THE
MCI (P) 102/07/2016
PAST. PRESENT. FUTURE. 06 The Evolution of the Logistics Landscape
SOCIETY
08 How Technology is Changing Healthcare
The Magazine of the Singapore Computer Society
10 Jacqueline Poh Chats about GovTech
Issue
01 2017
Contents EDITOR’S MESSAGE
POWER BOOST
02
15 Tell a Story Like Never Before
Disrupt or Be Disrupted: It’s Your Choice
SCS50
Vision
03
A Celebratory Note from Howie Lau, SCS President
04
50 Years of Achievements
To be the leading infocomm and digital media professional society in Singapore
17
#LATEST@SCS 19
Honouring IT Leader Awards 2017 Winners
22
SCS Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Gala Dinner
24
SCS Game of Drones Sets to Take Off
24
SCS Upcoming Events
THE BIG IDEA
Mission
06
The Evolution of the Logistics Landscape
08
How Technology is Changing Healthcare
Lead the Way To lead and contribute to the vibrancy and growth of Singapore’s infocomm and digital media industry
Add Value To add value to the infocomm and digital media professional’s career and personal development
What Makes a Best Tech Company to Work For
GEEK SPEAK 25
Frankly Speaking
SPOTLIGHT 10
Jacqueline Poh Chats about GovTech
12 Woman in Tech – Anna Haotanto Speaks Up
Be the Voice To engage and be the voice of the infocomm and digital media community
10
22
02
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
9:41 AM
Disrupt or Be Disrupted: It’s Your Choice
W
hether you like it or not, the world is moving ahead – and at a breakneck speed. Case in point, when was the last time you flipped the newspapers’ Classified section to look for job openings? Or referred to a physical map for directions? The dynamic technology landscape is transforming the world we live in, and shaping our behaviours and lifestyles – all in the name of higher productivity and more opportunities. Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive of GovTech, confirms that aspiration. But the evolution has a wider impact beyond that of the government sector. Traditional industries such as healthcare and logistics are also evolving at an increasing pace. Thanks to technology advancement, customers can now take charge of their health and enjoy full visibility of their shipments. And if anything is certain, more disruptions are on the horizon. What are these disruptions? Who would be responsible? There is no telling. In the 50 years since SCS was started, we have borne witness to many inventions which are no longer to be – floppy disks, pagers, etc. Similarly, it would have been hard to imagine five years ago that our ubiquitous taxis on the roads will face off against the (currently) invisible fleet of private hire cars
EDITOR Tan Teng Cheong CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Robert Chew Vladyslav Koshelyev Howie Lau Liak Teng Lit Dr Robert Yap EDITORIAL SUPPORT Claudia Lim
ADVERTISING SALES & ADMIN Claudia Lim For ad sales enquiries, Tel: 6226 2567 ext 12 Email: claudia.lim@scs.org.sg Mailing Address 53 Neil Road Singapore 088891 EMAIL scs.secretariat@scs.org.sg EDITORIAL & DESIGN Lancer Design Pte Ltd
powered by an application. Today, it has become a foregone conclusion. We do know for sure, however, that being an incumbent provides no advantage; neither does relevant academic training give a head start – as Anna Haotanto shared. Instead, having a passion to learn and a desire to make a real difference are attributes essential for keeping up with the changing world. Our IT Leader Award winners can attest to that through their personal experiences. Let’s admit it – our past and present accomplishments are no longer good indicators of our future success. Only continuous learning and a keen attitude to embrace change will ensure that disruptions do not creep up on us. And, even if they do, we would still be talents hotly sought after by companies – possibly the Best Tech Company to Work For Award winners? Enjoy your dose of The IT Society!
TAN TENG CHEONG Editor Fellow, SCS tan.teng.cheong@scs.org.sg
FEEDBACK We value your feedback for this magazine. Simply email scs.secretariat@scs.org.sg with your comments to help us produce an even more interesting and relevant magazine for you in subsequent issues. You are welcome to submit articles for inclusion consideration. For advertising enquiries, please call 6226 2567 or email scs.secretariat@scs.org.sg. The IT Society is the official publication of the Singapore Computer Society. Any part of this publication may be reproduced as long as credit is given to the publisher, Singapore Computer Society. All views expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society.
The Magazine of the Singapore Computer Society
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SCS50
Celebrate the Past. Envision the Future.
S
CS has come a long way since our inception in 1967, and 2017 marks our 50 th anniversary. Aptly, as we arrive at this significant juncture, we take the opportunity to reflect upon our journey momentarily even as we set our sights on the future. This ethos is encapsulated in our 50 th anniversary logo tagline and reflected in the title of this message.
which draws on the popularity of drones to encourage tech enthusiasts and novices of all ages to embrace emerging technologies and learn new tech skills. Slated for October, it will comprise two exciting events – a drone race and a drone challenge – putting to test drone programming and mobile application development skills of competing teams respectively.
We have much to thank our members for our progress. That is why we kick-started our 50th anniversary with a campaign that rewards you to join or renew your SCS membership with us – $15 or $50 lifestyle vouchers as well as a choice to enjoy free membership in the fifth year. For new members joining us before April 2017, they also enjoyed a waiver of entrance fee.
All year round, we will continue to centre our activities and initiatives on advancing our members’ professional excellence. In addition to providing platforms for knowledge sharing, deep skills learning and networking, our TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiatives such as the SCS Career Compass and Group Mentoring Series will support tech professionals who are looking to grow career pathways.
