my.IT|Vol 2|No 4|2019|Serba Dinamik

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN TECH INDUSTRY

my OCT-DEC 2019 VOL. 2 • NO. 4 • 2019 RM10

“Work to make dreams come true.”

Dato’ Dr Ir Haji Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah Founder and Group CEO of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd

ICT PRODUCTIVITY NEXUS INDUSTRY REPORT “There’s a lack of women role models for women tech entrepreneurs.”

Stephanie Sitt, co-founder of 123RF

my CONTENTS

Vol 2 No. 4

COVER STORY Work to make Dreams Come True Dato’ Dr Ir Haji Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah, founder and Group CEO of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd, an international, integrated energy service provider, speaks about the impact the lessons learned in childhood and the importance of having dreams in one’s life.

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ICT Productivity Nexus Industry Day

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Image Seller: Stephanie Sitt, CEO, Inmagine Group & co-founder of 123RF

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Cover Dato’ Dr Ir Haji Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah Founder and Group CEO of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd

Malaysia Embraces 5G

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Sunway University Sets up Security Operations Centre Lab

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Securemetric: Providing digital security solutions

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Photography YC Chu

Fusionex International hosts PIKOM Members Meet

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New PIKOM Members

Calendar of Events

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COVER STORY

WORK TO MAKE

DREAMS COME TRUE Dato’ Dr Ir Haji Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah or Dato’ Karim as he likes to be called, is the founder and Group CEO of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd and its group of companies. Serba Dinamik is an international, integrated energy service provider that provides a multitude of engineering services and solutions ranging from operation and maintenance, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning and other supporting products and services. He talks to Sharmila Valli Narayanan about the impact the lessons learned in childhood has on him, why he decided to join forces with PIKOM for its annual dinner and the importance of having dreams in one’s life.

Photos By YC Chu

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ato’ Karim, a selfmade billionaire. was relatively under the radar of the Malaysian media until Forbes listed him at No. 40 in its annual 2019 Malaysia’s Richest with a net worth of USD345 million.

A big part of the source of his wealth was when his company was listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia in 2017. The listing was done at a time when the O&G industry was still reeling from the 2014 oil rout.

The initial price offering of the share price was RM1.50 and it closed at its highest price this year at RM4.56 (at the time of writing its share price closed at RM4.36). In an article on Dato’ Karim in the Malaysian Reserve, the paper estimated his worth based on the number of shares he held to be RM1.56 billion.

“Serba Dinamik had grown its revenue base over the past four years from RM755.77 million in 2014 to RM3.28 billion last year, and had become among the top

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performing O&G companies in the country,” it reported. “Investors have been delighted with the company’s performance, pushing its market capitalisation to RM6.45 billion from RM2 billion when it first became a public firm.”

Dato’ Karim leads a very hectic life. On the day of this interview, which was in the afternoon, he had been in back-to-back business meetings since morning. During the interview he shows no sign of fatigue of tiredness. He is soft spoken and articulate and one can sense a high level of energy emanating from him which is cloaked in an aura of almost zen-like calmness.

CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES THAT SHAPED HIM Dato’ Karim grew up in a small town in Kuala Berang, Miri, where the sight of pumpjacks (also known as oil donkey or nodding donkey) was common. He came from a humble background: one of five children born to a teacher father and a homemaker mother.

To supplement his income to support his family, Dato’ Karim’s father also grew watermelons.

“Father needed labour to help him in his work. We were the labour – free of charge!” recalls Dato’ Karim with a smile.

The children had no say in wanting to opt out. The work was hard and taxing. While other children would play, especially during the holidays, Dato’ Karim and his siblings worked in the watermelon farm.

It was hard work and Dato’ Karim resented it, but as dutiful children, neither he nor his siblings rebelled against their father. He noticed his father was thinking of ways to improve the production of the farm to yield better fruits.

When it was time for harvest, the children were happy to see their hard work had paid off as the fruits fetched a good price in the market.

“My father’s earnings from the watermelon farm were much better than his salary as a teacher.”

Over time, working in the farm became second nature to the

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COVER STORY

children. Every off-day and school holiday was spent on the farm.

Looking back, Dato’ Karim realises his love for hard work and using his time to do something productive stemmed from his childhood spent on the farm.

“It gave me a strong foundation to work hard and to think of ways to improve production to give the best results. It taught me that life is not meant to be wasted being unproductive. Earning money was not just to enjoy life. I saw how my father would plough back money into the farm to get better fertilisers and equipment so that he could increase productivity. All this left a very deep impression on me which I did not realise until I started working. Till today, I find it hard to waste my time doing nothing.”

FOUNDING SERBA DINAMIK With a Petronas scholarship, Dato’ Karim graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

He was bonded with Petronas for 10 years but quit after four and a half years (he paid the remainder

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of the money he owed to Petronas for breaking the bond) to set up his own company, Serba Dinamik, in 1993. “I learned all these theories in engineering, but I was not getting the hands-on experience that I craved. I was spending a lot of time in meetings,” he says.

