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 Joseph Giam, Alex Liew & Chan Yue Mun
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Come join us for a transformative experience for your company! For more information please contact: Chin Chee Seong, Chief Executive Officer, cschin@seatech-ventures.com / Sean Seah Kok Wah, Chief Investment Officer, seanseah@seatech-ventures.com 11-05 & 11-06, Tower A, Ave 3 Vertical Business Suite, Jalan Kerinchi Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 603-2242 1288
my CONTENTS
Vol 1 No. 1
COVER STORY A Winning Partnership Forming a business partnership that is solid and creating a work culture that among other things, places emphasis on ethics and integrity, are among the reasons for the success of Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd.
Cover Joseph Giam, Alex Liew & Chan Yue Mun Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd Photography Song@PictureThis Studio
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Malaysia to Host WCIT in 2020
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Alibaba Group Business School: Global E-commerce Talent Network
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iPay88 Launches Academy to Boost Digital Economy
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HeiTech Managed Services: Transforming Malaysia’s ICT Infrastructure
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eGHL Grows Stronger
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Hitachi Sunway’s Business to Align with IoT Trend
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Calendar of Events & PIKOM in the News
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BETA KL, Serving Malaysian Cuisine with a Twist
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PIKOM’s New Members from Dec 2017 to July 2018
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Businesses Lift Off with SYCARDA
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COVER STORY
A WINNING PARTNERSHIP Forming a business partnership that is solid and creating a work culture that among other things, places emphasis on ethics and integrity, are among the reasons for the success of Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd.
• By Sharmila Valli Narayanan • Photos By Song@PictureThis Studio
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ou cannot judge a book by its cover, but in many cases you can judge a company by its office. Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd, a well-known distributor of IT infrastructure products and services, stands out among the rows of other offices in the Plaza Kelana Jaya, thanks to its hard-to-miss signage. Once you step into the three storey office, bright, cheerful colours and stylishly designed interiors gives one a sense that this is a fun place to work and a company that likes to make the working environment as pleasant as possible for its workers. The three partners behind the company — Alex Liew, Joseph Giam and Chan Yue Mun — consider the staff to be the greatest asset to the company. “We treat our more than 200 staff well by offering attractive salaries, bonuses, incentives and organise interesting activities for them, among others. Most of our employees stay with us for five years or more which is fantastic, especially at this time when most of our workforce is millennial who job hop every two three years,” says Chan who is the Group Finance Director.
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Glocomp was started by Liew and Giam in 1997 when they were both university students. All three men came from a background where entrepreneurial skills were cultivated in them while they were still very young. Chan joined the duo a few years later. “We all came from families where money did not come easily. It had to be earned,” says Giam. The company started when two 20 year olds, Liew and Giam, decided to cash in on the IT boom of the late 90s by starting a company assembling PCs and selling them to university students from their home. There were many stumbling blocks awaiting them along the way, chief among them was capital. “As we did not come from a wealthy family, our capital was from our own savings which did not even reach five figures,” recalls Liew. “The cost of acquiring the parts exceeded the capital!” Despite such setbacks, the young men persisted. By 2000, they registered their company as a Sdn Bhd and were operating out of a small shop in an old shopping complex. Initially they did well, but within two to three years with PCs getting cheaper, there was a big drop in their margins. They realised they could
not sustain themselves selling PCs to university students. They had to have bigger orders which meant they had to sell to companies. Thanks to their persuasive communicative skills they managed to make the sale. “We hid the fact that we were still students because nobody would buy from us if they knew!” recalls Liew. It was a hectic time says Giam and he looks back in wonder on how they managed to survive. They were still students at the university and were expected to graduate. They were also running a business and working part time to sustain themselves! A turning point in the business was when they managed to rope in Chan into the company to look into their finances. Chan, who has financial background, knew of Giam and Liew from his brother who ran a small shop next to Giam and Liew. Chan’s brother admired the entrepreneurial qualities and work ethics of the duo. The big break came when they got an order for nearly RM300, 000. Chan managed to get the credit needed from banks for them to fulfil the order. The rest as they say, is history.
