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.
SCCyberworld
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Malaysian CIOs Starting to Shift Focus from IT Efficiency to IT Effectiveness: MDeC & IDC Study
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Microsoft Malaysia’s Code for Malaysia Campaign a Resounding Success with Over 1,500 Students Benefiting from 21st Century Skills
Code for Malaysia campaign in line with government’s launch of MaGIC, an initiative to further technology & coding skills amongst youth
KUALA LUMPUR, 7 May 2014 – Hundreds of students from primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions across Malaysia were in for a treat when they participated in Microsoft’s Malaysia’s (“Microsoft) inaugural Code for Malaysia campaign. More than just a regular “how-to-code” initiative, students were given the opportunity to learn coding alongside local celebrities such as actress Sazlini Shamsul Falak, national youth icon Michael Teoh and beauty pageant title holder Deborah Henry. The week long campaign, which recently concluded, culminated with the launch of MaGIC (Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre), which saw 70 students learning to code and having the privilege of engaging with USA President Barack Obama and Malaysia Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak.
Code for Malaysia, which kicked off from 19 April, was inspired by Code.org’s successful ‘Hour of Code’ campaign – which was spearheaded by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher and Shakira. The campaign was held in collaboration with local partners including six education institutions, to encourage young people to hold basic coding training or hold a hack-a-thon in schools, community centres, universities – basically anywhere.
Carlos Lacerda, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia explained the importance of a joint effort amongst the government, private sector and other key stakeholders to inculcate coding amongst the younger generation, “Every nation knows that the future wellbeing of a country lies with the younger generation – this is the same with Malaysia. We’ve seen the government collaborate with various parties over the years to empower entrepreneurialism and leadership amongst the young. A prime example of such collaboration would be the launch of MaGIC, and as a technology company, we too share that responsibility, which is exactly what initiatives like Code for Malaysia is set out to achieve. By focusing on one simple, attainable campaign, and tying it to the younger generation’s innate love of gadgets and apps, we hope to channel the energy of youth into a loud demand for more resources, education and skills training in coding.”
MaGIC, a center aimed at transforming Malaysia into a dynamic entrepreneurial nation by enabling domestic and international entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, was co-launched by USA President Barack Obama and Dato’ Sri Najib Razak at Cyberjaya late last month. Addressing an enthusiastic audience which included 70 eager students, Obama said, “As Prime Minister Najib indicated, we are here because we have a shared commitment to fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship, especially among our young people. We want you to be able to create things and start your own companies and your own businesses, and come up with your own products and services, because that’s how our societies grow. And the dreams and talents of these young people help to fuel our economies and create jobs, and they also bring our countries closer together.”
During the launch, Barack Obama and Dato’ Sri Najib Razak browsed the exhibition booths and spoke to entrepreneurs and young students. Eleven year old Siti Lyana Binti Azman from Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Taman Megah was one of the lucky students who got to speak to Barack Obama, “President Obama asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was learning to code by playing Angry Birds. It was really fun and easy because the Surface device that I was using was touch-screen and it made it really easy to use when I was learning to code.”
The launch of MaGIC would seem timely amidst a recent Global Employment Trends 2014 report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which states that youth unemployment remains a major challenge in Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia. According to the report, the estimated youth unemployment rate in Malaysia was slightly above 11 percent in 2013, which was almost four times that of the total unemployment rate, and even more alarming, nearly eight times that of the adult unemployment rate. Comparing Malaysia’s figures to that of the region, Malaysia’s youth-to-adult unemployment ratio in 2013 was almost 8:1, whereas the region’s average was approximately 5:1. The report summarizes that given the young demographic profile of many of the countries in the region, equipping youth with education and skills to obtain productive jobs are likely to remain key policy concerns for many governments.
“By 2020, there will be 1.2 million computer science jobs available worldwide with only 400 thousand students learning to code. There is a great opportunity to be filled against a backdrop of a highly competitive workplace. It is therefore imperative that young people understand computer science and basic programming as those skills are the foundation for many jobs today as well as the future,” said Lacerda.