At the SCS Gala Dinner in March, we gathered over 1,200 of our members, corporate executives and government officials to celebrate our 50th anniversary with us. The event was graced by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. At the event, we also paid tribute to the IT Leader Awards winners whose contributions and achievements have helped to move Singapore closer to our Smart Nation goal. In a bid to encourage tech firms to continue placing importance on talent development and innovation excellence, we will hold our Best Tech Company to Work For Award Ceremony in July to honour MNCs, SMEs and tech startups, which exemplify a strong people culture. Through the event, we hope to remind companies that people are the building blocks for their success. Consistent with our passion to spur tech interest amongst youths and professionals and prepare them for the future, our 50 th anniversary celebrations will culminate with a celebratory finale
We live in a time when the tech landscape is evolving faster than ever. It is imperative that all of us in the industry continue to keep pace with the changes and stay ahead through continual learning, development and innovation. SCS is proud to have come this far in our 50-year journey. The achievements that we have accomplished would have been impossible without the strong support, contribution and engagement of all our members, corporate and government partners. We made this journey together. Thank you very much for pitching in to make SCS50 possible! Happy 50, everyone!! And to the next 50!!
HOWIE LAU President Singapore Computer Society
“50 years is a milestone and an occasion to celebrate.”
03
SCS50
04
“My heartiest congratulations to SCS on your 50th anniversary. It seems just a short time ago that a group of us got together to talk about forming a computer organisation in Singapore. I am proud to be able to participate in planting the seed that grew into an exceptional organisation, in an exceptional country with exceptional people.” – Michael Abrams (1967)
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
• Founded in 1967 • Operated out of a rented space until a permanent home was found in 2000. • Appointed as the Secretariat for the South-East Asian Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC)
Terence Kanagarajah (1968 – 1969) Goh Leng Seck (1970) Jonathan Ou (1971) Robert Iau (1972 – 1983)
“The formulation of SCS Vision 2000 in 1992 laid the foundation to grow the Society into a leading organisation for tech professionals to develop professionally and share knowledge on practical application of technologies. I want to congratulate all SCS Presidents who have done an excellent job in continuing to build the SCS to what it is today.” – Pearleen Chan (1991 – 1993) Dr Juzar Motiwalla (1994 – 1996)
1967
• Organised the first IT Exhibition “INFORMATICS” in 1983 with then National Computer Board (NCB) • Held SCS Annual Conference in 1985 • Launched the SCS IT Journal in 1986, which went international in 1995 • Inaugurated the first Chapter, SCS/SIM Singapore Chapter, in 1987 • Organised the first International Software Competition for Schools in 1987 • Appointed as official administrator for the BCS-SCS Examinations in 1987
1984 “I am happy to note the growth of the Society from a humble beginning to a membership of over 32,000 strong. The adaptability of successive Presidents and Excos to members’ changing needs has empowered the Society to enjoy support from the tech community. They deserve our congratulations and thanks. Congratulations SCS on your 50th anniversary.” – Wee Tew Lim (1984 – 1990)
1991
• Started the National PC Proficiency Programme in 1998 • Rolled out the first Certification in IT Project Management (CITPM) in Singapore and the region in 1998 • Purchased our own premises and set up the SCS Resource Centre at 53 Neil Road in 2000 • Launched Student Chapter and Splash Awards in 2002 and 2003 respectively • Conferred Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam the status of SCS Patron in 2005 • Launched the Certification in Outsourcing Management for IT (COMIT) in 2006
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SCS50
05
Wilson Tan • Formulated the SCS Vision 2000 in 1991
(2007 – 2008)
• Published the first computer comic “The Story of IT” in 1993; it was believed to be the first computer-generated comic in Singapore
(2009 – 2011)
• Became the official administrator of the IT POWER courseware evaluation in 1994, and subsequently took over IT POWER 21 and IT POWER Basic from then NCB • Launched the IT Leader Awards in 1997 which expanded in 2000 to include the IT Youth Award
Alphonsus Pang
“Congratulations to SCS on your 50th anniversary. In the last decade, the Society has launched several industry-wide projects to help upskill and train our professionals. With the recent launch of programmes like the Career Compass and Group Mentoring Series, the Society is well placed to navigate the industry’s changing landscape as we go into the next 50 years.” – Chak Kong Soon (2012 – 2014)
Howie Lau (2015 – Current)
1997
2007
“In the 90s, IT became a recognised profession, and SCS facilitated this movement with our professional certification programmes. Today, these programmes are recognised and highly sought after by the industry. A notable development in the decade was the location of our permanent home at the present address. Till today, it serves as a convenient meeting point for our members.” – Prof Alex Siow (1997 – 2000)
2017
• Ran the SCS Great Singapore Duck Race in 2007 in celebration of SCS 40th anniversary • Organised the Infocomm Professional Development Forum (IPDF) with then Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) in 2009 • Launched the Certification in IT Business Continuity Management (CITBCM), and collaborated with QAI on two QA international certifications in 2010 • Launched Infopier, Singapore’s first and only infocomm registry, in 2011 • Set up IT Youth Council in 2011 • Rolled out the Certified Software Testing Professional (CSTP) in 2013 in collaboration with Nanyang Polytechnic • Launched the Best Tech Company to Work For Award in 2014
Martin Tsang (2001 – 2003) Lee Kwok Cheong (2004 – 2006)
• Started the SCS Career Compass and Group Mentoring Series in 2016
06
THE BIG IDEA
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
The Logistics Landscape Past. Present. Future. As an industry, logistics traces its beginnings to mainly military applications before 1950s. It was simple and direct then. It predominantly refers to the physical movement of materials and goods from one point to the other. Since then, in tandem with the advancement of technology, changes in lifestyles and consumption behaviours have brought about significant transformation in the industry.