The company places great emphasis on ethics and integrity as these were the two qualities that saw through Glocomp during its toughest years. When they first started the company, Liew and Giam had no experience and no contacts in the industry. Their trump card was their strong business ethics and integrity. “We never over promised clients and our word was our bond. We delivered all that we promised,” explains Liew. “When we ran into obstacles (and there were many) we were truthful to the clients about the delays and gave them solutions.” The company
gained a reputation for its prompt delivery. These qualities carried them through, their reputation spread and they became known as the preferred vendor. This gained them more customers. In 2005 they made another momentous business decision: the company decided to move into distribution and it has never looked back. What differentiated Glocomp from other distributors was it offered further value added services to its clients by offering end-to-end services. While most distributors were merely traders, Glocomp
provides other services such as presales consultancy services, post sales implementation and maintenance support service. Glocomp is proud that it has contributed to the growth of the ICT industry in Malaysia in terms of talent. Over the years, the company has developed hundreds of talents for the local ICT industry. “We have developed many highly skilled workers whose contributions have been recognised by our principals,” reveals Liew. “Our employees are always head-hunted by other companies and in a way we are
••••• ••••• COVER STORY COVER STORY
“We never over promised clients and our word was our bond. We delivered all that we promised.”
Alex Liew
“We want to make the breakthrough by bringing Malaysian developed IT products to the region and eventually to the world.”
Joseph Giam
Chan Yue Mun
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“A company like ours hires people during the good times and the bad because we always need good people.”
proud of that because it reflects the kind of training that they get in our company which is highly prized in the industry. So, we are definitely doing something right!” One of the reasons why the staff movement in the ICT industry is quite common is because there is a shortage of talent in the local ICT industry, says Liew. This is especially evident in the cybersecurity field, he adds. Even if Malaysia has good talents, it is unable to retain them because they move to other countries for higher wages. “Our company has lost many good talents to Singapore. Because of the country’s strong currency, the salary it offers is very attractive,” says Liew. Another reason Singapore is able to offer attractive remuneration is because most of the well-known international ICT companies have their hubs in Singapore. “The Malaysian government must offer incentives to foreign companies to move their hub here. We’re happy that the government is really refocusing its attention on making Cyberjaya an attractive destination for ICT companies to relocate their hub. The government should maintain the tax free incentive given to ICT companies that move their hub here,” says Chan. Malaysia, he says, is facing a lack of talent in the ICT industry and this is a serious issue that has to be addressed. A country cannot
be a centre for innovation in the ICT industry if it does not have the right talent. “A company like ours hires people during the good times and the bad because we always need good people. There are many highly skilled Malaysians in the ICT industry, unfortunately they are all working overseas. I hope the Government can do more to attract these Malaysians to come back home.” Last year Glocomp celebrated its 20th anniversary and the successful partnership between the three men. All three have remained close to each other and have weathered the good times and the bad. The secret to a successful partnership is trust they say. Other qualities can be learned, but trust must come first. The partners must understand each other’s strengths and weakness and be able to give and take when necessary. Open and honest communication between partners is also important, they add. Having made a name for itself as the premier value added IT infrastructure distributor locally, Glocomp is looking to expand regionally. “We want to be the leading ICT company in the region. And we want to make the breakthrough by bringing Malaysian developed IT products to the region and eventually to the world,” says Giam. With ethics and integrity as its backbone, there is no doubt that Glocomp will succeed.
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FEATURE / WCIT
MALAYSIA
TO HOST
WCIT IN
2020
Efforts are already underway for the launch of a successful world-class event featuring talks, presentations of innovative solutions and networking sessions.
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alaysia is set to host the 24th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in 2020, an effort jointly hosted by the National ICT Association of Malaysia, or PIKOM, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. The annual event gathers highlevel officials from different countries, heads of multinational organisation, universities and scientific research centres, non-governmental organisations’ representatives and many more. Malaysia had hosted WCIT in 2008. PIKOM Chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah said the association has already started ramping up the preparations for this world-class event.
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“Over the next months we will be announcing the collaborative partners for WCIT, as well as the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer,” said Ganesh. Delegates can look forward to discussions on legal, political and economic trends affecting IT business processes, presentations of innovative solutions and B2B meetings. This year’s meeting, held at Hyderabad in February, served as a forum for networking and forging alliances. It saw over 1,800 participants from over 30 countries. For WCIT 2020, PIKOM is expecting about 2,000-2,500 delegates from more than 80 countries to attend the event in Kuala Lumpur. In a recent news article Ganesh attested to Malaysia’s vibrant digital economy scene. The country has a talented pool of entrepreneurs and is a tech-savvy society. “Malaysia has the right ingredients
to take the lead in Southeast Asia’s digital economy,” he said. The country has one of the highest Internet penetrations in Southeast Asia at 85.7% and mobile penetration at almost 140%. The ICT industry, meanwhile, is one of the fastest growing industries in Malaysia. “We are at the right stage. We are not too small like Singapore nor too diverse like Indonesia.” This, he said, was advantageous to the country, making it a “good petri dish for launching apps and finding product market fits, and helping local
businesses to grow internationally”. The huge millennial market is another contributing factor to the lively digital landscape in Malaysia. They prefer to use gadgets, apps and online resources for their daily needs, spurring the emergence of start-ups and niche apps. The WCIT has been held since 1978. Previous hosting countries were Canada, the Netherlands, the US, Greece, Australia, China, Spain, Japan, England, France, Denmark, Mexico and Brazil. Next year, WCIT travels to Yerevan, Armenia.
