VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY
my APRIL-JUNE 2019 VOL. 2 • NO. 2 • RM10
“Cybersecurity is no longer an after thought, it’s a must.” Alex Loh, Country Manager, Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd
eSPORTS TAKES OFF IN MALAYSIA EMPOWERING MALAYSIANS VIA THE INTERNET
Marc Woo, Country Manager of Google Malaysia
FEATURES
my CONTENTS
Vol 2 No. 2
COVER STORY Cybersecurity is no longer an afterthought, it’s a must Alex Loh, the country manager of Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd talks about the company’s efforts to reach out to SMEs to make them realise the importance of cybersecurity to their business.
Cover Alex Loh, Country Manager, Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd Photography V. Chanthiran
commerce.asia Acquires Panpages Lab Sdn Bhd
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Boom Time for Malaysian eSports
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Making Google and the Internet Work for Malaysians
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PIKOM Celebrates Chinese New Year
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4th e-Commerce Chinese New Year Lou Sang Dinner
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Calendar of Events
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Cybersecurity Conference
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COVER STORY
CYBERSECURITY IS NO LONGER AN AFTERTHOUGHT,
IT’S A MUST
Alex Loh, the country manager of Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd talks about the company’s efforts to reach out to SMEs to make them realise the importance of cybersecurity to their business and the challenges faced by the cybersecurity industry in the coming years.
• By Sharmila Valli Narayanan • Photos By V. Chanthiran
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lex Loh, a seasoned IT industry veteran, was appointed as Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s country manager in March 2018. Loh has been tasked with driving Fortinet’s mission to deliver the industry’s most innovative and highest performing cybersecurity solutions to enterprises in Malaysia. Fortinet is the global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions. The company currently ranks as No 1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide with more than 375,000 customers worldwide. “At Fortinet, we are also very proud of being our industry’s most independently tested and validated security vendor,” says Loh. “The fact that we earn more certifications and validations is an extension of the value we place on rigorous and reputable outside evaluation. Every Fortune 10 Carrier relies
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on Fortinet’s high performance solutions to secure their mission critical networks, as do nine of the top 10 retail and commercial banks and 70% of the top aerospace and defence agencies.” All these achievements for a company that is not yet 20 years old! Fortinet’s success in addressing the security demands of the digital economy is thanks to its Security Fabric architecture that enables the delivery of required security features to any point, from the endpoint and IoT device to the cloud, in real time. “The Fortinet Security Fabric architecture uniquely positions us to address the security challenges faced by enterprise customers today, including complex network ecosystems, public, private, and hybrid clouds and parallel networks encompassing IT, OT, and IoT,” explains Loh. The Fortinet Security Fabric is powered by the threat intelligence services developed by FortiGuard
Labs, consisting of more than 200 expert researchers and analysts stationed around the world. These researchers work with world class, in-house developed tools and technology, combined with data collected from more than two million sensors around the globe, to study, discover, and protect against new and evolving threats. Malaysia ranks third among 193 countries in terms of commitment to cybersecurity. When it comes to implementation, how is Malaysia doing, especially in terms of SMEs? According to a recent joint report by Microsoft and Frost & Sullivan in 2018, 62% of the businesses in Malaysia said they feared cyberattacks and this has hindered digital transformation projects. More than 53% of organizations in Malaysia have experienced a security breach, but only 47% have the mechanisms to conduct a forensic investigation or data breach assessment.
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THERE IS STILL A GENERAL LACK OF AWARENESS AMONG SMEs IN MALAYSIA ON CYBER THREATS AND ITS IMPACT.
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COVER STORY
CyberSecurity Malaysia found that 80% of SMEs in Malaysia have not invested in cybersecurity due to cost while others are not aware that they need to. As Malaysian companies including SMEs embrace digital transformation, they need to deal with many challenges. Business applications need to be available from anywhere, 24/7 and from any device. As technology adopters (IoT, cloud services, mobility), they need to deal with challenges associated with agility. As threats are getting more sophisticated and high-tech, the traditional approach of erecting firewalls and applying anti-virus security measures is no longer sufficient. Companies, especially SMEs should not just focus on responding or being preventive but they also need to strengthen their protection and predictive capabilities. What is Fortinet Malaysia doing to attract more SMEs to look seriously into their cybersecurity? Although cybersecurity is a critical component to the continued operations of any business organization, there is still a general lack of awareness among SMEs in Malaysia on cyber threats and its impact. To help cultivate more awareness among key industries including SMEs, Fortinet has been bringing its annual
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regional cybersecurity event, 361° Security to Malaysia. Now running in its 8th year, the event is held to educate cybersecurity professionals, enterprises and SMEs in terms of current cyber security trends and how disruptive technologies are changing the way security should be viewed and implemented. Over the years, Fortinet Malaysia has also established strategic collaboration with CyberSecurity Malaysia as well as industry giants and academia in contributing towards cyber security capacity development. With CyberSecurity Malaysia, Fortinet has agreed to exchange security information and technical know-how, thus helping Malaysia to develop local information technology security expertise while offering real-time online threat intelligence services to government agencies and private organizations in Malaysia. In 2017, Fortinet initiated the Fortinet Network Security Academy (FNSA) program in Malaysia by working with local university Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) to create a pipeline of cybersecurity talent. FNSA collaborates with academic institutions, non-profit agencies, and veteran programs to provide a framework for students to become part of an elite group of cybersecurity professionals. The FNSA program is designed to develop and train knowledgeable
cybersecurity experts to manage new and advanced threats on the horizon. What is the biggest challenge for a company like Fortinet in doing business in Malaysia? Digital transformation (DX) is creating major opportunities for organizations in Malaysia. At the same time, more organizations than ever are conducting business online. However, the threat landscape continues to evolve rapidly. It now includes increasingly sophisticated, zero-day malware that traditional security approaches can no longer keep pace with. Multi-cloud deployments and the Internet-of-Things (IoT) have also expanded the attack surface, which has led IT teams to implement disparate and often isolated point solutions that often do not integrate with existing network or security infrastructures. The challenge for Fortinet is to educate organizations that staying ahead of today’s accelerated cybercrime trends requires adding artificial intelligence (AI) to an organization’s network security strategy. As an early adopter of AI, Fortinet began developing a self-evolving threat detection system over six years ago. This system leverages a customdesigned artificial neural network (ANN) comprised of billions of nodes, and we have been meticulously training it with new threat data every day since, giving us a significant competitive threat intelligence advantage over every other vendor in the security marketplace. AI is part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, the first framework to provide a complete architectural approach to security. It allows organizations to connect distributed security solutions into a unified framework so they can dynamically adapt to your evolving IT Infrastructure and defend its rapidly changing and increasingly distributed attack surface.
