Microsoft and Basis Bay Educate IT Students on Cloud Technology and Green IT

Taylor’s University continues their efforts in bringing industry experts to campus, and this can be seen as there were 2 expert series lectures organized by Taylor’s School of Computing and Information Technology. 

Dr Dzaharudin Mansor, National Technology Officer in Microsoft Malaysia, brought to students the latest development in Cloud technology, which not only bring about economic benefits to private organisations but also to the government sector as well.


In his forum held on 9 May 2012, Dr. Dzaharudin highlighted that 70% of IT budgets in organisations are spent to maintain inflexible and silo-ed date centre equipment. The advancement of cloud technology provides business agility, better efficiency, and also enterprise world class computing, made affordable for small and medium companies. 

Companies or applications which has benefited from cloud technologies include Gmail, Hotmail, and also Dropbox. Harvey Norman, the household services manufacturing giant, also did a web store scalable campaign using cloud services for rapid distributor response. The students learnt that cloud computing is a technological evolution and an efficient economic revolution, which will see many companies and organisations adapting this system into their frame works in the near future.

Grads with Analytical Skills

Business is the driving force of an economy. Business organisations bring together different types of resources in a creative and innovative environment to maximise opportunity and profits.

Every organisation needs business experts to help them resolve problems they will face on a daily basis. Employers want graduates with the right mix of digital skills and global business exposure.

Limkokwing University offers globally recognised degrees specialising in International Business, Accounting, Business Administration, Islamic Banking, Marketing and Entrepreneurship that also equip students with the right digital skills.

Students will gain essential exposure to how a real-world business environment works through Limkokwing University’s close collaboration with partners across a wide range of business sectors.

Business managers are in high demand among forward-thinking companies. Top employers are looking for highly skilled problem-solvers who are not afraid of taking risks to create new opportunities for growth.

Tech Whizzes In A Weekend

A group of teenagers scratched their tech itch during a recent IT Boot Camp where they tried their hand at devising applications for the iPhone and created 3D characters.

Fifty-six Year 10 to 12 students of private schools like The Alice Smith, Tenby International School, Sunway International School, Mutiara International Grammar School, Sekolah Indonesia, International School of Kuala Lumpur and Global Indian International School participated in the two-day camp.

“At the end of the day, you will get a taste of what we are doing … but this is a tip of the iceberg to energise and propel you into future careers,” Monash University Sunway Campus’ Head of School of Information Technology Prof Chris Messom said in his welcome address.

Over the two days, participants had a taste of creating and customising an iPhone application with Mr Jason Khong, a School of IT alumnus and founder of Apptivity Lab – a pioneer amongst local iPhone applications development companies.

INTI's Industry Collaborations Link Students to Latest Resources in ICT

IBM, Cisco and SAP are among INTI’s list of global IT partners providing students with cutting edge technological know-how and professional certification to ensure their high employability upon graduation.

In fulfilling its brand promise to bring industry into the classroom, INTI through synergistic alliances such as MyUniAlliance with SAP and Software Career Training (SCT) with IBM, have enabled its students to gain access to a wealth of resources, technologies, industry best practices and business solutions.

INTI was one of the first educational institutions in Malaysia to participate in MyUniAlliance, an initiative by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to upscale and hone the abilities of undergraduates in ICT. A special hosting service is available to INTI’s students to access SAP systems for hands-on learning under a free software license that will provide knowledge of integrated business processes and industry best practices.

‘Hackers Are Here, Where Are You?'

Kuala Lumpur, 11 May, 2012 - The School of Information Technology, Faculty of Business & Information Science, UCSI University recently organized a seminar on ‘Hackers Are Here, Where Are You?' conducted by The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council). The seminar was open to all UCSI University students.

The EC-Council is a leading provider of IT Security certification and is a member driven international organization of academicians, industry practitioners and professionals from the e-Business domain.

The main aim of the seminar was to bridge the gap between industry and academia by having EC-Council academy to present to the students on the techniques used by hackers and the counter measures taken by organizations against these hackers. This is in line with the School of IT's mission, to "provide industry-relevant courses and to produce industry-ready graduate" as well as to drive the students to think ‘out-of-the-box'.

Besides highlighting the new tools, techniques and methodologies for hacking, the seminar also addressed the importance to help organizations to take preemptive measures against malicious ‘cyber attacks'. This can be done by counter attacking the malicious threat itself in the system within the legal boundaries.

At the end of the seminar, 5 lucky winners walked away with training vouchers worth RM350 each and another 5 winners received t-shirts, courtesy from EC-Council. The students gave their thumbs-up on the seminar as the information that they received would not be available within their scope of study within the classroom. The students also voiced their eagerness to attend such seminars in future as it gives a better insight on what the industry is.


