysia have seen tremendous improvements in their business decision-making since migrating from competing products to Microsoft’s SQL Server; many have stayed on with the product through its many iterations,“ said Isaac Jacob, Vice President, Enterprise Practice Group, Fusionex. “Customers stay with Microsoft not only because it offers the best technology roadmap, but also because Microsoft is always listening to customer feedback and responds rapidly to improve the product and customer experience. Our customers are putting Microsoft’s platform to work, driving real business results and increasing their data dividend,” Jacob added.

“For over 20 years in Malaysia, Microsoft has been helping enterprises get the most out of their IT investments, contribute to business bottom lines, improve efficiencies and maximize resources. With the world’s most widely deployed database, connected to the cloud through Azure, delivering insights to billions through Office and understanding the world through a new ‘Internet of Things’ service, we have the most complete hybrid data platform that spans the cloud and on-premises, giving customers choice in how they deploy. When you put it all together, no other vendor is delivering all that value to customers,” Lacerda concluded.

Latest Version of Sophos Cloud Unveiled: The Only Cloud Security Solution to Manage Windows, Mac and Mobile Devices Together

Sophos Cloud Brings Simple, User-Based Approach to SMEs and Partners

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 29, 2014 – – Sophos today announced the latest version of Sophos Cloud, the company’s cloud-based solution for small- and mid-sized organizations seeking a simpler approach to IT security that still provides world-class protection. The new version of Sophos Cloud leapfrogs competitive solutions as the only cloud-managed security service to manage Windows, Mac and mobile devices from a single console.

It features user-based management, reporting and licensing; built-in web security to prevent user access to malicious and infected websites, and new policy-based Web Control features to enforce safe and productive web usage. Sophos Cloud is effortless to deploy and easy to use and manage for IT managers and channel partners, given its simple, intuitive user experience.

A recent Sophos survey of IT managers highlighted the growing challenge of device diversity across their organizations, with a need to support Windows PCs, Macs and mobile devices: 78 percent support or plan to support Macs on their corporate networks, and 41 percent see the number of Macs increasing in their corporate environments.

A recent IDC study showed that a quarter of SMBs are using mobile device management (MDM) and Sophos is the number one solution. However, 75 percent still have not adopted MDM and with this new release Sophos has made it simpler than ever for those customers to get control of their mobile devices to secure their future.

Clearly organizations need an integrated security strategy to support users’ demands to choose their own device (BYOD), while providing IT managers real-time visibility and access to information to keep organizations safe from advanced threats. Sophos Cloud delivers a simple and effective approach for IT organizations to confidently embrace BYOD and to support and protect the wide range of user devices in their environments. 

Based on the same proven technology that protects over 100 million devices worldwide, Sophos Cloud is a smart choice for global organizations. It delivers effective mobile device management to keep users productive and corporate information secure. 

The new web features enable IT managers to easily set and enforce policies for enhanced security and compliance; user-based policies can be created once and rapidly deployed across multiple groups and platforms, and follow the users and their devices even when they are off the network. Sophos Cloud also adds Active Directory synchronization to simplify deployment and management for users and groups. 

“IDC predicts that the continuing SMB productivity push will drive cloud and mobility adoption, in a big way; in the U.S., 1/3 of small businesses and almost 3/4 of mid-sized firms are using the cloud, and the share will continue to grow,” reports Raymond Boggs, research vice president at IDC. 

"Sophos Cloud can help manage security across Windows, Mac, and mobile devices, which is especially important given the diversity – some might say chaos – of an SMB environment. Its user-based management is well suited to SMBs looking to secure users of corporate devices or their own BYOD equipment. Sophos Cloud will be a useful resource for channel partners to leverage in helping support the resource-limited IT teams of their SMB customers,” he said.

“We’re pleased to deliver this new release of Sophos Cloud, as it’s another positive step in our strategy to use the cloud to create new, innovative solutions to the ever-increasing security challenges faced by small and mid-market businesses today,” said Bill Lucchini, vice president and general manager of Sophos Cloud. 

“Sophos Cloud is a differentiated offering that enables IT professionals to simplify security management without compromising users’ demands for usability and performance.  We continue to address the market’s desire for powerful simple-to-use solutions to combat the evolving threat landscape. Sophos security delivered with cloud simplicity is clearly resonating with our customers and partners.” 

Sophos Cloud: Ideal for IT Solutions Providers

Consistent with Sophos’ commitment to its channel partners, Sophos Cloud enables IT solution providers and outsourcers to deliver value to customers. A unified web-based management console, hosted in the cloud by Sophos, enables complete protection for users and devices, and a new partner dashboard gives partners visibility into, and control over, their customers’ subscriptions, devices and policies. 

Sophos Customers and Channel Partners Look Forward to Latest Version of Sophos Cloud

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is a significant provider of high quality mental health services in the United Kingdom. James Maloy, Device Architect at NHS Trust, said, “By bringing in Sophos Cloud we have created a new paradigm where we are able to actively monitor the status of all machines, ensure they are well protected and make sure our data remains secure.” 

Inez Luna, Business Development Manager for Total Tech, a Sophos Partner, said, “The Sophos Cloud roadmap completely aligns with our vision as a ‘security-as-a-service’ company. We add value by managing our clients’ policies, for example, so they can focus on their business without increasing costs.  The Sophos Cloud dashboard provides actionable information, enabling us to be 100% proactive with each one of our clients.” 

“Our growing organization required cloud-based security to support Macs and PCs. In deploying Sophos Cloud, we gained a simple and non-invasive solution. I can conveniently schedule real-time scanning to gain all the information I need to proactively do my job. Best of all, Sophos Cloud ensures staff productivity by not getting in the way,” said Ian Lotinsky, Vice President, Engineering, LearnZillion, a company dedicated to championing teachers and supporting their ongoing professional development.  

Availability

Sophos Cloud is currently available. For more information or for a 30-day trial, visit: www.sophos.com/cloud

MDeC – IDC Partnership Launches Second Volume of the CIO Survival Guide Series

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 April 2014 – The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) today announced the second volume of the CIO Survival Guide educational workshop series in partnership with technology market intelligence firm, International Data Corporation (IDC). This continuous effort is aimed at helping Malaysian CIOs to cope with the rapidly changing technological landscape and to better equip them to be more efficient in addressing challenges associated with surviving and thriving in a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace.

Themed "Survival of the Cloud Fittest", the second workshop will examine different stages of cloud development among Malaysian IT organizations and provides solutions to improving the assimilation rate of new services into leading companies. Selected Malaysian CIOs will work with both MDeC and IDC to participate at the workshop which is set to take place on 22 May 2014, Thursday at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.

Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, MDeC Chief Executive Officer said “The cloud continues to radically modify technology engagement and uptake among enterprises through a highly accessible and flexible internet-based technology. Malaysian SMEs are also starting to embrace the idea of subscription-based business solutions delivered over the Internet. While cloud adoption in Malaysia is on the upward trend, countries such as Singapore and South Korea are still ahead of us. Thus, it is important for us to step up our efforts. This is the fundamental goal of the second volume of the CIO Survival Guide. MDeC, via MSC Malaysia, and Digital Malaysia, will continue to provide avenues for both enterprises and local SMEs to seek the right type of cloud services that are suited to their needs as we migrate into a digital economy.

According to IDC, the rapid acceptance of the four key technologies (Cloud, Big Data, Mobility and Social Media) that change the delivery, control, management and security of the IT environment is one of the challenges face by most CIOs. The key for enterprises to effectively overcome the challenge is the need to use these new technologies effectively and to adopt a new delivery model that is flexible, scalable and cost effective rapid deployment. Cloud models fulfill the underlying needs of enterprises; however, many CIOs are ill-prepared for the new challenges that come with cloud.

“For Malaysian enterprises, a rapidly expanding range of cloud services are readily available – from those that replace basic infrastructure through to advanced mobile apps. However, IDC has observed a gap between the often extensive potential of the available cloud services and the legacy app-focused capabilities of Malaysian IT groups,” said Chris Morris, Associate Vice President, Services Asia Pacific, Lead Analyst, Cloud Services & Technologies, IDC Australia.

Morris further elaborated, “The gap is apparent as a lack of experience and skills to implement and manage cloud environments effectively. To overcome this capability gap, it is necessary to invest not just in technology, but in people and processes too. With Line-of-Business (LoB) managers now frequently funding 50% of a cloud project, their different expectations must be met; they're indifferent to the technology and only seek improvement in their business results. Cloud services must be managed and optimized for the target business environment to deliver full value.”

The first CIO Survival Guide workshop, "The Information Enabled Enterprise Summit" was held in June last year and participated by 59 senior ICT decision-makers. The summit focused on the improvement of organizations’ ability to be more strategic with IT investments and ensured the IT strategies aligned to business strategies and goals.

Schneider Electric Launches UPS with the Best-in-Class Run Time Battery Saver

Affordable and reliable uninterrupted power supply system that boosts productivity during short power outages

Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur – March 24, 2014 — Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced the launch of the Back-UPS™ BX625CI-MS, a feature packed uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system designed for home, SOHO (small office/home office) and SMB (small and midsize business) users who require performance and protection for their computers and networked devices including WiFi routers, gaming set-ups, network attached storage, AV equipment and point-of-sales systems to mention a few.

The UPS comes with three universal output sockets, which accept all local plug types, providing a much safer option to powering multiple electronic devices than the common practice of connecting them all to a single power socket or a power cable extension.

John with Rebecca Saw, Malaysian lifestyle & technology gadgets blogger at the launch of UPS BX625CI-MS.

A UPS is an electrical device meant to provide power supply to an electronic device in the event of a power outage or when the power input fails.  It differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that a UPS device provides instantaneous (or very nearly instantaneous) protection from power outages.

According to IDC Worldwide Home Networking forecast 2012 – 2016, 389 million households worldwide are expected to have a home network by 2016 and virtually every new digital application for consumers will rely on a network connection. This trend will necessitate safe and uninterrupted power supply at home and in SOHO environments more than ever.

‘Anyone who values their electronic devices can significantly benefit from our Back-UPS, but in SOHO environments where network connection, peripherals and building wiring are more sensitive to surge damage and where smart and networking devices often share a circuit, they are critical. Power surges damage equipment by entering through the power cord and stressing an internal component within the device. Moreover, in small and home offices it is quite common to have multiple devices connected to single socket or a power cable extension, which magnifies the damage”, said John Atherton, Malaysia IT Business Vice President of Schneider Electric.

With a first-of-its-kind battery saver functionality, push button circuit breaker in Back-UPS BX625CI-MS ensures easy recovery from circuit overloads and protects the fuse box as well as electronic devices from electrical damage.  The battery run time of 12 minutes on a typical, all-in-one PC enable users to complete more online transactions such as receiving and sending emails; file downloads and uploads productive conclusions to online business chats and satisfactory end to an online game during sudden power outages.

“The uniqueness of this UPS lies in its industry-first battery saver and high run-time capabilities that provide lower operational costs over the medium and long-term, making it a worthwhile investment. For many who rely heavily on network devices to play, learn and work, shutting down devices in the event of a critical environmental alarm can prevent the loss of invaluable information,” added Atherton.

“After a recent power outage I realised that while most of the electrical devices I own are equipped with battery power, the WiFi and Internet modem are not. So, while the Internet service to my area continued to work fine, without power to my modem, as a blogger, I couldn't finish my work online,” said Rebecca Saw, a prolific lifestyle, food and gadgets blogger (www.rebeccasaw.com). “I have my peace of mind with Schneider Electric’s Back-UPS™ BX625CI-MS and it has helped me countless times to safeguard my work, avoid data corruption and burnt circuits on my appliances”, she added.

Other key features of the Back-UPS™ BX625CI-MS include:
● Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) which corrects incoming voltage
● Compatibility with lower power loads, for example WiFi routers and DSL modems
● 3 battery backup and surge protected with Asia universal outlets
● Push button circuit breaker
● Automatic diagnostic testing
● 2-Year warranty including battery

SAS Malaysia Records Strong Business Growth, Surpassing RM49.1Million in 2013 Revenue

Big data technology and services soars in 2013; SAS expects bigger in 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24, 2014 – SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, once again achieved an impressive growth in the fiscal year of 2013, marking its 38th straight year of record revenue with US$ 3.02 billion. SAS Malaysia has also demonstrated a healthy development in the country where the company recorded a 38.1% increase in new software revenue to RM 13.9 million and a 13.4% growth in total software revenue to RM RM 41.1 million. This strong growth marks a total revenue of RM 49.1 million in SAS Malaysia’s year-on-year turnover for the year 2013.

Sales revenue across the various products and solutions from SAS developed positively, with the SAS Business Analytics platform posting the highest increase in sales to RM8.4 million. Revenue growth to RM3.5 million was also noted in risk management, a solution which is based on SAS software’s core functionality which covers the entire spectrum of risk types including market, credit, and liquidity risk.

SAS Malaysia Managing Director Andrew Tan said, “The strong growth recorded on the sales of analytics solutions continues to demonstrate that data is an asset of growing importance to organizations. Over the last two years, SAS has delivered ground-breaking analytics technology which unlocks the value of data and we are poised to grow to new heights on the back of robust demand for SAS Malaysia’s powerful analytics tools – particularly in the business analytics platform –both from the public and private sectors”.

SAS Malaysia’s annual software revenue growth was mainly fuelled by the oil and gas industry where streamlined, automated processes were introduced to help the industry predict and prevent machinery failure, as well as make strategic decisions faster and more accurately than their competitors. SAS’ oil and gas software provides an integrated energy portfolio and risk management framework ranging from energy trading and risk management, credit risk management, trade surveillance, and regulatory compliance reporting.

