my.IT|Vol 2|No 2|2019|Datuk Redzuan MED

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY

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“Entrepreneurs are the engines of growth!”

Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof, Minister of Entrepreneur Development

PENANG TO HOST WCIT2020!

HELPING TO GROW START-UPS Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO of Cradle Seed Ventures

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From the Chairman’s Desk

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The year has started off well on a celebratory note for PIKOM. Our annual Chinese New Year gathering in January saw more than 120 guests, which included members, vendors, friends of the industry and strategic partners, all looking forward to know about our plans for the year, so look out for them!

We would like to thank YB Dato’ Seri Mohd Redzuan Mohd Yusof, Minister of Entrepreneur Development (MED) for taking time from his very busy schedule to grant us an interview and to grace our cover for this issue. Having been a successful entrepreneur himself, he knows the problems faced by entrepreneurs, and we are pleased that his Ministry has taken concrete steps to address these issues. We are especially happy that he has realised the importance of tech-entrepreneurship for the future of this country. As he has said, “Innovationdriven entrepreneurship, including tech-entrepreneurship, will be fundamental in driving Malaysia’s economic growth in the future.” We therefore look forward to the unveiling of the ambitious National Entrepreneurship Policy by the ministry this year. This will be one of the right steps in uplifting the economy of the country.

One other item that we are excited about is hosting the Olympics of the ICT event, the World Congress on IT 2020 in Malaysia next year. In fact, PIKOM organized a media event to officially announce Penang as the venue for WCIT2020.

At the media launch of WCIT 2020, YB Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, the Minister of Communication and Multimedia delivered the keynote address and Penang Chief Minister YAB Chan Kon Yeow launched the logo of WCIT2020. Malaysia first hosted the WCIT in 2008 and it recorded as the most successful WCIT series of all time. We are confident that WCIT2020 will achieve the same if not bigger success. WCIT2020 is organised by PIKOM, endorsed by the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia Malaysia, supported by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and will be hosted by the Penang state government.

Cybersecurity Conference on 20th June is a new introduction of our flagship event, spearheaded by the Cybersecurity Chapter in PIKOM. This is a not-to-be missed event where key Malaysian cybersecurity players

will engage in addressing serious security issues and discuss best practices in the industry today.

The tech industry is one which is still heavily dominated by men, but women are making their mark.

Our new column, which celebrates Malaysian women and their wonderful contribution to the tech industry starts off this issue with a profile on Dzuleira Abu Bakar, a seasoned investor in the start-up industry. Look out for the interesting women who are making a name for themselves in the Malaysian tech industry in coming issues.

Other interesting personalities profiled in the magazine this issue include Marc Woo, the country manager for Google Malaysia, Dr James Poisant, the Secretary General of World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and Johary Mustapha, CEO of Forest Interactive who is also EY Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, sharing his insights on eSports and Alex Loh, the country manager of Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the subject of the other cover story this issue. Find out how Alex and his team are working to deliver the cybersecurity solutions to enterprises in Malaysia, especially the SMEs. I hope you enjoy this issue and see you till the next time!

Ganesh Kumar Bangah PIKOM Chairman

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my CONTENTS

Vol 2 No. 2 3

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE COVER STORY Creating A Nation of Entrepreneurs Tech entrepreneurs have a role in driving the growth of the Malaysian economy, says Dato’ Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, theMinister of Entrepreneur Development.

Cover Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof, Minister of Entrepreneur Development Photography V. Chanthiran

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Malaysia Stands To Gain from Hosting WCIT 2020

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WCIT 2020 Comes To Penang

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#MYCYBERSALE 2019

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Towards A Larger Presence of Women In the Tech Industry

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COVER STORY

CREATING

A NATION OF

ENTREPRENEURS The newly revived Ministry of Entrepreneur Development (MED) under its dynamic Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, assumes the leadership role in developing entrepreneurship and SMEs in Malaysia. He talks to Sharmila Valli Narayanan about the National Entrepreneurship Framework and the role of tech entrepreneurs in driving the growth of the Malaysian economy.

• Photos By V. Chanthiran

D

ato’ Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof was a successful entrepreneur before he became a minister.

He brings with him his years of experience as an entrepreneur to the new Ministry of Entrepreneur Development (MED).

Born into a poor family, he learned the two qualities important for entrepreneurs, resilience and discipline, at a very young age. “It was a difficult life and I had to help out my parents from a young age by doing odd jobs to survive,” he says looking back at his tough childhood.

He is grateful for these hard lessons learned from the hardship because they instilled in him a drive to succeed which was very useful, especially when he left his well paying corporate job and plunged into the world of entrepreneurship.

He firmly believes that entrepreneurs are the engine

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of growth and he wants to create the necessary conditions for entrepreneurs to thrive in this country.

THE NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FRAMEWORK (NEF) The NEF was launched by Dato’ Seri Redzuan on 22nd November 2018. This document sets the broad parameters of the National Entrepreneurship Policy (NEP) which his Ministry hopes to finalise this year. He explains what the NEF is all about.