The biggest problem the company faced in its early days was finding clients. “Malaysians have a mentality where they think the locals are not as good as foreigners in doing complex jobs. Many of the local customers we approached were not confident of our ability to do the job.”

He decided if he couldn’t get the jobs in Malaysia, he would have to look overseas. Through his contacts in his previous job, he managed to secure a job with General Electric in Qatar. Dato’ Karim knew that the future of his company would depend on how his team successfully completed this project. Thankfully, his client was very happy with the results and the success of this project opened doors for Serba Dinamik for other projects.

Today, Serba Dinamik has a global presence in six regions — Southeast Asia, South and Central Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa — and employs about 3,500 people of whom 1,500 are employed in Malaysia.

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LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE WASTED BEING UNPRODUCTIVE. EARNING MONEY WAS NOT JUST TO ENJOY LIFE.

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SURVIVING ECONOMIC CRISIS Since founding Serba Dinamik, Dato’ Karim has survived the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, the economic depression of 2008 and the worldwide depression of the oil market in 2014. Through these tumultuous events, while many companies have gone under, Serba Dinamik survived and grew stronger.

When asked what was the secret to the company’s success in its ability to weather the storm, Dato’ Karim sums it up with one word: sustainability. “In any business

strategy that you formulate, you need to take sustainability into consideration. In the context of Serba Dinamik, our background is in maintenance, which is recessionproof. We may not get new projects, but the maintenance of existing equipment will always be there as they will still be needed for production. That helped to cushion us across all recessions.”

“To grow the company, you also need to look at other revenuegenerating aspects to add them

into the core competency and capabilities in the maintenance scope,” he adds. “Buying other companies is our strategy to tap into technology that we do not have.

By acquiring another company, we bring the technology into our company and synergise it with what we have. Thanks to this, we now have the capability of doing on site maintenance, bringing the heavy equipment to the workshop for repair as well as manufacturing the parts for the various equipment.”

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COVER STORY

MOVING INTO IT AND WATER TREATMENT Serba Dinamik has invested heavily into IT as IT plays an increasingly important role in the O&G industry.

Serba Dinamik has a fully owned subsidiary, Serba Dinamik IT Solutions Sdn Bhd (SDIT), an in-house IT solution company.

SDIT is an MSC Status company with its own R&D which develops and commercialises its in-house developed software applications.

SDIT is positioning itself as a software solutions provider for O&G industries and general industries.

The company has a global collaboration with Microsoft in the frontiers of technology and another partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) with Stanford University. Being able to offer cutting edge IT solutions for the industry gives added value to the company, says Dato’ Karim.

Serba Dinamik is also involved in water treatment. It is investing heavily in membrane technology. “This is a filter which can remove unwanted particles in untreated water and turn it to drinkable water that adheres to the WHO standard,” explains Dato’ Karim. Serba Dinamik is collaborating with UTM to commercialise this membrane technology and take it to the global market.

Another exciting development in membrane technology is the possibility of it being used for dialysis treatment for people, thus making dialysis faster and more affordable. “The technology for this is still being fine-tuned. The possibility that one day it can be rolled out for dialysis treatment is exciting,” says Dato’ Karim.

TITLE SPONSOR FOR PIKOM UNICORN TECH AWARDS NIGHT 2019 Serba Dinamik surprised everyone when it became the Title Sponsor for the PIKOM Unicorn Tech Awards Night 2019 as it is unusual for a O&G

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THE SUCCESS THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED IS NOT DUE TO A SINGLE PERSON; IT’S BECAUSE OF THE TEAM.

company to be involved in a tech industry event. However, Dato’ Karim sees it as a natural evolution for Serba Dinamik as AI is increasingly used in the O&G industry in the era of Industry 4.0. It is only natural for Serba Dinamik to align itself with PIKOM, the voice of the tech industry.

“Being associated with this event is also a fantastic way for us to brand and market our company. The who’s who of the ICT industry will be there.

This is a quantum leap in sales strategy for us to push Serba Dinamik name and image to the ICT industry,” says Dato’ Karim.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DREAMS Serba Dinamik is where it is today because of all the hard work of the team and the clever business strategies that have brought it thus far. But is also started with Dato’

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Karim’s dream for what he wanted his company to achieve.

“I always tell people to dream a lot... dream of what you want to achieve or where you want to be because everything starts with a dream. Dreams drive you to get what you want. But for the dreams to come true, you need an action plan on how you are going to make that dream come true. You may not achieve what you dream, but you will certainly achieve a lot,” ruminates Dato’ Karim on the power of dreams.

Despite all that he has achieved, he still remains very down to earth.

“Life has taught me to be humble and to keep continuously learning every day. The success that we have achieved is not due to a single person; it’s because of the team.

Everyone in the team has capabilities to contribute to the success of the company.”

MALAYSIA PRODUCTIVITY CORPORATION (Statutory body under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry)

Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) is a statutory body under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). MPC promotes productivity, quality and competitiveness to the industries and organisations in Malaysia. MPC’s vision is to be the leading organisation in productivity enhancement for global competitiveness and innovation.