PAST
PRESENT
1950s to 1970s: Rapid Economic Growth General Outlook In the post war era, many economies such as the U.S. and Japan experienced rapid growth. There was great demand for raw materials and produced goods.
2000s: E-Commerce Boom General Outlook Globalisation continued to be a central strategy for many businesses. However, intensifying competition brought about by slower economic growth, as well as rising fuel prices gave rise to greater sensitivity to costs.
Logistics Landscape Besides being highly fragmented with many small players, coordination between the purchasing, production and marketing departments was usually poor. As a result, logistics costs were high for businesses. On an individual firm level, the cost could amount to 32% of sales1. The common transportation modes used were shipping by sea and rail, as the cost for shipping by air was prohibitively high and roads network in many places were not well developed. 1980s and 1990s: Structured Goods Handling General Outlook The economy continued to grow at a fast pace and businesses were looking to manage their logistics costs more effectively. Achieving economies of scope and scale was a priority. Logistics Landscape Logistics handling became more organised. Retailers consolidated their store deliveries through new distribution centres. From a highly-fragmented system, tasks became divided into two distinct functions: materials management and physical distribution. The common transportation modes used remained largely the same with increasing emphasis on roads network. Faster computing speeds and cellular network empowered better planning and communication between stakeholders, giving rise to the growth of intermodal distribution. Did you know? In response to growing demand for supply chain management solutions, YCH Group developed three supply chain services, Intribution™, Intrabution™, and Retrogistics™, to ensure that the needs of their clients were addressed at every stage. 1
Lalonde and Zinszer, 1976.
Logistics Landscape The concept of supply chain management was coined. Logistics companies looked to technology as a means to manage complex logistics networks, including the provision of visibility to customers through RFID technology. For the first time, customers can have real-time inventory movement information. During this period, technological advancements also brought down the costs of shipping by air significantly and improved the speed of shipping by sea moderately.
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THE BIG IDEA
07
About YCH Group DR ROBERT YAP Executive Chairman, YCH Group SCS Friend of IT, 2003
Founded in 1955, YCH Group is an integrated end-to-end supply chain partner. YCH’s proprietary suite of award-winning solutions are best-in-class across industry clusters from consumer and electronics to chemical and healthcare. A strong proponent of innovation, YCH is recognised for its 7PLTMapproach in seamlessly integrating supply chain strategy with execution.
FUTURE 2010s: Uberisation of Logistics General Outlook Rising labour costs and even slower growth characterises this decade. Productivity comes to the fore – both for the customers and the logistic industry players. The trend of online shopping takes off with people increasingly looking to purchase anything from groceries to books and clothes online. Logistics Landscape With more businesses looking for faster delivery time and value-for-money services, logistics firms find ways to automate labour and improve productivity. Along with the change in purchasing behaviours, logistics evolve to become an on-demand service with many technology firms entering the last-mile delivery segment. Many traditional logistics industry players begin to slash prices and offer services such as on-demand delivery in a bid to meet growing customers’ expectations and gain market share.
2020s and beyond: A Technology Game General Outlook Globalisation, technology advancements, heightened customer expectations and the talent crunch accentuate today’s landscape. They lead to increasing complexities within the supply chain and, more significantly, hint at the upcoming trends on the supply chain horizon. Logistics Landscape Technology and the use of machinery would continue to be necessary enablers to increase efficiency and accuracy as well as lessen reliance on manpower. Companies are expected to rely on robotics to automate processes and reduce manpower. In addition, RFID technology combined with data analysis will not only bring about greater accuracy and more prompt deliveries, but also enable insights to predictive behaviours. The availability of more dynamic communication platforms, which allow high quality and timely information flow, is expected to be critical for customer satisfaction and relationship management.
Did you know? YCH Group has introduced multiple technologies to create a “smart warehouse”. • The world’s first Fusionaris® – an integrated solution combining an Automated Storage and Retrieval System and Ramp-up Integrated Solution • Autonomous drones equipped with RFID scanners and video analytics capabilities to fully automate the manual counting process and relieve warehouse operators • A centralised Supply Chain Control Tower for real-time visibility across different business units
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THE BIG IDEA
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
How Technology is Redefining Future Healthcare Technology has proven to be a disruptive force for many industries, reinventing business models spanning from retail to transport and the finance industry. And it is almost a given that the healthcare industry will also be disrupted. Question is, how?
LIAK TENG LIT Group Chief Operating Office, Perennial Real Estate Holdings Chief Executive Officer, Perennial Healthcare SCS Friend of IT, 2006
O
ver the past few decades, the world has seen significant strides in medical research and disease treatment. As a result, people generally have longer life expectancy today. RESEARCH HAS BECOME FASTER AND MORE INTERACTIVE Technology is one of the driving forces behind improvements in healthcare and, when you look at the rate of change in the recent times, it is hard not to agree with that observation. For example, if a pharmacist wants to research about a particular drug 30 years ago, he would likely have to make references to more than one medical book and spend several hours in the library.
Today, with the Internet, the same pharmacist only needs a fraction of the time. The information researched would have been comparable in terms of accuracy and possibly more up to date – since it is not limited by the printing date of the publication. The variety would also have been richer. Besides medical journals and research papers from acclaimed research institutes, the pharmacist could establish interaction with respective researchers through social media, empowering exchange of medical research findings to drive advancement in research outcomes. PATIENTS HAVE BECOME MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE Notably, this same information is now also available to basically – everyone. In the past, doctors are the only point of reference for any diagnosis. Now, with readily available information and an increasingly educated population, it has become common for patients to research about their possible health problem before visiting a doctor. Outcomes of doctor consultations have become merely a form of validation for their research prowess.