Another key driver to SAS Malaysia’s revenue growth was also steered by the demand for analytics via SAS® Visual Analytics, a new data visualization software that brings business threats and opportunities into sharp focus. This was driven by sales particularly in the banking and telecommunication sectors. The still-growing customer base includes its partnership with U Mobile Sdn Bhd in April 2013, where the strategic business move allowed the most dynamic and innovative 3G mobile operator’s executives to immediately access real-time consumer behavior data for significantly more informed business decisions.

 “SAS Malaysia currently stands with more than 160 corporate clients across sectors in Malaysia that uses SAS analytics solutions. The market is changing rapidly and more companies are looking to analytics to provide them with visibility and clarity on the vast information that runs through their business in making more cost-effective decisions,” said Tan. SAS intends to stay out front by providing market-leading high-performance analytics and other solutions that help organizations of all sizes conduct analysis with ease – from global enterprises to SMBs (small- to medium-sized businesses).

2014 OUTLOOK
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Predictions 2014 report, the Big Data avalanche in 2014 will continue to see significant growth by 40% and will exceed 60% by 2020 driven in large part by mobile devices. The quest to drive valuable insights and real-time decision-making from this data avalanche will drive massive investments and create new data-centered analytics and content services.

Moving into 2014, SAS will focus on Customer Intelligence solutions that help banks, telecommunications, airlines, and e-commerce companies understand its customers in real-time and design the best action that drives bottom line impact.
Fraud will also be a new area of focus for SAS Malaysia this year, in which new solutions will be introduced to close loopholes to combat financial crimes. As industries seek to mitigate risks in money laundering, organized fraud rings, payment frauds, insurance frauds and so forth, SAS will help customers by introducing solid protection tailored for specific industries such as banking, insurance, health care or public sector to safeguard data and network, as well as funds and reputation.

SAS is also anticipating continued growth this year in:
• Data Management, as companies with huge amounts of data struggle to prepare it for analysis. More and more companies are adopting the open-source Hadoop framework for data storage and processing. SAS works closely with partners and customers to help data scientists, business analysts and executives transform big data into knowledge and bottom-line results.

• Data Visualization, which allows everyday users to explore data by simply pointing and clicking. SAS® Visual Analytics, installed at more than 1,400 sites worldwide, will gain new functionality in the months ahead.

• Industry-Specific Solutions, which address the unique needs of banks, insurers, retailers, government agencies, energy companies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, telcos, hotels and more. In 2014, SAS will roll out new and improved solutions to address crucial business needs, from forecasting power demand, optimizing retail channels and managing risk, to detecting and preventing fraud, and retaining customers and marketing effectively to them.

• SAS Solutions on Demand, as more companies look to cloud-based solutions to unlock the benefits of complex analyses. SAS offers 25 products in a cloud-based delivery model. These include solutions for drug development, education, anti-money laundering, fraud detection, marketing optimization, customer intelligence, social media analytics and more.

IDC Predictions 2014 also reported that businesses will direct significantly larger amounts of resources towards Big Data analytic tools and solutions, with worldwide spending in 2014 likely to increase by 30%, surpassing the USD 14 billion mark. Tan noted that, “Using analytics to deliver intelligent actions is not a new approach and we believe that progressive organizations have recognized this. Therefore, we at SAS Malaysia will continue to act as a key enabler to power the operations of different industries as well as help them anticipate and understand their stakeholders better with analytic applications and predictive technologies.”

The rising demand for analytics software and services is also creating a need for big data experts with data mining skills. A McKinsey Global Institute study forecasted a 50 to 60% gap between the supply and demand of people with deep analytical talent. In addressing such an issue, SAS is focused on education to equip the 21st century workforce by supporting education through innovative products and services which improve teaching, learning and administration. One of SAS’ education initiatives in 2014 included a partnership with Sunway University to meet the rising demand for data scientists in Malaysia. SAS Malaysia also introduced its Graduate Development Program, an 18-month curriculum that gives real world experience across industries and analytic solutions to fresh graduates.
In view of the growing market demand for Big Data and analytics in Malaysia, Tan said, “On top providing world-class analytic solutions to improve performance and deliver value to customers, SAS Malaysia is also committed towards building the next generation of data-savvy professionals,” he said.

IDC Reveals Malaysian Companies are Prepared to Develop Mobile Strategies in 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24, 2014 – International Data Corporation (IDC) recently revealed that Malaysian organizations are in the early days of mobility adoption and 40% of the organizations are planning to take steps to develop proper mobility strategies to support their businesses.

In a survey done by IDC among Malaysian enterprises recently, over 50% of the organizations are utilizing either Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or corporate provisioned mobile devices but 55.3% of these organizations have no solutions to manage the devices. IDC forecasts that over 7 Million smartphones and close to 2 million tablets are expected to be shipped in Malaysia in 2014 and many of these will be used for work.

(L to R) Ian Song and Daniel Pang.

"Malaysian organizations are still behind the curve on mobility adoption, and many are still trying to figure out how to manage devices at the workplace. Organizations that have started integrating business processes with mobility have largely focused on basic processes such as sales, customer relationship management (CRM) and operations but have lacked emphasis on more advanced processes such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and analytics. It is encouraging to see that even though mobility adoption has not reached mass proliferation, Malaysian organizations have been looking at a more strategic approach to deploying mobility," says Daniel Pang, ASEAN Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC Malaysia.

The survey results also showed that:
• 83% of full time Malaysian employees are using personal smartphones at work and
• 77% of full time Malaysian employees are using their own smartphones at least few times in a day at work

"Malaysia, like its neighboring country, Singapore, has a higher than average representation of smartphones or BYOD. However, the lack of well defined enterprise mobility strategies and the use of policies in Malaysian organizations may negatively affect user productivity at work,” said Ian Song, Research Manager, Enterprise Mobility, IDC Asia/Pacific.

Ian continued, “While many organizations have stated that developing mobility is one of their top priorities in 2014, IDC believes that having a clearly defined mobility strategy and effectively engaging solution partners are the only way to overcome organizational and technical challenges to address multiple aspects of mobility management and enablement.”

Cost of Cyber-Security Breaches Highest in Asia Pacific

• New study finds malware infections in computers due to pirated software.
• Businesses and consumers in Malaysia still on Windows XP are at risk to security threats including viruses, spyware and malware

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 2014 — Enterprises in Asia Pacific (APAC) are expected to spend nearly USD$230 billion1 in 2014 to deal with issues caused by malware deliberately loaded onto pirated software — USD$59 billion dealing with security issues and USD$170 billion dealing with data breaches — according to a new joint study conducted by IDC and the National University of Singapore (NUS). APAC consumers, on the other hand, are expected to spend USD$11 billion this year because of security threats and costly computer fixes stemming from malware on pirated software.