The Malaysia Productivity Blueprint (MPB) launched on 8 May 2017, represents a bold step in raising labour productivity to achieve the targets set in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016 - 2020). The primary objective of the MPB is to boost the country’s productivity in sustaining strong economic growth.

The MPB is governed by the National Productivity Council (NPC) comprises of representatives from the ministries and agencies, private sector and industry associations. MPC has been appointed as the Delivery Management Office (DMO), responsible for coordinating, facilitating and monitoring the implementation initiatives, working closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA) as the advisor.

Nine Productivity Nexus have been established including the ICT Productivity Nexus (ICTPN) and serves as a platform to drive multi-stakeholder initiatives to increase productivity in the private ICT sub-sector. ICTPN was established on 27 November 2017 as a platform for industry to drive productivity initiatives in collaboration with the ministries, agencies and stakeholders.

There are four (4) main initiatives outlined under ICTPN as follows: • •

Raise awareness of available incentives to ensure proper utilization and adoption of ICT Centralised and coordinate efforts between relevant agencies to ensure proper utilization of initiatives and programmes

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Strengthen collaboration between industry and academia to reduce mismatch of supply and demand of workforce Improving the access pricing framework for providers

ICT Productivity Nexus Governing Committee led by Mr. Ganesh Kumar Bangah from the National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) and comprises representatives from: • • • • •

Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (MCMM) Ministry of Economic Affairs Malaysia (MEA) Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) Malaysian Data Centre Alliance (MDCA)

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Global Entrepreneurship Movement (GEM) Contact Centre Associations of Malaysia (CCAM) Malaysia National Computer Confederation (MNCC) Malaysian Association of Bumiputera ICT Industry and Entrepreneurs (NEF) Malaysia Internet Entrepreneur Association (PUIM)

ICT PRODUCTIVITY NEXUS

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FEATURE / ICT PRODUCTIVITY NEXUS INDUSTRY DAY

ICT PRODUCTIVITY NEXUS INDUSTRY DAY More than 300 players attended the programme organised by PIKOM and the Malaysian Productivity Corporation.

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he Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) is synonymous with increasing productivity in the country.

To further boost the growth of productivity in the country, the Malaysia Productivity Blueprint (MPB) was launched in May 2017. MPB highlighted the need for productivity to be addressed holistically at all levels to ensure systemic change across the economy.

Subsequently, nine priority

subsectors were established — among which was the ICT Productivity Nexus. According to the MPC’s 25th Productivity Report 2017/2018, the “introduction of Productivity Nexus for each subsector is intended for both the public and private sector to collaborate closely towards enhancing productivity and competitiveness for the betterment of the rakyat.”

The second programme organised

by the ICT Productivity Nexus with the theme “Spearheading the Digital Economy”, was held on 25th July 2019 at a leading hotel and it was attended by more than 300 industry players. The chief guests were Chua Tian Cheng (better known as Tian Chua), the Chairman of MPC, and Dato’ Abdul Latif Hj. Abu Seman, Director General, MPC. Also present at the event was Ganesh Kumar Bangah, the Champion of ICT Productivity Nexus.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF ICT PRODUCTIVITY NEXUS In his opening speech, Ganesh Kumar pointed out that out of the four objectives that ICT Productivity had to achieve, it has already achieved one — that of improving the access of Pricing Framework for Porviders — and was working hard to achieve the rest.

Ganesh Kumar also pointed out that in 2018, the highest labour productivity growth among the nine

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recorded a significant growth of 4.5% compared to 2.0% in 2017.”

MAKE FULL USE OF THE GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES

priority subsectors was professional services at 6.3%, followed by tourism and ICT, both at 4.5%. “ICT is one of Malaysia’s largest economic subsectors, as it has proven to be a transformative avenue that has empowered communities and fuelled economic growth through the decades,” he said. “With the ICT industry expanding the size of the digitised ecosystem, the domestic ICT subsector is set to generate medium to long-term positive growth, especially with the growing emergence of Big Data Analytics (BDA), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics as drivers of the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

Thanks to the initiatives undertaken in 2018, Ganesh Kumar said, “the labour productivity performance of the ICT subsector

The Chairman of the MPC, Tian Chua, in his speech lamented that despite the many incentives given by the Government via agencies, “there is a considerable gap (information asymmetry) on the awareness among the industry players in applying for the incentives.” He hoped that the event would provide the necessary information for the industry players on how to qualify and apply for the incentives and improve the understanding of the incentives.

The highlight of the day was the talk on the Digital Tax by Pn Roszita Dim from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department. She explained what the service tax on the imported digital services meant. At the Q&A session that followed, it was obvious from the questions from the participants that many still were not very sure about what this digital tax meant and there was still a lot of confusion surrounding it.

Hopefully, as the date for the implementation gets nearer, more information regarding this will be disseminated and more people will be knowledgable about it.

SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE ICT SECTOR

Ganesh Kumar gave several suggestions on how to increase the productivity of this sector: Government should create favourable conditions for technology adoption, such as policies that foster ICT investment, skills development and business dynamism, and address specific challenges faced

by SMEs through more targeted policies.