In addition, the doctor-patient conversations about medical conditions are also increasingly supplemented or even totally replaced by online researches. And doctors actually encourage this behaviour because it frees up their resources to attend to more patients. GENERAL PRACTITIONERS HAVE BECOME REPLACEABLE Truth is, symptom checker services offered by the likes of WebMD and Mayo Clinic have further marginalised the omnipotent role of doctors in illness care. Of course, one can argue that a human doctor can better pick up nuances through their interactions with patients. However, with artificial intelligence (AI), it is simply a matter of time before machines can pick up nuances as well as human doctors, if not better. After all, AI can process a large amount of information quickly, is objective and unaffected by the effects of framing when diagnosing a condition. Potentially, AI makes a more competent general practitioner, except for the ability to issue medical certificates accepted by schools and companies – yet.
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PREVENTIVE CARE WILL BECOME MORE IMPORTANT Against the backdrop of a more educated and health conscious population, we are seeing a shift in the fundamental focus of healthcare. For the longest time, illness care is what people associate healthcare with. They seek medical attention only in times of sickness. These days, the availability and affordability of wearable tech enable users to get real-time health information on the go and be alerted of issues before major problems set in. In the foreseeable future, preventive care will be taken to the next level when regulations for DNA genetic testing and analysing are relaxed, and services such as 23andMe allow people to learn not just their ancestry, but also their genetic predisposition to certain diseases. NEW ENTRANTS ARE SET TO DISRUPT HEALTHCARE Healthcare is changing and it is set to pick up pace as technology development accelerates. Who will survive this transformation? And who will emerge as winners in this disruption? We are too early in the game to know for sure. One thing is certain, however. The disruption is unlikely to come from an incumbent. As Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, the world’s foremost authority on disruptive innovation, said, “Incumbents rarely respond effectively (if at all) to disruptive innovations”1. But the change momentum for healthcare is not about to hit the brakes even without the support of incumbents. Thus, rather than taking a reactive stance to the impending changes, healthcare incumbents should evaluate if it is better to sacrifice the status quo and secure their survival, or to leave it to the new entrants to disrupt the industry. As Bill Gates said, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”2 https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptiveinnovation 2 The Road Ahead, published in 1995, by Bill Gates, co-founder and then-CEO of Microsoft, together with Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold and journalist Peter Rinearson 1
THE BIG IDEA
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09
REASONS FOR HEALTH TECH INDUSTRY GROWTH
Building Communities:
Increasing accountability:
of patients look at reviews of doctors online
of health centres send patients reminders about appointments and screenings
74%
Expanding access to healthcare knowledge
66%
Advancing research to have the freedom to innovate and take research in new directions
Driving personalisation
HOW DO YOUNG PEOPLE ACCEPT NEW HEALTH TECHNOLOGY
20%
of aged 18-24 would be willing to have a microchip detailing their full medical records implanted under their skin
53%
of aged 18-24 are interested in owning a digital product that stores basic medical information for use in the event of an emergency
37%
of aged 18-24 would not mind to have a robot carer
57%
of aged 18-24 believe that people should be encouraged to use health technology to reduce the pressure on health services
25%
of aged 18-24 already own and use fitness mobile apps
Adapted from Juan Salazar “How Tech is Disrupting the Traditional Healthcare Market”, Dataconomy, 16 November 2016
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SPOTLIGHT
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
GovTech:
What is in it for You? JACQUELINE POH Chief Executive, Government Technology Agency (GovTech) Age: 41 Tech Experience: 5 years Earliest Tech Experience: King’s Quest with very Floppy Disk (5.25 inch) Currently Reading: China’s Disruptors Secret Indulgence: Black Mirror Pet Topic of the Moment: Donald Trump
From the creation of an autonomous wheelchair prototype to the investigation of the Circle Line breakdown, GovTech looks set to transform the digital landscape in Singapore. In this issue, The IT Society checks in with Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive, GovTech, on her game plan for the agency as well as her take on the evolution of the local tech scene.
Q: Question, JP: Jacqueline Poh ON GovTech Q: What is GovTech? JP: GovTech impacts every person in different ways and to different extent. Through collaborating with partner agencies and actively seeking out and understanding the needs of Singaporeans, we are engaged in delivering whole-of-government projects in a timely manner. Although you may not always see our names behind these projects, we have touched the lives of every Singaporean – be it through the Health Promotion Board’s National Steps Challenge, the user interface design of the Inland Revenue Authority’s income tax portal or the SingPass system. Even for a person who is ignorant about tech, he or she would have benefited from a more efficient transport system or a shorter waiting time at the hospitals through our data scientists’ work in route planning and system design.
Q: What does GovTech really do? JP: Well, we do a wide variety of things here. At any one time, we deal with topics ranging from manpower and education to healthcare, transport and environment. Besides providing support to over 60 different government agencies, we also try and shape standards. Be it cybersecurity standards, resilience standards or digital experience standards, we work with different partner agencies to raise the level of digital experience. Through our work, we hope to change the way government services are delivered and make a positive difference by empowering greater productivity and improving the quality of life for Singaporeans. Q: How is GovTech different from the IDA we knew? JP: When we started GovTech, we decided to build part of the government’s engineering capabilities here. We want to create platforms that
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enable us to reuse code, share data and have API exchanges – because such an environment is necessary for application developments for the public sector. While we will continue to outsource or co-source things like during the IDA days, we will buy different things – for example, bulk tenders for data analytics, DDoS mitigation services or cloud solutions for unclassified systems. I see the role of GovTech to be that of a smart and ambitious buyer. We need to have courage and imagination to develop Smart Nation projects using technology in ways that challenge the industry. In so doing, we hope to encourage new companies to grow and support us, as well as provide existing companies a test bed which they can use to improve their capabilities in producing products that can be sold anywhere else.