“With six key development targets, four strategic thrusts and 21 strategic objectives, the NEF sets the direction for the development of a cohesive, conducive and integrated entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia. This may be a coincidence, but N.E.F also stands for Nurture, Enable and Facilitate, the three verbs I consistently use to describe

what my Ministry should do when it comes to developing our entrepreneurs,” he says.

“The NEF is available on our website and is now open for comments. I’d take this opportunity to welcome readers to also provide their views and feedback on NEF at www.med.gov.my. As NEF will set the parameters for the National Entrepreneurship Policy, so, if one wishes to get an idea of how the policy document will look like, the NEF would be a good place to start,” adds Dato’ Seri Mohd Redzuan.

HELPING THE TECH ENTREPRENEURS Innovation-driven entrepreneurship, including tech-entrepreneurship, will be fundamental in driving Malaysia’s economic growth in the future, says Dato’ Seri Redzuan and his Ministry will place special emphasis on this segment of entrepreneurs.

•••••

COVER STORY

The National Entrepreneurship Framework is outcomes-based.

It contains six bold, specific and measurable targets, namely: (i) Boost SME contribution to GDP to 41% by 2020 (ii) Create 1 million jobs in the next five years (iii) Produce 50,000 entrepreneurs to generate 200,000 jobs a year (iv) Train 50,000 graduates a year in entrepreneurship (v) SME export contribution at 23% by 2020 (vi) RM50 billion turnover for cooperatives by 2020 As part of the NEF, the Ministry has outlined several strategies to facilitate tech entrepreneurs. “This is of course still evolving, and we are open to views from everyone, including your readers,” he explains.

Some of the strategies that have been identified include: (i) Create and develop an ecosystem that enables InnovationDriven Entrepreneurship. (ii) Provide the right climate for tech entrepreneurs to adopt and incorporate the latest exponential technological trends (Big Data, IoT and AI) and psychological tools (innovative business models), as well as harness the power of the crowd (crowdfunding, community building). (iii) Strengthen all stages and phases of the start-up ecosystem, beginning from ideation to start-up to scale-up. (iv) Create an innovation supercluster for sectors of the future, for example, Mobility, Clean Energy, Smart City and Healthcare. (v) Collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that there are adequate alternative funding mechanisms for entrepreneurs and SMEs. He points out that under Budget 2019, the Government has

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announced a number of initiatives that are tech entrepreneur-friendly, such as: (i) Allocation of Venture Capital amounting to RM2 billion to create more opportunities for tech entrepreneurs; (ii) Improved broadband access in rural areas within the next five years; and (iii) Tax incentives to encourage businesses to adopt digitalisation towards Industry 4.0.

He hopes that such measures will help create a vibrant tech hub in Malaysia.

CHALLENGES FACED BY LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS Financing remains a key challenge faced by entrepreneurs. This is mainly due to limited access to financing options, as most traditional methods of financing still require collateral, credit history or sales data. Dato’ Seri Redzuan says that entrepreneurs today do have more options than in the past thanks to the introduction of alternative financing methods such as crowd funding and peer-to-peer financing.

He cautions entrepreneurs from depending solely on Government funding. “The Government today is no longer in a position to splurge cash on entrepreneurial projects.

Whatever limited funds that are available, we will disburse these based on needs, merits and the viability of a particular proposal.

If a proposal comes our way, we must be able to see the specific deliverables and outcomes of that proposal. We must be convinced that the proposed entrepreneurial project or activity can contribute to the overall economic development of the country. We will also monitor and track the implementation of these projects to achieve the intended outcome,” he says.

The second challenge faced by local entrepreneurs is in getting the

right type of training and developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the ecosystem. “And third, as a country, we need to create an ecosystem that is entrepreneur-friendly. We need to ensure that GLCs do not operate in the same sphere as the SMEs. We do not want our GLCs crowding out, or competing with, our SMEs. We also need to pursue procurement policies that are friendly to our local entrepreneurs and SMEs,” says Dato’ Seri Redzuan.

TRAINING OUR ENTREPRENEURS Providing training for local entrepreneurs is a subject close to the Minister’s heart. “Our training programmes must serve one purpose: to inculcate a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.

We need to build a nation that is fuelled by entrepreneurial behaviour and mindset. That is the bigger picture,” he says.

He continues: “We need to train entrepreneurs to enable them to scale up and compete globally. If we look at the current statistics, SMEs exports’ only account for 17.3% or RM 167.4 billion of our total exports in 2017. This needs to change for the better.”

MED, through its agencies, provides training to equip entrepreneurs with the right skills and expertise. These training programmes include the following: (i) Going Export Programme (GoEx), Business Linkage Programme (Bling) and the Bumiputera Export Promotion Programme (GEB) to assist SMEs to penetrate the international market (ii) Programmes such as Tunas Usahawan Belia Bumiputera (TUBE), Go eCommerce, and DFTZ to strengthen SMEs involvement in e-commerce and online business initiatives (iii) Financial and credit management programmes

“

INNOVATION-DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INCLUDING TECHENTREPRENEURSHIP, WILL BE FUNDAMENTAL IN DRIVING MALAYSIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE FUTURE.

