Who Won - Singapore Computer Society
Transcription
Who Won - Singapore Computer Society
The magazine of The Singapore Computer Society MICA (P) 049/07/2009 S$4 where sold Who Won What? Winners of IT Leader Awards Revealed! @ pages 12-15 issue ONE 2010 The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 P+us ForeFront Connect IONs 1_President’s Note 3_Fellow Conferment 2_Editor’s Message 3_Members’ Benefits 4_Building Capabilities For The Future 12_People Watch: Wilson Tan 21_Events Calendar 6_Infocomm Survey Lucky Draw 8_A Toast To IT’s Best 18_SIG Cloud Computing 14_IT Leader Awards 19_SIG Web 2.0 Regulars 24_Final Say contents alphonsus pang Members 21_New Members 16_Lead Your Kids Towards Safe Surfing 20_Data Centre Design & Management Workshop President’s Note A Rousing Start President Singapore Computer Society [email protected] ours to e. Dear friends and fellow members, The first quarter of 2010 started off with a bang for SCS. For one, over 900 IT professionals and guests joined us in celebrating the achievements of our industry’s best at our annual SCS Gala Dinner and IT Leader Awards. During the prestigious event, we also honoured a long-time member and our former president, Mr Wilson Tan, with the Honorary Fellow title. Find out what happened that night, and gain an insight into Wilson’s mind in our interview with him on pages 12. We also spoke to the chairmen of the Enterprise Cloud Computing & Virtualisation and Web 2.0 Special Interest Groups and got them to talk about the two hottest topics in IT right now and share their visions for the SIGs. On the activities front, a Business Continuity Group workshop on Data Centre design and management, was just a few of the exciting events the Society had organised for the benefit of our members and the ICT industry. You can read all about them in this issue. With IT playing such a big part in our lives, it’s inevitable that our little ones are exposed to technology and the Internet even before they enter primary school. More than ever, parents need to know how to help their children navigate the Internet, while ensuring their safety at the same time. To address this, SCS co-organised a forum with Digital Life on this topic. The event, covered on pages 16 and 17, provided tips which will prove invaluable to all parents with young children and teenagers. The next quarter brings with it plenty of opportunities to explore timely issues in the industry, workshops to upgrade oneself, fun activities for members and more. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy reading about the recent developments and activities. We look forward to engaging you in the next issue! 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. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 CREDITS editorial & design Oculus Design Pte Ltd feedback We value your feedback on this magazine. Simply email [email protected] with your comments so we can produce an even more interesting and relevant magazine for you in succeeding issues. You are welcome to submit articles for consideration of inclusion. For advertising enquiries, please call 6226 2567 or email [email protected] 1 Members P+us The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Editor’s Message Congratulations To Our New Fellows! This year, we are pleased to announce the following individuals who have been conferred in March 2010: NG YOKE WENG PETER GOH ACCENTURE PTE LTD Rosina Howe-Teo LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LTD SEAH CHIN SIONG IDA INTERNATIONAL LAU SOON LIANG TAN CHEE PENG LIEN SIAOU SZE NEPTUNE ORIENT LINES LTD NETWORK FOR ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS (S) PTE LTD Harish Pillay Every year, the SCS confers Fellowship to a few outstanding senior members. These individuals have made notable contributions which have recognised and positive influences within the ICT community. These members also have an established reputation of eminence or authority in the field of IT. BUSINESS TECHNOVISE INTERNATIONAL Editor [email protected] Securing Our Digital Futures I was chatting with some freshmen at a local university recently. The discussion centered around how they are using technology in their classes to learn, experiment and innovate. The conversation coalesed into a discussion of standards, evolution of techniques and technologies and one stark realisation hit me: none of them knew definitively what ¨Y2K¨ was all about. Most of them were between 8 and 12 years old when the we moved into the 21st century. These students were tickled about the issues that the Y2K posed and the fact that nothing major happened did bring into question some of the ¨the sky is falling¨ fear-mongering heard in the lead-up to the the year 2000. It is often said that hindsight is wonderful. Sometimes, clever forward planning would help any hindsight be sweeter as well. The specific scenario I am referring to is about one´s identity in the digital future. Whether one likes it or not, those who are resisting an online existence will go the way of the dinosaur. This inherent ¨fear¨ is not what the students I spoke with harbour. They live their daily lives online and without so much as a thought on how all of their digital existence will hold out for the future. There is a good reason why we must as a professional body actively seek to use a community driven public key infrastructure to ensure that where it matters, the identities can be verified and trusted. Perhaps the SCS should require all of its members to provide their public keys (generated from tools like PGP[0] and/or GPG[1]) and using these, we can show the greater society that inherent value of a functioning web of trust. This web of trust cannot but help guarantee a secure digital future. To kick start this, here´s my GPG key ID: 746809E3. There, I´ve cast my vote. [0] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy http://www.gnupg.org/ WU CHOY PENG More Benefits For SCS Members Members can now enjoy even more privileges, this time with the Communications Society (ComSoc). On 16 December 2009, the Singapore Computer Society signed a cooperation agreement with ComSoc of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE). So go ahead and enjoy these exclusive benefits: gpg id: 746809E3 fingerprint: F7F5 5CCD 25B9 FC25 303E 3DA2 0F80 27DB 7468 09E3 • 20% discount off annual subscription for full SCS members • IEEE member rates for ComSoc sponsored events • Subscribe to ComSoc publications at reduced Sister-Society rates • Submit papers to ComSoc-sponsored meetings with the same privileges and limitations as ComSoc members • Participate fully in ComSoc Technical Committees and be eligible for Technical Committee Officer positions and vote in Technical Committee elections Roberto Saracco, Director of ComSoc and Alphonsus Pang, SCS President. 