SPOTLIGHT
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Q: What do you see to be GovTech’s role in the local tech scene? JP: We have a platform called govBuy where we package projects into smaller parts such as testing a system or writing a piece of code, and put them up for bidding. Through this system, individual programmers or even freelancers can now work with us. We are also very big on transparency. One of the things we encourage our engineers and the tech community to do is to be transparent about what they are working on and how they are going about it. GovTech leads the open data movement in Singapore so we publish over 900 government data sets. We believe that an open, bold and collaborative environment will enable us to grow ourselves and the tech community, as well as get the best results for our citizens.
ON THE LOCAL TECH SCENE Q: How different is the tech industry today compared to five years ago? JP: The tech industry has changed a great deal in the short time I have been in the industry. The industry is seeing an increasing number of people from diverse backgrounds – business, law, etc. And you wonder what they are doing here. But the answer is simple. To succeed, the industry has to become more multidisciplinary so that it can come out with products that resonate with people. There has also been a significant perceptual shift within the industry. For the longest time, programmers are regarded to be of a lower value than project managers. In recent times, however, the entire dichotomy has turned on its head – programming jobs now yield higher salaries and are in greater demand.
“The natural rhythm of the tech industry is towards progress and change. It is akin to a fast moving river. It is always fresh. The first time you are stepping into it is likely also the first time anyone is stepping into it. And every tech professional – regardless of their experience or non-experience – need to swim very fast just to stay in the same spot.”
What is a quote you live by?
What is one advice for tech professionals?
Every one should embrace technology in everyday living because...
11
If you are not in technology, you will be...
When you are not working, you will be...
You are a geek because you…
12
SPOTLIGHT
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
Woman in Tech:
The New Savvy ANNA VANESSA HAOTANTO Chief Executive Officer, The New Savvy Age: 31 Tech Experience: Almost 2 years Studied: Business Management and Finance, Singapore Management University Hobbies: Exercise and reading First Tech Gadget: Intel 386 Preoccupied with: How do I make women more interested in financial literacy? Hopes for FinTech: Raising the proportion of women in FinTech to over 25% in 2 years
There is no denial that the tech industry is male-dominated. However, there are signs that an increasing number of women are making their presence felt in this space. Personifying this under-represented demographic, Anna Vanessa Haotanto divulges to The IT Society her motivation for entering and staying in the tech landscape. Q: Question, AH: Anna Vanessa Haotanto ON CAREER IN TECH Q: Did you see yourself working in the tech industry? AH: Not at all! I am trained in Finance and am very passionate about it. Naturally, I joined the Finance industry after graduation. During which time, I was exposed to different verticals in the industry. Working in the tech industry was the last thing in my mind then. It was an unfamiliar domain, and the fact that there are very few females in tech felt like it is a no-woman’s land. Q: So what prompted you to use web as the platform to launch The New Savvy portal? AH: Personal preferences aside, the web presented a ready platform to reach out to our target audience – women – in a quick and low cost manner. Many people were already consuming content
online through their devices so it made sense to go where people already are if we want to reach them. What’s more, with the web, we are not limited by geographical boundaries. Within a few months after launching The New Savvy, we got coverage from Business Insider, CNBC, Forbes, The Peak, Fast Company, The Straits Times and Yahoo among others. Q: Did you face any challenge when you started off? AH: I struggled a lot in the beginning. I was clueless about web development, much less about content production, digital marketing and publishing. But I knew web had to be it so I made myself learn from scratch – I searched for web developers and researched about websites to understand how they worked and what works best. Working till 4am was an everyday affair.
Q: What kept you going despite these challenges? AH: The faith that what I am doing can bring about greater financial literacy among women. At this point, I am not certain how tangible the rewards will be, but just knowing that my efforts have already started to touch the lives of people gratifies me. I’ve met strangers at events who told me that they read and love The New Savvy. There are others who had written to me to share about their lives and financial situations. Every feedback serves as my motivation to keep going regardless of challenges. Q: Could you share a funny moment during your early days in this industry? AH: Being green, I thought every tech professional works on a broad range of topics. However, I came to realise in the early days that the scope of developers
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are actually quite narrow. I recall, at one point, I was working with three developers at the same time on different topics for my website. They didn’t seem to understand each other or be able to see eye to eye. In the end, I had to intervene to facilitate conversation between the three parties. It was quite frustrating, but it was also funny because I had to pay for the projects and do my own project management! ON WOMEN IN TECH Q: Why do you think there are more men than women in tech? AH: I think gender stereotype has a big part to play in this. Most women grew up in environments, which suggest that men have better technical abilities. As a result, women tend to shy away from subjects which weigh heavily on calculus and programming. Little exposure breeds superficial or little understanding. Of course, they went on to perceive the industry as uninteresting and assume that they will not do well in the industry.
of all tech startups across the world are founded by women
In the eight largest tech companies, tech positions for females are growing
238%
“I think I must have made every mistake that shouldn’t be made when I first started out in the industry. But that’s life, isn’t it? You falter, and you pick yourself up.” Q: What do you think can be done to encourage more women to join the tech industry? AH: First and foremost, I think we need to address the stereotype. Being in tech industry for a while now, I can testify that women are just as abled as men. That said, I am mindful that the industry is still very much male-dominated now. Therefore, if we want more women to join the industry, we will need support from the men who are the majority and the key drivers of the tech community. Of course, the onus is as much on us – the women. Although we are the minority, if we can band together and rally behind one another to grow collectively, I am confident that more women will be inspired to join the industry.