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FEATURE / E-COMMERCE
GLOBAL E-COMMERCE TALENT NETWORK Alibaba Group Business School initiates Network with universities and training institutions from Malaysia and around the world to educate and equip individuals with the skills for e-commerce success in the digital economy.
T
he Global E-Commerce Talent (GET) Network builds on Alibaba’s GET program to offer a full education ecosystem to network members. Malaysia is one of the founding members and makes up the largest number of educational institutions from a single country which includes the Ministry of Education Malaysia, MDEC and 18 public and private universities, colleges and training agencies within the network. Alibaba Business School, a university set up by the Alibaba Group and Hangzhou Normal University of China in 2008, has
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BY EMPOWERING EDUCATORS AROUND THE WORLD, WE HAVE CREATED A PLATFORM FOR YOUTH AND SMES TO UNDERSTAND AND LEARN HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS DYNAMIC INDUSTRY. 8
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nurtured millions of e-commerce practitioners and entrepreneurs in China and overseas. In driving the initiative, the School gathered renowned universities and training institutes from across the region to jointly establish the network which will develop high-quality courses, grow teaching platforms and train teachers to empower their educational institutions to participate in the construction of the future digital economy. While the network is initially made up of institutions who have already taken part in the GET program, plans are in place to bring further members on board from across ASEAN and beyond. The GET Program has benefitted 65 education partners and trained more than 260 lecturers, 1,600 SMEs and about 7,000 students. The beneficiaries are from Australia, China, India, Israel, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey. The strongest demand is from Malaysia and Thailand where apart from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Burapha University (BUU), other leading universities such as INTI International University, Universiti Teknologi MARA, and University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce are also among founding members of the network. This initiative was formalised recently at a ceremony witnessed by Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Brian Wong, Vice President of Alibaba Group representing
Alibaba Business School, Abdul Aziz How Abdullah, Counsellor, Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing, Yang Jun, Counsellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC, Shen Yiqin, Governor of Guizhou Province, Dr. Sophon Napathorn, Deputy Minister for Education, Thailand, representatives from participating universities as well as other dignitaries. The founding members of the network also signed an Article of Authorisation. Brian Wong said that Alibaba is committed to addressing the shortage of e-commerce talent in important markets. “By empowering educators around the world, we have created a platform for youth and SMEs to understand and learn how to succeed in this dynamic industry.” Professor Dr. Choong Chee Keong, Vice President of UTAR, a founding member of the GET Network, stated that as the first GET member in Asia, it has helped the university enhance its offering to ensure students receive relevant, up-to-date courses and learnings for e-commerce and digital business success. “Given how dynamic the industry is and how quickly demands for new skills are emerging, this will be an ongoing process – particularly as Malaysia’s Digital Free Trade Zone continues to grow in importance. The GET Network will bind us even more closely together with Alibaba Group and other forward-looking partners who understand the new e-commerce context.”
THE GET PROGRAMME Conducted by experts from Alibaba Business School and industry practitioners, the GET Program includes up to date theoretical and practical training for local education professionals on ecommerce ecosystem, operation and entrepreneurship, while offering a holistic view on the global e-commerce system and the digitization of national economies. Certified trainers then use the resources and knowledge acquired to integrate their learnings into e-commerce courses available at their respective institutions.
Network members will have access to:
• Advice and assistance in setting up a GET Startup System Incubator
• GET Online Learning Platforms (including course materials and multimedia learning assets) and Simulation Platforms • GET’s online community of experts • Online and offline teacher training • A chance to visit Alibaba’s headquarters
Brian Wong, Vice President of Alibaba Group (6th from left), at the signing ceremony of Global E-commerce Talent Network with founding members. From right are: Dr Charoen Chinwanit, Vice President of BUU (Thailand), Dr Pantitra Putamanonda, Executive Assistant to the President of UTCC (Thailand), Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Vice President of UTAR (Malaysia, 4th from right), Dr. Joseph Lee, Vice-Chancellor of INTI (Malaysia) and Dr. Haryani Haron, Associate Professor of UTiM (Malaysia, 4th from left).