SOURCE / AUTHOR : UCSI Official Website

UUM Hosts ITU’S ‘GIRLS IN ICT DAY’ Celebratory Programme

UUM ONLINE: The world celebrated the ITU international ‘Girls in ICT Day’ on 26 April 2012. In Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), chosen as the host to celebrate the occasion, held ITU’s ‘Girls in ICT Day’ programme under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union-Universiti Utara Malaysia Asia Pacific Centre of Excellence for Rural ICT Development (ITU-UUM ASP CoE).

The event, which is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in April, honours girls’ interests and strengths, and encourages them to choose a career in information and communication technologies.

The one-day programme was replete with various activities for the edification of the participants comprising over 300 students from UUM and several secondary schools from around the Kubang Pasu district in Kedah. Among the activities were a talk on ICT awareness by James L. Sinclair, Manager of the Broadcast Engineering Programme at the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD); a talk on Soft Skills Development by Huraizah Abdul Rahman, Manager of the Desa Balik Pulau Internet Centre, Penang; a talk on Careers in ICT by Dr. Azizah Ahmad, a lecturer at UUM; a quiz on ICT; and a creative video contest.

The Deputy Secretary-General (Communication), Ministry of Information, Communication, and Culture, Che Azemi Haron, when officiating the opening of the event at the Seminar Hall of the School of Computing, UUM, said that ICT was fast becoming integral to every aspect of the world of work, practically paralleling the pivotal importance of the economic factor in the advancement of a developing nation.

He said that many countries around the world were now facing a dearth of suitably qualified personnel in the fields of mathematics, science, engineering, and computing. In consequence, he said, to meet the increasing demand for such personnel in the workforce, big corporations were vying with each other in the recruitment of qualified women in this sector.

Pelancaran UM E-journal Management System

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 JULAI 2012 - SELARAS dengan aspirasi Universiti Malaya dalam penghasilan jurnal mengikut piawaian antarabangsa, pihak pengurusan UM dengan kerjasama Pusat Teknologi Maklumat melancarkan sistem pengurusan jurnal yang lebih sistematik dan mengikut piawai antarabangsa - E-journal Management System – dalam satu majlis ringkas di Bilik Court, UM semalam.

“E-journal sudah lama wujud di UM tetapi usaha untuk menggerakkannya tidak dilakukan secara bersepadu,”kata Timbalan Naib Canselor (Penyelidikan & Inovasi), Profesor Dr. Hamzah Abdul Rahman sejurus berakhirnya majlis pelancaran.

“Kelemahannya adalah e-journal tidak mengikut standard yang diamalkan seperti sistem pengurusan journal lain seperti SCORPUS dan ISI. Justeru sistem pengurusan E-journal Management System yang dilancarkan hari ini lebih sistematik dan mengikut piawai antarabangsa.

“Sebelum ini, pihak fakulti mempunyai pilihan sama ada untuk menyenaraikan jurnal mereka dalam E-journal tetapi dengan pengenalan E-journal Management System, kami mewajibkan kesemua fakuti untuk menggunakannya kerana ia adalah mirip sistem klasifikasi jurnal lain seperti ScholarOne milik Thomson Reuters.

“Sistem ini (ScholarOne) adalah bagus dan kami pernah terfikir untuk melanggan sistem ini tetapi tidak berbuat demikian kerana kekangan kewangan.

“Oleh itu, kami mengambil alternatif untuk mewujudkan sistem kami sendiri yang boleh diakses oleh warga kampus dan luar,” tambah Dr. Hamzah.

SOURCE / AUTHOR : UM Official Website

UTM Launched Mobile Hotspot Bus

Johor Bahru, July 2, 2012:  UTM launched its maiden UTM Mobile Hotspot Bus today, a bus that is fully equipped with a modem, also known as WCC Mobile Hotspot, allowing up to 200 passengers connected to the internet simultaneously, and can be used within a radius of up to 100m from the bus. The WCC Mobile Hotspot is a spin off from the internet bridging access and smart antenna technologies previously produced by UTM Wireless Communication Centre (WCC), headed by Prof. Dr.Tharek Abdul Rahman.

The product is one of UTM’s latest technologies managed by the Innovation and Commercialisation Centre (ICC) to be further commercialised by the private sectors. To ensure the quality of the WCC Mobile Hotspot is stable and reliable to users, the WCCspent 3 months of pilot tests with the collaboration of a local bus service provider, Syarikat Bas MARA Liner and Maxis, which sponsored simcards for the proof-of-concept. It is expected that the use of a mobile wifi in public busses will be a major milestone for bus providers in Malaysia to attract more passengers to use their services.