Echoing Lacerda’s sentiments, beauty pageant titleholder Deborah Henry enthused that while coding was important, it was equally essential to make it accessible to children and youth of all ages, “Coding should be fun and easily understood, and thanks to Microsoft and Code.org, it actually is. Through Code for Malaysia, there are tonnes of tutorials, lessons and mentoring programs that anyone can take advantage of to learn the fundamentals of coding, and the best part of all this is, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand code. If I can do it, anyone can!”
Code.org’s ‘Hour of Code’ aims to introduce computer programming to 10 million students and encourage them to learn programming. It is a one-hour basic introduction to Computer Science, designed to demystify "code" and prove that anyone can learn the fundamentals of computer programming. Code for Malaysia extends the ‘Hour of Code’ by dedicating an entire week nationwide, to demonstrate how accessible learning coding can be, and create interest in expanded programming and computer science courses and activities in schools.
MDeC Raises the Game for Malaysian Businesses with Big Data Week Kuala Lumpur 2014
Greater push for Big Data Analytics to increase productivity in public and private sector
KUALA LUMPUR, MAY 6, 2014 – The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) launched the “Big Data Week Kuala Lumpur 2014” today, an initiative that aims to help Malaysia’s ICT industry build its capabilities in Big Data Analytics (BDA), and spur endless opportunities for BDA products and services. With the theme of “Harnessing Value from Your Data Variety”, the launch of the seven-day event which took place at the Connexion@Nexus, Bangsar South City, was officiated by Yang Berhormat Datuk Jailani Johari, Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia and witnessed by Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of MDeC.
As the only city in South East Asia to be given the honour in showcasing Big Data Week, Kuala Lumpur is at the centre of one of the most unique global platforms of interconnected community events that focuses on the social, political and technological impacts of data. The Big Data Week also brings together a global community of data scientists, data technologies, data visualisers and data businesseses from six major commercial, financial, social, and technological sectors.
Speaking at the launch, Yang Berhormat Datuk Jailani Johari, Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, said “Malaysian business and technology landscape have grown to such an extent that we are now ready to embrace the new developments around BDA for businesses, the government, community organisation and much more. For local businesses, there is a need to embrace technologies such as BDA to raise their game so that they can be more competitive with large multinational companies. From the government perspective, BDA can play a huge role in increasing its efficiency and efficacy. With the implementation of the right big data analytics solutions, the government can gain much needed feedback and precious insights that can tremendously improve our decision making process.”
“Indeed, BDA is no longer a futuristic abstract concept but is something that is already happening today. According to Gartner, a total of 4.4 million IT jobs will be created globally to support BDA by 2015. As BDA will form an integral part of ICT Services, efforts to drive the development of the BDA industry in Malaysia will no doubt complement the Digital Malaysia initiative and be in tandem with the DM 354 roadmap. Thus, MDeC believes that Malaysia is ready to embrace the vast opportunities that Big Data Analytics has to offer as we sow the seeds to grow Malaysia into a developed country driven by the digital economy by 2020.” said Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO, MDeC.
The launch was followed by MDeC’s one-day conference on Big Data themed “Big Data: Endless Possibilities” featuring speakers from Intel, Teradata, Dell, IBM, Amazon, MIMOS, HP Labs, and many more. Big Data Week Kuala Lumpur 2014 is organised with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, and the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). Big Data Week in Kuala Lumpur will feature 18 related events – the highest number of activities in all 30 participating cities worldwide.
The 3rd edition of Big Data Week also debuted on the 5th of May as the largest crowd-sourced festival of events, meet-ups, workshops and hackathons focused on the social, political, technological and commercial impacts of data. It brings together an anticipated 30,000 data practitioners across more than 200 events.