2 3 ForeFront The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Building Capabilities continued For The Future New CET Centre opens at Strategic Technology Management Institute at NUS. Infocomm professionals now have even more opportunities to upgrade their skills. A new Infocomm Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centre was set up on March 8 at the Strategic Technology Management Institute in the National University of Singapore (STMI@NUS). The fourth CET Centre adds to the other three at the Institute of Systems Science (ISS) at NUS, Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic. To encourage continuous up-skilling among professionals, the training programmes are made more affordable through Government subsidies. Companies sending employees for training can also claim absentee payroll to further defray the training costs incurred. The Workforce Development Authority (WDA) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has jointly appointed STMI@NUS to deliver a wide array of competency-based National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) courses for existing employees to pick up new skills or hone existing capabilities. STMI@NUS courses under the NICF such as Service Oriented Architectures and Management, Risk and Governance in Software Project and Foundations of Service Science, are taught by course leaders who have a wealth of experience in the IT industry. “We found a good pa rtner in STMI@NUS in promoting the objectives of the CET Centres, which is to deliver a wide array of competency-based NICF courses for infocomm professionals. We recognise that organisations are exercising greater prudence in spending as the business climate remains uncertain. To ensure that capability development is not compromised during such times, the Government remains committed to ensuring that infocomm professionals continue to improve themselves and use the NICF framework as a map to obtain their career targets,” said Mr Andrew Khaw, Senior Director, Industry Development Group, IDA. 4 definitely help me in advancing my career,” said Mr Lian Choan Kiat, IT Manager, Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific, who took the NICF Essential Leadership Skills for Project Managers course at ISS at NUS. Currently, over 1,700 infocomm professionals have benefited from the 35 NICF courses offered at the Infocomm (CET) Centres. To find out more about the NICF or to sign up as a corporate user, please visit the NICF Portal at www.nicf.sg or the Infocomm Talent Portal at www.infocommtalent.sg/nicf. IDA has also mapped about 400 infocomm training courses under the Enhanced Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme (Enhanced CITREP) to the NICF, which supports course and examination fees for infocomm training courses and certifications in areas such as IT Services, Interactive Digital Media, Project Management and Telecommunications. “The course that I took at ISS provided knowledge that helped me see other dimensions in management, thereby enhancing my management ability. This will Guide To Finding Courses On NICF Portal Benefits of NICF The NICF is a strategic tool that helps define the competencies needed for infocomm professionals to take up various key infocomm job roles. It enhances your organisational performance and improves staff performance by: 1 Developing job descriptions and competency profiles 2 Facilitating recruitment of staff 3 Developing staff development tools 4 Improving performance assessment and management 5 Strengthening in-house training capabilities STEP 1 6 Identifying NICF courses for staff to attain relevant competencies Log on to www.nicf.sg to be an NICF corporate member! The NICF: Charting a Course to Success To find out more about the CET Centres, please visit the following websites: NICF enables infocomm professionals to plan their career development and have greater clarity on the content of training courses and recognised certifications. Both corporations and training professionals are also able to take guidance from it when designing training curriculums to be more industry-relevant. The framework was developed in close consultation with the industry to articulate the competencies that employers look for in over 250 infocomm job roles. Strategic Technology Management Institute (STMI), National University of Singapore: www.stmi.nus.edu.sg STEP 2 STEP 3 Institute of Systems Science (ISS), National University of Singapore: www.iss.nus.edu.sg Singapore Polytechnic: www.sp.edu.sg Ngee Ann Polytechnic: www.np.edu.sg/cet To find out more about Enhanced CITREP, please visit the Infocomm Talent Portal at www.infocommtalent.sg/citrep STEP 4 1. At NICF Portal Homepage, click on “Find Courses” 2. Filter your selection by either choosing the “Occupational Group” and/or “Training Provider” from the dropdown. 3. Click on “Next”. 4. Courses with the matching profiles chosen will be displayed. 5. Click on the course title to view its details. 5 Members P+us INFOCOMM SURVEY LUCKY DRAW And The Winners Are… In November 2009, the Singapore Computer Society held an Infocomm Survey to understand the needs and issues concerning infocomm professionals. Supported by the Information Management Research Center of Nanyang Business School (Nanyang Technological University), it also serves as a guide for SCS and government agencies to shape their infocomm policies and strategies. The survey had an overwhelming response and we would like to thank all who participated in it. Your participation plays a vital role in configuring better programmes to help fellow ICT professionals and the industry. In addition, the SCS has donated $2 to the Handicaps Welfare Association for every returned survey by an infocomm professional. Chua Teck Joo 3D2N stay at Bintan Lagoon Resort Jennifer Kwok Canon Legria FS200 PAL Camcorder Tan Kuan Wee Microsoft Xbox 360 and 5 games Congratulations to the winners! Loh Lik Hui HP Mini Model 110-1111TU Mohit Singh Kanwal Apple iPod Touch We would like to thank Bintan Resorts International – Bintan Lagoon Resort; HewlettPackard Singapore (Sales) Pte Ltd; Lenovo (S) Pte Ltd; and Microsoft Singapore Pte Ltd for their kind sponsorship of the above prizes. CONFERENCE TUTORIALS March 23rd, 2010 09:00AM to 12:30PM Web and Application Usability Testing Presented by Ashok Sivaji from Mimos, Malaysia March 24th, 2010 09:00AM to 05:00PM Optimizing Testing through improved Regression Methodology Presented by Srinivasan Desikan from HP, India March 24th, 2010 09:00AM to 05:00PM Practical Risk-Based Testing Strategy in the International Standard Software Testing Process Presented by Wonil Kwon from STA Consulting Inc, South Korea March 26th, 2010 09:00AM to 05:00PM Concepts of Automated Software Testing Presented by Phil Robinson from Lonsdale Systems, Australia For more information, visit http://processworksgroup.com/tapstc/ or contact: Vishal Manghani Processworks Pte. Ltd. 100, Jalan Sultan, #09-05, Sultan Plaza, Singapore 199001 Tel: 65-6299 5023, 65-6295 5063 Mobile: 65-9237 7351 Email: [email protected] CONFERENCE on March 25, 2010 Conference Speakers and Presentations The Core of ISO Software Testing Standard, ISO/IEC29119 Wonil Kwon from STA Consulting Inc., Korea What Your Boss Needs to Know About Software Testing Phil Robinson from Lonsdale Systems, Australia Looking for Trouble: Practical Web App Security