In addition, its open standards design allows you to integrate software and solutions from a variety of vendors to enable seamless protection and actionable threat intelligence across all points in your network, from IoT to the cloud. Fortinet has brought together over 40 Fabric-Ready Program Partners to deliver pre-integrated, end-to-end offerings ready for deployment, reducing the technical support burden, security management challenges and costs for enterprise customers. If everything is working together, network hacking becomes much more difficult to do. Malaysia is moving towards the digital economy. How prepared is Malaysia to face this new economy, especially in terms of cybersecurity? The Malaysian government has declared its intention to accelerate adoption of technology and e-services to boost efficiency & transparency. For this reason, cybersecurity will remain high on its national security agenda. The government will also introduce a national cybersecurity policy in the first quarter of 2019. The policy will be implemented in hopes to overcome global and local cyberattacks in Malaysia, including protecting netizens’ personal information. As technology becomes central in driving digital transformation and business processes, it also makes the current enterprise IT environment more complex to secure and control. Some of the key factors include: Multiple networks, physical and virtual: Businesses are now relying on multiple networks for communication, including public/ private, wireless and 4G/5G networks. Adoption of virtualization, SDN and the public cloud is accelerating.
Off-network resource management: Applications and data are now accessed from a variety of locations including remote offices, branches, on the road or from the cloud. Mobility: Users access corporate resources from inside and outside the corporate network with an evergrowing range of corporate and personal devices (BYOD). Ever increasing bandwidth requirements: To keep up with business evolution and the data explosion driven by digital transformation, organizations must enable and protect higher data volumes and Ethernet speeds. Advanced threats penetrating businesses: The increase and sophistication of cyber-attacks don’t stop, exposing organizations to thousands of new malware variants found every day and new advanced targeted attacks. Lack of internal network security: Even as the sophistication of cyberattacks increase, and mobility and cloud get adopted by enterprises, many firms’ internal networks remain flat and open with no or basic security controls. Organizations’ traditional focus on perimeter security facilitates the propagation of threats within their internal networks, increasing the damage to the business.
What are some of the challenges facing cybersecurity industry in the coming years? We foresee four big challenges facing today’s organisations: complexity, borderless networks, speed in decision-making and talent shortage Complexity: As networks adopt new technologies and solutions, such as cloud and IoT, they are becoming increasingly complex. Deploying additional, isolated security solutions actually compounds the problem and increases the costs of deployment, management, and orchestration. Networks are borderless: Traditional security strategies designed to protect the edges of the network become less effective when the perimeter is constantly changing, resources are highly distributed, and data moves dynamically from IoT and remote devices across a network of physical, private, and public cloud environments. Speed and responsiveness: To remain competitive, networks need to deal with the twin challenges of exponentially increasing data volumes and the speed at which decisions need to be made. Security cannot afford to get in the way of business demands. Security skills shortage: A global shortage of cybersecurity talent combined with regulatory pressures continue to add to the complexity facing organizations. The number of available security professionals in the market cannot keep up with demand.
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FEATURE
COMMERCE.ASIA ACQUIRES PANPAGES LAB SDN BHD Commerce.Asia just upped its game by acquiring Panpages Lab Sdn Bhd (Panpages Lab). Panpages Lab owns the largest database of SMEs within Southeast Asia, which contains insights into seven million SMEs spanning six countries – Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia. The information on the database is constantly sought after by global search engines and map providers.
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ommerce.Asia, which began operations just two years ago, is an all-in-one e-Commerce ecosystem that integrates the best of breed technology solutions, talent development programmes and big data insights for Southeast Asian businesses to succeed. The acquisition of Panpages Lab allows Commerce.Asia to expand the reach of its enablers to the whole region by using Panpages Lab’s extensive database and using this data to provide lead generation to Commerce.Asia’s current and future SME facing Enablers. Commerce.Asia will leverage on this database to develop insights and marketing lead to assist clients in penetrating the Southeast Asia region. Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Commerce.Asia’s founder and executive chairman, explains how the acquisition of Panpages Lab happened: “I was growing our enterprise managed service business and I needed a database of leads to market to because I had my e-Commerce ecosystem. I needed to target SMEs and my sales team told me they were having a tough time getting leads to talk to. I contacted a friend who used to own Panpages and he told him about the database that Panpages had. I contacted the company and by luck they were looking to sell and asked me whether I wanted to buy it and that’s how I acquired it.” He went on to explain that the
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THIS STRATEGIC ACQUISITION GIVES US VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO FIVE KEY ASEAN COUNTRIES, ENABLING US TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIVERSE ETHNIC, CUSTOMER-CUMBUSINESS PATTERNS AND PREFERENCES. From left: Dr. Lee Yuan Harng, Chief Operating Officer of Commerce.Asia Data, Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Founder & Executive Chairman of Commerce. Asia and Dr. Tom Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Commerce.Asia.