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FEATURE / E-COMMERCE
IPAY88 LAUNCHES ACADEMY TO BOOST DIGITAL ECONOMY Academy’s free beginner to advance courses are aimed at helping the public gain e-commerce knowledge and skills.
Group photo of Strategic and Industrial partners at the launch of iPay88 Academy.
F
ounder and Executive Director of iPay88, Chan Kok Long said the Academy is set up to directly support the most fundamental objective of the National Strategic e-Commerce Roadmap – to accelerate seller adoption of e-Commerce in the country. “The tipping point for e-commerce to move to the next level of adoption in this country relies heavily on individuals and businesses going online. The iPay88 Academy is carefully structured to be a one-stop resource centre to guide individuals or SMEs to adopt e-commerce smoothly and speedily.” The target group, he said, is anyone who wishes to start any online business. “There are many willing merchants and sellers; however, they are struggling to embrace the digital economy, due to various factors. Therefore, our instructor-led Academy programmes are carefully planned out to share the tricks of going online quickly while avoiding the common pitfalls (of failure),” stated Chan.
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The Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) are strategic partners of the iPay88 Academy. “We also working with various e-commerce experts such as SiteGiant, EasyStore and Webshaper; Logistics providers such as EasyParcel, TresGo and Aramex; and Dropshipping Provider such as Kumoten to deliver the course,” added Chan. iPay88 Academy offers a systematic series with three level of courses – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced – that anyone can sign up for free, to gain knowledge and skills in e-Commerce operations. The iPay88 Academy offers a Learning Programme and a Training Programme. Learning Programme assists companies, SMEs and individuals to learn how to launch and generate traffic for their online business while the Training Programme targets to improve the product knowledge of employees, merchants and re-sellers as a means to add value to iPay88’s services.
Chan Kok Long, Founder and Executive Director of iPay88.
The Academy had run a pilot course successfully recently with 56 participants. It has lined-up 5 courses under e-Commerce series this year and will add more courses next year. The first official course will commence on 19th September 2018.
UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATION Chan stated that iPay88 will work with selected local universities to incorporate the syllabus of iPay88 Academy into the coursework of the academic institutions. This is to help address the long-standing issue of universities producing graduates who lack practical skills related to online businesses. “Many students merely graduate with theoretical knowledge when they pursue their diploma or degree in e-commerce-related courses. “We providing such certification, the local academic market will be able to supply more comprehensive, e-commerce-enabled graduates who can set up online businesses from scratch – planning a business to creating the business and ultimately growing the business,” said Chan.
FEATURE
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TRANSFORMING MALAYSIA’S ICT INFRASTRUCTURE HeiTech Managed Services banks on people, technology and process for world-class ICT solutions.
I
n 2008 HeiTech Group recognised the need for a proficient disaster recovery program for organisations, one that would eliminate downtime and assist companies to get back on track after a disaster with zerointerruption. It created HeiTech Managed Services Sdn Bhd (HMS). Today HMS is an ISO9001 (QMS), ISO27001 (ISMS), ISO20000 (ITSM), ISO22301 (BCMS) and PCI-DSS certified company. It spearheads a brand of comprehensive ICT infrastructure solutions and services, namely managed data centre services, managed network services, cloud computing services, managed security services, financial services ancillary products, ICT maintenance and deployment, project management consultancy services and digital transformation solutions. The company’s ICT framework stands tall with the support of three pillars – people, technology and process. According to Abdul Halim Md Lassim, CEO of
HMS, people are its greatest assets. As such, the company invests in regular training sessions in technical and non-technical domains to create a workforce that is relevant to the organisation. Where technology is concerned HMS offers configurable and revenue generating solutions. The company’s data centre facility is structured on two standards, namely a premiumclass data centre and a minimum standard low-cost, no-frills data centre. Harris Ismail, Group CEO of HeiTech Padu Bhd, said the premier data centre facility adopts the Uptime Institute Tier IV and TIA-942 Rank 4 parameters, and is gazetted as a ‘Restrictive Place’ and ‘Restrictive Area’ by Malaysia’s National Security Council. It is also certified by PCI-DSS. “Our secondary data centre
facility adopts the Uptime Institute Tier II parameters, which offers basic services and is more affordable. It caters mainly for the SME sectors. Its process includes a brand of comprehensive infrastructure solutions and services designed to sync with various ISO standards. With these three pillars in place it comes as no surprise that HeiTech Padu Bhd bagged the Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Excellence Awards 2018 for IT Infrastructure Services Competitive Strategy, Innovation and Leadership award in June. The recognition is a remarkable achievement for HeiTech Padu as this is its third win of the Frost & Sullivan Malaysia award. In 2007, HeiTech Padu bagged the Most Promising Service Provider of the Year award and in 2015 for the Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Managed Service Provider of the Year award. In Malaysia, the company’s focus industries are in defence, financial, healthcare, security, transport and education. Most notably, it has played a crucial role in the modernisation of the country’s public services, it has successfully created the first in the region fighter jet simulator center, has developed a more efficient hospital information management system and has implemented latest core banking system. Besides ASEAN countries, HeiTech Group also operates in Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Sri Lanka, Ghana, China and the UK.