Testing for the QA Team Andrew Bearsley from Hewlett Packard, Singapore Source Code Quality Audit Lian Tian Tse from DSTA, Singapore Metrics that matters in Testing KiranKumar Marri from Infosys Technologies Limited, India Reduce Customer Software Defects by practicing DMAIC Koay Yee Ven from Motorola Malaysia Challenges in Mobile Applications Testing A N Sreekumar from Zoliotech, Singapore Software Testing from the Perspective of a Small Companies Ori Sasson from Singapore Management University, Singapore Testing in Agile – Is it Easier Said Than Done? Archana Joshi from Wipro Consulting Services, India Organized by: Optimizing Test coverage – Using Orthogonal test design Antony Prabhu Raj from Accenture, India ForeFront The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 A Toast To IT’s Best SCS celebrates the achievements of the industry’s top professionals with a night of glitz and glamour. If you wish to meet the who’s who of the IT industry, March 5 would have been the best time to do so. That night, SCS members and leading IT professionals gathered at Shangri-La Hotel for the prestigious IT Leader Awards 2010 and the annual SCS Gala Dinner. A Ritzy Celebration Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and Guest of Honour, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, graced the glitzy event with over 900 IT professionals and elites from the government, private and academic sectors. The evening started out with a bang, literally, as the Urban Drum Crew put up a rousing performance. The highlight that night though, was most certainly the IT Leader Awards, which paid tribute to the industry shakers. Former SCS President Mr Wilson Tan was conferred the title of Honorary Fellow. (More on him and the winners on page 12 to 15) Positive Beginnings And Happy Endings Audience enjoyed a splashing performance by opening act, Urban Drum Crew A bevy of ladies from the ICT Industry including our SCS Exco, Woo Li Chun (2nd from left)and Ong Lih Ling (3rd from left) Ronnie Lee (SCS member, country general manager from Lenovo, 2nd from left) with his hunky guests Happy toasting to the occasion During the dinner, Mr Lui Tuck Yew gave a confident message about the growth of the Infocomm industry. Backed by statistics from IDA’s Infocomm Manpower survey, he was positive IT “remains a crucial pillar and a strong focus of our economy, and this bodes well for infocomm professionals”. Rounding off the night on a high note was the much anticipated lucky draw. The lucky winners took home attractive prizes such as Takashimaya shopping vouchers, a Nespresso machine, a weekend stay at Shangri-La Hotel and laptops. In addition, 200 NETS Flashpay cards were given as table prizes. Congratulations to them and many thanks to our sponsors for their kind contributions. Wilson Tan, our newly conferred Honorary Fellow receiving his memento from Alphonsus 8 9 ForeFront continued SCS President, Alphonsus Pang and his wife, Jessica Tan From left, William Liu, SCS Fellow with Martin Tsang and Pearleen Chan, both Honorary Fellows GOH Mr Lui Tuck Yew addressing the guests Our IT Leader Awards winners taking a group shot with our GOH (from left, Bernard Leong, Alphonsus Pang, Peter Ho, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Lim Hup Seng, Pan Zhengxiang) Benjamin Tan (SCS member, Superinternet) receiving a lucky draw prize of Nespresso machine from Wilson Tan More of our happy guests. From left, Tan Teng Cheong (SCS Honorary Treasurer), Angie Monksfield (SCS Exco), James Kang (IDA) and Lee Kin Thong (Dell) Martin Yates (SIG Chairman for Enterprise Cloud Computing and Virtualisation) receiving a lucky draw prize of shopping vouchers from Wilson Tan IT Leader Awards Sponsors Supported By One lucky table: guests toasting to their win of 10 NETS Flashpay cards From left, Willie Cheng (SCS Honorary Fellow), Rosina Howe (SCS Fellow) and Wilson Tan (SCS Honorary Fellow) Official Media Video Production School of Digital Media and Infocomm Technology Gala Dinner Platinum Sponsors Gala Dinner Gold Sponsors Gala Dinner Prize Sponsors Marina Xavier, a celebrity singer entertaining the guests with her sultry voice and jazzy music 10 Second from left, Alphonsus, Saw Ken Wye (SCS Honorary Fellow) and Haresh Khoobchandani (SCS Exco) ConnectIONs IF THERE’S A WIL… WILSON TAN Former PRESIDENT Singapore Computer Society The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Can Singapore ever become an initiator and innovator of ICT solutions? Wilson Tan thinks we can. The former SCS President (2007/8) and Honorary Fellow knows with greater professionalism, deep passion and the power of some good-old fashioned dreaming, there’s a way. “Today, we have matured to be very sophisticated, even world-class, users of IT. Although we have some innovations and inventions in Singapore, we have not evolved to become an international developer of ICT solutions and products. At best, we are a world-class ICT user,” says the industry luminary, who is in his early fifties. For us to take the giant leap from being a passive user to an active leader in the forefront of ICT innovations, here are three things, among others, Wilson thinks ICT professionals in Singapore need to do more of: Jump Out Of Our Wells As Wilson sees it, “ICT professionals tend to be very good at what they do, they become very specialised. This drilling down that is happening in our industry is turning people into silo professionals. Sometimes, they dig themselves so deep into their area, they find it difficult to develop horizontally, for example to learn another language or another set of tools.” While he acknowledges that deep knowledge is not a bad thing at all, Wilson reckons that to move forward and ahead as an initiator, we have to do more. ICT professionals need to find that proverbial balance between wanting to become very professional and knowledgeable in one area and being adaptive to an ever-changing ecosystem. He brings up an allegory of a frog in a well. “There is a need for us to jump out of our well, see that there are other wells around. See what’s happening in them and look out at the bigger sky above.” Wilson also highlights the importance of recognising that the world is changing. “ICT has become ubiquitous, even primary school children and retirees are savvy with the computer. We need to make sure we understand the needs in the market for the various groups of people and see if we can weave in the solutions of our technology to fulfill their needs.” Illuminating with another metaphor from the animal kingdom, Wilson suggests, “ICT must be the tail and the consumer, the dog. The tail must follow the dog.” 12 Cross-pollinate With Others Wilson estimates that the lifecycle of technology which used to be about 36 months is today closer to 9 to 12 months. To be leading initiators and innovators, we need to keep ourselves at the forefront of change. “If we can’t adapt to change,” he warns, “we will find our skills cannot be transformed or repositioned in the new ecosystem.” So how do we stay at the crest of the latest waves? Wilson suggests cross-pollination. “There