Q: So do men really have an advantage over women in tech? AH: I have in my short time in the industry come across women who are really capable. They are not any less knowledgeable than men, and in many instances, I do find them easier to relate to. In my observation, however, many of these ladies tend to keep to themselves more than their male counterparts. That’s why we rarely hear about them or their achievements.
Female Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in FORTUNE 500 Companies 87
43%
9th
WOMEN IN TECH
for being a city with the largest number of tech startups founded by women
Latest Funding Stage of Startups Founded by Women
19.4%
13%
11.8% Early Stage
Seed/ Angel 80.6%
faster than males
2012 2014
13
Singapore is ranked
20%
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SPOTLIGHT
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Late Stage 87%
88.2% Female
Male
Women leave tech positions because:
How to retain more women in tech:
30%
Working Conditions: Low salary, long working time, no advancement
• Mentoring programmes
27%
Work-life Balance: Less time for family, too much travelling
22%
Lost Interest in Work: Don’t like the work or daily tasks
17%
Company Environment: Don’t like co-workers, boss or culture
• Networking opportunities • Flexible working hours • Personal development • Workforce diversity
Adapted from Jeff Desjardins “33 Facts about Women in Technology”, Visual Capitalist, 2 March 2016
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POWER BOOST
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How Technology Changes the Way We Tell Stories We perceive the world around us through stories. Stories shape moments into days, days into years, and eventually they merge into lifetimes; just like letters become words, words become sentences, and then finally a book. Stories give meaning to the mechanical routine of the mundane. With technology on the verge of making another great leap forward, will the way we tell stories be changed forever?
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ver the course of history, storytelling has been closely linked with technology. In many ways, technology defines how we express ourselves to make our narratives more vivid. We scribbled our first chapters on cave walls before swapping crude pieces of coal for ink and paint. Literature and art enabled people to express their deepest thoughts, ideas and feelings. Analogue and digital imaging made storytelling visually realistic for the first time. These subsequently evolved to bring us photography, cinema and – combined with revolutions in telecommunications – the modern Internet. If the present technological trends are any indication, these three developments are set to define the future of storytelling. CO-CREATION Before the emergence of the Internet most people were passive consumers of art, literature and music. The arrival of social networks provided a means for us to create content together. Since then, many art forms have embraced online collaboration – now writers, musicians and filmmakers can fuse their inspiration on common platforms regardless of the distance. Collaborations are not limited to creative work, they can happen in play too. The new generation of video games such as Minecraft VR allow players to build virtual environments together, pointing towards an entirely new level of collaboration – the co-creation of stories in digital worlds. PRESENCE Today, most popular storytelling media is linear and passive. We can immerse
ourselves in a great book or be captivated by an exciting movie but there is little we can do to change the story – we can only observe. In comparison, the gaming industry – while still in its infancy – shows how people can be part of the narrative through interacting with its characters and changing the world around them. Actually, “games” perhaps may not be the best name for this new art form. After all, as it stands, the depth of stories people “play” can already rival Hollywood blockbusters and even novels. With the promise of virtual reality going mainstream, in no time, people will have the ability to feel physically present in the stories. AUGMENTATION As computational power continues to increase exponentially, many technologists expect machine learning and automation
VLADYSLAV KOSHELYEV Member, SCS Client Solutions Manager, Facebook
to affect many aspects of life, including storytelling. Companies such as Narrative Science have developed software that analyses large volumes of information and creates magazine articles indistinguishable from those written by humans. Then there is the soundtrack for the game No Man’s Sky, which is dynamically rendered by a sophisticated composition algorithm based on the player’s actual experience. All said, however, even a very advanced computer still needs to be guided by imagination, ideas and intuition – that only people have. With the availability of new technology to augment human creativity, we will have the power to tell new stories like never before. The future of storytelling looks exciting and is limited only by our imagination.
Once upon a time...
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Strategic Technology Management Institute (STMI@NUS) School of Computing National University of Singapore 21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace ICube #03-06 Singapore 119613 Tel (65) 6601 1040 | Fax (65) 6776 2856 Email and Course Enquiries: stmi@nus.edu.sg
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POWER BOOST
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What Makes a Best Tech Company to Work For Studies1 have shown that a strong company culture that emphasises employee well-being creates an environment where employees are generally happier and more satisfied, leading to higher productivity. And an organisation with low turnover and more productive employees impacts the business bottom line positively.
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rganisational culture is fundamental to the success of any company because it is the emotional glue that bonds the organisation to its employees and customers. It is the essence of what a company represents and believes in, and is considered a key factor in building customer and employee loyalty and attracting talent. A strong organisational culture includes a system of shared values, objectives and norms which establishes behaviour and communication standards for both leadership and employees. In 2015, tech companies such as Microsoft, Ubisoft, LinkedIn and Treebox Solutions, won Singapore Computer Society’s Best Tech Company to Work For award. These companies were recognised for their outstanding corporate culture, effective talent development framework and innovation excellence. Essentially, a strong organisational culture is a direct reflection of not only management priorities and commitment from leadership, but also at the individual level. IT TAKES TWO HANDS TO CLAP A strong organisational culture does not happen overnight – because HR
disseminated an “employee engagement survey” or the CEO sent out a personalised email. Instead, it is an investment which requires time and money, and involves long-term, open and transparent communication. A company is akin to a living and breathing organism with a personality. It thrives or wilts depending on the strengths of its genetic composition – people. Therefore, it is important to consistently engage the employees and cultivate their synergy with the organisation and one another. A harmonious organisational culture is reciprocal – employees proactively communicate their beliefs and values and their leaders live and breathe the envisioned culture. DON’T JUST BUILD ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE, BUILD THE COMMUNITY Without a doubt, technology innovation greatly impacts our lives and leading companies in tech support this momentum. For example, as part of its commitment to create a better society with its innovative technologies, Microsoft provides free use of its Office 365 to 910,000 students and donates software to non-profit organisations in Singapore. This undertaking resonates
ROBERT CHEW Fellow, SCS Advisor, Best Tech Company to Work For Award 2017 Steering Committee
and inspires its employees, identifying it as a “Best Tech Company to Work For”. LEADERS ARE INVOLVED AT EVERY STAGE While there are a multitude of ways a technology company can foster a positive organisational culture, the first step is always about defining the desirable culture and mapping an inclusive strategy, which engages both employees and the leadership. However, without exception, ongoing effort from the leaders is required to manage and sustain a desirable organisational culture. The onus lies with the leaders to actualise the envisioned cutlure and to lead by example through words and actions – for a strong organisational culture. Only then, employees will follow and, eventually, become advocates of the company culture.