Have a policy that harnesses digital transformation to foster business dynamism, increase productivity and resource efficiency.

Companies must have access to talents with the right skills.

Talents should also be given the chance to continuously develop their skills to keep up to date.

Talent and resource should also be allocated where their skills are attuned to their most productive uses.

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FEATURE / WOMEN IN TECH

IMAGE SELLERS

Stephanie Sitt is CEO of Inmagine Group and co-founder of 123RF, which is a subsidiary of Inmagine. She talks about the challenges facing women in the tech industry and lessons she has learned being a tech entrepreneur.

• By Sharmila Valli Narayanan • Photography Courtesy of 123RF

P

ictures might paint a thousand words, but in the age of the Internet, it’s the images, graphics, video, audio, icons, etc. that get the message across effectively. One of the largest, most popular stock image libraries in the world is 123RF which boasts of having 72 million items (and growing) and draws between 16 and 18 million visitors each month.

But how many people actually know that this company is founded by a Malaysia husband and wife team?

Andy Sitt started Inmagine in 2000 and roped in his then-girlfriend Stephanie to work with him because she was the only one he knew whom he could hire without pay!

The couple ended up working for a few years without taking any pay as they grew their company. That hard work has paid off and today 123RF is valued at USD200 million. In fact, the bulk of Inmagine’s revenue is said to come from 123RF. Today, 123RF has 350 employees from 40 offices around the world who work for the company.

123RF which was founded in 2005 is a godsend for small and medium businesses, websites, students, etc. because of the very low price of its

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images priced between USD1 and USD3 dollars. Many small businesses can now create their own advertising materials using images from 123RF without having to spend a bomb on buying images.

What was your background like?

Did you come from a family of entrepreneurs?

I grew up in a single-parent home in Ipoh, Perak where opportunities were limited at the time. And so, I’d never imagined that one day, I would kick-start and run a business at an early age. Looking back on the early days, Inmagine was my first business venture by chance. But, I’m thankful that I’ve always had a strong go-getter attitude: I like to roll up my sleeves and take the risks rather than sitting and waiting for the right moment to come. I think every one of us has an entrepreneurial spirit in us, but, it takes a great deal of drive, discipline and a willingness to go above and beyond.

How did the idea for 123RF come about – particularly royalty-free stock images?

We started the premium stock library, Inmagine, back in the year 2000.

The evolution of digital cameras means additional availability of imagery among semi-professional photographers. Hence, we saw the availability of new content to capture a bigger audience who require large amounts of imagery at an easier and affordable rate.

What were the toughest challenges that you faced in your early days?

One of the toughest challenges was the capital and support. We struggled to attain any loan from the banks because of the nature of our business. But that didn’t stop us from moving forward by completely bootstrapping the company for the past 19 years.

During the early days, all a startup is, is a collection of people. However, we didn’t have a solid internal sales team who didn’t believe in the product. But throughout the years, we realised that having the right people on the team, especially early on, was one of the biggest determinants of our success now.

Both you and your husband Andy went through many hardships in the early days. What kept the both of you going and not throw the towel in?

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I THINK EVERY ONE OF US HAS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IN US, BUT, IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF DRIVE, DISCIPLINE AND A WILLINGNESS TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND.

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We have a strong and ongoing vision of hoping to create a lasting impact and legacy in the creativetech industry. All of this by helming the ship together as a team – the Inmagine team!

As a woman, what were some of the particular challenges that you faced that perhaps a man would not face in the tech industry?

It goes without saying that most people will have more confidence towards tech companies that are run by a man as compared to a woman.

One of the challenges I have faced as a female entrepreneur that I do not hear talked about often enough is the lack of role models in the industry to begin with.

Through trials and errors, I had to take the leap of faith in paving my own path by making strategic business decisions to bring the company forward to where it is today.

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FEATURE / WOMEN IN TECH

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THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE IS TO GO TO THE WAR ZONE AND START THE BATTLE RATHER THAN RREADING ABOUT HOW TO WIN THE WAR.

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What advice do you have for women who want to be tech entrepreneurs, particularly for women looking to enter the tech world? What would be the steps to best prepare themselves?

Don’t listen too much to the man! [laughs] Set your goal and make sure you deliver it. The best way to prepare is to go to the war zone and start the battle rather than reading about how to win the war.

Looking back, are there some things you wish you’d have done differently back then?

As an entrepreneur, there are business risks that I have to face head-on daily. However, if I could turn back the sands of time, I’d definitely focus more on the growth aspect of the company during the infant stages where the cost to

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acquire customers were much lower as well as focusing more on creating better lifetime value.

What is the best thing about your job now?

One of the most rewarding jobs of being a CEO is that I’m able to immerse myself in almost every aspect of the business, and at the same time I’m in charge of our company’s overview goals. Building up a company is a gratifying process as I love seeing the workings in progress of our growth and plans moving forward and staying ahead of the curve.

What has being a tech entrepreneur taught you?

My greatest lesson learned is becoming considerably adept at deciding which product lines to

sustain and which to discontinue.