acquisition of Panpages not only gives the company valuable insights into the key ASEAN markets, it also gives it a better understanding of some of the key business elements of these markets which it can use to today’s evolving online marketing and sales opportunities. “This strategic acquisition gives us valuable insights into five key ASEAN countries, enabling us to have a better understanding of the diverse ethnic, customer-cum-business patterns and preferences, which we can use for today’s evolving online marketing and sales opportunities. “This business purchase comes at an opportune time when e-Commerce is growing multifold, with a whole paradigm shift towards online purchasing. The acquisition combined with our current portfolio of enablers will be a catalyst to increase the e-Commerce penetration among SMEs across Southeast Asia,” he says. Ganesh is very optimistic about the future of e-Commerce. “With regards to e-Commerce, we are at an inflection point globally. We expect our business to grow 300% year-onyear for the next couple of years.” His prediction on the powerful performance of e-Commerce is backed by the latest statistics provided by the website Research and
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- Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Commerce.Asia’s Founder and Executive Chairman
Markets (www.researchandmarkets. com), dubbed as the leading source when it comes to international market research and business information. In its report, Asia-Pacific B2C E-Commerce Market 2018, it states that over 50% of global online retail sales stems from the Asia-Pacific region. The report further states that “regional leaders, China, Japan, and South Korea, are also among the global leaders in B2C E-Commerce.” However, the report also states that the “regional growth leaders for the next five years are the markets of South and Southeast Asia, such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines... as they grow from a recent low percentage of online shopping penetration.” A large part of the continuing growth of online retail throughout the Asia-Pacific region is due to the spread of Internet connectivity through mobile devices, especially smartphones. The report says that over three-fourths of e-Commerce in the region is M-Commerce (mobile commerce – the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices such as smartphones, notebooks and tablets), and merchant apps account for more than half of purchases made through a mobile device. “Because of the success of
E-Commerce in the Asia Pacific region, competition among online merchants is intense. The regional leaders are China’s Alibaba and JD.com but Amazon is attempting to ride the wave of E-Commerce with expansion in the region. Multiple local and regional players also work the Asia-Pacific online retail market,” the report reveals. Ganesh briefed the SecretaryGeneral of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development (MED) Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi on his company’s latest acquisition when she paid a visit to his facility. “One of the targets for the National Entrepreneurship Framework (NEF) is the creation of a centralised database of SMEs. I wanted to brief her on our database of SMEs in Southeast Asia and to see how we can work together to achieve the objectives listed in the NEF.” MED has, in the past, called for such public-private partnership participation as it is needed for the realisation of the objectives outlined within the NEF. “Such partnerships are an important element in nurturing the entrepreneur spirit among Malaysian businesses as set out within the strategic objectives of the National Entrepreneurship Framework,” said Datuk Wan Suraya after the briefing by Ganesh.
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FEATURE / eSPORTS
BOOM TIME FOR MALAYSIAN eSports Once looked upon with disdain and alarm, eSports has now emerged as a bona fide sport that offers a lucrative career for players. Johary Mustapha, the CEO of Forest Interactive Sdn Bhd gives an insight into the untapped potential of eSports in Malaysia.
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f you’re alarmed that your teenage son or daughter is spending far too much time playing video games instead of studying to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer or accountant, stop fretting and start encouraging him or her! Today’s video game player might become tomorrow’s champion professional gamer who earns big money. Take Malaysian eSports (electronic sports) player Yap “xNova” Jian Wei for example. In 2018, he was part of an eSport team that was based in China which was placed second in the International 8 Dota 2 tournament. The fivemember team did not go empty handed: their prize money was worth US$4.1mil (RM16.82mil!), which when divided among the team comes up to roughly RM3.7mil per person! One of the most enthusiastic and vocal supporters of eSports in Malaysia is Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, the Youth and Sports Minister who is in his late twenties. “For those who say eSports cannot bring any benefit, Malaysia at the moment is ranked 21st [in the world]
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Courtesy of Forest Interactive Sdn Bhd.
in gaming revenue. We bring money to Malaysia,” he said at an eSports press conference last year. “We have a thriving, multiracial, young eSports community, on top of that, the drive to love IT, technology, advancement... looking towards the future, it’s humongous…” Realizing that there is potential in eSports, the Government has allocated RM10 million in Budget 2019 for the development of
eSports in the hopes of transforming Malaysia into an Asian eSports powerhouse. My.IT spoke to Johary Mustapha, whose company specialises in enabling mobile technology for mobile network operators, mobile virtual network operators and game developers, to find out more about the buzz surrounding this new sporting phenomenon among the young in Malaysia.
What is eSports? eSports is usually defined as “competitive playing at a professional level,” but for most people unfamiliar with it, it would simply be teenagers spending their time playing PC games at internet cafes. What they don’t realize is that the eSports business is expected to be worth almost US$1.5 billion by 2020, and the number of people tuning in to live eSports tournaments has increased. For example, in 2018, the number of frequent eSports viewers and enthusiasts amounted to 173 million. There is an appeal and thrill in watching professional gamers play head-to-head for prize pools reaching millions of dollars.