are many best practices we can bring across from other industries and apply them to ICT, for example, frameworks on professionalism from the medical industry. Medical doctors are required to attend ‘x’ number of hours of upgrading courses to keep their medical licence. What’s preventing our industry professionals from doing the same thing? What’s keeping us from learning something outside our area of ICT?” Wilson retorts. Wilson also sees foreign talents in ICT as a rich opportunity for knowledge exchange. “Foreign talents will add weight and sophistication to us becoming ICT innovators. In the last five years or so, the influx of foreign talents coming to Singapore serve to cross pollinate and provide a large pool of talents for the ICT industry in Singapore.” Dare To Dream Wilson’s passion in the field of ICT shines through when he shares the story of the work of an Indian student at MIT which he viewed over YouTube. Pranav Mistry is at the cusp of developing a ‘Sixth Sense’ solution for the everyday folk. By putting together off-the-shelf parts that cost no more than US$250, Mistry has demonstrated that it is possible to give human beings that elusive sixth sense - to move files on your computers with your fingers in thin air; to get a visual download of information about a product on a supermarket shelf by just looking at it. Perhaps, even to know a person’s likes and dislikes just by standing in front of him. It all sounds a little Hollywood but it’s actually already a work-in-progress. Wilson also waxes lyrical about acclaimed American movie director James Cameron who conceived the blockbuster movie ‘Avatar’ 15 years before actually making the film because he had to wait for technology to catch up with his vision. “I think sometimes we don’t dream enough. Dreaming is very important. The dreams that we have allow us to imagine the world that the next generation will live in. It can also help us understand better how to communicate with them now.” This father of three grown-up children professes that it is important for ICT professionals to dream and for our children to have creative space. “Give our students time and space to relax, unwind and dream. We need to spend more time to be creative and to dream. Singapore’s education system is now moving towards that direction.” Careerwise, Wilson Tan is preparing to leave his role as the Group CEO of SingPost by the end of March 2010. When asked what his plans are thereafter, he doesn’t hesitate to share that he will be off to “take a break.” Perhaps, perchance to spend a little time to dream before he embarks on his next big thing. For He’s Our Honorary Fellow Here’s why Wilson Tan’s the new Honorary Fellow In over 25 years, Mr Wilson Tan has made a name for himself and contributed much to the infocomm industry. As Group CEO, he has kept SingPost relevant and agile in this internet and mobile era, transforming the company into a provider of mail, logistics and retail solutions with a regional presence. Even early on, Mr Tan showed great fortitude. As Chairman of Singapore Informatics in the early 1990s, he pulled off a coup when he clinched the partnership of COMDEX USA, turning the local exhibition into a regional event. It became one of COMDEX’s most successful exhibitions and conferences outside of the Americas. Mr Tan’s illustrious journey in the ICT arena also includes stints as Chairman of Singapore Federation of Computer Industry, Singapore IT Federation and Chairman of the National IT Standards Committee (ITSC). In 2001, SPRING Singapore conferred him with the Distinguished Award and an Outstanding Award in 2005. He was also awarded the inaugural Special Recognition Award by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA), Singapore and the Singapore Computer Society bestowed him with the IT Leader of the Year recognition. His tenure as the President of Singapore Computer Society (2007 to 2008) saw him bring about refreshing initiatives and programmes, and the establishment of the Interactive Digital Media Chapter and two new student chapters. His keen interest in youths and education sees him serving on the Boards and the advisory boards of various education institutions. Mr Tan has also been involved in various community projects including serving on the Board of BizLink Singapore, a non-profit volunteer organisation that assesses, trains and places clients with various forms of disabilities in a sheltered workshop or in open employment. 13 ForeFront The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Here’s To IT’s Best! What makes this year’s IT Leader Awards winners so special? Read on and find out! Dr Bernard Leong, Partner of Thymos Capital LLP Young Professional of the Year Mr Lim Hup Seng, Advisor, IDA International IT LEADER of the Year Since graduating from National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science degree, Bernard has gone on to make waves in the IT industry. In 2005, he co-founded SGEntrepreneurs.com, a premier entrepreneurship portal that provides value added services and promotes start-ups to mainstream media (The Straits Times, TODAY) and foreign technology news site (Engadget). The portal is now one of the top entrepreneurial resources destinations in Asia with a strong global following. Recently, together with his co-founder, Saumil Nanavati, he launched Chlkboard, a location-based mobile web service that helps SMEs send promotions to consumers in the vicinity. He has also advised companies like AzukiSoft, Eteract and iHipo on product development, business and marketing strategies. As a multi-disciplinary academic, Bernard has published articles in prestigious journals in several fields and is also an active inventor with the Intellectual Ventures’ invention development fund, working on new innovations on biocomputing and IT. He has won the NUS Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2007 for his work with NUS students on several entrepreneurial initiatives. He is an adjunct professor teaching technology entrepreneurship in the Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre and School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, NTU. Lim Hup Seng was the Deputy Secretary (Performance) in the Ministry of Finance (MOF) from 2005 to 2009. While in MOF, Hup Seng led the development of the iGov2010 masterplan, which seeks to bring about an integrated Government (iGov) that connects citizens through the use of IT. As Chairman iGov, he personally sponsored numerous service-wide programmes and initiatives to achieve the iGov vision. Hup Seng also spearheaded the Alliance for Corporate Excellence, a shared HR, Finance and Procurement system for 11 government agencies which was commissioned in September 2009. In addition, he led and coordinated the Unique Entity Number (UEN) project, which introduced a standard identification number for all entities registered in Singapore. Through his leadership, 84 government agencies were able to smoothly transit over to use the new identification number with minimal disruption to daily operations. As a result of Hup Seng’s dedication