(iv) 1-InnoCERT certification programme aimed at fostering innovative enterprise through harnessing and intensifying homegrown innovations and R&D

”

PREPARING LOCAL SMEs FOR INDUSTRY 4.0 While acknowledging that our local SMEs are somewhat left behind and have some catching up to do, he insists that the scenario may not be as dire as having to catch up with the rest of the world.

MED has a number of programmes that are geared towards enhancing SMEs’ competitiveness, including in terms of transitioning towards Industry 4.0. Some of these programmes are as follows: (i) SME Capability Programme: enhances SMEs’ capabilities in areas such as business strategies, innovation, productivity and human capital development. (ii) INSKEN Business Scale-Up Programme: provides comprehensive entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to develop sustainable businesses. (iii) SME Expert Advisory Panel Programme (SEAP): provides technical advisory services to SMEs through on-site assistance by industry experts. (iv) Advanced Virtual Incubation Service (ADVISE): supports start-ups by providing comprehensive support services and shared facilities.

(v) Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) Accelerator Programme: nurtures start-ups from idea to commercialization through comprehensive and integrated handholding programme.

INCREASING SMEs CONTRIBUTION TO THE GDP In most developed countries, the SMEs contribution to the GDP is way above 70%, whereas in Malaysia in 2017 the SMEs contribution to the GDP was 37.1%. MED has set an ambitious target. “We wish to boost SME contribution to GDP at 41% by 2020. We also wish to see SMEs account for 23% of our exports instead of the current 17%.

This expansion will not be possible

without our domestic entrepreneurs assuming an integral role in producing value-added goods and services that are competitive, resilient and sustainable, not only in the domestic market but also in the global sphere,” says the Minister.

Dato’ Seri Redzuan also reveals that MED has an ambitious aim of creating one million jobs in the next five years. That’s 200,000 jobs every year. Dato’ Seri Redzuan hopes that Malaysians will participate and make full use of the programmes and initiatives by the Government for their benefits and advancements. “This Government wants to build entrepreneurs and is creating a business-friendly ecosystem for them to thrive in,” says the Minister.

•••••

FEATURE / WCIT2020

MALAYSIA STANDS TO GAIN FROM HOSTING WCIT2020 Dr James Poisant, the Secretary General of World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), talks about the challenges facing the ICT industry and how Malaysia can regain the spotlight as an ICT leader in the region.

D

r James Poisant has been with WITSA since 1996; since 2006 he has also been its Secretary General.

My.IT caught up with him when he was down in Kuala Lumpur to observe Malaysia’s preparation as the host for WCIT2020.

THE CHALLENGES FACING THE ICT INDUSTRY An industry grows around a particular need to service the society. For example, breakthroughs in the field of medicine are often led by the need to find a cure for a disease. In this sense the Internet is unique because nobody asked for it to be created.

“The Internet and the ICT industry that came into being because of the Internet, grew on its own,” says Dr Poisant. “If you ask the inventors of the Internet if they knew the extent of the impact their invention was going to have, I believe they’d say no.

They did not expect it to be what it is today. Innovation drove the Internet and will continue to drive it in ways we cannot presently imagine.”

The ICT industry has impacted almost all aspects of the human life. Along with the many benefits, it has also brought many challenges.

“This is still a new industry and it will experience growing pains,” says Dr Poisant. The issues the industry faces today were non-existent a few years ago such as the issue of users’ information being sold or stolen via data breaches, the widespread availability of porn on the net or the existence of fake news. “When will all these challenges be solved?

Where will all this end? I don’t know, however, when they are solved, new ones will pop up. This is the nature of a new industry.”

CONNECTING THE WORLD Half the world is not connected to the Internet. In the other half, which is

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connected, various Governments are trying to restrict the people’s access to the Internet by blocking what they can see and hear.

Many in the ICT industry, including WITSA, are dedicating their lives’ work is to make sure that everyone in the world has access to the Internet and subsequently enjoy the multitude of its benefits.

Dr Poisant remains somewhat sceptical of whether we truly have the will to connect the entire world. He points to the invention of the telephone as an example of how people had expectations that everyone would be connected by telephone after its invention in 1876. “It’s been more than 140 years since the telephone was invented and the promise of the telephone revolution — of connecting everyone by telephone has not been fulfilled until recently,” he explains. “Can the Internet connect the whole world?

Is it just wishful thinking? Similarly to telephones, Internet connection requires countries to invest heavily in ICT. There are many countries that are not able to do this, especially for its citizens living in the rural areas.”

MALAYSIA NEEDS TO TRUMPET ITS ACHIEVEMENT IN ICT TO THE WORLD When Malaysia hosted the WCIT for the first time in 2008, the country got a much needed boost in terms of investments and a high profile in the ICT world. After WCIT2008, Malaysia’s reputation in the ICT world was very high says Dr Poisant.