How is the eSports scene in Malaysia? In 2018, Malaysia ranked number 21 in terms of the highest eSports earnings with over USD$5.8 million (RM23.6 million) from 424 professional players — that alone is proof that there are several Malaysians who actually take eSports seriously. In fact, the Kuala Lumpur Major showed the crowd power of #DOTA2 enthusiasts in the country when hundreds of thousands of gamers from all over Southeast Asia and the world attended the event. We need more of that; we need to provide an avenue for gamers to meet together. eSports is such an overarching entity that includes playing, casting, hosting, coaching and sponsoring. Even advertisements showcase players, the demand is there.
What can Malaysia do build a thriving eSports scene? Embracing the demand is important. First, we need a proper governing body that will help push eSports events by choosing the right venues accessible to many, not just in Malaysia but it should also appeal to the neighbouring countries. Second, we need to highlight the already
Courtesy of Forest Interactive Sdn Bhd.
thriving professional Malaysian gamers like midone, xNova and mushi. Sharing their stories to more people would make them see that being an eSports athlete can be a career and no longer just a hobby of clicking buttons but that it involves months of planning, strategizing, discipline and teamwork. Lastly, we need to have consistency and we need to show investors and sponsors that we can manage eSports events in a grander scale with finesse and efficiency.
What do you say to skeptics who say that eSports is nothing more than an addiction? I think the past five years has surpassed all the scepticism surrounding the industry. Stories like Alex Garfield building one of the best teams — Evil Geniuses, a gaming group in his college dorm — into a global, multimillion-dollar eSports empire; or how Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill made League of Legends the world’s most successful eSports league and most popular PC game, on track to make over $1 billion a year. On top of that, there is also Twitch.tv, which started as a video
streaming platform and has now turned into a $1 billion start-up on the back of professional gamers. eSports tournaments are streaming on mainstream TV nowadays too, so it is definitely serious business. We do need to take into account the other side of this, like any other sport, hundreds of people have dedicated their lives to gaming, sacrificing their education, relationships, and even their bodies to compete, committing themselves with the same mindset of any professional athlete.
Where do you see eSports in five years’ time? The best moment of eSports has already arrived: many depicted the inclusion of eSports in the official games (Asian Games, SEA Games) as a sign of success. I hear they are bringing in Dota 2, Starcraft II, Tekken 7, Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – it is finally being taken seriously, and acknowledged at the same time. With the rise of AR/ VR, we are getting closer to the film Ready Player One; in the future, there might be games that will really take it to a completely new level. Exciting times ahead!
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FEATURE / MARC WOO
MAKING GOOGLE AND THE INTERNET WORK FOR MALAYSIANS Marc Woo, the country manager of Google Malaysia, is passionate about making Google and the Internet contribute positively to Malaysians lives. He gives some good career advice to people who are still trying to find the right career and talks about the ways Google has made a difference in Malaysians’ lives.
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he Golden Age of Hollywood of the 1930s and ‘40s was often described as the age of the young men because the men (and in those days it was exclusively a man’s world) who ran the motion picture business were in their twenties and thirties like the legendary Irving Thalberg. The same can be said of the age of the Internet where the big tech companies were founded and run by young people. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were in their twenties when they started their respective companies, Microsoft and Apple. Mark Zuckerberg too, was in his early twenties when he started Facebook with his partners; Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur, made his first millions in his late twenties. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, (both became multi
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billionaires in their early thirties) were also in their mid twenties when they founded Google. Today, Google, the most used search engine in the world, has become an indispensable part of our life. One is reminded of this youthful connection to the tech industry when meeting Marc Woo, the country manager of Google Malaysia, for the first time. At 37, he looks younger than his age. When asked about the correlation between youth and the tech industry, Marc disagrees with the generalization. “The tech industry is about diversity and inclusion,” he explains. “Here at Google we hire people who are qualified and suitable for the job. I myself went through a rigorous process before I was promoted to my present position. Google does not discriminate people based on age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability when hiring them.” While admitting that some of the founders of the tech companies were young, Marc adds that they eventually hired experienced leaders in their respective fields to help run the companies. He cites the example of Mark Zuckerberg hiring Sheryl Sandberg, who is 15 years his senior, as the company’s COO.
ON HIS CAREER PATH TO HIS PRESENT POSITION IN GOOGLE MALAYSIA Marc admits he did not plan his career. He did a few jobs before he found his right fit with Google. “I did different things: I was a web developer, a designer, I worked in a tech and security company in London, worked part-time as a match day steward at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea, I sold things as a trader on eBay and set up a digital marketing business in Singapore for a couple of years. ” While he was in Singapore, Google opened its first office in
Southeast Asia in the city in 2007. Marc joined Google and he finally found a company he enjoyed working for. In 2011 when Google decided to open its second office in the region in Kuala Lumpur, he jumped at the chance to come back home. He was Google Malaysia’s first employee. Seven years later in 2018 Marc was appointed the country manager of Google Malaysia. “I was at the right place, at the right company, at the right time,” he says.