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•••••
FEATURE
The company embraces diversity and plants its vision & culture across the team.
GROWS STRONGER eGHL has raised their bar by focusing on user experience and helped many businesses soar.
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n 2013, eGHL was set up to explore the opportunities and to overcome the boundaries that exist in the payment space. With innovation in mind, it set out to develop a frictionless and seamless payment ecosystem capable of meeting the rapidly evolving needs of today’s global businesses. Today, they enable businesses to accept payment methods across the Southeast Asia region, offering both online and offline payment versatility. All this being done on just one single platform. eGHL is continuously dedicated and passionate in innovation and simplifying payments through its latest technology, industry knowhow and experience. In early 2000, the company started as a business department under GHL Systems Bhd. Among their early merchants were AirAsia, Maxis, JPJ & Firefly. Quite an impressive portfolio with a small department that has only dedicated sales force, the company had only one product and only focused on several corporate companies. Today, their portfolio includes
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airlines, cinema chain, government agencies, SMEs and startups. Vision is to deliver a seamless payment experience for online businesses and online customers. Whoever intends to sell online and wants to collect payment online are welcome to get on board. eGHL currently operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. “As the intermediary that stands between the banks and the merchants, eGHL’s only intention is to offer as many possible payment options for internet businesses,” says Kean Kang, Group Head of eGHL. In an effort to bring more merchants into the digital fold, eGHL has become a catalyst to advance online payments platforms for nonPCI compliant merchants and allows them to host their own payment page through its feature called Optimize by eGH. The transactions are still processed through the PCI environment. In fact, eGHL is one of the few in the market to release this and it has been a game changer. eGHL’s payment solutions are optimised for all devices, be
it mobiles, tablets, desktops or laptops. Businesses can set up recurring payment plans and instalments as well as other features that they can select and customise payment setup according to their operational procedures. eGHL also offers e-mail payment link option where merchants can disburse automated invoices simultaneously to a group of customers and collect multiple payments. The company can process up to 48 currencies, completing the last puzzle for internet businesses to sell across borders. eGHL key principle is user experience (UX). Closing the obvious gap in this market, they focus on service level and the processes of external and internal parties. “In the next 24 months we will build our own R&D centre that will not only focus on enhancements but also the development of new tools and technology,” says Kean Kang. “With the mass inflow of foreign investors into the ASEAN region, we aim to become the ASEAN payment processor – One API, all ASEAN payments channels.”
FEATURE
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HITACHI SUNWAY’S BUSINESS TO ALIGN WITH IoT TREND Hitachi Sunway aims to be IoT-related by 2019; transforms to be an ‘IoT Solution Aggregator’ for Malaysian industries.