The study, titled “The Link Between Pirated Software and Cybersecurity Breaches,” also reveals that 65 percent of APAC consumers surveyed say their greatest fear from infected software is the loss of data, files or personal information, followed by unauthorized Internet transactions (48 percent) and potential identity theft (47 percent). However, 41 percent of those same respondents do not install security updates, leaving their computers open to attack by cybercriminals.

Government officials expressed concern about the potential impact of cybersecurity threats to their nations. According to the survey, APAC governments are most worried about the unauthorized access to confidential government information (57percent), the impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure (56 percent), and the loss of business trade secrets or competitive information (55 percent). It is estimated that governments worldwide could lose more than USD$50 billion to deal with the costs associated with malware on pirated software.

“The effect of cybercrime is financially devastating for consumers, companies, and governments alike” said Jeff Bullwinkel, Associate General Counsel and Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Asia Pacific and Japan. “Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to break into computer networks to take your money, steal your identity, and passwords for financial gain. The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is committed to putting an end to these acts to keep personal and financial data safe and secure.”

The study was released today as part of Microsoft’s “Play It Safe” campaign, a global initiative to create greater awareness of the connection between malware and piracy.

“The “Play It Safe” campaign seeks to educate businesses and consumers to be more aware of the risks associated with pirated software and to take proactive steps to ensure that their PCs and devices come with genuine software,” said Amrita Sapre, Windows Business Group Lead for Microsoft Malaysia. Amrita further explained that the risks associated with pirated software can be devastating if left unchecked. “One of the hidden costs of using pirated software is the likelihood of encountering nasty, unwanted code, either in the software itself, via code that can get downloaded or installed along with it, or on PCs with pirated software installed on them. Much of this malware is created by criminal organizations with illegal financial gain, data theft, espionage, or other mayhem in mind.”

Amrita also explained that with Windows XP support now ending soon, Malaysians should consider taking pre-emptive measures to ensure that these risks are avoided. “With Windows XP end of support now just days away, we encourage both businesses and consumers to migrate to a more current and safer platform, like Windows 8. While we understand that Windows XP was one of the most popular operating systems in Microsoft’s history, it was not designed to handle the challenges of today, such as the increased exposure to cyber-attacks and demands for more data privacy. In fact, Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report (Vol. 15) found Windows XP SP3 to be 5.68 times more vulnerable than Windows 8 RTM, along with a staggering 82.4% higher malware infection rate. The simple fact is, the odds of one getting compromised and losing valuable personal information on a Windows XP machine is far higher than on a modern, Windows 8 devices.”

Dr. Amirudin Abdul Wahad, CEO of Cybersecurity Malaysia has also previously commented, “Whether you’re an SMB or consumer in Malaysia, the dangers of continued use of XP are real and the risks should not be under-estimated. Windows XP is three generations behind Microsoft’s most modern operating system so continuing to use PCs with XP is similar to driving a car without a seat belt or a motorbike without a helmet. The risks are real and the only way to protect yourself and the organization is to upgrade.”

Additional highlights from the survey include the following:
• The world’s highest enterprise losses will come from APAC (USD$138 billion) and will be at the hands of organized criminals.
• In Asia Pacific 32 percent of the pirated software in enterprises is installed by employees.
• 29 percent of APAC enterprise respondents reported security breaches causing network, computer or website outages occurring every few months or more; 66 percent of those outages involved malware on end-user computers.
• Infection rates are higher in emerging markets, where more consumers and enterprises acquire software and PCs from suspect sources – small specialty shops, street markets, consultants etc. China and Thailand had the highest rate of PC infections and of infections of software bundled with PCs.
• Only 40 percent of all PCs are used in Asia Pacific but IDC estimates that the region will account for 47 percent of the world’s pirated software in 2014.
• Despite lower labour costs to deal with pirated software in Asia Pacific, the region’s higher rate of infection and higher number of pirated software units are responsible for extensive recovery costs.

“Using pirated software is like walking through a field of landmines: You don’t know when you’ll come upon something nasty, but if you do it can be very destructive,” said John Gantz, chief researcher at IDC. “The financial hazards are considerable, and the potential losses could leave once-profitable businesses on shaky ground. Buying legitimate software is less expensive in the long run — at least you know that you won’t get anything ‘extra’ in the form of malware.”

The NUS forensics analysis of 203 new PCs loaded with pirated software found that a staggering 61 percent of the PCs were pre-infected with unsafe malware, including Trojans, worms, viruses, hacktools, rootkits and adware. These PCs, purchased through resellers and PC shops in 11 markets, included more than 100 discrete threats.

 “It is hugely concerning that brand new PCs are coming pre-infected with dangerous malware due to pirated software, making the users and companies readily vulnerable to security breaches,” said Associate Professor Biplab Sikdar, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore. “The university’s forensic tests clearly indicate how cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging the unsecure supply chain of piracy to spread malware and compromise PC security in a serious way. We would only recommend usage of genuine software for online safety and cybersecurity.”

A recent forensic study further supports NUS’ analysis by citing that 1 in 2 PCs running counterfeit software in Malaysia was infected with malware – including highly dangerous “Zeus” Trojan – across well-known PC brands.

“Many people assume that buying a name-brand PC is all that’s required to guarantee a good and safe computing experience. They don’t think twice about the software sold with the computer, and whether or not it’s pirated,” added Amrita. “But consumers and businesses need to beware: while they might think there are great deals to be had by looking the other way, the hidden cost of pirated software is significant, and contrary to popular belief, can’t be remedied by simply running anti-virus software. If a consumer can’t verify that the computer they purchased was installed with a genuine copy of Windows, their risk of exposure to viruses and spyware—and the potential for data corruption, theft and financial loss—increases exponentially.”

The global study surveyed 1,700 (807 APAC) consumers, IT workers, chief information officers, and government officials in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and analyzed 203 computers acquired in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States. This year’s research is an extension of IDC’s 2013 study, “The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software,” differentiated by the attitude of government officials as well as the analysis of new markets, making the economic connection to cybercrime.

Avoid the hidden cost of software piracy

Microsoft also advises consumers and businesses to take the following steps to avoid the inadvertent purchase of pirated software:
• When purchasing a new PC, always insist on installing a genuine copy of the operating system.
• Buy from a trusted or authorized reseller and avoid deals that seem “too good to be true.”
• Ensure all software purchases come in their original packaging.
• When buying a PC with Windows, look for the genuine label and Certificate of Authenticity that Microsoft requires be affixed to all PCs on which Windows is pre-installed. As a further check after purchase, log on to www.howtotell.com to confirm the label is authentic.