“UTM plans to install the technology on all UTM busses in the near future and further commercialise the technology to other public bus service providers such as MARA Liner, airport limousines and other public transport providers through licensing activities to ensure the technologies can be benefited by most Malaysians,” said UTM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr.ZainiUjang.

Other major technology produced by UTM Wireless Communication Centre is the Smart Antenna Technology, a flat antenna that is able to give up to 80% efficiency rate as compared to 50-60% that of the conventional ones.

SOURCE / AUTHOR : UTM NewsHub | Brbaha

USM First In The Country To Develop Sophisticated Data Identification System Using RF Technology

PENANG, 11 Feb.- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is the first institution in the country to develop a data identification system using radio frequency (RF) technology, which is far superior to the current system used in the country.

Apart from being the first of its kind, the product, better known as Contactless Active Integrated RFID System (CAIRFID) is capable of identifying data at a distance of between 30 to 45 meters.

The capacity of CAIRFID which has touched 2.45 GHz, is also the first product in the world to incorporate Zigbee technology.

Dr. Widad Ismail, head of the research team from PPKEE that developed this product and who is also a lecturer at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (PPKEE), USM said that the product was multi-functional.

He said that the most significant function is that it simplifies the various data identification systems in many sectors including medical, banking, housing, schools, institutions of higher learning and also on the highways.

UiTM Machang : 6,000 Students Blame Telekom For Internet Breakdown

Machang, Thursday - 6,000 students of University Institute Technology Mara, UITM Machang are in a dilema because cable line to supply the internet to that area was stolen by the culprits.

This accident had occured many many times but nothing much done by Telekom of Malaysia

According to one of the student, who refused to be identified, the most Telekom could do is to install a new cable.

When the new cable was stolen, the student become the victim, they could not complete the assignment given by the lecturers.

"It will take 4 weeks, to resume back the internet services to that area," said one telekom officer.

In the mean time, students had to by broadband by their own pocket money.

Telekom State Manager when contacted, declined his name to be quoted, said that the management of UiTM never made officials complains upon the matter.

SOURCE / AUTHOR : AllVoices | Nik Mahadi

YTL Communications to Provide 4G Mobile Internet Network to UKM

BANGI, 6 June, 2011 – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) hopes the problems it faces over its internet connections within the campus is a thing of the past with YTL Comunications providing 4G mobile internet network infrastructure.

The 4G mobile internet network infrastructure to be provided by YTL Communications allows for the fastest wireless internet broadband for UKM staff and students. 

This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UKM and YTL Communications last  Friday. UKM has been facing two major problems over its internet connections within the campus over its rising internet network storage and single point failures. 

UM, Microsoft M'sia Collaborate In Human Capital Devt Programme

The University of Malaya (UM) is collaborating with Microsoft Malaysia and Prestariang Bhd to

provide its students with a human capital development programme called "Hedstart Program".

Launched at UM, the programme will impart world-class knowledge and resources to develop

students to become highly skilled and confident to face the globally benchmarked accreditation,

said Prof Dr Rohana Yusof, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs), University of Malaya.

Hedstart Program is a significant achievement and an excellent example of a private-public

partnership, that is in line with the government's agenda towards transforming Malaysia, as well

as to enhance creativity, innovation and competitiveness among students.

Take Astro with You, Wherever You Go

Watch the Best of Astro on your smartphone, tablet, laptop and PC

 KUALA LUMPUR, 30^th May 2012—Imagine that you are watching the last 10 minutes of an exciting football Finals at home, when your friend arrives to pick you up and you have to be on your way. Imagine the frustration of missing out on the winning goal. With Astro On-The-Go, you will never have to experience such frustration ever again, as you can now take that LIVE game with you wherever you go.

Watch the best of Astro on smartphones, tablets or laptops with Astro On-The-Go—an innovative service which delivers non-stop entertainment anytime, anywhere. With Astro On-The-Go, customers can enjoy immediate access to Astro TV Channels, LIVE Events, Video-On-Demand (VOD) and Catch Up TV across multiple online and mobile devices, starting with the iPad.

 Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Chief Executive Officer of Astro said, “As a leading-edge innovator, Astro has many ‘firsts’ like High Definition, 3D, PVR and Astro First. Today, we proudly unveil another innovative ‘first’ and I am proud to introduce Astro On-The-Go, an innovative new service where you can enjoy your favourite shows on the devices of your choice. Astro On-The-Go is an individual's Personal TV experience which you can take with you, your favourite Astro shows from your home to your smartphone, tablet and laptop on the go. For instance, you can be enjoying live football matches on your iPad while you are traveling in your car.