For further information on the “Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur” or to participate, please visit (www.bigdataweek.com/kualalumpur)
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Microsoft Malaysia Celebrates The Best Of MY Windows Store Apps
Window 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms seeing solid growth and momentum
Microsoft committed to building a thriving ecosystem for local talents to achieve their aspirations
KUALA LUMPUR, 29 April 2014 — Microsoft Malaysia (“Microsoft”) continues its drive to put the local app developer community center stage, by having an awards ceremony to celebrate local developers for their innovative ideas and hard work in developing them into apps for the Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. Held at Media Prima Theatrette in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, the celebratory event saw more than 50 local developers receive due recognition and reward for their respectively accomplishment and participation in the various app development initiatives organized by Microsoft, namely the Discover MY Apps 2014 hackathon – a partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in conjunction with Visit Malaysia year 2014; DevSorcerer (Season 2) – a partnership with Cradle Fund’s Ideas2Invest (i2i) and Hack In The Box (HITB); and the Top Partner Awards.
Microsoft has been creating an impact in transforming education and driving innovation in Malaysia for more than 20 years, by inspiring students and software developers to take up the challenge to gear up for success – personally and professionally. According to Dinesh Nair, Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Malaysia, “As the ICT sector continues to be an important driver of economic growth, youth with ICT skills will find themselves better qualified for new employment and entrepreneurial activities. Microsoft is dedicated not only to helping young Malaysians harness their talents and accelerate their progress, but equally as important is to provide an ecosystem in which they can thrive. Partnerships are key to Microsoft to achieve this; from the technology to the support system, and the infrastructure needed, Microsoft is committed to working with the Government and industry stakeholders to invest in training these talents.”
Discover MY Apps – Microsoft’s annual Windows Hackathon this year – harnessed the creative power of local software developers to create innovative apps that highlight the beauty and wonders of Malaysia. Discover MY Apps is a collaborative effort between Microsoft and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with the support from partners such as BizClub PKNS, Cradle Fund, MacroKiosk, MDeC, Media Prima Digital, MY Teksi, Netizen Testing, TM and UX Malaysia.
Rashidi Hasbullah, Deputy Secretary General (Tourism Industry), Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTaC) who graced the event, was delighted with how youth and technology are coming together to make a positive change, in this case for the tourism industry. He said, “The world today would be a very different place without technology. As technology is evolving faster than ever before, travelers around the world have also become much more technology-savvy than in the past. As more people are connected to each other, with access to the vast pool of information available online, an increasing number of travelers are seeking information – holiday destinations, flight reservations, hotel reviews – via the Internet prior to making any travel decisions. The biggest challenge therefore is to bridge this gap between the tourism and technology industries.”
He continued, “The Discover MY Apps competition for our local app developers not only supports the Ministry’s tourism efforts by creating globally accessible information about our country and culture for travelers, it also contributes to nation-building by providing a platform for local talents to embrace entrepreneurism and innovation. As Malaysians, we all have a collective responsibility to nurture and train the next leaders of the country, but this role is not exclusively the Government’s. It is also a shared responsibility with the private sector and other key stakeholders. I am glad that Microsoft shares the country’s priorities, in this case supporting the Ministry’s efforts in promoting Malaysia as a top holiday destination in the world, and at the same time empowering youth by providing them with the opportunity to unleash their creativity, hone their skills, and become change-makers.”
Media Prima Digital, Malaysia’s largest digital media group, said that the chance to host the awards ceremony was a great opportunity to show its support for the nation’s digital industry, and also the minds behind the success of it. “We are glad to extend our venue to host the celebrations to recognize our local app developers. These talents thoroughly deserve the acknowledgement for their creative ideas but more importantly, the hard work and detail they have put into it. Initiatives like Discover MY Apps exemplifies what the synergy between technology and innovation can create: an opportunity to create a brighter future for the next generation of Malaysians. Our collaboration with Microsoft and the other partners has been a fruitful experience,” said Lam Swee Kim, Group General Manager, Media Prima Digital.
The event also saw recognition for the winner of DevSorcerer (Season 2) and a special category to acknowledge top partners who have developed apps on the Windows 8 platform.
Abdullah Abbas, from the team that was the overall winner of DevSorcerer 2, was ecstatic with the achievement, saying, “Personally, this is actually the second time I have participated in the DevSorcerer series. This time round it was exciting for me and the team because the format of the competition was slightly different; we were required to solve various challenges prepared by the judges. It is not only a way for us to understand more about Microsoft technology, but it also allowed us to mingle around with other participants and discuss ideas that we can potentially do together in the future. As a developer, it was a very good opportunity for me to learn how to build better apps, and to share my experience with others.”