The key is to know when to enhance a product that hasn’t quite hit the mark, but be amenable enough to relinquish and devote resources to something more up-and-coming. This, in turn, helps promote a steady but swift business culture, especially in this dynamic industry that is constantly evolving rapidly.

Where do you see yourself and the company 10 years from now?

It would be amazing to not only recruit the right candidates, but to also sustain the current talent to excel and push forward the business. And by doing so, we’re able to help tens of millions of people and small businesses with designs that are empowered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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•••••

FEATURE / MALAYSIA EMBRACES 5G

MALAYSIA EMBRACES 5G As some Western countries remain cautious about embracing 5G technology because of Huawei’s involvement in the technology, Malaysia and many other countries are embracing it.

5

G is the fifth-generation cellular technology that will change the way we use our handphones. According to Wikipedia, the Global Mobile Suppliers Association had identified 224 operators in 88 countries that are actively investing in 5G (i.e. that have demonstrated, tried and tested, or have been licensed to conduct field trials of 5G technologies, are deploying 5G networks or have announced service launches) as of April 2019. The first country to adopt 5G on a large scale was South Korea, in April 2019.

In Malaysia, Celcom Axiata Berhad became the first telco to deploy the country’s first 5G Live Cluster Field Trial at the Celcom’s headquarters, @celcom in July this year. The six-month 5G field trial will be conducted at @celcom and within the surrounding areas of Petaling Jaya Sentral, with the objective of testing and observing the use cases and behaviour of 5G coverage within real-life environments.

BENEFITS OF 5G Most of the countries are expected to switch on the 5G networks later this year. The benefits of 5G are many. Alex Liew, the executive director of Glocomp Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd, gives an insight on what to expect when 5G becomes available to all.

“5G consumers will get to enjoy improved and uninterruptible broadband connectivity, very clear streaming video quality and more impressive mobile gaming services.

The industrial and service such as the manufacturing, automotive, agriculture, healthcare, public safety, smart city, education and many more, will benefit from this technology, which in turn will have a positive impact on the consumers. 5G would also help us reach out to a bigger audience, like live-streaming an event. It will also have a huge impact on IoT – driverless cars and in many other ways which we may not even fathom.”

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THE HUAWEI CONTROVERSY Huawei was founded in 1987 in Shenzen, China, has grown to become a technological giant that employs more than 180,000 employees of whom 76,000 are engaged in R&D. In 2017 it was reported that the company invested USD 13.8 billion in R&D! Huawei has taken the technological lead in supplying equipment for 5G. In Malaysia, Celcom is working closely with Huawei in rolling out its 5G Cluster Field Trial.

Many western countries, especially the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany among others, have expressed their worry about major network security risks with Huawei.

These countries fear that Huawei could help the Chinese Government in spying and cyber espionage. They also fear that in the event of a war, China might direct Huawei to disable other countries’ critical telecom infrastructure.

Other countries like New Zealand where its companies have already signed deals with Huawei are considering removing the involvement of Chinese nationals from being involved in building the network.

One of the reasons for this concern is because of a law passed in 2017 in China that states that Chinese “organisations and citizens shall, in accordance with the law, support, cooperate with and collaborate on national intelligence work.” The passing of this law is one of the

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, CONSUMERS, COMPANIES, AND CITIES SEEKING TO USE 5G ARE ILL-EQUIPPED TO ASSESS, LET ALONE ADDRESS ITS THREATS. – Alex Liew

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MALAYSIA SHOULD EMBRACE THE INTRODUCTION OF 5G, AS THE ADVANCEMENT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY WILL ALWAYS BE ONE OF THE DRIVING FACTORS BEHIND INNOVATION AND GROWTH FOR ANY COUNTRY. – Cheah Kok Hoong reasons many Western countries have taken measures to shut Huawei out of their countries 5G programmes.

The United States, in particular, feels vulnerable as it does not own any of the technology for the 5G revolution.

This, together with its trade war with China, has cast a pall on Huawei’s ability to penetrate the American and its close allies’ markets.

MALAYSIA WELCOMES HUAWEI But not all countries look at Huawei with suspicion. Many like Malaysia, welcome the investment from Huawei in the country’s 5G rollout. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has emphatically declared that the country will make use of Huawei’s technology as much as possible. He noted that Huawei’s research is far bigger than Malaysia’s capability and that its technology is more advanced than American technology. He also said that he was not concerned over allegations of espionage activities, because “we are an open book”.

SECURITY THREATS OF 5G

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cybersecurity activities. Ransomware, malware, crypto-jacking, identity theft, and data breaches have become so common that users are more afraid of cybercrime than they are of becoming a victim of violent crime. The adding of more devices to the online universe is destined to create more opportunities for disruption,” he says.

Cheah Kok Hoong, Group CEO of Hitachi Sunway Information Systems and Chairman of OM, a chapter that focuses on GBS, shares the same concern regarding security. “Security concerns are always legitimate when it involves the collection of massive amounts of data as it serves as a platform that could cripple governments and nations in the blink of an eye. Thus, constant monitoring of the situation will probably assist in predicting potential impacts to security, a multi-supplier policy could potentially make it easier to mitigate the security risk factor,” he opines.