H
itachi Sunway Information Systems Sdn Bhd will be aligning its entire business operations to the Internet of Things (IoT) trend which is making inroads in Malaysia. As a leading IT Services Integrator in ASEAN, Hitachi Sunway’s Group CEO and Director Cheah Kok Hoong, said the company has adopted a
strategic business direction towards delivering IoT-related projects as IoT has been identified to generate the biggest IT demands by Malaysian companies over the foreseeable future. “In Malaysia, we see that the IoT trend is strongly influencing the IT demands of conglomerates. Traditionally we were a ‘Service Integrator’, but we are now morphing according to the IoT trends to become an ‘IoT solutions aggregator’. To do this, Hitachi Sunway is strengthening its ecosystem of cohesive ‘partnerships’ to meet our clients’ on-going and new IoT projects and plans.” Cheah said that the company’s main role is to bring together the best technologies available in the market, customised hybrid
Current IoT Projects in Malaysian Conglomerates At the recently-held Hitachi Sunway CXO Round Table themed, The Internet of Things (IoT): Turning Vision into Reality, five prominent Malaysian conglomerates discussed the on-going and planned IoT projects spanning across local automobile, building materials, entertainment and hospitality, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, plantations and property development sectors. “IoT means different things to different businesses. Therefore, the only way to be an effective IT partner is to listen on our clients’ IoT plans, and then retrofit the best available technologies to achieve those IoT projects,” stated Cheah. From the discussion, Hitachi Sunway identified key guidelines to deliver IoT-ready solutions and services required by enterprise clients: Ecosystem of IT Partners IoT projects cannot rely on single technology brands but need an ‘ecosystem of IT partners’ for delivery and support. Subject Matter Expertise IoT requirements are highly dictated by specific industries, hence subject matter
• •
solutions and systems for its clients that operate in a diversity of vertical industries. “IoT overlaps a great deal of both OT (Operational Technology) and IT (Information Technology); so, we will leverage Hitachi’s long and extensive experience in both these areas to deliver IoT solutions to our local enterprise customers. Additionally, we focus on bringing together an ecosystem of ICT solutions (from various technology vendors) and building subject-matter expertise so that we can support Malaysian enterprise and SMEs in their IoT journey.” He explained that Hitachi Sunway will establish a form of multipartnership IT platform consisting various IoT solutions providers, and act as a consortium of IT expertise to deliver the various IoT projects for Malaysian enterprises.
expertise becomes a much more valued resource than pure IT technologies. Collaborative Creations IoT adoption by Malaysian companies mainly focuses on reducing operational cost, improving resource/ energy management, and customer experience. But future IoT adoption will be to facilitate collaborative creations for new business models, leveraging existing infrastructure. Connectivity IoT adoption involves the working together of Big Data/Analytics, Mobility and Cloud. However, all of these still hinge on the availability of reliable and good Connectivity, that is, 5G networks are expected to fulfil this. People & Process IoT adoption will see more focus on ‘People and Processes’ – a factor considered more crucial than the procurement of technology. IoT Standards IoT interoperability standards need to be clearer – it is critical to avoid ‘fragmentation frustration’ especially when it comes to islands of IT infrastructure such as different hardware, software or network that cannot talk to each other. The local IT fraternity requires ‘joint development and discussion’ of IoT standards which are sector-specific.
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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 Oct 9-14
Oct 18-20
Oct 25
59th APICTA Exco Meeting & 18th International APICTA, Guangzhou, China.
CEBIT ASEAN Thailand 2018, Bangkok.
Smart Sourcing Summit 2018 & GBS Asia Awards 2018, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Nov 6-10
Nov 13
Nov 22
ASOCIO Digital Summit, Tokyo, Japan.
PIKOM Leadership Summit 2018, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
PIKOM AGM, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
* Subject to change.
PIKOM In The News
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FEATURE / LIFESTYLE
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BETA KL, SERVING MALAYSIAN CUISINE WITH A TWIST • By The Palate
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f you are a foodie, look no further than the interesting spot of a place called Beta KL at Fraser Place, Jalan Perak. The name BETA signifies the royal realm that this restaurant embodies, effortlessly translating it into an in-house culinary showcase. As you enter the restaurant you are welcomed by a magnificent setting, a delightful marriage of the charms of Malaysia and the luxuries of modernity. You will be awed by the centrepiece, a lofty Chinese medicine cabinet which holds the many elixir secrets that are delicately infused into the cocktails. Just as your eyes are taking in the visual display, you will be whisked away by the friendly staff who are excellent narrators of the Beta storyline. Next up, you will be handed the menu which depicts Beta’s best Malaysian contemporary cuisine divided into five categories – Ringan, Earth, H2O, Land and Manis – written in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil…very Malaysian indeed! At this point, anticipation and appetite grow and your senses are
Soft shell crab.
all heightened and ready for the next level. Just then, the appetizer arrives. Sago marinated in squid ink and then dehydrated and served with poached prawns dusted in laksa aioli. Living up to its royal claim, the Inverted Karipap comes with 24k edible gold. The twist to this karipap is that the exterior is shaped like cylindrical pipe and the filling is an infusion of Mascarpone cheese with curry flavour. The Spice Garden, on the other hand, is a local interpretation of a bowl of light, fresh palateteasing salad showcasing the sambal as the star ingredient. It is made with pounded chillies which
Inverted Kapipap (left) and Sago & poached prawns.