Adding to that, Dinesh said, “Experiences like the one Abbas had are the kind that we hope to increasingly see through the many initiatives we have been doing for the local developer community. From the WOWZAPP hackathon and Asian Development Bank’s AppsForAsia program in the past, to the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup – and now the recognition for Discover MY App, DevSorcerer 2 and Top Partner developers – it is clear that our youth have the brilliance and the tenacity to be the world’s best. What is lacking however are opportunities for these developers to showcase their talents, both locally and globally. That is exactly what we have been doing, and will continue to do – providing opportunities.”
With over 140,000 apps now available on the Windows Store, Microsoft is on a constant drumbeat to provide an avenue for the local developer community for all things app. “Developers at today’s event will have the support of Microsoft Malaysia to further their ambition through the Mobile App Acceleration Camp (MAAC), a global Microsoft program that gives participants the technical, business, and financial support to help build a great app for the Windows platform. If selected, teams stand to receive a grant of up to 70,000 Euro (RM316,600) to develop their app. Locally, developers can look forward to //publish/, an event where they can bring existing apps and game projects to code with developers from around the world. Developers will receive onsite support from Microsoft and community experts to remove blockers and add the finishing touches to their projects,” concluded Dinesh.
To view the full list of local apps made by Malaysians, for Malaysians – please visit http://aka.ms/myapps
Monday, April 28, 2014
UNIVERSITY SAINS MALAYSIA EMERGED AS WINNER OF THE 2014 F-SECURE INTER-VARSITY IT SECURITY COMPETITION
~ The finale was at fever pitch as three teams went head-to-head for the ultimate victory ~
Cyberjaya, 28 April 2014 – With 255 points ahead, team N2L from University Sains Malaysia (USM) was crowned as the champion for 2014 F-Secure Inter-Varsity IT Security Competition! The competition, initiated by F-Secure and MDeC (Multimedia Development Corporation), was aimed at nurturing local talents and encouraging more Malaysian undergraduates to venture into the field of IT security through education.
The finalists’ details were as below:
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Team
N2L
University
Sains
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Team
Xposure
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Team
The
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Lim Yen Sheng
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Tan Chee Hong
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Soh Sin Siang
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Lee Chi Ngan
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Ling Cong Xiang
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Oh Ying San
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Law Jia Jge
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Sia Hooi Lip
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Wong Khang Siang
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Friday, April 25, 2014
MDeC to host Big Data Week Kuala Lumpur in May 2014
Kuala Lumpur to be the only city in Southeast Asia to showcase Global Event
KUALA LUMPUR, APRIL 25, 2014 – Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) will be organizing the “Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur!” from 2nd-11th May 2014. This initiative aims to help Malaysia’s ICT industry build up its capabilities in Big Data Analytics (BDA), and spur endless opportunities for BDA products and services.
Kuala Lumpur is the only city in Southeast Asia to be given the honour to showcase Big Data Week and MDeC as the main driver of the showcase has lined up a number of partner events for local and regional participants throughout the week. The Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur will kick off with a networking party hosted by VLT to share insights with attendees on how Big Data Analytics is used in a few of the top digital companies in Malaysia. This will be followed by MDeC’s showcase event themed “Big Data: Endless Possibilities” and other exciting activities such as full-day hackathons, mining Facebook to discover yourself, and journalism and Big Data.
“Big Data is not simply a technology proposition, but also how organisations can structure new business models, drive into new markets and target growth more effectively. The sooner businesses realise this, and align their IT and business teams accordingly the faster they will see the benefits and gain a competitive advantage from Big Data. Recognising this, MDeC is once again pleased to host the Big Data Week in Kuala Lumpur for the second time. Themed “Harnessing Value from Your Data Variety”, there’s plenty of knowledge sharing in store. So, if you're involved with web apps, enterprise apps, data analytics, financial apps or storage at massive scale, or simply want to learn more about Big Data and the opportunities, I encourage to you be a part of the Big Data Week” said Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO, MDeC.
The Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur! is organised with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU).
The 3rd edition of Big Data Week will also debut on the 5th of May in over 30 cities worldwide as the largest crowd-sourced festival of events, meet-ups, workshops and hackathons focused on the social, political, technological and commercial impacts of data. It will bring together an anticipated 30,000 data practitioners across more than 200 events.
For further information on the “Big Data Week 2014 @ Kuala Lumpur” or to participate, please visit (www.bigdataweek.com/kualalumpur)
Friday, April 18, 2014
Malaysia’s Brightest And Most Innovative Youths To Represent Nation At Microsoft Imagine Cup 2014
Three outstanding teams and their ingenious projects to compete at the World Semifinals on route to the World Finals in Seattle, USA
Imagine Cup provides students with unique opportunity to experience competition on a global stage and gain recognition for their hard work
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 April 2014 — Microsoft Malaysia (“Microsoft”) celebrated the creativity, passion and innovation of youth, in announcing the 3 winning student teams of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2014 competition National Finals, held from 10-12 April 2014 at Telekom Malaysia Convention Centre, Menara TM. These outstanding youth teams will represent the nation and compete in their respective categories at the Imagine Cup 2014 World Semifinals, on route to the World Finals which will be held in Seattle, USA from 29 July–1 August 2014.
At the Malaysia National Finals, 15 teams which qualified from the first round of selection competed in the three core categories of the Imagine Cup: Games, Innovation and World Citizenship. At the end of the three-day competition, the winning teams from all three category walked away with Nokia Lumia smartphones, and will represent Malaysia at the Imagine Cup World Semifinals. For the first time in the National Finals, there was a tie in the World Citizenship category. Another assessment will be made at a later date to determine the winner. The winning teams are:
Category: Games
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Team
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Project Title
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Campus
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UTM Durian Runtuh
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Durian Runtuh!
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Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
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Category: Innovation
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Team
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Project Title
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Campus
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HEARTCATCHER
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MINI HEARTCATCHER
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Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
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Category: World Citizenship (tie)
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Team
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Project Title
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Campus
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CHAP
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Care for Human Assistance Project
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Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak)
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A-Ware
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Mobile Food Planning and Conservation System
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Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
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Dato' Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus, Chief Officer Industry Development, Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (“MCMC”), who graced the closing ceremony said, “The Government, through MCMC, believes that initiatives such as the Imagine Cup are crucial for Malaysia’s quest in her transformation to becoming a developed nation by the year 2020. Our ongoing mission is thus to help make our nation’s children better students, adept problem solvers, creative thinkers and charismatic future leaders, as well as encourage educators to maximize the use of ICT in their profession. Through events such as the Imagine Cup, we have been able to discover hidden talents and highlight the creativity of each participant in developing interesting and useful applications. More importantly, events such as this also showcase the ability of our local youth talents to compete with the best in the world. Indeed this augurs well for the future of Malaysia. As a partner, MCMC is deeply honored to support this dynamic initiative anchored by Microsoft. I wish the best to the winners and hope that they may have the chance to share their talents in Seattle.”
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) added, “MDeC is pleased to continue our partnership with Microsoft. We are proud to support the Malaysia Imagine Cup 2014 as it complements the Digital Malaysia’s national digital economy which MDeC spearheads. Among Digital Malaysia’s key initiatives is to nurture a new generation of digital-savvy youth and to unlock the entrepreneurial potential. The Imagine Cup competition is a great platform for university students and the youth community to hone their entrepreneurial and ICT skills and it fits in well with our efforts to drive the growth of a vibrant Digital Economy in Malaysia. Participants with truly outstanding ideas or prototypes, and the drive to pursue digital entrepreneurship pathway can also look at the opportunities available through other MDeC programs, such as the ICON3 grant and the Accelerator Programme under the Startup Ecosystem & Entrepreneurship Development (SEED). My heartiest congratulations goes out not only to the winners, but also all Imagine Cup participants for the courage to take that bold step forward towards making their passion and dreams a reality.”