HOW GOOGLE HELPS MALAYSIA “To put it simply, my job is to sell Google to Malaysia and sell Malaysia to Google,” says Marc. He further clarifies: “How do we make Google a net contributor to Malaysia? In other words, how can Google work together with Malaysia to bring about a better economy and environment for Malaysia?” Google’s YouTube has been a boon for Malaysia’s content creators to put out their work to reach a wide audience locally and internationally. “We empower artists and local creators in Malaysia to tell their stories to the world through YouTube. We have 17 Malaysian YouTube creators who have over one million subscribers to their channels! These are not views mind you, but people who actually click to get regular content from these creators,” he says proudly. Google helps Malaysian businesses get online and grow through its platforms. “We invest in cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs. We do programmes, curriculum and initiatives to spread knowledge and skill set,” explains Marc. Google also does its part to help the Malaysian news industry thrive in the digital age via the Google News Initiative (GNI). GNI runs many training programmes for journalists where they are taught
how to use Google’s fact checking tools to produce quality and accurate news. “GNI also builds technology to help the news industry to figure out a better way to deliver news and content in a more user friendly manner,” discloses Marc. “We are helping media to thrive in the new age. That’s important for both parties. We have our tools that can help their websites optimise their ad serving better which in turn will make them increase their monetisation on their websites. Critics are wrong to say that Google is killing news. Google and the traditional media are holding hands and walking together towards a new norm where people are consuming news in a very different way,” he adds. Google has a strategic partnership with Media Prima, the largest media conglomerate in the country. The company puts up a lot of its content on YouTube and Google is helping it monetise the content. “They use our technology to serve content on their OTT tonton, which is the largest OTT platform in the country with over eight million users.” Through Google Arts & Culture, Malaysia’s culture and heritage are preserved and broadcast to the world, says Marc. “This website features treasures of the world such as art pieces and heritage sites that are captured through our HD camera. The street view technology offers high resolution images of places, museums etc which you can see on your phone by downloading the app. This app helps to bring these pictures of art and culture to the wider notice of Google users from around the world.” Google also takes on the social responsibility to keep Malaysian and their families safe online. It partners with Digi and Maxis to run programmes to educate people on how to protect themselves and be safe online.
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FEATURE / MARC WOO
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CODING PROVIDES A GREAT FOUNDATION TO ENTER THE TECH INDUSTRY. IT TRAINS THE MIND TO BE ANALYTICAL; IT TEACHES YOU HOW TO THINK, PROCESS INFORMATION AND MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS. THESE ARE QUALITIES THAT WILL GO A LONG WAY TO HELP YOU IN YOUR CAREER. - Marc Woo
THE IMPORTANCE OF CODING
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The big tech companies of today — Microsoft, Google, Facebook etc — came to be because their founders could do the necessary coding to make their software effective. Coding is described as the basic literacy in the digital age. “Coding provides a great foundation to enter the tech industry,” says Marc. “It trains the mind to be analytical; it teaches you how to think, process information and make important decisions. These are qualities that will go a long way to help you in your career.” Coders are always in great demand in the tech industry. Besides learning coding, being good in Mathematics will also be of great help if one wants to make a mark in the tech industry. “Maths will never grow old,” says Marc. Language skills are also important in order to communicate one’s idea or to put across a point. Personally, Marc feels if he could go back in time he would tell his parents to send him to the Chinese medium school. “I can speak Cantonese, but I can’t speak Mandarin. A lot of the big breakthroughs in tech are
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coming from China. In a few years, it will be the world’s largest economy overtaking the United States. Being able to speak Mandarin is a big plus.”
SKILLS THAT HELPED HIM GET AHEAD IN HIS CAREER If one wants to succeed in the tech industry, it’s important to be adaptable and flexible, advises Marc. “The ability to bend your ways and to adapt to changing situations is very important in this industry. It’s not just that the technology is moving so fast, but the mindset of the workers is also very different. In the workplace you’ll be dealing with three generations of workers: Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z; each with a different way of thinking and doing things. You must be able to adapt the way you deal with each of them.” Another very important skill set to have but which is undervalued is self-awareness. “Self-awareness makes a person realise his or her weakness and they will try to improve upon it. They’ll able to take criticism in a positive way and get better at their job or self” he explains.
To be a leader, one must learn to have a bird’s eye view to steer the ship, says Marc. “The analogy that I like to use is that you need to be able to fly at three km up in the air and the very next moment you must operate as though you’re at three feet. In other words, you must be able to have a strategy and vision for the long term, but at the same time you must be able to handle the problems that come up in the present. Most of the time people are so transfixed on the present that the neglect the future or vice versa.”
CHASING THE MONEY “Don’t simply run after the money unless you’re struggling financially,” advices Marc. “Have a higher vision of your life and career. You’re going to spend a large part of your life working. Think about the impact you want to make in your field, in the society and on the people you work with. When you think of such things, you’ll create a passion for your job. And passion will fuel your success. When you are focussed on doing your best, money will naturally come.”
EVENT
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GLOCOMP CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR OLDSHANGHAI STYLE
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locomp Systems knows how to throw a party. Just ask the more than 250 partners and resellers from various sectors who attended the company’s annual Chinese New Year Celebration party. This year’s celebration was themed Old Shanghai Prosperity and the luncheon was the company’s way of expressing its gratitude and appreciation to its customers and partners for their support over the years. The event kicked off with an astounding performance of the traditional Chinese dramatic art of Bian Lian or the art of face changing where the performer wears vividly coloured masks and changes from one “face” to another almost instantly with a swipe of the fan or movement of the head. The guests were astounded by the performance and showed their appreciation with thunderous applause. The ‘big three’ of the Glocomp, Joseph Giam, Alex Liew and Chan Yue Mun gave heartfelt welcome remarks looking back at the achievements of 2018 and looking towards a brighter future. They also thanked their partners and customers for their wholehearted support of the company. After that it was back to more fun with best-dressed awards performance and attractive lucky draw prizes.