to fostering an integrated Government, Singapore achieved the top position in the 2009 Waseda University International e-Government ranking, the first time an Asian country was given this honour. Singapore also maintained its top position in the 2008-09 World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report’s Government Readiness sub-index and improved from 4th to 2nd position for the Government Usage sub-index. Mr Peter Ho, Head Civil Service & Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hall Of Fame Peter Ho holds concurrent portfolios as the Permanent Secretary (Foreign Affairs) in Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Head, Civil Service; Permanent Secretary (National Security and Intelligence Coordination); and Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the Prime Minister’s Office. In 2000, as Permanent Secretary Defence (PS Defence), he was instrumental in championing the MINDEF.com initiative, which married the domain expertise of the public sector with the flexibility and speed of the private sector to deliver greater convenience and customer-centric services. The focus on the strategic use of IT has seen many large scale projects implemented in MINDEF. Other notable initiatives he helped conceptualised and led were the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning (RAHS) Programme and Singapore’s National Grid Computing. Under his leadership, Peter encouraged continuous experimentation and the use of new sense-making methods and technologies to help agencies deal with emerging strategic issues; he also initiated the mindset change from resource ownership to resource sharing. His firm belief that IT can transform the lives of professionals and the business landscape has brought forth a new paradigm in the public sector. 14 Mr Pan Zhengxiang, Year 3 Student School of Computer Engineering, NTU IT Youth “Transforming lives with the innovative use of computer technology” has been Zhengxiang’s dream and desire since young. His activities have seen him receive the Commendation Award by Nanyang Polytechnic, 12 prestigious military awards and crowned Champion Student by NTU. Of notable mention are his inventions – iChat with Frasia, an interactive system launched at the inaugural Asian Youth Games in 2009, which responded to around 27,000 messages within the first week; and the Innovative Pass Verification Systems (IPVS). The IPVS has an estimated commercial value of $800,000 and was Singapore’s first IT-driven solution that protects sensitive military installations. Zhengxiang is also an ardent believer in the momentous role that IT can play in enriching lives. To serve the community, he reaches out to underprivileged children and people with disabilities. He pioneered the computer-interactive-learning platform for underprivileged children in the community to improve their literacy and IT skills. A recent effort, OneConnect, is an innovative IT platform where residents spread community awareness with a snowball effect to help enrich the lives of the under-privileged in Singapore. 15 ForeFront Lead Your Kids Towards Safe Surfing Keeping your children safe in cyberspace has never been more challenging. Experts fill in on the principles of online safety. A round table discussion jointly organised by the Singapore Computer Society and Digital Life K The Internet is a doubleedged sword. It can either be a good servant or a terrible master. eeping your kids from going on the Internet is like fighting a losing game because of today’s wired lifestyles. However, regulating Internet usage in a draconian fashion will not do either. The best way, said experts at a panel discussion on Internet And Children, is to teach them the principles of online safety. Held on February 5, the group of technology and education professionals - all parents themselves - met an audience keen to pick up parenting tips and learn about privacy issues and Internet addiction. The round table was hosted by the Singapore Computer Society and Digital Life. The only thing that everybody agreed on was that blocking kids from the Internet is going to be increasingly difficult. “I’m trying my best to delay giving my kids mobile phones and Facebook accounts,” said Oo Gin Lee, deputy editor of Digital Life, who is concerned about keeping them away from the dangers of the Internet. “But we can’t keep them away from it forever.” Fact supports intuition. According to the 2008 annual survey by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore, 96 percent of children aged 7 to 14 have accessed the Internet at least once in 12 months, and 76 percent of Singapore households have access to the Internet. The trend of more children accessing the Internet seems unstoppable. Both numbers have been growing every year since 2003 when IDA started the survey. Thomas Chong, director of the Early Child Institute, PAP Community Foundation, summed up the need to manage and not run from this issue, “The Internet is a doubleedged sword. It can either be a good servant or a terrible master.” Below are four tips from the panel’s discussion. 1. Get your feet wet This is the best way to defuse fear. “If you don’t try, you won’t know,” said Thomas. Given that cyberspace has made our world smaller, it becomes necessary for parents to learn about the Internet. One audience member, a professor from the Nanyang Technological University, told an amusing story of how his grandmother, in her 90s, set up a date for him by going to his Facebook profile to get his photograph and e-mail. 2. Earn your kids’ trust early It is best to build up trust when the kids are young, said Angie Chew Monksfield, an adjunct associate professor at the Singapore Management University, who also holds the position of Principal in Portfolio Management in MOH Holdings. This way, children will respect the boundaries you have laid even when they are teenagers. Said Angie, “You can prevent them from going on the Internet at home but they can always go to a friend’s house or a café. The trick is to give them room to explore, yet remain vigilant of potential dangers.” “To gain their trust and to be treated like their peer, parents should learn and experience the latest applications with their children,” Gin Lee adds. 3. Inculcate self-discipline Angeline Khoo, associate professor of psychological studies at the National Institute of Education, noted that kids should learn to have self-discipline and regulate their own Internet use. This boils down to inculcating the right values. Easier said than done, audience members hotly pointed out. Go back to basics and start young, said the panelists. They suggested parents could get an older sibling to mentor a younger child on which sites to avoid. Another way is to place the computers in the living room so that adults can keep an eye on the websites children are visiting. 