TAKING PRECAUTIONS

that the rollout of the 5G network here will be as smooth as possible.

Cheah says, “With the adoption of 5G, Malaysia is taking precautionary steps by collaborating with the National Cybersecurity Agency (NACSA) to engage with all mobile operators and equipment suppliers involved in 5G to identify the risks to national security and to manage them accordingly.

“We have also established the 5G Task Force to study and recommend a holistic strategy for 5G deployment in Malaysia and provide support for infrastructure, services and devices.

“Malaysia should embrace the introduction of 5G, as the advancement of digital technology will always be one of the driving factors behind innovation and growth for any country. Having said that, whilst we embrace the freedom that comes with digitalisation, there has to be effective governance in place to address the risk of regional security from all aspects.”

The Malaysian government is aware of the security concerns that surround 5G and has taken measures to ensure

However, there are some security threats associated with 5G, says experts. Alex, whose company specialises in cybersecurity, says that the nature of 5G networks intensifies the cybersecurity threat.

“Across the country, consumers, companies, and cities seeking to use 5G are ill-equipped to assess, let alone address, its threats. Placing the security responsibility on the user is an unrealistic expectation, yet it is a major principle of present

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FEATURE / SUNWAY WOMEN IN UNIVERSITY TECH

SUNWAY UNIVERSITY IS THE FIRST PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA TO SET UP A SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER LAB POWERED BY RSA® SECURITY

W

ith the enormous growth of e-commerce and readily digitally available data online, accuracy in processing and protection of data are no doubt imperative. In line with this, Sunway University has invested RM3-million in to the CyberSecurity Intelligence (CSI) Labs for teaching, training and research in cybersecurity.

The CSI Labs consist of a data center with a dedicated research network and server infrastructure, as well as dual-display workstations and a training environment. The first lab to be established is the Security Operations Center Lab (SOC Lab) that runs industry-grade cybersecurity platform and services.

Sunway University students at the Department of Computing and Information Systems, School of Science and Technology will have the opportunity to experience state-ofthe-art intelligent security analytics that provides threat detection and response solutions offered by RSA Security from the USA. The RSA NetWitness® Platform is an evolved security information and event management (SEIM) – the centerpiece of an intelligent SOC – and threat detection and response

16 MY•IT

solution that allows security teams to rapidly detect and respond to any threat, anywhere. It serves as a single, unified platform for all security data; features an advanced analyst workbench for triggering alerts and incidents; and, uses machine learning to orchestrate and automate security operations programs end-to-end.

The Lab, currently the first SOC Lab powered by RSA Security Netwitness platform in private universities in Malaysia and the region, is part of the Sunway University’s effort to provide realworld experience to students, particularly those enrolled in the BSc (Hons) Information Technology (Computer Networking and Security) programme. The University provides the learning experience where students get to witness real incidents and scenarios of cybersecurity threats. In this way, they can learn the best practices and utilise advanced platforms and tools to counter these threats. New modules will be designed and added to existing computing programmes at the University to ensure graduates are equipped with the right skill-sets as well as mind-sets towards a safer inter-connected environment.

“The CSI Labs will serve as a

platform to connect academia with the industry. It aims to be a vendor and technology agnostic platform to encourage exchange and collaboration between all parties,” said Professor Graeme Wilkinson, Vice-Chancellor of Sunway University.

“The CSI Labs is the result of a collaboration between Sunway University, Hitachi-Sunway Information Systems Sdn Bhd and Sunway Group IT. It is also supported

by PIKOM CyberSecurity Chapter and is powered by the RSA Security NetWitness Platform, which is used in large international corporations as well as governments.” added Professor Wilkinson.

The project to build these specialised Labs was initiated by Dato’ Chew Chee Kin, President of Sunway Group, and strongly supported by Dato’ Dr Lee Weng Keng, CEO of Education and Healthcare, Sunway Group and Dr Elizabeth Lee, CEO of Sunway Education Group.

“The CSI Labs aim to develop future talents who will be well-equipped with the latest cybersecurity knowledge. We are committed to close the talent-gap in the area of cybersecurity in Malaysia and the region. In the pipeline, the Labs look forward to organising events such as talk or short training programmes related to cybersecurity updates and awareness for the community in and beyond Sunway City,” said Associate Professor Dr Lau Sian Lun, Associate Dean and Head, Department of Computing and Information Systems.

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FEATURE / DIGITAL SECURITY SOLUTIONS

DIGITAL SECURITY SOLUTIONS Securemetric is one of the top Malaysian company in the field of digital security solutions.

S

ecuremetric Technology Sdn Bhd was set up in 2007 by its founder and CEO Edward Law Seeh Key. Today, it has grown to become one of Southeast Asia’s most important players in the field of digital security. Its core focus is on Software Licensing Protection (Software License Dongle), 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), Advanced Identity and Access Management, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI System)and Cryptography.

“Our mission is to provide relevant and trustworthy digital security solutions to secure our client’s digital transformation,” says Law. “Our core focus is to secure applications, secure digital identities, and secure online transactions.” The company has expanded to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Philippines.