Unfortunately, over the years, some of the buzz associated with Malaysia has somewhat faded. Dr Poisant feels that WCIT2020 is a chance for Malaysia to recapture the leadership role in the development of ICT in this part of the world.

“Malaysia is very fortunate, because its Government understands

“

MALAYSIA IS VERY LUCKY BECAUSE ITS GOVERNMENT INVESTS A LOT ON ICT INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT MALAYSIA NEEDS TO DO IS TO SHOW AND TELL THE REST OF THE WORLD HOW THEY DID IT.

the value of ICT and invests heavily in ICT infrastructure. What Malaysia needs to do is to show and tell the rest of the world how they did it. In other words, how it has successfully integrated ICT into its people’s lives, how digitalisation works in Malaysia and how it has rolled out Internet services to the rural areas,” advices Dr Poisant. “Many countries from Africa and other parts of the world want to know how you did it. Share your success stories and at the same time also talk about some of the mistakes that happened along the way so that other countries don’t repeat them.”

INTERNET AND CENSORSHIP The biggest threat to the freedom of information on the Internet is Government censorship. Media for the longest time was and still is in

”

many countries, under the tight Government control. The flow of information, especially negative information about regimes etc is being strictly controlled. The Internet changed all that. Countries are scrambling to contain the free flow of information with varying degrees of success.

China has one of the most restrictive curbs on the Internet.

Facebook, Google and Twitter are some of the apps that are not available to the net users in China.

Taking China as an example, other countries are also following suit.

Dr Poisant looks at these situations in a positive light.

“Regimes will come and go. The human spirit’s yearning for freedom of information and expression will always remain and it will find ways to get them.”

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•••••

FEATURE / WCIT

WCIT2020 COMES TO PENANG The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) will be returning to Malaysia in 2020 and Penang has been announced as the host city for this prestigious conference.

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CIT is a conference that attracts world leaders and legendary IT business people and thinkers as speakers. Past speakers have included Al Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Steve Balmer, John Chambers, Nicholas Negroponte and Colin Powell.

WCIT2020 will be held in Penang.

The announcement was made by Madam Yvonne Chiu, Chairman of the World of IT and Services Alliances (WITSA) at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur recently. The 23rd edition of the WCIT will be held from 13 to 16th September 2020 at the Setia Spice Convention and Exhibition Centre Penang.

WCIT2020 was launched by guests of honour YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communication and Multimedia and YAB Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister (CM) of Penang.

Hosted by PIKOM, the event was attended by Madam Yvonne and Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, COO of MDEC, Ganesh Kumar Bangah, chairman of PIKOM, Danny Lee, deputy chairman, CS Chin, chairman of WCIT2020 organising committee and Sean Seah, deputy chairman of WCIT2020 organising committee.

The CM of Penang YAB Chow Kon Yeow who unveiled the WCIT2020 logo, was delighted that the conference was going to be held in Penang. “To have the Olympics of conferences in the global IT industry in Penang will mean that we get to represent Malaysia on the world stage in technology. This is in line with our efforts to achieve PENANG2030 — a family-focused green and smart state,” he said.

Minister of Communication and Multimedia YB Gobind Singh, in his keynote address at the launch, said that Malaysia hosting the WCIT2020 is good for the country. “This is a timely boost to our campaign and our

commitment to promote the digital economy and ICT in Malaysia as the new driver of development,” he said.

“Hosting WCIT2020 in our country is a timely and opportune move and provides a good platform for Malaysia to showcase our achievement as well as our vision for the future... Platforms such as WCIT2020 will increase awareness of the possibilities that the Internet and

other ICTs can bring to societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide.”

WCIT2020 is organised by PIKOM, the National ICT Association of Malaysia and enabled by the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia Malaysia and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and hosted by the Penang state government.

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FEATURE / WCIT

EFFECT OF WCIT ON HOST COUNTRY Malaysia first hosted the WCIT in 2008, the first time the WCIT was held in Asia. The Kuala Lumpur WCIT2008 was highly successful as it secured total sales and investments worth RM8.3 billion with more than 20,000 jobs created. Over 800 business meetings were held over the same duration capturing over RM1.24 billion of business opportunities for the Malaysian ICT industry. Potential investments identified through these meetings were worth RM2 billion, with 10 FDI and 26 DDI with an additional 13,000 jobs potentiated.

FAQCsIT ON W

WHAT IS THE WORLD CONGRESS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (WCIT)?

The WCIT is the largest and most reputable international event among worldwide IT leaders.

Known as the Olympics of the world’s information technology industry, it is a signature event of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) since 1978.

WHAT DOES WITSA DO? WITSA is the leading recognised international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90% of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations and providing

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members with a broad network of professional contacts. WITSA hosts WCIT, the premier global industry sponsored ICT conference.

As the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members from all over the world to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information and present a united position on industry issues.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT WCIT2020?

WCIT2020 includes technology showcases and discussions of legal, political and economic trends affecting IT business processes, presentations of innovative solutions and B2B meetings.