Whether an individual user, a small business, enterprise or even a government institution, all are encouraged to buy new computers from reputable sources to ensure they receive genuine software. Microsoft is committed to protecting its unsuspecting consumers from downloading or purchasing nongenuine software that exposes victims to malware that can lead to identity theft, loss of data and system failures. Customers are encouraged to visit http://www.microsoft.com/security to learn more about malware and ensure their machines are not infected; if malware is present, the site offers tools to remove the infection.

IDC Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary with a Web Micro-Site Showcasing Future Technology Trends

KUALA LUMPUR, February 20, 2014 – International Data Corporation (IDC) recently announced the launch of a commemorative micro-site featuring highlights of IDC's history, accomplishment, new technology market trends and opportunities to mark its 50th anniversary as the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

The Web micro-site is available to view at http://www.idc.com/IDC_50anniversary/index.jsp includes
• an infographic showing IDC's 50 years of global expansion,
• an eBook that provides highlights from IDC's past and a look at the future,
• a 3D interactive artwork that includes more than 100 images from IDC's archives,
• and a video highlighting the technology and market opportunities for the next 50 years

"As the first market research firm to cover the information technology industry, we are proud to have played an important role in its growth and evolution," said Kirk Campbell, President and CEO of IDC. "Much of IDC's success can be attributed to the expertise our analysts have developed over the years, and the relationships we have built with the companies that create technology solutions as well as those that use these solutions. All of us at IDC are excited about the amazing changes that technology will bring in the next 50 years."

University Students Armed with Bigger Bytes for 2014

SAS and Sunway University Partner to Meet Rising Demand for Data Scientists in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, February 11, 2014 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SAS Centre of Analytics and Sunway University was signed to embed an analytics focused program from SAS for students undertaking a BSc (Hons) in Information Systems. The MoU will include a hosting of large scale datasets and analytical models where Sunway University will provide the infrastructure and facilities to proliferate Business Intelligence & Analytics (BIA) skills across students, faculty, and industry professionals. Such capabilities will support academic research in the development of new concepts, methods, systems or applications for BIA skills.

Andrew Tan, Managing Director for SAS Malaysia is confident that the partnership between SAS Malaysia and Sunway University would bring great benefit to not just the students but also Malaysian businesses and organisations. He said, “We can certainly see a strong demand for Big Data technology and analytics in Malaysia over the last few years. Many businesses are starting to realise that they need advanced analytics solutions to stay ahead of the game.” He went on to add, “This of course means that the need for big data experts with data mining skills is only going to increase.”

(From L-R) 
• Lee Munloong, Head of Academic, SAS Malaysia
• Andrew Tan, Managing Director, SAS Malaysia
• Lee Weng Ken, Chief Executive Officer of Education and Healthcare Division, Sunway Group 
• Professor Graeme Wilkinson, Vice Chancellor, Sunway University
• Professor Poh Chit Laa, Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology, Sunway University.

According to studies by the International Data Corporation (IDC), emerging markets, which includes Malaysia, only accounted for just 23% of Big Data generated worldwide in 2010. In 2014, IDC predicts that this amount will grow to 40%and exceed 60% by the year 2020. The study also reports that businesses will direct significantly larger amounts of resources towards Big Data analytic tools and solutions, with worldwide spending in 2014 likely to grow by 30% and pass the USD 14 billion mark.

The discussions for the partnership first started in 2008 and culminated in an official agreement signed in 2010. Over the last few years, the collaboration gradually deepened as SAS and Sunway both continued to work together to provide their respective expertise in helping to produce world-class analytics talent in line with the rapidly-growing market demand.

The latest partnership is a two-prong strategy aimed at helping Sunway University to take the next step in fully integrating its students, teaching staff and faculty members with the latest in Business Intelligence and Analytics (BIA) knowledge and skills. This partnership will firstly include training courses for Sunway University’s teaching staff who will upon completion, acquire the SAS Global Certification Program to provide formal credentials for them to demonstrate good working knowledge of SAS. Sunway University’s faculty will also be supported by SAS in the development of curriculum planning, teaching and research activities in connection with the SAS software.

Chief Executive Officer, Education and Healthcare Division of Sunway Group, Mr. Lee Weng Keng highlighted the importance of having strong partnerships with industry leaders such as SAS in order to provide university students with relevant skills and knowledge. He said, “We have always emphasised on the need to not only uphold but also to continue to uplift the quality of programmes offered here at Sunway University. We are truly committed to ensuring that our students have access to quality tertiary education and upon graduation, which are industry-relevant and also internationally-recognised.”

Further to that, students would also have an unprecedented opportunity to gain practical industry training and experience by enrolling in SAS’ Graduate Development Programme. The industry training programme is a pioneering effort and will be focused on helping fresh graduates to develop a well-rounded overview of the various industries in which BIA play a critical role. Tan pointed out that having business experience is vital to becoming a competent data scientist. He said, “Malaysian businesses need data scientists who have strong BIA skillsets tempered with real-world working experience. The Graduate Development Programme was created with the objective to create a skilled talent pool of capable, experienced and confident data scientists for Malaysian businesses.”

Professor GraemeWilkinson, Vice Chancellor of Sunway University echoed the same sentiment and added that “To further provide skilled talents in demand by the industry and the nation in the analytics domain, Sunway University will also be launching a new degree programme – BSc (Hons) Business Analytics in the near future. This will also serve to further strengthen the relationship between SAS and Sunway University.”

The World’s First Mobile Malware Celebrates its 10th Birthday

2014 marks the 10th anniversary of Cabir, the world’s first mobile phone malware. To mark this occasion, Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs is taking a stroll down memory lane to examine the evolution and significance of mobile threats during the last 10 years.

MALAYSIA, February 4, 2014 - From Cabir to FakeDefend, the last decade has seen the number of mobile malware explode. In 2013, Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs has seen more than 1,300 new malicious applications per day and is currently tracking over 300 Android malware families and over 400,000 malicious Android applications.

Besides the sheer growth in numbers, another important trend to note is that mobile malware has followed the same evolution as PC malware, but at a much faster pace. The widespread adoption of smartphones and the fact that they can easily access a payment system (premium rate phone numbers) make them easy targets which can quickly generate money once infected. Furthermore, they have capabilities such as geo-location, microphones, embedded GPS and cameras, all of which provide for a particularly intrusive level of spying on their owners. Like PC malware, mobile malware quickly evolved into an effective and efficient way of generating a cash stream, supporting a wide range of business models.

In the following chronology, FortiGuard Labs looks at the most significant mobile malware over the last 10 years and explains their role in the evolution of threats:
2004: The first attempt!

Cabir was the world’s first mobile worm. Designed to infect the Nokia Series 60, its attack resulted in the word « Caribe » appearing on the screen of infected phones. The worm then spread itself by seeking other devices (phones, printers, game consoles…) close to it using the phone’s Bluetooth capability.