The winners of the Best Tech Company to Work For Award 2017 will be announced on 12 July at the Tech3 Forum. Stay tuned for more updates!
Study 1 - http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/ Study 2 - http://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2014/12/02/how-to-squeeze-productivity-from-employee-happiness/#1021f6e41de5
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#LATEST@SCS
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Honouring Luminaries of the Tech Industry
F
ive winners were presented with the prestigious IT Leader Awards in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions to the infocomm and digital media industry at the SCS Gala Dinner and IT Leader Awards 2017 Ceremony on 10 March. Guest of Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, alongside SCS members, corporate executives and other government officials gathered at Resorts World Sentosa to celebrate this annual event. Significantly, the event coincided with the celebration of SCS’ 50th anniversary this year – reaffirming the pivotal roles these IT Leaders play in driving the growth of the industry and the country’s Smart Nation vision. Inaugurated in 1997, IT Leader Awards has come a long way in honouring prominent tech industry contributors. To date, more than 100 professionals have been recognised for their contributions. The ceremony also continues to serve as a key platform to inspire industry luminaries, veterans, and partners from both public and private sectors to strive for excellence and continuous innovation.
Over
1,200 guests attended the Gala Dinner
Raise a toast to the winners!
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, was the Guest of Honour for this event.
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
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MEET THE WINNERS OF IT LEADER AWARDS 2017 The five winners of the IT Leader Awards 2017 have demonstrated their exceptional spirit. Find out how they have positively impacted the industry and the community from their success stories!
BILL CHANG
SAW KEN WYE
IT Leader of the Year
Hall of Fame
“It’s important for leaders to bring in digital savvy millennials and provide them with a clear path of development.”
“Seize the opportunity. There are so many new things out there that you can’t go wrong. If you are wrong, just try again!”
Bill Chang is the Chief Executive Officer of Group Enterprise and, concurrently, the Country Chief Officer at Singtel. During his 23 years of experience as an tech professional, Bill has served with many leading tech companies including Hewlett Packard, Cisco and, now, Singtel. His relentless passion, drive and focus in talent development have seen him led numerous teams to achieve breakthroughs. Bill also fervently believes that lifelong education and skills upgrading are the “best equalisers in life”. He is committed to nurturing young talents’ interest in tech, with a view to develop a sustainable talent pipeline for the industry.
Saw Ken Wye is the Chief Executive Officer of CrimsonLogic. Ken began his three-decade career with the National Computer Board (NCB) and was involved in the computerisation of hospitals with the Ministry of Health during his time there. In his last position at NCB as Assistant Chief Executive (Industry) – he championed industry development, manpower development and adoption of tech by local SMEs. Ken joined Microsoft in 1997 as Managing Director, Singapore, and over the next 16 years, held various senior positions in the company. An active tech advocate, Ken has also represented the industry in numerous Government committees and was involved in the development of a number of National IT Plans, including IT2000.
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#LATEST@SCS
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Catch these winners on video or read their citations at https://www.scs.org.sg/it-leader-awards/winners-by-year.php?year=2017
DR LIM WOO LIP
ALEX LAU
YEO QUAN YANG
Professional of the Year
Entrepreneur of the Year
IT Youth of the Year
“Educating the general public the importance of cybersecurity is essential as cybersecurity is everybody’s responsibility.”
“Innovation is not about a sudden Eureka moment. It’s about questioning the status quo.”
“Regardless of where you come from, what kind of education background you have, you can do it. You just need the passion.”
Dr Lim Woo Lip is Vice President of Data Analytics and Cyber Security at StarHub. A firm believer in building the local ICT ecosystem for long term sustainability, Woo Lip has helped to facilitate collaborations and joint developments in data analytics and cybersecurity between government agencies, institutes of higher learning and commercial companies. In 2015, Woo Lip conceptualised the national level telco-centric cybersecurity capability and successfully secured funding from Economic Development Board to establish the Cyber Security Centre of Excellence (CS-COE) in Singapore.
Alex Lau is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Anacle Systems Limited. Through his leadership, Alex has transformed Anacle Systems from a startup to a listed company with market presence across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. His entrepreneurial spirit and vision continue to push him to scale new heights, leading to him scoring a number of prestigious awards and recognitions. Alex is passionate about the youths and believes strongly in nurturing the next generation of tech professionals.