WCIT2020 will bring together high-level officials from different countries, heads of multinational organisations, universities and scientific research centres, nongovernmental organisations’ representatives and business C-suites, business visionary leaders as well as forward thinking

organisations who wish to stay ahead of technology development.

About 4,000 people are expected to attend the conference including captains of industry, Government leaders and academics from over 80 countries and with over 160 global speakers.

WHAT IS THE THEME FOR WCIT2020?

WCIT2020 Malaysia positions itself as the gateway to Southeast Asia, CONNECTING THE WORLD — connectivity that is beyond just possibilities — limitless, borderless and continuous with the advent of new technologies that Malaysia is a vital driver for, as the hub, heart and access to Southeast Asia.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ATTEND WCIT2020 AS A DELEGATE? Early bird pricing is at USD600 or RM2,455 per delegate, available now until 31st March 2020. For package deals, please email partners@wcit2020.org.

#MYCYBERSALE / FEATURE

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#MYCYBERSALE 2019 The much anticipated #MYCYBERSALE 2019 returns this year with new features that are sure to be a hit with customers.

O

ne of PIKOM’s biggest events of the year is the annual #MYCYBERSALE which is also an event much beloved by the public. Last year’s #MYCYBERSALE2018 broke new sales record when it generated RM390 million in gross merchandise value (GMV). It beat the set target of RM380 million and achieved a 25% annual growth. The number of merchants who participated was 1,260 and export revenue increased from RM39 million in GMV in 2017 to RM51 million in 2018.

This year’s 6th edition of #MYCYBERSALE 2019 is looking towards setting more records, says Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Chairman of PIKOM. “This year, #MYCYBERSALE 2019 is targeting RM500 million in sales out of which RM80 million will be from exports,” informs Ganesh.

The number of merchants will also see an increase to 1,500.

E-WALLET Another new innovation to #MYCYBERSALE 2019 is the introduction of mini cybersales

every quarterly which will focus on e-wallet providers such as GrabPay, and Lazada Wallet, among others.

Ganesh explains the reason for the focus on e-wallet providers: “E-wallet demonstrates how even when one buys things physically from a brickand-mortar shop, the payments are digitized. The online world also enters the physical stores, so to speak.”

E-wallet will be the future as people move towards a cashless society.

The full list of the e-wallet providers who will be participating is still being worked out and will be revealed later.

O2O FAIR O2O means Online-to-Offline.

According to Wikipedia, it “is a phrase (commonly abbreviated to O2O) that is used in digital marketing to describe systems enticing consumers within a digital environment to make purchases of goods or services from physical businesses...It indicates a two-way flow between the online and the physical world, especially retail and e-Commerce, but also between brand marketing and shopper or

point-of-sale marketing efforts to influence purchase decisions.”

O2O fair will be a ‘physical fair’ where sellers will participate and customers and visit the stalls to have a look at the merchandise before buying it online. “The O2O will focus on cross border sales,” explains Ganesh. There will be Taiwan pavilions in Malaysia which will promote Taiwan products, just as there’ll be Malaysian pavilions in Taiwan where Malaysian products are highlighted.

THE RISE OF THE INFLUENCER This year’s #MYCYBERSALE 2019 will see influencers taking on an important role in marketing the products of the merchants. “Influencer marketing is a strong way of promoting one’s product, especially when promoting it via e-Commerce,” says Ganesh.

“Many e-Commerce merchants like working with influencers because they are a cost effective way of marketing,” continues Ganesh.

Influencers have many followers on social media. Their followers like to find out what are the things used by the influencers and will buy them based on the recommendations of the influencers. Influencers like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid with millions of followers on social media can make a beauty product or a fashion accessory the big thing in the fashion season by wearing them and being photographed with them.

Without a doubt, this year’s #MYCYBERSALE 2019 is set to be different from all the previous ones.

It is an online shopping extravaganza to look forward to.

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FEATURE / CRADLE SEED VENTURES (CSV)

TOWARDS A LARGER PRESENCE OF WOMEN IN THE TECH INDUSTRY Women are woefully under-represented in the tech industry globally.

In a report published in the United States in 2016 by the National Centre for Women & Information Technology’s (NCWIT) Workforce Alliance, it was stated that in the United States women held 57% of all professional occupations “yet they held only 25% of all computing occupations.”

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BM CEO Ginni Rometty once said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” In that spirit, to make successful women in the Malaysian tech industry to be seen by others, especially other women, My. IT is starting a series where it will feature Malaysian women who are making great strides in the tech industry here.

We kick off this series with Dzuleira Abu Bakar, the dynamic CEO of Cradle Seed Ventures (CSV).

CSV is a growth-stage venture capital fund and a subsidiary of Cradle Fund Malaysia. Dzuleira took on the job as the CEO three years ago. Her role is to look into high growth businesses in the technology sector across Malaysia and the region. She has always been passionate about growing startups and backing talented entrepreneurs.

With over 15 years of experience in the technology, venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) industry, Dzuleira has served both in the Government agencies as well as in the private sector.

Although she does not have a degree in IT — her background is in law and business management — she describes her career trajectory as always linked to technology

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companies and the venture capital scene. Dzuleira is also proof that one does not need a degree in IT to succeed in the technology industry.