2005: Adds MMS to the Mix
Discovered in 2005, CommWarrior would access the infected phone’s contact file and send itself via the carrier’s MMS service to each contact.  The use of MMS as a propagation method introduced an economic aspect; for each MMS message sent, the phone’s owner would incur a charge from their carrier. 115,000 mobile devices were infected and more than 450,000 MMS were sent without the knowledge of victims, showing for the first time that a mobile worm could propagate as quickly as a PC worm.

2006: Following the Money
RedBrowser was designed to infect a phone via the Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) platform.  The Trojan would present itself as an application to make browsing Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) websites easier.  It was specifically designed to leverage premium rate SMS services.  The phone’s owner would typically be charged approximately US$5 per SMS, another step towards the use of mobile malware as a means to generate a cash stream.

2007-2008:  A Period of Transition:
During this two year period, even though there was stagnation in the evolution of mobile threats there was an increase in the number of malware that accessed premium rate services without the device owner’s knowledge.

2009: The Introduction of the Mobile Botnet
In early 2009, Fortinet discovers Yxes (anagram of « Sexy »), a malware which is behind the seemingly legitimate « Sexy View » application.  Once infected, the victim’s mobile phone forwards its address book to a central server.  The server will then forward a SMS containing a URL to each of the contacts.  By clicking on the link in the message, a copy of the malware is downloaded and installed and the process is repeated over and over again. The spread of Yxes was largely limited to Asia where it has infected at least 100,000 devices in 2009.

2010: The Industrial Age Of Mobile Malware
2010 marked a major milestone in the history of mobile malware; the transition from geographically localized individuals or small groups to large scale, organized cybercriminals operating on a worldwide basis.  This is the beginning of the era of « industrialization of mobile malware » where attackers realized that mobile malware can easily bring them a lot of money and decided to exploit them more intensely.

2010 was also the introduction of the first mobile malware derived from PC malware.  Zitmo, Zeus in the Mobile, was the first known extension of Zeus, a highly virulent banking Trojan developed for the PC world.  Working in conjunction with Zeus, Zitmo is used to bypass the use of SMS messages in online banking transactions, circumventing the security process.

Geinimi was one of the first malware designed to attack the Android platform and use the infected phone as part of a mobile botnet.  Once installed on the phone, it would communicate with a remote server and respond to such a wide range of commands, such as installing or uninstalling applications, that it could effectively take control of the phone.

2011: Android, Android and Even More Android!
With attacks on Android platforms intensifying, 2011 saw the emergence of even more powerful malware.  DroidKungFu, which even today is still considered one of the most technologically advanced viruses came into existence and had several unique characteristics. The malware included a well-known-exploit to “root” or become an administrator of the phone – uDev or Rage Against The Cage – giving it total control over the phone and thereafter contacting a command server. Plankton also arrived on the scene in 2011 and is still one of the most widespread Android malware.

2013: Game on – New Modes of Attack
2013 marked the arrival of FakeDefend, the first ransomware for Android mobile phones. Disguised as an anti-virus, this malware works in a similar way to the fake antivirus on PCs. It locks the phone and requires the victim to pay a ransom (in the form of an exorbitantly high Anti-Virus subscription fee, in this case) in order to retrieve the contents of the device.  However, paying the ransom does nothing for the phone which must be reset to factory settings in order to restore functionality.

What’s next? In the area of cybercrime, it is always difficult to predict what will happen next year and even more so over the next 10 years. The landscape of mobile threats has changed dramatically over the past decade and the cybercriminal community continues to find new and increasingly ingenious ways of using these attacks for one sole purpose – making money.

Beyond mobile devices, the most likely future target for cybercriminals is The Internet of Things (IoT). While extremely difficult to forecast the number of connected objects on the market in the next 5 years, Gartner estimates 30 billion objects will be connected in 2020 whereas IDC estimates that market to be 212 billion. As more and more manufacturers and service providers capitalize on the business opportunity presented by these objects, it’s reasonable to assume that security has not yet been taken into account in the development process of these new products. Will the IoT be “The Next Big Thing” for the cybercriminal?

Fortinet unveils “Connected UTM” and Twelve Network Security Products for Retail, Branch Offices and Distributed Enterprises in Malaysia

MALAYSIA – 28 January, 2014 – Fortinet – a world leader in high-performance network security – today unveiled 12 new products designed to connect and extend Fortinet’s integrated security platforms for retail, branch offices and distributed enterprises in Malaysia.  Under the umbrella of “Connected UTM,” Fortinet’s new FortiGate unified threat management appliances, wireless access points, wireless WAN extender, and Ethernet switches provide unparalleled policy and access control, threat protection and business continuity.

“Fortinet’s vision for retailers, branch offices and other massively distributed enterprise environments is Connected UTM,” said Dato’ Seri George Chang, Fortinet's Vice President for Southeast Asia & Hong Kong. “By integrating the flexibility of Fortinet’s UTM appliances, wireless access points, wireless WAN extender and switching products, businesses can simplify their complex networks, improve management and ensure seamless policy enforcement, aggressively pursue new business opportunities, and reduce costs while enjoying all the benefits of high-performance network security.”

“As UTM appliances continue to integrate discreet security functions such as firewall, AV, IPS, Web content filtering, etc., we also see an emerging trend where UTM appliances are extending their security policy enforcement to include and integrate management functionality of WLAN, VoIP, IP-based cameras and more,” said John Grady, Research Manager at IDC. “Here, Fortinet’s Connected UTM offerings exemplify this trend and demonstrate innovation in driving new use and adoption cases for UTM in distributed enterprise environments.”

Integration and Connection – Foundations of Fortinet’s Connected UTM
The foundation for Connected UTM begins with integration and management. Fortinet’s new FortiGate/FortiWiFi-30D-POE, FortiGate/FortiWiFi-60D-POE and FortiGate/FortiWiFi-90D-POE and FortiGate-280D-POE all integrate the full suite of UTM security features plus WiFi access point control, switching, authentication, endpoint management and policy control in a single easy-to-manage device. This consolidated approach allows businesses to enforce policies across a number of devise types and provide better security by having these devices plugged into and managed by a single FortiGate. The FG-280D-POE, with a total of 84 ports, was purpose-built for smaller networks (such as retail locations and healthcare facilities) that want to take advantage of the very high port density to eliminate devices in their infrastructure, such as switches.

The next level in the Connected UTM platform incorporates the ability to connect and manage multiple devices through integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports. With this functionality, multiple devices, such as wireless access points, Point of Sale (PoS) devices, network video cameras and video recorders, digital signage, IP telephony systems can be attached and managed from a FortiGate Connected UTM.