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VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY
my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018 RM10
A WINNING PARTNERSHIP
Ethics & integrity among reasons for the success of Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd
VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY
my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018 RM10
Joseph Giam, Alex Liew & Chan Yue Mun
E-commerce A Must for Business Attracting More Investment for Start Ups and Scale Ups
VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY
my VOL. 2 • NO. 1 • 2019 RM10
#MYCYBERSALE 2018 Sets a new sales record
PIKOM DINNER
VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY
my VOL. VOL. 22 •• NO. NO. 11 •• 2019 2019 RM10 RM10
A night of celebration and recognition of Techies
PIKOM LEADERSHIP SUMMIT The largest gathering of ICT professionals in Malaysia
MY.IT is the official publication of PIKOM which has a membership of over 900 ICT companies that represents about 80% of the total ICT trade in the country. MY.IT is primarily intended to serve the needs of the dynamic ICT industry in Malaysia, especially when it comes to voicing out the needs and concerns of the ICT industry. Be a part of this essential and vibrant scene by advertising in MY.IT, the voice of the Malaysian ICT industry.
THE INVESTORS ARE COMING BACK
INTERNET FOR ALL
“We listen to investors and want to make it as easy as possible for them to do business here.”
Access to Internet is Part of Human Rights Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia
Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia
TARGET MARKET & DISTRIBUTION Business and IT Communities • More than 900 PIKOM members • Top Management of companies • Relevant Government Ministries & Agencies • Relevant Business Organisations • PIKOM Events • Sold in all leading bookstores nationwide
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360°
CONNECTIVITY Mykris Mykris Asia Asia evolution evolution and and Malaysia’s Malaysia’s readiness readiness for for the the onslaught onslaught of of Industry Industry 4.0 4.0 Revolution Revolution
Chew Chew Choo Choo Soon, Soon, Managing Managing Director Director and and Chang Chang Wai Wai Hoong, Hoong, Executive Executive Director Director
MAGAZINE DETAILS Frequency: Quarterly Issues: Jan, April, July and October ADVERTISING SPECIFICATIONS Trimmed Size: 210mm x 275mm Bleed Size: 216mm x 281mm Typed Area: 190mm x 250mm Material Requirement: PDF format
ADVERTISING RATES Positions Per insertion* Inside Front Cover ROP Package 1 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write up ROP Package 2 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write-up for 2 issues ROP Package 3 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write up for 4 issues
Members’ Rate Non-Members’ Rate 1x 2xs 4xs 1x 2xs 4xs RM5,500 RM5,000 RM4,500 RM7,500 RM7,000 RM6,000 RM3,500 RM5,500 Total Cost: RM3,500 Total Cost: RM5,500 RM3,250 RM5,000 Total Cost: RM6,500 Total Cost: RM10,000 RM2,800 RM3,500 Total Cost: RM11,200 Total Cost: RM14,000
For further information and enquiries Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd (609031-W) W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, 18, Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. MY•IT 13 Tel: +603-7932 3259
•••••
EVENT
PIKOM CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR
T
hey came, they cheered, they celebrated and they had a good time! PIKOM’s first big event of the year, the Chinese New Year get together was a grand success with more than 126 guests who attended the event. Guests mingled, enjoyed delicious food and drinks, had a chance to catch up with old friends and make new friends and contacts. It was an occasion where business and good times went hand in hand. The event kicked off with a short speech by PIKOM’s Chairman Ganesh Bangah who highlighted the strategic objectives of the Chairman for 2019. They are: • Providing tangible value to members • Strengthening PIKOM’s brand as the Voice of the Digital Industry • Empowering the Secretariat and instilling the right mindset to achieve selfsustainability. Guests were also told of some of the exciting events and activities that have been lined up for the year by PIKOM. It looks like it is going to be a great year for PIKOM and My.IT will be highlighting those events in the coming issues.
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MY•IT 15
•••••
EVENT
4TH E-COMMERCE CHINESE NEW YEAR LOU SANG DINNER
S
ince 2016 the e-commerce community has got together for a self funded celebratory Chinese New Year dinner for the members in this community to catch up with other players in the industry, to network and of course in the spirit of muhibbah to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The first gathering saw less than 150 industry players who took part in the celebration. Fast forward to 2019 and a record 270 people turned up for the event, organised by Carol Fung from MDEC. The guests included PIKOM Chairman Ganesh Bangah, PIKOM Secretariat CEO Alan Fung, entrepreneurs, business owners, associations, industry players, enablers and service providers. In a testament to how fast the e-commerce industry is growing in the country, many of the guests were attending the event for the first time. It was a fun night which gave the e-commerce community an opportunity to catch up, network and to collaborate on new projects.
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CALENDAR of Events S p o t l i g h t o n u p c o m i n g e ve n t s
April 2019
May 2019
15th-19th:
3rd: Mini SEA Dragon
36th PIKOM Leadership Course
2019 (1st series)
30th: Launch of MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2019
June 2019
July 2019
20th: Future of
15th-19th:
Cybersecurity Conference 2019
37th PIKOM Leadership Course
25th: 27th PIKOM PLC
24th : PIKOM Charity
Talk (Communication Management)
Golf 2019
* Subject to change.
MY•IT 17
•••••
FEATURE / CYBERSECURITY
CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE The PIKOM Cybersecurity Chapter’s big event of the year is the Cybersecurity Conference, the first conference of its kind in Malaysia.
A
Alex Liew
18 MY•IT
lex Liew, the Chair of the PIKOM Cybersecurity Chapter and his team wanted to create activities that are impactful for their members. They have come up with a range of programmes that will see the Chapter being very busy the whole year. Cybersecurity is one of the highlights of the programme, which will be held in June this year.
wanted our members to be able to showcase their products and services to the users. From the user’s perspective, they can take a look at what the market is offering. Through the interaction between the providers and users, there is also a better understanding from the providers’ part on what the users really need.”