1. Dinesh Nair, Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Malaysia
2. Mohammad Imran Kunalan Abdullah, Head of Talent Division Multimedia Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDeC)
3. Dato’ Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus, Chief Officer Industry Development, Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
4. Amar Huzaimi, General Manager, Group CEO’s Office, Telekom Malaysia (TM)
Every year, Imagine Cup receives enormous numbers of students who compete in three core Imagine Cup competitions of Games, Innovation and World Citizenship. They do so either in the dozens of National Finals held by Microsoft subsidiaries around the world or in the Online Finals, which provides students without a National Final in their country a path to victory.
In the end however, only a few of the very best teams make it all the way to the World Finals and receive global recognition for their hard work. This year, Microsoft decided to change that.
Every first-place winner in every National Finals and in the Online Finals will compete in a whole new round: the World Semifinals. These first-place teams will be celebrated on the Imagine Cup website as World Semifinalists so everyone can hear their stories, see their projects and be inspired by their imagination and passion. All World Semifinalists will then compete against each other in a global judging round to select the few teams invited to the World Finals to be held in Seattle, USA from 29 July till 1 August 2014.
Dinesh Nair, Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Malaysia, said, “The Imagine Cup continues to experience great success over the years; a testament to its success in reaching out to the hearts and minds of students. The quality of the projects and enthusiasm shown by the students in this competition have been thrilling for us. For more than 20 years of transforming Malaysia together, we continue to be amazed by our discovery of unbridled talent that exist amongst the youth of the nation. All of these students have one thing in common: they believe in themselves and in the skills they are developing – all they need is the opportunity to express themselves. We are proud, together with our strong partners in MCMC, TM and MDeC, to be able to provide that platform in the Imagine Cup – to nurture and expose this creativity among students in Malaysia to a worldwide audience.”
For 21-year old Yong Bang Xiang from Team UTM Durian Runtuh, winner of the Games category, it was an invaluable experience. “The Imagine Cup has been a great learning experience for me and the team. It was challenging to be able to develop and improvise our project in a short period of time, thus winning the Games category was very exhilarating! We are proud to be representing the country, and we look forward to further improvements and learnings at the World Semifinals,” he said.
Team HEARTCATCHER was also very appreciative of the knowledge gained from participating in Imagine Cup. “In a competition such as this, the focus is very much on the technicalities of getting the project to work. However, speaking to the judges and taking advice from them opened up our minds to think about the project more wholly; to include the business and marketing points of view as well. It was a real eye-opener and we have benefited tremendously from this experience,” added Lim Ai Jia, one half of Team HEARTCATCHER.
Judges had a tough time determining the winner for the World Citizenship category – teams CHAP from Swinburne University’s Sarawak campus and A-Ware from UTAR came up with equally creative ideas that will need a second round of assessment to decide the winner who will go to the next round. For Daniel Vong from team CHAP, it is the melting pot of innovative minds that attracted him most. “As students, we have ideas and innovations that can sometimes be left unexplored because there is no avenue for it. Microsoft initiatives such as the Imagine Cup provided a platform for us to bring together different people with different skills, to bring those ideas to life. The judges and mentors we encountered during this competition have been very helpful in giving u guidance us to build a better end product,” Daniel said.
Team A-Ware shared Daniel’s thoughts as well. Benson Law, team member of A-Ware added, “The judges and our fellow students were very supportive all the way, we feel very privileged to have had the chance to compete with the best teams from universities around Malaysia. The global issue of starvation and food wastage was one that resonated with our team and through Imagine Cup, we have the opportunity to use technology to do good. We will further improve our application and hopefully we will get into the World Semifinals and be able to bring our project to reality.”
“Imagine Cup is part of Microsoft’s YouthSpark initiative to empower 300 million young people worldwide with opportunities in education, employment and entrepreneurship by 2015. We are committed to supporting the nation’s efforts to prepare the next generation with 21st century skills that are practical and relevant to the local economy and industry needs. We are continuing to invest in training these talents in software and application development skills to create a positive impact in the IT industry, in line with Malaysia’s aspirations of moving towards a high-income, knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy,” Dinesh concluded.