For example, Han Mei, the cofounder and COO of Hellobike, a bike-sharing company valued at USD 1.47 billion and listed by Nikkei Asian Review as one of the five women to watch in Asian tech in 2018, has a degree in Business Administration.

Dzuleira’s first job as Legal and Business Development Director was with the Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd (ATSB), a governmentbacked entity in satellite technology responsible for launching Malaysia’s remote sensing satellite as well as the RazakSAT launched by Space-X where she assisted in the launch manifest. ATSB was also where her passion for the tech industry sparked.

At ATSB she was inspired by Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman, Malaysia’s first astrophysicist, who was leading the National Space Agency at that time. “I was awestruck by her as she was almost always the only woman on the table,” says Dzuleira. “Datuk Dr Mazlan showed me how a woman can thrive in a male-dominated industry. She proved that nothing was off-limits for a woman; that there was no such thing as an industry

where a woman cannot succeed if she puts her mind to it.”

ON HER LOVE FOR BUILDING BUSINESSES: “I grew up in a family that had run multiple businesses and I was always exposed to this environment. Maybe if I had decided not to continue working in the corporate sector, I would have started my own business. But thankfully, my career path has always taken me to jobs where I build other people’s businesses.

Being part of a company’s growth from RM100,000 in revenue a year to RM1 million within one to two years is an amazing feeling! To top that, I get to meet many interesting people with fantastic ideas. I love being a part and being an enabler of the fast changing world of technology.”

ON PICKING THE RIGHT BUSINESS TO INVEST “There are a number of things that we look at like the type and quality of the business, how has it been executed so far, do the founders have a comprehensive plan for the future of the business… We look at the founders — their passion for the business, their drive, experience and track record etc.

It need not be a novel model; it

“

RIGHT NOW MORE THAN 80% OF THE INDUSTRY IS DOMINATED BY MEN. WE NEED TO HAVE DIVERSITY, IT BREEDS CREATIVITY AND HARMONY. WOMEN ARE CREATIVE, THEY BRING A LOT OF EMPATHY, THEY THINK DIFFERENTLY, ETC. WOMEN’S VOICE NEEDS TO BE GIVEN EMPHASIS AND IMPORTANCE IN THIS INDUSTRY.

”

- Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO of Cradle Seed Ventures (CSV)

can be one that is being replicated.

But what’s important is that it must have at least generated enough interest and has a clear demand, i.e. market. Contextualizing and localizing a business to its market that it’s addressing is also a key factor. Most common and wellknown example is, Grab. Certainly not a new idea but executed so well. It has managed to kick out its competition Uber, which pioneered the ride sharing business model, out of this region!

I love businesses that empower other businesses. Like software/ solutions that empower SMEs to increase productivity, allowing efficient use of data and so on and so forth. Basically solutions that help businesses grow by leaps and bound.”

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FEATURE / CRADLE SEED VENTURES (CSV)

that we want. But I’m sure this will change, especially with the millennial generation as they are the ones who have grown up with computers. I am confident in the next five years we will see more women emerge in the tech industry.”

ON WHY THE IT INDUSTRY NEEDS WOMEN

ON THE LACK OF WOMEN IN THE IT INDUSTRY “One of the best performing companies in my portfolio has a woman as its tech leader and she is one of the best that I have come across. Absolutely brilliant! We have many talented women in the tech industry. However, that number is not enough.

We have moved ahead from a society that didn’t have women in the workforce to one where 54% of Malaysian women are working. In the past women traditionally saw themselves in sectors like nursing, teaching, HR industry, non-profit, communication industry etc. In the last 10 years women have moved into the IT industry, but perhaps not in the speed and numbers

“There are a lot of gaps in this industry that women can fill.

Complementing perspectives between both genders provide a well rounded, well thought out decision making of any aspect. Right now more than 80% of the industry is dominated by men. We need to have diversity, it breeds creativity and harmony. Women are creative, they bring a lot of empathy, they think differently etc. Women’s voice needs to be given emphasis and importance in this industry”

ON INCREASING THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN IT “Both women and men who have made it in this industry need to go out and identify talented women and hire them. It is not just about having the right academic qualification, but also an increased awareness of the need to hire more women and what that could mean to the IT industry as a whole.”

ADVICE FOR WOMEN WHO WANT TO GET INTO THE IT INDUSTRY “It all starts from having an interest.

If you want something bad enough, equip yourself with knowledge and seek people who can help you.

I strongly recommend finding a mentor to help you.

If you’re already in this field, you need perseverance and dedication to succeed. This is a very challenging industry because it is so fast changing. Chances are you can’t find another female in the company or industry to look up to because you’re probably the first to hold that position. You need to rise up and take every challenge that you meet.

Don’t lose sight of your ambition.

One last thing: I think the mantra that women can have it all is – stretched. Juggling family, husband, kids and all that comes with it and at the same time trying to excel at career is a huge challenge. It requires a solid support system to make it all work.