Axiata Group Receives 2012 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Award for Best Telecom Group for the Fourth Consecutive Year

Singapore 8 June 2012, Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata”) has been named „Frost & Sullivan‟s 2012 Asia Pacific ICT Award Best Telecom Group of the Year', for the fourth consecutive year. The Awards seek to recognise the outstanding performance by companies in the Enterprise, Telecom, and Service Provider segments of the Information, Communication and Technology industry.

The prestigious award, one of four of the coveted Best of the Best category, was determined by a high-level and respected panel of telecom experts from all over the world. Award recipients were evaluated based on their revenue growth, market share gains, leadership in new product introduction and innovation, breadth of products and solutions, major customer acquisition, and business and market strategy.

Dato' Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Axiata said, "It is indeed a great honour to receive this recognition for the fourth consecutive time, especially given the other very established nominees in the category. 2011 marked another solid year for Axiata and this award is recognition of the Group‟s strong presence and continued success in the region's telecommunications market”.

Serene Chan, Industry Analyst, Mobile and Wireless Asia Pacific ICT Practice, Frost & Sullivan said, “Outstanding performance was noted across a number of areas. In particular, its subsidiaries in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia achieved strong growth with notable increases in their postpaid subscribers. While expanding its footprint, effective cost management is vigilantly undertaken in consistently maintaining a high EBITA margin. At 43.3% in 2011, the Axiata Group achieved the highest EBITA margin among its peers in the Asia Pacific region. Nevertheless, cost control was never at the expense of continuous development. The management's strategic vision is exemplified through its infrastructural development where 18.5% of its revenue is channeled towards capital investment”.

Terengganu Becomes the 1st State in the East Coast to Receive TM Unifi Service

• Residents of Teluk Kalong, Kemaman are now able to enjoy high speed broadband ahead of schedule
• Service to be expanded to more than 960 premises by end of 2012

The rollout of Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s (TM) High Speed Broadband (HSBB) service, UniFi continues, with the service now being expanded to Terengganu, making it the first state in the East Coast region to receive the service. The latest milestone was even more meaningful when it arrived in Terengganu ahead of the service availability scheduled for end of 2012.

The provision of UniFi in Terengganu was officially launched today by YAB Dato’ Seri Haji Ahmad Said, Menteri Besar of Terengganu, and witnessed by Che Azemi Haron, Deputy Secretary General (Communications), Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture. Datuk Bazlan Osman, Group Chief Financial Officer, TM, Dato’ Kairul Annuar Mohamed Zamzam, Executive Vice President, TM Government, and Hj Hamidun Ismail, State General Manager, TM Terengganu, were also present at the launching ceremony.

Commenting on the launch, Datuk Bazlan said, "We are excited that today marks another significant achievement in our HSBB roll-out when the service is now available at the East Coast region, ahead of schedule. As the country’s first and premier HSBB service provider TM is proud to make UniFi service available here, in Terengganu covering 544 premises in Teluk Kalong area. On behalf of TM, I would like to extend our greatest appreciation to YAB Dato’ Seri Haji Ahmad Said and the State Government of Terengganu for entrusting us to bring an enhanced and integrated digital lifestyle to the homes of Terengganu citizens with the availability of UniFi.”

He continued, “I am happy to note that customers here in Teluk Kalong, Kemaman are the first community set to enjoy this service beginning July 2012, which also makes Terengganu as the first state in the East Coast region to receive high speed broadband service. The service will then be expanded to other selected locations in Terengganu by the year 2013. I am also proud to note that after two years of the implementation of HSBB, close to 395,000 customers nationwide has reaped the benefits of UniFi high speed broadband connectivity at the speeds of up to 20Mbps.”

Windows 8 Due in October

Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system will be available to consumers from late October as the software giant looks to update its platform for a variety of devices, the company said Monday.

The announcement on Microsoft's new operating system - its release will be three years after Windows 7 went public in Oct 2009 - came at the software giant's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto.

Communications manager Brandon LeBlanc said the company "confirmed that Windows 8 is on track to release to manufacturing (RTM) the first week of August" and "will reach general availability by the end of October."

Windows 8 will be available in 109 languages across 231 markets worldwide, he noted.

The latest version of the operating system that is the norm for personal computers will also be used on many smartphones and tablet computers, including Microsoft's own Surface tablet to be launched this year.

It "is simply the biggest deal for this company in at least 17 years," Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer told the Toronto gathering, referring to the launch of the game-changing Windows 95 operating system.

App for Fasting for Diabetics

HEALTHCARE company MSD has introduced its MSD Mobile Application for iOS devices to help Muslims who are diabetic to track their sugar levels during the holy month of Ramadan.