Imagine Cup Malaysia 2014 was organized in collaboration with Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Telekom Malaysia (TM) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), with Nokia as the sponsors of the competition prizes.
TWO NEW INITIATIVES TO BE LAUNCHED UNDER DIGITAL MALAYSIA
Initiatives to accelerate eCommerce growth and improve quality of life for Pondok communities respectively
CYBERJAYA, APRIL 18, 2014: The 9th Digital Malaysia Steering Committee recently concluded with the tabling of two initiatives, one to accelerate eCommerce by means of a nationwide cybersale and the second one, to improve the quality of life for traditional religious institutions (Sekolah Pondok) through crowdfunding.
The inaugural cybersale, scheduled to take place in the third quarter of the year is part of Digital Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to accelerate the growth of the eCommerce sector by boosting participation from both vendors and buyers. The sale will be similar to the United States’ initiative known as Cyber Monday, and seeks to draw participation from Malaysia’s leading retailers with the support of partners from the banking, logistics and telecommunications industry.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, who is Chairman of the Digital Malaysia Steering Committee, said “eCommerce is a key component of the digital economy. Its significance has also been recognized as one of the key ICT sub-sectors in the Digital Malaysia 354 Roadmap. This is a good initiative that will bring leading retailers and customers together under one roof and will further boost the adoption of eCommerce in Malaysia. We are confident that this event will be able to further popularise online shopping as a convenient and exciting experience”.
Digital Malaysia also announced a new initiative to facilitate societal uplift for the Pondok community, a part of the B40 group (the lower 40 percent of the Malaysian population in terms of household income). The initiative will first take place in Kedah as a pilot state.
The initiative will profile Pondok institutions to identify gaps and potential solutions that can be addressed via digital means. It also aims to promote ICT adoption and usage by Pondok communities to improve their quality of life, enable them to earn income and uplift their overall reputations.
Led by MDeC with the support of Yayasan Pembangunan Pondok Malaysia (YPPM) as the public sector champion and pitchIN as the private sector partner, the initiative will leverage on current ICT programmes, digital applications and crowdsourcing models (including social crowd funding) to uplift the Pondok community.
“The digital economy presents many income-generating opportunities. The B40 who may be less conversant with technology can still benefit from the many digital platforms. We are excited to work alongside YPPM and pitchIN to make this aspiration a reality via the Digital Malaysia social crowdfunding initiative specifically for the Pondok community” said Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of MDeC.
Digital Malaysia is a national programme to advance the country towards a developed digital economy by 2020 by creating an ecosystem that promotes the pervasive use of Digital Technology in all aspects of the economy. This will include connecting communities globally and in real time, in order to increase the nation’s Gross National Income (GNI), enhance productivity and improve standards of living.
Collectively, Digital Malaysia aims to achieve the following: the creation of 160,000 high value jobs, increase Malaysia’s ICT contribution from 9.8% to 17%, provide an additional 1% SME contribution to Gross Domestic Product and create an additional RM7,000 of digital income per annum for 350,000 Citizens.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
MSC Malaysia ICON Developers Graduate from Inaugural ICON-Nokia Windows Phone 8 Partnership
132 world class apps from 138 ICON developers to be visible on the Windows global web and mobile app market
KUALA LUMPUR, APRIL 15, 2014 – The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), via its MSC Malaysia ICON (Integrated Content Development) programme and Nokia announced the success of their partnership yesterday, at the graduation ceremony of the pioneering class of the developers under this programme. The ceremony saw 138 developers graduate from the programme that had nurtured the development of their local mobile app content on the Windows Phone 8 platform.
The top 10 outstanding ICON developers out of the 138 will be selected to be prominently featured in Malaysia across advertising materials, retail channels, events and roadshows. The chosen developers will also get access to the latest Nokia devices to test and develop their applications.
The Top 10 Icon developers are:
Developers
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Description
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Chia Shaw Chyn
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2014 Racing Guide
app which shares latest news and info on Formula One Racing.
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Aswin Chanthraksuwan
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FirstBeacon, a multiuse app that pins secondary tiles to quickly SMS a user’s contacts, finds the nearest emergency stops (police stations,
hospitals, fire departments, etc.) and rings a safety alarm whenever in need.