Boosting Wireless and Fail-Over Performance
Managing multiple devices and capabilities through a single security appliance requires high performance hardware to prevent network bottlenecks. To help accelerate wireless performance, Fortinet today also announced two new WiFi access points. The FortiAP-221C and FortiAP-320C support the new 802.11ac wireless standard, which offers data rates in excess of 1 Gbps. This level of performance helps meet higher bandwidth requirements for guest WiFi access without slowing down the performance of critical corporate data. In addition, by using FortiAP access points or FortiWiFi models, retailers can segment their network in order to provide guest access while maintaining PCI DSS compliance.

For organizations requiring broadband as their primary connection or continuity/fail-over, Fortinet offers the FortiExtender-100B, an unobtrusive device that acts as a 3G/4G wireless WAN extender for improved relaying of critical data between a service provider and a FortiGate device. The FortiGate and the FortiExtender devices can be separated by as much as 100 meters, allowing the FortiGate to be in a basement or wiring closet and the FortiExtender antenna to be mounted in a different location.

A Platform That Can Grow With the Company
As a business grows, and so must its network security architecture. To help with that transition, Fortinet today is introducing two new switching appliances that extend the connected capabilities of the FortiGate platform. The FortiSwitch-224D-POE is a rack-mount appliance with 24 (10/100/1000) access ports and 12 PoE ports, and the FortiSwitch-108D-POE is a desktop appliance that offers 10 (10/100/1000) access ports and 8 PoE ports. These switches enable organizations to seamlessly integrate additional IP devices such as wireless access points, IP phones and other PoE equipment into the network.

Incorporating Powerful Analytics
Fortinet’s ability to integrate with Retail Analytics providers is an example of the power behind Connected UTM. Retail Analytics offers retailers a complete spectrum of big data management solutions, including monitoring, analyzing, influencing and monetizing consumer data in real time. By leveraging customers’ mobile devices the moment they walk into an establishment, Retail Analytics can assess customers’ specific purchasing needs and then directly target those customers in real time with products they were considering buying. Among other things, this technology helps retailers win back sales that might otherwise be lost to online counterparts. Fortinet’s Connected UTM solution serves to protect the store network, provide secure guest access to the wireless network, and seamlessly protect customer data from threats and unnecessary exposure.

Availability
The FortiGate/FortiWiFi-30D-POE, FortiGate/FortiWiFi-60D-POE, FortiGate/FortiWiFi-90D-POE, FortiGate-280D-POE, FortiAP-221C, FortiAP-320C, FortiExtender-100B, FortiSwitch-224D-POE and FortiSwitch-108D-POE are available now.

Fortinet在馬來西亞推出「Connected UTM」平台，推出12款新產品予分散型企業

馬來西亞 - 2014年1月28日- 全球高效能網路安全領導廠商Fortinet®，宣佈推出12款專屬設計用以連結和擴展Fortinet整合安全平台的新產品，適用於零售業、分公司和分散型企業。在其「Conntected UTM」的架構下，Fortinet此次新推出的整合威脅管理設備(UTM; unified threat management)、無線WAN轉接器和乙太網路交換器，能提供前所未有的政策和存取控管、威脅防護，協助企業永續營運。

Fortinet东南亚及香港区域副总裁拿督斯里 George Chang表示，“Fortinet為零售業、分公司和分散型企業環境所擘劃的願景，就是Connected UTM。Fortinet藉由整合 UTM設備、無線基地台(AP; access point)、WAN轉接器和交換器產品的部署彈性，讓企業能輕易地簡化他們複雜的網路，強化管理並執行縝密的安全政策，主動專注於尋求新商機；在享受高效能網路安全的優勢同時，還能降低成本。”

　　IDC研究經理John Grady則指出，“隨著UTM設備持續整合各種安全功能，例如防火牆、防毒、入侵防護、網頁內容過濾等等，我們同時也看到一個趨勢，那就是UTM設備的安全政策執行範圍，已擴大包含和整合WLAN、VoIP、IP攝影機等其它設備的管理功能。如今，Fortinet Connected UTM架構下的產品，正反映了這個趨勢，同時展現在分散型企業環境下創新的採用方式。”

整合與連結－－Fortinet Connected UTM的基礎
　　Fortinet Connected UTM的基礎始於整合與管理。新的UTM設備，包括FortiGate/FortiWiFi-30D-POE、FortiGate/FortiWiFi-60D-POE、FortiGate/FortiWiFi-　90D-POE和FortiGate-280D-POE，皆整合了全套的UTM安全功能，再加上WiFi AP控管、資料交換、認證、端點管理和政策控管，這些全都在一個簡易管理的設備裡。這樣的統合方法能讓企業在多種規劃方式下執行政策，並且只需插上設備，由一部FortiGate來管理，便能獲得更好的安全防護。例如，擁有84個連接埠的FG-280D-POE，是專門為小型網路所設計（如零售據點和醫療設施），它們利用這些數量眾多的連接埠，就能減少網路架構中所需的設備，像是交換器。
　　Connected  UTM平台的下一步，是透過PoE (Power over Ethernet; 乙太網路供電)埠連接和管理多個設備。藉由這個功能，許多設備如無線AP、POS系統、網路攝錄影機、數位看板和IP電話系統，都可以直接透過FortiGate Connected UTM來連結並管理。

提升無線與容錯移轉的效能
　　透過單一的安全設備來管理多個設備和功能，需要高效能的硬體來預防網路瓶頸的產生。為了加速無線的效能，Fortinet也宣佈推出兩款新的WiFi AP－－FortiAP-221C和FortiAP-320C。兩者能支援新的802.11ac無線標準，資料傳輸率超過1Gbps。這樣的效能等級能滿足訪客存取更高無線頻寬的要求，而不會降低重要企業資料的傳輸效能。此外，藉由使用FortiAP或FortiWiFi的機型，零售業者可劃分他們的網路，在符合PCI DSS規範的同時，也能提供訪客存取網路的能力。

　　需要寬頻做為主要線路，維持永續營運或需要容錯移轉(fail-over)時，Fortinet則提供了FortiExtender-100B。它是一個3G/4G無線網路轉接器，能讓重要資料在服務供應商和FortiGate設備之間穩定地傳輸。FortiGate和FortiExtender兩者距離可遠達100公尺，FortiGate可置放在地下室或配線櫃，FortiExtender天線則可掛在其它的地方。

伴隨企業成長的平台
　　當企業成長時，網路安全架構也會成長。為了協助這樣的轉變過程，Fortinet推出了兩款新的交換器設備，能擴充FortiGate平台的連結能力。FortiSwitch-224D-POE為一機架型產品，擁有24個(10/100/1000)連接埠和12個PoE埠，FortiSwitch-108D-POE則為桌上型產品，能提供10個(10//100/1000)連接埠和8個PoE埠。這些交換器能讓企業組織縝密地連結其它的IP設備，例如無線AP、IP電話和其它PoE裝置至網路上。

12款新產品
　　因應Fortinet新的Connected UTM平台，此次推出的12款新產品為： FortiGate/FortiWiFi-30D-POE、FortiGate/FortiWiFi-60D-POE、FortiGate/FortiWiFi-　90D-POE、FortiGate-280D-POE、FortiAP-221C、FortiAP-320C、FortiExtender-　100B、FortiSwitch-224D-POE和FortiSwitch-108D-POE。

Understanding the Mobile Revolution in 2014 Tech Trends to Watch Out For

22 January, 2014, Kuala Lumpur - 2013 was an exciting year in ASEAN IT industry.

The year saw the strong entry of technologies such as cloud, big data, and mobility platforms into the marketplace, helping to create significant business opportunities and new ways of working for enterprises across the region.