Yeo Quan Yang is a Computer Science undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He developed an interest in Information Security in 2006 and went on to pick up PHP, a popular general-purpose scripting language, by himself. In his first year at NUS, Quan Yang founded NUS Greyhats, an interest group that aims to foster collaboration and promote interest in Information Security in NUS. Quan Yang has participated in and won many national and international competitions – all while maintaining a stellar academic record and staying on Dean’s List for four semesters. Earlier this year, Quan Yang secured an internship with Google Switzerland.
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Celebrating 50 Years of Collective Growth
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ver 1,200 infocomm and digital media professionals from both public and private sectors joined in the celebration of SCS 50th anniversary at the SCS Gala Dinner and IT Leader Awards 2017 held at Resorts World Sentosa on 10 March. Graced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the event was symbolic in commemorating SCS’ journey over the last five decades where it made significant contributions to the fostering of a vibrant and globally competitive infocomm industry in Singapore. As part of the occasion, the attendees paid tribute to the past presidents whose visions and leaderships had built a strong foundation for SCS. The celebration, that was held in conjunction with the annual SCS Gala Dinner, also saw five distinguished individuals acknowledged and honoured for their achievements in the Singapore’s infocomm and digital media industry. The successful evening was not only reflective of the achievements of SCS and the award winners, it also hinted at the shape of things to come as SCS advances towards the next 50 years.
THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
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#LATEST@SCS
Past and current SCS presidents on parade (from left): Wee Tew Lim, Pearleen Chan, Dr Juzar Motiwalla, Prof Alex Siow, Martin Tsang, Lee Kwok Cheong, Wilson Tan, Alphonsus Pang, Chak Kong Soon and Howie Lau
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THE IT SOCIETY / Issue 01/2017
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SCS Game of Drones 2017 Drawing on the popularity of drones, SCS will bring tech enthusiasts and novices of all ages together for a day of fun and celebration in October. Dubbed as “SCS Game of Drones”, the drone race and the drone challenge which are jointly organised with the Singapore Science Centre will shine the spotlight on tech talents in Singapore and count down to SCS 50th anniversary celebratory finale.
DRONE RACE
DRONE CHALLENGE
Speed is the name of the game. Drones will zip through obstacles as participating teams race to complete the course in the shortest time.
The creativity of youths are put to a test as they come together to develop mobile or web applications for drones to solve real-world challenges. The challenge will be held in conjunction with the SCS Splash Awards.
• Use programming tools and software development kits to configure drones
• Develop industry applications and discover new uses for drones
• Two categories: Tertiary and Open
• Two categories: Pre-tertiary and Tertiary
Set to take off in the second quarter of 2017, be sure to look out for more information about SCS Game of Drones!
SCS EVENTS 2017 APR
10-11 MAY
Secure Software Development Model
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Cloud Computing 201 Series: Configure & Set Up Private Cloud
JUL
SCS Tech3 Forum
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APR
17-19 MAY
16 JUL
18
CSQA Programme: Keys to Successful IT Project Implementation
ASCENT Series: E-commerce Logistics
ASCENT Series: Supply Chain Management Platform Ecosystems
APR
19 MAY
Project the Future, Manage the Present
QA for Scrum
17 JUL
19
Cloud Computing 201 Series: Data Privacy Matrix
The event listing provided above is correct at the time of printing. You are encouraged to visit the SCS website for any updates and latest information about the events.
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GEEK SPEAK
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FIELD REPORTS from the Helpless Desk
Frankly Speaking By Franky Siow
H
i everyone, it’s me – Franky. I hear that SCS is celebrating their 50th anniversary. Isn’t it a wonderful time to marvel at how far IT has come, and take a sneak peek at what’s to come. For one, the Helpless Desk used to be the only place people reach me at to discuss work. Today, there’s almost no place I can hide – since they can easily reach me on my mobile phone! Those were the days…
Then things started to get smaller and I got my first handphone – Motorola StarTAC. It had a nice little antenna that I pull out before making calls. Those were the pre-GSM days, so there was no such thing as the SIM card (they come embedded in the phone!). From there on, it’s no longer “Mine’s bigger than yours” but rather “Why are you still using that brick?” Features began to proliferate, and SMS became the rage.
Big Got Smaller And then they got smaller, and smaller; before they got bigger once again. Remember the very first handphone? Yes, the Motorola one that looked like an upright brick. Fondly called the Dai-Gor-Dai (大哥大), colloquial for “Big Brother’s Phone”, it was the phone to be seen with. That’s the phone that every important person must have. It was the ultimate status symbol – separating the haves and the have-nots (I was one of the have-nots).
Voice Faded, Data Ascends Do you remember WAP (Wireless Access Protocol)? If I may jog your memory, this was the standard circa 2000 that was widely touted to be the standards for Internet access. Everyone tried their best to put the Internet into the palms of anyone with a mobile phone during those days. Thinking back, some of these efforts were ridiculous. I knew of a friend who wanted to build a Job Portal where candidates can compose their resumes with their Nokia phones. What was he thinking!?
Blackberry, Crackberry Around that time, the BlackBerry was born. Many of us were intrigued with its ability to read/respond to corporate emails. And when I finally got my Blackberry Curve in 2008, it was nice – except that it wasn’t as sexy as the iPhones some of my colleagues were flaunting. iPod + Phone = iPhone Then, there was incessant rumour that Apple will jump onto the mobile phone bandwagon. But it was unimaginable that this fruity company will ever transform the mobile phone industry when they can’t even fight the likes of Dell and Microsoft in personal computers. No one paid attention until Steve Jobs launched the iPhone on 29 June 2007. The rest, as they say, is history – with the sale of its billionth iPhone in June 2016. And of course, along with this new course, smaller is no longer sexier. At 5.5”, mine’s almost a 6. How BIG is yours?