If you want to thrive in your career while being married, you will need to marry someone who will support you. So make sure you discuss these things with him beforehand.

It needs to be a well thought out partnership more than anything else. I’ve been lucky and I chose well I guess!”

WOMEN IN THE TECH INDUSTRY IN ASIA Nikkei Asian Review (NAR) in its cover story Women to watch in Asian tech (August 8th 2018) quotes Pocket Sun, co-founder of SoGal, a U.S.-based venture capital firm that invests in women-led startups, as saying that despite obstacles faced

by Asian women in the tech industry in countries like South Korea and Japan, “women in Asia have new opportunities to start businesses on their own terms, thanks in large part

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to the opportunities created by the web.”

China has beaten the United States as a leader in promoting women in tech. “Nearly two-thirds of start-ups in China have women in the executive suite while 57% of their U.S counterparts have no women in top roles, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2018 Startup Outlook Survey,” said NAR in its report. Chinese tech icon Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba

advised companies to “hire as many women as possible,” at a technology conference in 2017.

“Today’s women entrepreneurs tend to create businesses that are an extension of their selfexpression, which really adds color to the business world,” said Sun. “There will be more successful women entrepreneurs across Asia and in the world. It’s a great time in history to be a woman.”

HITACHI SUNWAY / FEATURE

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MALAYSIA’S FIRST DIGITAL MANUFACTURING CENTRE To align with Malaysia’s direction towards Industry 4.0.

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he German-Malaysian Institute (GMI), a leading technology training centre in advanced skills training in Malaysia and Hitachi Sunway Information Systems Sdn Bhd, one of the leading ICT Services Integrator in ASEAN that specialises in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), managing and supporting IT infrastructures, Cloud-enabling IT platforms, data centres and cybsersecurity have come together to launch the country’s first Digital Manufacturing Center (henceforth referred to as the Center) at GMI. The state-of-the-art GMI Center boasts the latest in equipment in Industry 4.0 for manufacturing. It includes the PLM digital solution for the manufacturing industry, which includes a combination of CAD (Computer Aided Design), CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) as well as CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) solutions.

The Center will play a vital role in enabling GMI students to go

through a ‘digital-based’ training of each manufacturing process, before proceeding to the workshop for actual machining or production operation. This is an optimal training methodology for Industry 4.0 where all manufacturing process is digitally twinned within the Center where CAD is utilized to digitally twin design works, CAM digitally twins machining operation and CAE digitally twins prototyping test works.

The Center is also expandable to the next level of Industry 4.0 by integrating with PDM (Product Data Management) or even elevating to MOM (Manufacturing Operation Management). This is where other globally-practiced process optimization elements such as engineering data synchronization (Teamcenter), plant simulation (Tecnomatix), OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), MES (Manufacturing Execution System), are leveraged to further strengthen the Center’s digital manufacturing efficiency.

GMI’s Digital Manufacturing

Center is currently powered by the Siemens PLM digital solution consisting of NX CAD, NX CAM, Simcenter 3D (NX CAE); as well as one of the most powerful mould flow and injection moulding machine simulation solution (Moldex 3D) donated

by CoreTech System Co. Ltd. Following the donation, an MoU has also been signed between GMI, Hitachi Sunway and CoreTech System Co. Ltd. in deepening the collaboration with Moldex 3D solution as one of the training modules in mould industry for student and industrial training.

In conjunction with the launching of the Malaysia National Policy on Industry 4.0 (known as Industry4WRD), on 31st October 2018 at the MITI Tower by YAB Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, GMI’s Center would help in TVET training aligning the country’s direction towards Industry 4.0, with the support from industrial partner such as Hitachi Sunway, Siemens PLM & CoreTech System.

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FEATURE / PROGENET

HELPING BUSINESSES WITH CLOUD SERVICES SOLUTION Progenet Innovations Sdn Bhd has, within 11 years, made a name for itself as the go to company that provides a comprehensive range of cloud services.

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or a relatively young company, Progenet has created a record: it has become the first cloud data centre in Malaysia with the opening of the Progenet Data Center.

The state-of-the-art Progenet Data Center is carrier neutral and can offer high performance, scalable data center solutions, customised to fit customer requirements with net usable space of 7,000sqft per floor.

“We invested RM25 million into building this Data Center which provides a minimum of N+1 configuration and concurrent maintainability for both critical power and cooling systems which is similar to international Tier 3 standards,” adds Reuben.

The Data Center will be able to support multiple clusters of high end and hi-tech data centre facilities. The facility is designed with a high end infrastructure to support the critical data centre operations in the event of any emergencies, informs Rueben.

The Data Center, which contains highly sensitive and critical information, is very well guarded by a tight security system which boasts of zero tolerance for security breaches with such features as a single point of entry, 24/7 security facilities with controlled access and surveillance security cameras as well as perimeter hardened wall structure.

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“

WE ARE ONE OF THE VERY FEW COMPANIES IN MALAYSIA THAT OWNS A DATA CENTRE AND PROVIDES CLOUD SERVICES SOLUTION.