IMPORTANCE OF LOCALISING OPERATIONS One of the USPs of Securemetric is localisation.

“We strongly believe in localizing our solutions to fit local regulatory and cultural requirements while still complying with industry best practices. When we set up operations in another country, we hire locals and train them to serve that particular market,” explains Law.

TRUST IS ESSENTIAL When dealing with client’s sensitive information, it is vital for a company to gain the trust of the client. Trustworthiness is one of the most important reasons for Securemtric’s growth. Our vast

18 MY•IT

experience and success in the field of digital security, our proven track record in dealing with very high profile projects have enhanced our reputation in this field. Many of our new clients come to us via wordof-mouth especially from existing clients. This really is proof that our work is very professional and stands up to the highest grade of security,” says Law.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT Starting this year, the company has embarked on a transformation programme of its company called Securemetric 2.0. “We are also working on a few new patents that we believe will be a game-changer in the industry,” says Law. In the next few years, the company is looking to expand to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.”In the next 10 years we aim to be recognised at the global stage with a presence in Europe, Australia etc.”

Driving Growth through

together in natural synergy. With roots firmly set in a rich data

•••••

FEATURE

FUSIONEX INTERNATIONAL HOSTS PIKOM MEMBERS MEET

Fusionex International hosted PIKOM’S fourth and last members meet for the year. It was a fun and informative evening for all.

A

round 60 PIKOM members attended the fourth PIKOM members meet which was hosted

by Fusionex International at their office. On the way to the auditorium, one of the most striking things that caught everybody’s eyes was the display of the Iron Man suit. Many people were busy taking selfies with the Iron Man suit!

The event started with a welcome address by Fusionex founder and Group CEO Dato Seri Ivan Teh. This was followed by PIKOM Chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah who thanked Fusionex for hosting the event.

After his speech, Ganesh Kumar handed out certificates to the newly accorded members to PIKOM. There were 11 new members who joined the PIKOM family. It was great to see

20 MY•IT

•••••

FEATURE

PIKOM’s membership growing with every year.

GREAT LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS Fusionex had prepared an interesting line-up of speakers who touched on different topics of interest to the audience.

The keynote speaker for the event was Jack Issac, the MD for new technologies at Fusionex. He spoke on the importance of using analytics to know one’s market. “AI and cloud are going to be the next disrupters,” he said. This is not the first time that humans have been faced with great disruption due to technology. Jack pointed out that 200 years ago, 90% of the earth’s population worked in agriculture. Today is it only 2% as the rest are doing other jobs.

What brought about this change?

“The industrial revolution. So with the industry 4.0, expect many of the jobs you’re familiar with to disappear,” he said.

Herbin Chia and Steven Ooi of Insurance Solutions talked about managing disruptions in business and how the founders of businesses have to be protected by insurance in case anything happens to them.

Steven also touched on how AI is changing insurance - by analysing data faster than humans, it is able to let the employer know what type of insurance its employees would need and monitor the time they spend at the clinic or hospital.

The last two speakers, Rozita Dim from Royal Malaysian Customs and Tan Eng Yew from Deloitte Malaysia spoke on the one topic that’s giving many people in the ICT industry sleepless nights: the digital taxation that will be imposed starting from January 2020.

Many of the audience highlighted to the two speakers that it had been a struggle for them to understand the tax especially since there were many things that had not been finalised yet

(at the time of writing). It was obvious during the question and answer session, that many people were still confused by this new tax. Probably once it is implemented next year, a lot of things will become clear.

After the session was over, everyone adjourned to the in-house cafeteria where a sumptuous buffet awaited the members.

MY•IT 21

NOT A PIKOM MEMBER YET?

HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD BE A PIKOM MEMBER:

• It’s a platform to grow your business through PIKOM’s affiliation with local and global networks

• Networking opportunities and & B2B

Here are reasons why being a PIKOM corporate member is one of the best decisions you’ll be making for your company.

related events (to meet end users [CIO Chapter] and potential partners)

• Participate in PIKOM’s Chapters and SIGs to collectively grow the respective area of focus

PIKOM, formed in 1986, has become the organisation that has emerged as the ‘Voice of the Tech’ industry. PIKOM, the national industry association for the ICT and the Tech industry in Malaysia has around 1,000 members comprising of companies involved in a whole spectrum of tech products and services that command 80% of the total tech trade in Malaysia.

As the ‘Voice of the Tech Industry’ PIKOM continues to 1. Drive high impact advocacy in representing the industry to government stakeholders to create a conducive environment promoting further growth of the industry. 2. Expand and enhance more tangible benefits to its membership base.

HIGH IMPACT ADVOCACY 1. Represented on more than 40 Government councils, boards, committees, task forces 2. Annual memoranda at key dialogues including MoF, MITI and BNM etc 3. Opinions regularly sought by key stakeholders in Government e.g.