4. Teach kids to guard their privacy The line between what is private - and should be kept ‘offline’ - and what can be said or made public online is blurring, Jonathan Wong, a technology evangelist at Microsoft, said. The reason: youths, caught up with living and playing online, do not realise the implications of revealing too much information. For example, when people shoot videos of themselves in various stages of undress and post the clips online. The clips can come back to haunt them, as in the case of a former Singapore air-stewardess whose video clip of her having sex was posted online and was reported in the media in January. Youths should also guard against posting false information of themselves to portray a different persona. Doing so could get them into trouble as they need to spin bigger webs of deceit to keep up with that image, only to have the webs unravel at some point. Adapted from an article by Chan Chi-Loong, Digital Life, 17 Feb 2010 16 17 ConnectIONs The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Forecast For Tomorrow: Cloud Computing The “cloud era” is here and Chairman of the new Enterprise Cloud Computing & Virtualisation Special Interest Group, Martin Yates, wants you to join him! Enterprise Cloud Computing and Virtualisation (ECCV) has been one of the hottest topics in the computer industry for a while now. Today, SCS members have the chance to not only find out more about it, but also to learn how to utilise it, thanks to Martin Yates and his team. Chairman of the new ECCV Special Interest Group, Martin, shares with us his vision on supporting Singapore’s leadership within the cloud computing area. What plans do you have in store for this new SIG? Martin: We plan to create a cloud computing awareness programme to show how future and current professionals can contribute and play an important role in the bigger picture of Singapore as a cloud-enabled nation. Our planned SIG activities will take cloud computing and virtualisation technology from a rather conceptual and high level presentation platform closer to a real practical level. In doing so we are reaching out to ICT companies, educational establishments and individuals for ideas. We are also collaborating with the IDA, which has already developed many exciting programs and projects that are in the cloud. At the same time, we will engage the SCS Student Chapters with exciting and motivating events to trigger curiosity and achieve common knowledge development. To develop our activities into the right direction we are forming a lively exciting cross industry representative steering committee, ensuring that we keep listening and learning about the needs of both private and public sector organisations in Singapore and beyond. How has local companies taken to Enterprise Cloud Computing so far and how do you think it can help them further? Enterprises of all sizes in Singapore have different levels of awareness and possible opportunities to benefit from cloud services. The fastest and most potential take up of cloud services will come from the small business market characterised by lower IT complexity and small user numbers, making it easier to get started in public cloud. The latest Singtel application cloud “SingTel Marketplace” is one great example of the future trend of public cloud services, especially for small businesses. Here, a simple subscribed web portal gives access to many small business applications without having to purchase, install and manage applications locally. This is a simple but smart application service subscription model similar to the concept of cable TV channel subscription we enjoy today in Singapore. Naturally Singtel is not alone in providing these types of exciting cloud services so you can expect the market to be quite competitive. For larger organisations, the public cloud model is a little more complex to implement as these companies may use diverse, interconnected and specialised applications which need greater planning and investment before moving them into the public cloud. Currently there are still reservations in the larger organisations about security of confidential company data hosted in the public cloud as well as high application availability over the internet. So for those organisations, we do not expect a “big bang” migration but rather a gradual move to the public cloud over many years as confidence grows. What is the future of Enterprise Cloud Computing in Singapore? Cloud Computing will dominate every aspect of how we acquire, store data, use and pay for applications and services from the industry sector to the home user. Cloud-like services is not new, they have been with us for many years in form of a set of finished web services such as the Hotmail, Facebook and eBay. More recently, we have witnessed tremendous leaps in adoption and maturity of business-focused services such as Amazon EC2, Salesforce, Azure and infrastructure services like Rackspace. As the cloud-adopting pioneer companies surge ahead to become the industry “ice-breakers” with big news headlines in Singapore, many organisations will adopt a cautious wait-and-see policy by dipping their toes carefully into public cloud services. Indeed, many organisations will opt for a “private cloud” approach, essentially replicating many of the efficient technologies and processes of the public cloud operators within the internal organisation’s data centre premises and private networks first. For the Singapore Infocomm community, we must tap into the fantastic opportunities presented by the cloud era. We must also positively embrace the inevitable changes and adapt quickly to new ways of working in the cloud. SCS’s New Web Slingers While not of the spider variety, members of Web2 aim to help members navigate the world of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a buzzword that’s been around for some years but do you really know what it is and what it can do for you? Jonathan Wong, head of the new SCS Web 2.0 (Web2) Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to help clear any doubts on that with this new SIG. We speak to him to find out more. What kind of activities can members of this SIG look forward to? Tell us more about this SIG. I think the main benefit for members is in awareness and education. To be able to learn how social software and Web 2.0 can help enable personal productivity and improve work efficiency which will help us in our careers and personal lives. Oh, and to also be entertained (Yes, Web 2.0 can entertain you!). Jonathan: Web2 is an interest group aimed at promoting the use of social media and Web 2.0 technologies to help bring more efficiency and productivity to our daily lives. Hopefully, Web2 can help evangelise the benefits of social software to the mainstream IT professionals. What plans do you have in store for this new SIG? We will start small by focussing on just a few things: 1) Document case studies on how corporations and enterprises today use Web 2.0 technologies within their organisations to improve efficiency and productivity 2) Organise talks and networking events for SCS members to talk about Web 2.0 trends and technologies 3) Give bite-sized updates on Web 2.0 topics on our social media properties – the Web2 blog, Twitter and Facebook pages Networking sessions, talks with industry professionals, maybe a