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Ng Mun Keat
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iPrint, an app that allows its users to create and share eCards.
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Koh Chean Siong and Low Lee Tak
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SekMatYeah, an app to help users select a restaurant/eatery intelligently.
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JeeShen Lee
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GarageFinder, an app that locates the nearest car garage at the user’s current location as well as provides the directions and phone number
to the chosen garage
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Leow Cheah Wei
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Wave Generator, an app that allows a user’s Windows Phone 8 to select the frequency (6 predefined frequencies: 150 Hz, 100 Hz, 70 Hz, 50
Hz, 40 Hz, 30 Hz) to be generated via their smartphone.
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Tan Yin See
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Smart Shopper which tracks the retailers’ best prices for groceries, toiletries and even fresh products.
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(Winson) Chai Wuh Shing
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MyPeribahasa, an app which has a collection of 3,800 Bahasa Malaysia proverbs for easy reference.
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Rokman B. Semail
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Zip Zap Tiles which is an educational gaming app.
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John Ingkili
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Unfold, a game that unfolds new levels inspired by Nokia’s history.
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Speaking at the event, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communication and Multimedia said, “The partnership between ICON and Nokia builds an ecosystem that encourages integration and monetisation, creates awareness and facilitates efficient distribution within the local and global industry networks. Our developers are given a fighting chance by expanding their ideas whilst minimising the risks involved in developing an app-based business, including the high costs of developing the app and starting a business venture. The global app economy is projected to grow to US$143 billion in 2016 and this platform is perfect for our developers to leverage on and grab more than just a piece of the pie.”
“The ICON platform continues to play a key role in turning Malaysia into a content creator nation. Today’s graduation ceremony shows that our local developers, who have created 132 apps through this platform, have broadened the scope of apps that are developed in line with Malaysia’s aspirations of moving towards a high-income, knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy. This partnership has allowed these developers to place greater emphasis on the quality of the content and applications. This is in line with MSC Malaysia’s long-term strategy of honing local talents to create practical and creative solutions that appeal to the global market at large,” said Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of MDeC.
“As the Windows Phone ecosystem gains momentum, there is a greater desire for apps on the Windows Phone store. In the last half of 2013 alone, the Windows Phone Store saw a 62% increase in downloaded apps, and we are now growing and adding 500 apps each day,” said Gary Chan, Head of Marketing, Nokia Pan Asia.
“Our association with ICON will help us complement this demand by enabling Malaysian developers to build and sustain a profitable app business on Lumia and the Windows Phone platform. We are committed to provide them access to the most efficient tools and world-class support that will bring their ideas and hard work to life. This is an exceptional opportunity for Malaysian developers and offers a head start in building top mobile apps, while opening the doors to the fastest growing platform in the world,” Gary concluded.
Through the partnership, ICON developers were given exclusive customised training and community support, the opportunity to build their knowledge base as well as enhance their technical expertise for the Windows Phone 8 platform. Developers were also given a chance to partake in a quick-start programme that provides the necessary tools and services known as the Nokia Premium Developer Program (NPDP).
As further incentive to drive the ICON developers’ business and capabilities, Nokia introduced newer monetisation and analytics capabilities such as in-app purchase, in-app advertising and the Nokia Ad Exchange. The ICON apps will also be heavily featured across Nokia’s advertising material, retail channels, events and roadshows in Malaysia. To give these local apps an added global exposure, a dedicated ICON App collection created for all Nokia Lumia devices will be featured in the Windows Phone Marketplace.
To date, both the ICON and ICON2 programmes have upskilled and coached 448 Malaysians to create 464 mobile apps, 178 of which are on the Windows Phone platform. Cumulatively, the ICON programmes have garnered RM440,400 in revenues. Additionally, app developers from these two programmes have gone on to win nine local and international awards such as the Asean ICT Awards 2012, the Hong Kong Mobile Appsaniry Awards 2012 and the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2012.
To find more details on the MSC Malaysia ICON program, kindly visit www.mscmalaysia.my/ICON.