Customs on SST 4. Notable past success • Removal of import duty and sales tax on ICT equipments and introduction of ADA for ICT products

• Tax incentives for purchases of PCs, Internet access • CMA ‘98 • Guidelines on service tax on IT services

603-7622 0079

• Enjoy subsidised complementary rates to our special learning events, training courses and workshops

• Priority for marketing and promotion opportunities through PIKOM’s initiatives and events

• Access to PIKOM’s Research

Reports (ICT Strategic Review and ICT Job Market Outlook in Malaysia) and other publications

• Use of PIKOM Logo to enhance member’s events

Tangible benefits with savings valued up to RM20,000 Flagship Event Delegate Passes

Airline Corporate Program

Use of PIKOM Logo

Worth RM3,760

Save up to RM2,500

Worth of RM5,000

Tech Facilities

Cinema Corporate Package

PIKOM Academy

Cloud Credit

Worth RM5,000

Save up to RM1,000

Save up to RM1,310

Publication

PIKOM Facilities

Networking Events x5

ICT Job Market Outlook ICT Strategic Review MY.IT Magazine

Training Centre Boardroom Renting

Worth RM500

Save up to RM200

PIKOM Leadership Summit PIKOM Cybersecurity Conference Smart Sourcing Summit

For more information please contact: 603-7622 4879 membership@pikom.org.my

PLS Training Course

Worth of RM500

www.pikom.org.my

CALENDAR ••••• FEATURE 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 2019

NOV 2019

DEC 2019

3rd

12th – 13th

3rd

PIKOM ICT Awards & Annual Dinner 2019 GBS Asia Award 2019

PIKOM Leadership Summit & ASOCIO Digital Summit 2019

29th PIKOM PLC Talk (Procurement Management)

6th – 9th

18th – 23rd

13th

WCIT2019, Armenia

61st APICTA Exco Meeting & International APICTA 2019 @ Hanoi Vietnam

Year End Networking

7th – 11th 38th PIKOM PLC

21st

17th

OM Biz Talk – What’s Up Next? – Industry Dialogue

Smart Sourcing Summit 2019

26th PIKOM AGM * Subject to change.

my

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY

my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018 RM10

A WINNING PARTNERSHIP

Ethics & integrity among reasons for the success of Glocomp Systems (M) Sdn Bhd

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY

my VOL. 1 • NO. 1 • 2018 RM10

Joseph Giam, Alex Liew & Chan Yue Mun

E-commerce A Must for Business Attracting More Investment for Start Ups and Scale Ups

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY

my VOL. 2 • NO. 1 • 2019 RM10

#MYCYBERSALE 2018 Sets a new sales record

PIKOM DINNER

VOICE OF THE MALAYSIAN ICT INDUSTRY

my VOL. VOL. 22 •• NO. NO. 11 •• 2019 2019 RM10 RM10

A night of celebration and recognition of Techies

PIKOM LEADERSHIP SUMMIT The largest gathering of ICT professionals in Malaysia

MY.IT is the official publication of PIKOM which has a membership of over 1,000 ICT companies that represents about 80% of the total ICT trade in the country.

MY.IT is primarily intended to serve the needs of the dynamic ICT industry in Malaysia, especially when it comes to voicing out the needs and concerns of the ICT industry.

Be a part of this essential and vibrant scene by advertising in MY.IT, the voice of the Malaysian ICT industry.

THE INVESTORS ARE COMING BACK

INTERNET FOR ALL

“We listen to investors and want to make it as easy as possible for them to do business here.”

Access to Internet is Part of Human Rights Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia

Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia

TARGET MARKET & DISTRIBUTION Business and IT Communities • More than 900 PIKOM members • Top Management of companies • Relevant Government Ministries & Agencies • Relevant Business Organisations • PIKOM Events • Sold in all leading bookstores nationwide

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CONNECTIVITY Mykris Mykris Asia Asia evolution evolution and and Malaysia’s Malaysia’s readiness readiness for for the the onslaught onslaught of of Industry Industry 4.0 4.0 Revolution Revolution

Chew Chew Choo Choo Soon, Soon, Managing Managing Director Director and and Chang Chang Wai Wai Hoong, Hoong, Executive Executive Director Director

MAGAZINE DETAILS Frequency: Quarterly Issues: Jan, April, July and October ADVERTISING SPECIFICATIONS Trimmed Size: 210mm x 275mm Bleed Size: 216mm x 281mm Typed Area: 190mm x 250mm Material Requirement: PDF format

ADVERTISING RATES Positions Per insertion* Inside Front Cover ROP Package 1 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write up ROP Package 2 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write-up for 2 issues ROP Package 3 1 full page, full colour advertisement with a full page write up for 4 issues

Members’ Rate Non-Members’ Rate 1x 2xs 4xs 1x 2xs 4xs RM5,500 RM5,000 RM4,500 RM7,500 RM7,000 RM6,000 RM3,500 RM5,500 Total Cost: RM3,500 Total Cost: RM5,500 RM3,250 RM5,000 Total Cost: RM6,500 Total Cost: RM10,000 RM2,800 RM3,500 Total Cost: RM11,200 Total Cost: RM14,000

For further information and enquiries Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd (609031-W) W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, 18, Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-7932 3259