THE CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE
But the Chapter didn’t just want this to be an exhibition that only focused on generating sales. “We want to address the national agenda on cybersecurity and other issues that affect the cybersecurity industry,” adds Alex. Thus, the idea for the first ever local Cybersecurity Conference was born. The conference is going to be a public and private collaboration, says Alex. The PIKOM Cybersecurity Chapter will be the main organiser of this conference. Talks are going on with the relevant Government agencies on how to collaborate on this conference and on how to make the conference really meaningful in the ongoing debate on strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity in the public and private sector. Arrangements are also being made to bring in well-known experts in the cybersecurity sector to deliver keynote addresses and speeches. “Something like this has never been done in Malaysia before where all the vested parties come together to talk about cybersecurity,” says Alex.
The idea for this conference came about when the members in the Chapter realised that they were all providers to the cyber industry, whether as technology providers, service providers, system integrators, managed security services etc. “We realised that as a group we have a lot to offer to the industry,” says Alex. “We wanted to share our knowledge and bring it to the attention of the users. There are a lot of solutions, industry best practices, a lot of hidden secrets within the community which we would like to bring to the attention of the users be it at the C-level, the CEOs, CIOs, CICOs etc.” “As providers we want to give the latest information to the users so that they know what the leading technologies are, what are the best practices, the latest governance in cybersecurity and methodology,” explains Alex. “Since we have the knowledge and the tools, we
A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLABORATION
EMPHASIS ON MALAYSIA The main focus of the conference will be on Malaysia and its cybersecurity concerns. Alex reiterates that this event should not be missed by Malaysian cybersecurity providers. “It’s a conference done by Malaysians for Malaysia. Companies, especially owners and senior management of SMEs should attend this because it is an excellent opportunity for them to know what are the solutions our members have to offer in terms of cybersecurity.” There is a solution for every budget and SMEs especially have to take issues pertaining cybersecurity seriously as the country moves closer to Industry 4.0 where everything will be digitized. The conference hopes to raise awareness about the importance
of cybersecurity and the national agenda on cybersecurity. This conference gives an opportunity for the Government agencies, the providers and users to have meaningful dialogue on what the national agenda for cybersecurity should look like. “The conference also offers a great opportunity for networking between providers and users such as CIOs, CEOs etc to share thoughts and exchange meaningful ideas. We call all Malaysian cybersecurity players to join in this event because it’s a great opportunity to showcase your products and services to an audience that might be a potential customer one day. As for the users, all the best cybersecurity players will be here under one roof. It’s a great way for them to see what is available in the
country for cybersecurity and to gain valuable knowledge about how and why it’s important to protect the company’s data,” says Alex. Alex hopes the inaugural conference will be the start of what will be a yearly event which will eventually grow to become the premier national showcase for cybersecurity. “Don’t miss this event,” says Alex. Mark This Date On Your Calendar: WHAT: Future Of Cybersecurity 2019 Conference WHEN: 20th June 2019 WHERE: Connection Conference and Event Centre (CCEC) @ The Vertical, Bangsar South CONTACT: Grace Lee (603-7622 0079 Ext 211) Or Email Events@ pikom.org.my
GLOBAL CYBER SECURITY RANKING: THE MOST SECURE AND LEAST SECURE COUNTRIES FOR CYBER ATTACKS Comparitech is a pro-consumer website that receives more than a million visitors each month which, provides information, tools and comparisons to help consumers to research and compare tech services. The website is held in high regard by the tech world. It recently did a study where it where it examined 60 countries for their cybersecurity practices. The countries were assessed for a number of categories and it used a seven part analysing system to rate their safety from cyber attacks. THE SEVEN PART ANALYSING SYSTEM WERE: 1. The percentage of mobile device infected 2. The number of computers infected 3. The quantity of financial malware attacks 4. The percentage of telnet attacks 5. The number of attacks by crypto miners 6. The preparation of the country
to prevent cyber attacks 7. The country with the most updated legislation JUDGING BY THESE CATEGORIES AND BASED ON THE RESULTS, THESE COUNTRIES WERE JUDGED TO BE THE LEAST SAFE IN TERMS OF CYBER SECURITY: 1. Mobile malware infections: Bangladesh – 35.91% of users 2. Financial malware attacks: Germany – 3% of users 3. Computer malware infections: Algeria – 32.41% 4. Telnet attacks (by originating country): China – 27.15% 5. Attacks by crypto miners: Uzbekistan – 14.23% of users 6. Preparedness for cyber-attacks: Vietnam 7. Worst legislation for cybersecurity: Algeria Since Algeria appears twice on the list, it was judged the least cyber safe country in the world. The countries best prepared for cyber attack were given a ranking
Canada: .818 France: .819
Australia: .824
Singapore: .925
The United States: .919 Malaysia: .893
from 0.000 to 1.000 with the latter being the highest. No country scored 1.000. Here is the list of the countries that scored high in this category. (see chart) The country with the worst score in terms of being prepared for cyber attack was Vietnam with a score of .245. The good news is Malaysia is third on the list, ranking higher than the United States. But the difference between Malaysia and the first two countries in the list is quite noticeable and Malaysia can do more to improve its standing.
MY•IT 19
NOT A PIKOM MEMBER YET?
HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD BE A PIKOM MEMBER:
• It’s a platform to grow your business through PIKOM’s affiliation with local and global networks
• Networking opportunities and & B2B
Here are reasons why being a PIKOM corporate member is one of the best decisions you’ll be making for your company.
related events (to meet end users [CIO Chapter] and potential partners)
• Participate in PIKOM’s Chapters and SIGs to collectively grow the respective area of focus
PIKOM, formed in 1986, has become the organisation that has emerged as the ‘Voice of the Tech’ industry. PIKOM, the national industry association for the ICT and the Tech industry in Malaysia has around 1,000 members comprising of companies involved in a whole spectrum of tech products and services that command 80% of the total tech trade in Malaysia. As the ‘Voice of the Tech Industry’ PIKOM continues to 1. Drive high impact advocacy in representing the industry to government stakeholders to create a conducive environment promoting further growth of the industry. 2. Expand and enhance more tangible benefits to its membership base.
HIGH IMPACT ADVOCACY 1. Represented on more than 40 Government councils, boards, committees, task forces 2. Annual memoranda at key dialogues including MoF, MITI and BNM etc 3. Opinions regularly sought by key stakeholders in Government e.g. Customs on SST 4. Notable past success • Removal of import duty and sales tax on ICT equipments and introduction of ADA for ICT products • Tax incentives for purchases of PCs, Internet access • CMA ‘98 • Guidelines on service tax on IT services
603-7622 0079
• Enjoy subsidised complementary rates to our special learning events, training courses and workshops
• Priority for marketing and promotion opportunities through PIKOM’s initiatives and events
• Access to PIKOM’s Research
Reports (ICT Strategic Review and ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia) and other publications
• Use of PIKOM Logo to enhance member’s events
Tangible benefits with savings valued up to RM20,000 Flagship Event Delegate Passes
Airline Corporate Program
Use of PIKOM Logo
Worth RM3,760
Save up to RM2,500
Worth of RM5,000
Tech Facilities
Cinema Corporate Package
PIKOM Academy
Cloud Credit
Worth RM5,000
Save up to RM1,000
Save up to RM1,310
Publication
PIKOM Facilities
Networking Events x5
ICT Job Market Outlook ICT Strategic Review MY.IT Magazine
Training Centre Boardroom Renting
Worth RM500
Save up to RM200
PIKOM Leadership Summit PIKOM Cybersecurity Conference Smart Sourcing Summit
For more information please contact: 603-7622 4879 membership@pikom.org.my
PLS Training Course
Worth of RM500
www.pikom.org.my
E1 Empire Damansara, No 2, Jalan PJU 8/8A, Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
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COMPANY URL 3i Infotech Sdn Bhd www.3i-infotech.com Acestar Sdn Bhd www.acestar.my ADF Technologies Sdn Bhd www.adftech.com.my Aisling Consulting Sdn Bhd https://aislingconsulting.com Aldan Technology Sdn Bhd www.aldantechnology.com Blockchain (M) Sdn Bhd www.blockchaininmy.com Bnetworks Sdn Bhd http://www.bwave.co Che Ibu Ayu Beauty www.ibu-ayu.com Dojo KL Sdn Bhd https://dojokl.com Dynamic Link Solutions Sdn Bhd dls.com.my EASI Ticketing Sdn Bhd www.easipos.com Emgraft Systems Sdn Bhd www.emgraft.com Ernst & Young Advisory Services Sdn Bhd www.ey.com/my Exabytes Capital Group Sdn Bhd www.exabytes.my Excelity Hcm Solutions Sdn Bhd http://www.excelityglobal.com Harvess International Sdn Bhd www.harvess.com Iboxchain Sdn Bhd www.iboxchain.my IMS Asia Sdn Bhd www.imsasia.com Infinity Capital Enterprise https://www.allcharacterstore.com I-Serve Online Mall Sdn Bhd I-Serve Payment Gateway Sdn Bhd I-Serve Technology & Vacations Sdn Bhd www.i-serve.com.my IX Telecom Sdn Bhd http://ixtelecom.net/ Jebsen & Jessen Business Services (M) Sdn Bhd http://www.jjsea.com KAT Technologies Sdn Bhd www.kat.com.my Katy World (M) Sdn Bhd www.katyworld.com.my Key Alliance Group Berhad www.kag.com.my LintraMax (M) Sdn Bhd www.lintramax.com Matrix Invent Msc Sdn Bhd www.matrixinvent.com Mobiversa Sdn Bhd www.mobiversa.com NEM Malaysia Sdn Bhd https://nem.io/ NetAssist (M) Sdn Bhd www.mynetassist.com Nexagate Sdn Bhd https://www.nexagate.com/ N’Osairis Technology Soltuions Sdn Bhd www.nosairis.com Opensys (M) Berhad www.myopensys.com PERSOLKELLY Consulting Sdn Bhd www.persolkellyconsulting.com Pradotec Sales & Services Sdn Bhd www.pradotec-global.com Privasia Technology Berhad www.privasia.com Radica Software Sdn Bhd www.radicasoftware.com/https://vecta.io/ Rentwise Sdn Bhd www.rentwise.com Sancy Berhad www.sancyberhad.com SD Global Technologies Sdn Bhd www.sdglobaltech.com Software International Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd www.sicmsb.com Synergy Four Sdn Bhd www.oxwhite.com Techikara Engineering Sdn Bhd www.techikara.com Teneo Technologies Sdn Bhd www.weblite.com.my The Eceos Sdn Bhd www.eceos.com Top Click Sdn Bhd Trace Blue Sdn Bhd www.bluenumber.com Triaset Sdn Bhd www.triaset.com Trisilco IT Sdn Bhd www.trisilco-it.com Veeam Software Malaysia Sdn Bhd www.veeam.com Yaz Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd yaz-ventures.com
MY•IT 21