few contests. What benefits can members come to expect from joining this SIG? What major impacts does Web 2.0 have on social media in Singapore? Because Web 2.0 is such an over-arching and broad term, I would like to think that social media is a component under the Web 2.0 umbrella. Social media is essentially the practice of social discovery and sharing content, which is a big piece of the Web 2.0 philosophy. How can local companies utilise Web 2.0 to their advantage? By introducing social software and Web 2.0 tools within their day-to-day work, local companies can possibly achieve better efficiency and higher productivity gains. And the good news is that most of the major software vendors like Microsoft and IBM are all on board the Web 2.0 train and have software solutions and offerings that help bring the Web 2.0 way of working into enterprises. What do you say to those who think Web 2.0 and social media are overhyped? Although I do agree that the term Web 2.0 may be a bit abused and overused over the years, I do not think the idea of social media and Web 2.0 technologies are overhyped. One only has to see the explosive growth in the past few years in social-related web services to tell that people do see a value in this stuff. My suggestion: Don’t just dismiss Web 2.0; try it out and experience it yourself! Jonathan 18 Wong 19 ConnectIONs Members P+us The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Welcome Aboard! Membership at the SCS has its privileges – some new members tell us why they choose to join the SCS family. Steve Hunter Joshua Ho Systems Engineering Manager,Global Enterprise Accounts Head of Voice & Innovation Cisco Systems From building a 300 baud acoustic coupler and my discovery of the online world in 1986, I’ve moved into a career in internal IT. Today, I manage a team of engineers across Asia that work with Cisco’s largest global enterprise customers. Whilst I’m no longer in love with technology for technology’s sake, I am passionate about how integral our profession is to business today. I’ve joined SCS to help me keep my tech focus broader than just Cisco’s own technologies and to meet folk that have their own opinions and visions on where all this progress is heading! Since coming to Singapore in 2006, I’ve had a daughter, discovered triathlon and uncovered my love of bak kut teh for brunch. Steve Hunter Harold Petersen Data Centres 101 Joshua Ho Trainer George Kong reveals the art and science of Data Centre Design and Management. How do you set up a Data Centre? What happens when crisis strikes and you need to access this Data Centre quickly? These questions and more were thoroughly answered during an intensive training workshop on Data Centre design and management by the SCS Business Continuity Group (BCG). Held over three days from 27 to 29 January, the course was conducted by George Kong, CEO and founder of G2W Pte Ltd, a business continuity management and services company. Using real-life practical examples, George gave a comprehensive overview of all the necessary components, from site to products to procedures of operations, for the design, build and operations of a Data Centre that is part of the Physical Infrastructure for a High Availability and Mission Critical site. At the end of the course, the attendees came away with enough knowledge to participate in all aspects of the data centre design and management. Missed This Workshop? Look out for the next one by BCG. Contact the secretariat for information at Tel: 6226 2567 x 12 or email: [email protected]. 20 4 Cloud Computing Learning Journey into Major Cloud Providers - Part 1: Microsoft venue_Microsoft Singapore What Is BCG? Established in 1996, the Business Continuity Group (BCG) is a Technology/Industry Chapter that aims to provide Business Continuity professionals with a platform to share and exchange business continuity and disaster recovery issues and knowledge. 30 April QA Chapter Talk on Information Security (ISO 270XX) in a Nutshell venue_SCS Resource Centre It is my pleasure to be part of the SCS family, where ideas and views can be shared among technologists and members. I love new technology and innovative products that make our personal and business life more efficient and effective. My passion for IT started way back in 1992, when my dad surprised me with a PC. It was an x486 PC, running Windows 3, which was priced at three times the cost of today’s laptops! I enjoy playing Xbox games, jogging, listening to music and watching movies. I am an optimist and believe opportunities are problems in disguise. I enjoy the highs and learn from the lows. The three most important things in my life are family, friends and fun! Harold Petersen Sheikh Mohd Shaheed bin Ibrahim Director Lucid IT Asia & Director Consulting Consultant (Application) Lucid IT Group NCS Pte Ltd When I first implemented ITIL back in the Netherlands in 1992, I never guessed how far my work would take me. Today, I travel around as an IT management consultant and trainer, speaking regularly at IT events and writing whitepapers. Aligning best practices and making them work in a variety of cultures is what makes my work continually interesting, challenging and rewarding. Singapore has been home to me, my wonderful wife and two lovely daughters for more than 3 years now. I am a keen football fan (and occasional futsal player) and I love travel and literature. As a child, I wanted to be an engineer. To me, an engineer is anyone who works with technology. My first IT experience was when I encountered the 386 in my school’s lab. I was 8 years old and I was afraid that if I typed the wrong command, the machine would explode! IT has fast become a driving force in the decisions that I make. For example, when choosing a hotel, I need to know if it has an online booking portal and its guest reviews on the various social media portals. Without IT, I would feel like I have been abandoned by the world! In addition to IT, I enjoy current affairs and cycling as well. Sheikh Mohd Shaheed bin Ibrahim 12 April Standard Chartered Bank 6 May 5 SCS Seminar on Intellectual Property Laws on the Internet venue_SMU, Seminar Room 3.1 15 May Business Leadership Seminar Regulars 26 May Anti-Smoking Game Development Challenge (In collaboration with HPB and SPH) Venue_Singapore Expo 10 June 6 venue_SMU, Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium SCS Member Movie Night 22 May 30 June SCS Bowling Tournament 2010 SCS Seminar on IT Law Workshop Fundamental Elements of IT Contracts venue_SuperBowl (Mount Faber) venue_Golden Village VivoCity venue_SMU, Seminar Room 3.1 23 July SCS Golf Day 7 venue_Orchid Country Club Eve n ts C a le n d a r Ap r i l – Ju l y’1 0 Upcomin g eve www.scnts are listed a s.org.sg t . 