Many businesses began the process of transformation, restructuring their IT to take full advantage of the latest cloud and mobility platforms to introduce more efficiencies into their organizations.

With mobility on the hot seat, Mark Micallef, Area Vice President of Citrix ASEAN, shares three key steps ASEAN organizations can take to tap the opportunities the mobile revolution will bring in 2014.

Delivering Anything-as-a-Service

In 2014, Asia’s cloud adoption will start to reshape with IDC predicting major strategic shifts in the cloud services space in each of the three major layers of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) . As IT budgets tighten, there will be a need to drive down costs and simplify IT infrastructures and businesses will increasingly look to adopt service-based offerings.

For instance, according to IDC, the growth of the desktop virtualization market will significantly outstrip that of the IT market as a whole this year, and desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) – a subset of the desktop virtualization market – will transcend even those expectations over the next four years and grow from US$13.8 million to US$123.3 million in 2017 . As such, DaaS – along with similar service based offerings – will be high on businesses’ list of priorities moving forward.

What businesses seek today are simply high-performing IT solutions that integrate seamlessly with the rest of the organization’s IT infrastructure. So, simplified and consolidated offerings are the most appealing. Implementing a cloud services delivery platform that enables enterprises and services providers to unify user management, provisioning and operational aspects of a cloud into a single cloud interface so organizations can deliver anything as a service.  

Break down the barriers to enterprise mobility adoption with mobile security

Both Forrester and IDC estimate that the number of mobile enabled workers will hit 1.3 billion globally by 2015 . Additionally, Forrester is predicting that smartphone penetration in Asia Pacific (APAC) will see the largest compound growth worldwide, at 20 percent measured last year .

Therefore, it is not surprising that globally, 71 percent of companies accommodate and encourage BYOD but it is also a shocking reality that 76 percent of companies estimate that 100 unidentified devices access their networks each day . It is no wonder that companies consider overcoming challenges regarding mobile security and providing the necessary support for mobile applications as the biggest barriers to deploying mobility platforms in APAC.

The large range of mobile enterprise apps and devices puts mobile security in the limelight. Heterogeneous mobile devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets have become a critical fundamental of today’s workplace, but according to the Citrix Mobility in Business Report, 53 percent of the organizations in the region still lack formal mobility strategies .  In order to achieve a comprehensive and efficient mobility strategy, mobile security has to be high on the list.

IT can address mobile device security and compliance requirements with mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) products. Providing secure access to mobile, remote desktop, SaaS and web apps from a unified corporate app store, and securing enterprise apps with just one single line of code is an effective option that provides the flexibility that mobile users want, while minimizing the cost of ownership to the organization.

Know the right IT roadmap for the future

Although challenges remain, the business advantages that mobility presents – flexibility, remote worker support, competitive advantage, business continuity, and increased productivity – should outweigh the potential downside.

Implementing mobility solutions has become an imperative for any business today. 63 per cent of enterprises in the region believe that enabling mobile working delivers a competitive edge and 36 per cent list mobility as being of utmost importance to their business .

As simple as it sounds, understanding an organization’s current and future business objectives is the very important first step that businesses need to take. To drive forward the most optimum mobility strategy, an organization needs to think further and wider. Other than tackling current IT challenges, what are the future IT protocols, business plans, objectives and priorities you see?

The enterprise mobility strategy needs to be one that is tailored to the present and to the future – only then will ASEAN organizations be able to truly reap the full rewards that enterprise mobility can bring.

Brocade Names Adam Judd as Vice President for Asia Pacific

Networking Industry Veteran Joins Brocade to Drive Regional Growth

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —Jan . 21, 2014: Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) today announced the appointment of Adam Judd to the role of vice president for Asia Pacific (APAC). Judd will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of all sales and business development across the region, delivering aggressive growth targets for the Brocade® Ethernet/IP business and further strengthening the company’s partner and channel strategies.

Judd will be based in Singapore and will report directly to senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Field Operations, Jeff Lindholm.

According to IDC, ICT spending in the APAC region, excluding Japan (APEJ), is expected to grow by nine percent in 2014, driven by large markets such as China, India and Indonesia. IDC forecasts that enterprises that are moving towards the cloud in an aggressive fashion will look for a software-defined data centre, as application-aware environments become increasingly critical. The future of the data centre is anticipated to include general-purpose servers and specialty systems that can manage varied workloads. To capitalize on this growth and target the data centre marketplace more aggressively, Brocade has specific business initiatives in place, as outlined at its recent Analyst & Technology Day. Mr. Judd is tasked with building on these initiatives and spearheading growth across APAC.

Mr. Judd brings over 15 years of leadership experience and an impressive track record in data centre networking, enterprise technology and telecommunications to Brocade. He was most recently the acting CEO and Chairman of Tortuga Mobile, a privately held firm that provides mobile payment solutions and services to retailers, financial institutions and mobile carriers.

Prior to Tortuga Mobile, Mr. Judd was senior vice president for APAC at Juniper Networks, where he led the company’s sales and services operations in more than 12 countries, including Japan. Under his leadership, the company’s regional revenue quadrupled. Mr. Judd assumed the regional leadership role in 2002 as a result of Juniper’s acquisition of Unisphere Networks, a company that he cofounded in 1999. He also previously held APAC management positions with Bay Networks and Nortel Networks.

“APAC continues to be one of the fastest growing regions for Brocade and will constitute a larger component of our global business,” said Jeff Lindholm, senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Field Operations at Brocade. “Adam is an enterprising, dynamic and passionate leader who has both the global foresight and the necessary industry knowledge that is deeply rooted in Asia. His track record and achievements across the Ethernet networking and service provider markets are outstanding. We strongly believe he has all the right qualities that will prove vital in taking Brocade to the next level in APAC.”

“The data centre networking industry is undergoing transformative changes and Brocade is poised to lead that transformation by leveraging its strong innovation heritage, customer focus and partner ecosystem. Now is a great time to rejoin the industry, and I am very excited to lead Brocade in APAC by building on its strengths and understanding customer needs,” said Adam Judd. “Brocade has led the industry on many fronts, including Ethernet fabrics, network virtualization and software-defined networking. I am committed to working closely with our customers and partners in meeting their needs and bringing these innovations to them in the most accessible way.”