”

- Reuben Gerard Paul, Managing Director of Progenet Innovations Sdn Bhd.

KEY INFRASTRUCTURE FEATURES OF THE DATA CENTER The Data Center is equipped with enterprise grade such as: • Vertiv UPS with Hot swappable Modular Architecture.

• Vertiv SPM Power Distribution Unit with breakers and Branch Circuit Monitoring for each individual rack.

• Vertiv In Row Precision Cooling unit with Green Technology features.

• Vertiv Containment system to optimize energy consumption by separating hot & cold aisle.

• Comprehensive Fire Protection system with a combination of Very Early Smoke Detection System and

Active Fire Gas System IG 541 which has zero greenhouse effect.

• Leader in DCIM Magic Quadrant, Nlyte Data Center Infrastructure Manager (DCIM) is utilised in the Progenet Data Center.

• Suprema, a Global Leader in Biometrics and Security Technology, are installed at critical points in the Data Center.

• Uses LS Simple Data Cabling System, 2 dedicated pathways for redundancy are connected to every Rack.

• Comprehensive Electrical System with multiple paths and switchover, allowing for concurrent maintainability.

The Major Benefits For Companies To Adopt Cloud Services Are:

• Instantly Provisioned: Virtual

servers and infrastructure can be provisioned within a short time frame, thus saving time for other business needs and users can get started right away.

• Reduced Costs: Rent rather than own decreases upfront costing, offers greater financial flexibility and reduces risks connected to huge investments.

Costs of licenses are also reduced due to rental basis and no maintenance costs will be involved so there will be no updates required for cloud services as service providers such as Progenet will keep the cloud services updated.

• Scalability: Cloud environment is highly scalable, meaning that it is easy to add resources on demand basis, within a short timeline.

• Certified PCI-DSS data center with upcoming ISO 27001 & Tier III ANSI/ TIA-942 certification.

It is features like these which make the Progenet Data Center one of the best data centres in the region.

PROGENET CLOUD More and more companies, whether SMEs or large enterprises will turn to cloud services to run their businesses. But this means extra costs for these companies as they have to invest in building the necessary infrastructure,

hiring skilled IT staff to manage IT operations.

“This is where Progenet comes in. Progenet Cloud Services is our core business to help organisations ease the business operations of their services. When these companies engage us for our managed cloud services, we help reduce their cost and provide them with the ease of mind to concentrate on their business,” says Reuben.

Even top MNCs are increasingly turning to companies like Progenet to manage their cloud services. “We have the skill set and the expertise

to manage the cloud services and whatever problems that might arise,” he adds.

Hosted in its own Data Center, Progenet Cloud offers different flavours of hypervisor virtualization, such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V and Nutanix AHV. Progenet Cloud Services offers these services for both dedicated and shared offerings: • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) • Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) • Backup as a Service (BaaS) • Disaster Recovery Facilities • Storage as a Service (STaaS) • Consultancy • Managed Services • Maintenance and Support • Cloud Migration For more information, call Progenet at +603 7805 7725 or visit its website www.progenet.com.my

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FEATURE / CALMS

PROVIDING SMART ID SOLUTIONS CALMS Technologies is a smart card and ID solution provider whose technology and solution makes it possible for people to live in a smarter and more secure environment.

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ou see something that you like and you buy it. Instead of paying for it in cash, you flash a card and the cost is automatically deducted from your banking account. Others are now paying for their food or items by flashing their mobile phones thanks to mobile payment solutions that are now mushrooming across the country.

All this is possible thanks to Smart ID solutions which have now become an integral part of our life. Smart ID solutions are not confined to cashless payments. Every time you flash a card to enter a building or your gated community or condominium, you’re using a Smart ID solution.

Almost every industry, be it

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education, security, manufacturing, corporate, transportation, property, banking, SMEs, aviation or Government is using Smart ID or other ID solution. And the use of this technology will only grow in near future.

One of the leading companies that provides cost effective and leading-edge Smart ID solutions is CALMS Technologies Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian incorporated company that was established in 2002.

The company’s mission is to simplify Smart ID implementation to help save cost, time and to enjoy a peace of mind. CALMS Technologies vision is to be the market leader for SMART ID solutions

in the ASEAN region. With more than 17 years of experience, the company has grown to provide a dynamic range of integrated solutions to more than 600 organizations from various industries and sectors across ASEAN countries.

Over the years CALMS Technologies has carved a sterling reputation as a leading SMART ID solution in the market by valuing its customers with various innovative solutions to suit various industries in smart environment transformation.

The company’s customers would be able to adopt its solutions based on their requirements with the benefits of hardware-independent model.

CALMS Technologies has made a name for itself in the region with a presence in eight ASEAN countries.

It has also made a name for itself in the Middle East (UAE and Bahrain) and Tanzania in Africa.

To align with its vision and mission, CALMS Technologies is devoted to delivering value and its revolutionizing technology so that it will improve how people live and interact with today’s world.

When a customer chooses Smart ID solutions from CALMS Technologies, they are also choosing a peace of mind.

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