21 Members P+us The IT Society_issue 1 / 2010 Be Part of The SCS Family Being a member of SCS opens doors to great opportunities that will help you keep tabs on the latest technology, learn and adopt best practices and build up professional ties by networking. You’ll get to enjoy: 1. Professional Recognition and Development With a membership of more than 22,000, SCS is a premier professional organisation for Infocomm practitioners and users. You may use the following professional credentials after your name. • Fellow (FSCS) • Senior (SMSCS) • Ordinary (MSCS) • Associate (AMSCS) Your membership extends beyond Singapore as well, thanks to reciprocal membership agreements with numerous esteemed organisations. Here are the reciprocal overseas computer societies: • Australian Computer Society • Association for Computing Machinery • British Computer Society • Canadian Information Processing Society • Computer Society of India • Hong Kong Computer Society • Malaysian Computer Confederation • New Zealand Computer Society 2. Exclusive Networking Events Enjoy special rates or FREE registration to these exclusive events that provide ample opportunities for you to interact with like-minded specialists and form business alliances and partnerships: • SCS Business Leadership Seminars • SCS Gala Dinner and IT Leader Awards • SCS Golf Day • SCS Bowling and Paintball Tournaments • Business Networking Evenings, Member Rapport Nights, Movie Nights and many more… You can also enjoy discounts on SCS supported events, seminars and conferences. Visit http:// www.scs.org.sg/press_ann.php to get the Event Calendar. 3. Gain and Share Best Practices Pick up best practices and techniques by participating in the Technology / Industry Chapters and Interest Groups. Tap on the society’s established network to get more knowledge on how to harness IT applications and services. SCS Chapters & Interest Groups • Business Continuity Group • Certified IT Project Managers Chapter • Education Chapter • Interactive Digital Media Chapter • Quality Assurance Chapter • Wireless Chapter • Young Professionals Chapter • Interest Groups: Application Architecture, Entertainment Computing, Entrepreneurship, Internet, Knowledge Management, Network, Data & telecommunications and Personal Development 4. Special Discounts on Courses and Workshops Fuel your thirst for lifelong learning or simply to satisfy your interest by taking advantage of our discounted prices on a wide variety of courses and workshops. Visit http://www. scs.org.sg/MemberBenefits_Courses.php for more details. 5. Information and Resources Receive quarterly print publication, theITSociety magazine, delivered to your doorstep absolutely free! You can also access online to the International Journal of IT to stay current on the latest technologies. You can now access the CITPM and COMIT Bodies of Knowledge in either hard copy or online version at special rates: Body of Knowledge: Hardcopy & Online copy UnitGST Modules Qty Price (S$) (S$) CITPM BOK 1 18.00 1.26 CITPM BOK 1 18.00 1.26 CITPM BOK & COMIT BOK 1 set 30.00 2.10 (Enjoy special discount of more than 15% for purchase of both BOKs) Total (S$) 19.23 19.23 32.10 Note: Postage fee of $3 is applicable for the delivery of hard copy. 6. Career Opportunities If you are excited by the direction that the Infocomm industry is heading and wish to see your potential flourish in a high-tech environment, SCS is here to help. Log on to http://www. scs.org.sg/CareerOpportunities.php to view the latest job openings. 7. Other Member Services • Email Forwarding Service offers you the prestige and convenience of being reachable via the Society. Your SCS email address will take the form of [email protected]. sg. Email your request to scs.secretariat@ scs.org.sg. • Receive monthly e-newsletter on the Society’s latest announcements and events. Exclusive Perks and Privileges for SCS Members! Get more rewards as an SCS member. Simply flash your membership card to enjoy attractive discounts and offers. • 15% discount on MicronDR Professional Data Recovery Services • 10% – 15% discount on Raffles HealthScreeners and Thomson Medical Health Screening Packages • 10% – 20% discount on Singapore Repertory Theatre and Singapore Dance Theatre Productions • StarHub offers for the latest deals on mobile and broadband plans • Special promotions for IT gadgets, computer accessories, home appliances, audio-visual equipment and many more. • Promotional rates on resort stays and golf playoffs at the Bintan Resorts Visit http://www.scs.org.sg/MemberLatestBenefits.php to check out these exclusive deals. 22 23 Regulars We take a look at what ingenious solutions IT professionals around the world have come up with to better our lives! Your PC, simplified Designed to make your PC simpler and the things you do every day easier. Read All About It Coming To You In 3D Begone Clunky Plugs! Comic lovers will now have another alternative when it comes to getting their monthly fixes. LongBox, a digital comic book store and comics reader, is now in its public beta phase. When fully launched, it will work somewhat like iTunes for audiophiles, and one can buy and read comics via this application. In addition to traditional CBR and CBZ, LongBox offers its own reading format for an enhanced reading experience. There’s a Manga mode, which can be used for Japanese comics published in a right-to-left reading order and an audio button (currently nonfunctional), which may allow publishers to associate recommended playlists with their comics. If LongBox is able to get the support it needs from publishers, we reckon it’s going to bring in new readers, especially if it means lower prices for online versions. And for Singaporean fans, there’s an added perk – getting to read the latest issue the same day it is launched in the USA. With the influx of 3D movies these days, many media developers are keen to bring the same 3D experience right into your living rooms. While industry players like Samsung are creating special 3D glasses that work only with their own TVs, XpanD will be rolling out its X103 3D glasses in June, touted to be compatible with almost every 3D-ready TVs of all brands. And, they come in 12 different colours, in adult and kid sizes. But at USD 125 a pop (at least), watching 3D movies with families and friends at home seems like a really expensive affair for now. Laptops have been shrinking in size and thickness, which is great for those of us who run around with it in our bags all day. But that oversized, three-pin clunky power adapter hasn’t seen the same technological advances our laptops have. In comes Choi Min-Kyu, a student from the Royal College of Art in London. A simple, yet clever design tweak from him, and the bulky plug as been transformed into a sleek, slim wonder that’s less than 1cm thick when folded. That’s right, a foldable plug – one that has won the Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2010 overall prize. Turn the pins and open the cover and voila, it’s ready to be used! Now why didn’t anyone else think of that before? 24 When we asked what you want in a PC, you told us to make it simpler and easier to use. We listened. So we designed Windows®7 to be more reliable, more responsive, and to make the things you do every day easier. And we’ve made some exciting new things you can do with media and entertainment easier, too. Because when your PC is easier, you are on your way to a Life Without Walls. www.yourpcsimplified.com