releases its oils into the accompanying fermented small shrimp fondly know amongst the locals, and especially those from Melaka, as cincalok. The Peranakan culture was interwoven into the Duck Confit, a dish twice cooked with fermented black bean paste and the suggested accompaniment was roti canai. This mimicked the styling of the famous Peking Duck. Moving along the culinary trail, it was the Soft Shell Crab infused with crab bisque sauce that took this little delight of a serving a notch higher in the taste factor. Dessert came in the form of an artistic rose flower which keenly portrayed a stylish take on the Pisang Goreng. Here, pureed banana was dehydrated and served with homemade condensed milk ice cream. It was beautifully layered with varying textures to bring out the best in it. Beta KL is a good place to unwind after concluding a business deal or to have a meal in an exquisite setting that is stylish yet taps into the local allure. Beta KL No. 10, Jalan Perak, 163, Fraser Place, Kuala Lumpur 50450, Malaysia. Tel: 03-2181 2990
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E1 Empire Damansara, No 2, Jalan PJU 8/8A, Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
PIKOM’s New Members from Dec 2017 to July 2018
COMPANY URL
1
Asian integrated Medical Sdn Bhd
www.ielder.my
2
Baby Direct Sdn Bhd
www.babynow.com.my
3
Neuro Multi Skill Sdn. Bhd.
4
Software One Experts Sdn.Bhd.
http://www.softwareone.com/en-my
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UVR Creative Sdn. Bhd.
http://www.ultravrunner.com
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Infront Consulting Group (M) Sdn. Bhd.
http://www.infrontconsulting.asia
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CXS Analytics Sdn. Bhd.
www.cxsinternational.com
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Inetsoho Resources Sdn. Bhd.
https://inetsoho.com/
9
CXC Global (M) Sdn Bhd
www.cxcglobal.asia
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Deloitte Tax Services Sdn Bhd
http://www.deloitte.com/my
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Volotect Sdn. Bhd.
http://www.volotect.com
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Asiapay (M) Sdn.Bhd.
www.asiapay.com.my
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Qrtac Sdn. Bhd.
14
Krypton Global Networks (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
www.krypton-gn.com
15
Forest Interactive Sdn. Bhd.
www.forest-interactive.com
16
Experiental Learning PLT
www.fliplacement.com
17
Ecommerce Media PLT
http://www.ecinsider.my/
18
Ecommerce Media PLT
www.ecinsider.my
19
GHL ePayments Sdn Bhd
www.e-ghl.com
20
VSEM Technology Sdn. Bhd.
www.vsemtech.com
21
Avavaz Sdn.Bhd
www.avavaz.com
22
Zexnet Systems Sdn.Bhd.
ww.zexnet.com.my
23
Computer Land Malaysia Sdn. Bhd
www.cland.com.my
24
Synergy Log-In Systems Sdn. Bhd.
www.synlog.net
25
The Offshore Partners dn Bhd
www.topworldbpo.com
26
Dnex Technology Sdn Bhd
ww.dnex.com.my
27
SRG Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd
www.srgasia.com.my
28
Datalynx Sdn Bhd
www.datalynx.com.my
29
Insite My Innovations Sdn Bhd
www.insitemy.com
30
Palo Alto Networks (Malaysia)
www.paloaltonetworks.com
31
Oso Cane Sdn. Bhd.
www.sitec.com.my
32
Max Money Sdn. Bhd.
www.maxmoney.com
33
Gameka Sdn. Bhd.
www.gameka.my
34
Saltyskins Sdn. Bhd.
www.saltycustoms.com
35
Carsome Sdn. Bhd.
www.carsome.my
36
Cyngus Technologies Sdn Bhd
http://www.cyngus.com.my
37
SCCW Holdings Sdn. Bhd.
38
Bay Group Holdings Sdn. Bhd.
https://www.capitalbay.com.my/
39
BP Business Service Centre Asia Sdn Bhd
http://www.bp.com/en_my/malaysia
40
Angsthrom Technologies Sdn Bhd
www.doctordb.com
41
Allf Management Group Sdn Bhd
www.allf.com.my
42
Servicesource International Malaysia Sdn Bhd
www.servicesource.com
16 MY•IT
100+ PAYMENT METHOD Connect to over 100+ payment method with a single point of connection
For more info visit us at www.e-ghl.com
MULTI-CURRENCY Collect in USD, EUR, GBP, HKD, SGD, IDR, PHP, THB, + 38 other currency
READY INTEGRATION Integrate with plugins, SDK or API on various platforms
D U ST RY LAYS IA N IC T IN A M E TH F O E VO IC
my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018
RM10
A WINNING IP PARTNER&SH integrity
Ethics the among reasons for p success of Glocom Bhd Systems (M) Sdn
VO IC E OF TH E M AL AYSI AN IC T IN DU ST RY
my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018
RM10
E-commerce A Must for Business Attracting More Investment for Start Ups and Scale Ups
x Liew Joseph Giam, Ale Mun & Chan Yue
INTERNET FOR ALL
Access to Internet is Part of Human Rig hts
Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Commun ications and Multimedia
MY.IT is the official publication of PIKOM which was formed in 1986. PIKOM plays a vital role to steer the ICT industry in Malaysia in the right direction. With a membership comprising over 900 ICT companies, which in turn represents about 80% of the total ICT trade in the country, PIKOM is the voice of the ICT industry in Malaysia. 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. ICT is one of the leaders of change for Industrial Revolution 4.0. According to studies, ICT has become integral to the function of modern society. There are about 3 billion people having access to the Internet and 8 out of 10 Internet users owning a smartphone. Even in developing countries, ICT has become a must for everyday life. The Internet Users Survey 2017 by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on ICT penetration in Malaysia found that smartphone is the most common device to access Internet with 89.4% of Malaysians. Malaysians generally use the Internet for text communication (96.3%), visiting social networking sites (89.4%) and getting information online (86.9%). The percentage of Internet users in 2016 was 76.9%, which translates to 24.5 million Internet users. ICT is increasingly becoming an important contributor to the nation’s GDP. In 2015, its contribution was 17.6%, driven by the ICT services sub-sector.
TARGET MARKET Business and IT communities DISTRIBUTION • More than 900 PIKOM members • Top Management of companies • Relevant Government Ministries & Agencies • Relevant Business Organisations • PIKOM Events • Sold in all leading bookstores nationwide
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. Tel: +603-7932 3259
technology company
asset & facility
management
fintech
Block F-03-03, Plaza Kelana Jaya, Jalan SS 7/13A, Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya.
Big data
Tel : +603-7866 0082 Fax : +603-7629 5516
info@orionixl.com.my
•••••
FEATURE / DATA ANALYSIS
BUSINESSES LIFT OFF WITH SYCARDA
Data without analysis is mere numbers, but with Innergia Lab’s latest retail solution SYCARDA, retailers will now be able to have their data unpacked and analysed automatically.
R
etail entrepreneurs today are hard pressed to find software solutions that enable them to stay relevant in the fast-changing retail landscape. Especially solutions that combine affordability, ease of use, and cutting-edge analytics that work with their existing infrastructure. Enter Innergia Labs, an MSCstatus company with decades of retail solutions experience that aims to help traditional brick and mortar retailers succeed in this challenging environment. “We designed and developed SYCARDA to ensure retailers have access to accurate, timely and detailed business intelligence that will help them make effective decisions for their company,” says Vernon Chua, Founder and CEO of Innergia Labs. SYCARDA stands for the Systematic Collection and Analysis of Retail Data, and is inspired by the real-life cicada, an insect symbolizing immortality, rebirth and transformation.
20 MY•IT
“It was a happy coincidence in how we came up with that name,” said Vernon, “and it really drives home what we are about and what we want to help our clients achieve.” SYCARDA as a platform helps retailers collect their sales data automatically from their pointsof-sale (POS) without the need for integration by digitizing and analysing every receipt as they are printed. This simple plug-and-play architecture means retailers can easily deploy and extend SYCARDA across multiple sites and even chains as they scale up their businesses with minimum disruption to their operations. Once the data is collected and analysed, users can login to the user-friendly SYCARDA web portal where they will be able to see their real-time business analytics such as sales patterns and performances across all the stores where SYCARDA is installed. They will also be able to track and investigate transactions that the system would have analysed and flagged as suspicious.
“Our system tracks every transaction as it happens, when it happens and looks for any discrepancies that may point towards fraudulent behavior by the cashier or store manager,” says Innergia Lab’s Business Development Director Justin Chan. He explained further, “We’ve helped many of our clients monitor and improve their stores standard operating procedures to reduce pilferage and improve efficiency.” The company has already driven change in how data is perceived and used across different retail sectors and formats such as supermarkets, health and beauty, pharmacies and F&B with many other verticals in the works. SYCARDA is offered as subscription service that works on top of a retailers existing POS infrastructure, so retailers do not need to spend large amounts on new hardware or software. “SYCARDA is a promising product because it automatically aggregates sales data into user-friendly reports, it can be installed on almost any POS systems and integrated with any other ancillary systems, it requires effortless installation with minimal disruption to operations, is secure, scalable, and cost effective. Monthly fees are affordable and flexible to suit customers’ needs, what more could a retailer want?” said Vernon.