The app will also alert Muslims with type 2 diabetes mellitus if their sugar levels are too high or too low.

The data can also be shared with a doctor by showing him or her the app or sending the info via e-mail as a PDF document. The app also has handy facts and tips on how to fast safely during Ramadan, said Ewe Kheng Huat, MSD managing director.

"Last year we introduced The Facts about Fasting during Ramadan booklet and it was very well received. This year we wanted to extend our support by introducing a mobile application," he said.

A Ramadan calendar is also included in the app which will show the times for prayers and breaking fast based on the user's location. This feature will be helpful for those who are travelling during the holy month, said Ewe.

The app, which works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, also includes a Qibla finder. MSD Mobile Application will be available on the App Store in four countries (Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Britain and United Arab Emirates) and in three languages (English, Bahasa Malaysia and Gulf Arabic) on July 16.

SOURCES / AUTHOR : The Star | Published: Thursday July 12, 2012

BlackBerry’s Latest Delay Could Lead to Lawsuits

OTTAWA — A friendly crowd is unlikely to greet Thorsten Heins on Tuesday, when he makes his first appearance as chief executive at the annual meeting here of Research in Motion.

Shares in the BlackBerry maker have fallen by about 95 percent from their peak in mid-2008. And last month, not only did RIM post a $518 million quarterly loss, but it also surprised investors by announcing that a new line of phones critical to its future would again be delayed.

But the annual meeting may not be the only forum for shareholders to vent their displeasure. Several securities law experts and some investors say the delay in the BlackBerry 10, and overly optimistic remarks as recently as last week by Mr. Heins since he took over the top job in January, may also make RIM the target of shareholder lawsuits.

“They’re going to get sued and they should get sued because I think a closer look at the record is likely to unearth knowing and willful misrepresentation,” said Jean-Louis Gassée, the former president of Apple’s products division and the founder of the software maker Be, who is now a venture capitalist and blogger in Palo Alto, Calif. “When the C.E.O. says there’s nothing wrong with the company as it is, it’s not cautious, it doesn’t make sense.”

Apple Is the Heavyweight in Many Fund Portfolios

DESPITE the storms that have swept through financial markets over the last year, the overall stock market in the United States actually managed to eke out some gains. In fact, the market value of all stocks in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index increased by $282 billion in the 12 months through June.

There’s a catch, though: One stock alone accounts for the overwhelming bulk of that increase. In fact, of that $282 billion, some 83 percent of it comes from gains in shares of Apple Inc., now the highest-valued company in the world.

Many mutual fund managers can attribute most of their recent success to large positions in Apple. But is a large current stake a ticket to further outsized gains? Or is it an increasingly risky bet that could quickly sour?

Apple is the most widely held stock among the 465 growth funds followed by FactSet Research, said Michael Amenta, an analyst at the firm. And that poses pressing issues for many fund managers.

“We’re sensitive to letting a mutual fund get too outsized a position,” said Ryan Jacob, manager of the Jacob Internet fund. When his fund’s Apple holdings neared 9 percent of assets, Mr. Jacob decided to “trim a little bit.”

Until quite recently, selling Apple often led to remorse. “Every sale has been a bad sale,” Mr. Jacob lamented. “Up until a couple of months ago,” he added, referring to Apple’s decline from an April high. Today, fund managers must weigh Apple’s distinct performance and potential against some equally distinct risks.

ICT integration in schools: Where are we now and what comes next?

Schools and ICT integration: The Australian policy context

Australian national and state education initiatives over the last 25 years stress the integration of computing technologies into compulsory education (AEC 1989; State of Victoria, 2001; Tas 2002; MCEETYA 2003; 2005). Like Western governments worldwide, in Australia computing technologies are considered a motherhood solution to the needs of a highly skilled and technologically capable workforce. Implicated in this 'final solution' is compulsory school education and its connection to future workplaces. The 2005 MCEETYA Joint Statement on Education and Training in the Information Economy resonates with this kind of digital rhetoric as we move towards a "...leading edge education and training system" that "drives development of an innovative society" (MCEETYA, 2005). ICTs (information and communication technologies) in education are burdened with the promise "to raise education standards and minimum skill levels" marking the arrival of the "future economy". The 'quality training through new technologies' of this new legion of workers will address Australia's need for competent, lifelong learners in "a world of continuous technological change where knowledge is becoming a commodity" (MCEETYA, 2005).

The cry for more technology in schools is deeply connected here; the origins of a school based solution are traceable to the Common and Agreed National Goals for Schooling (AEC, 1989), which included the goal that students develop skills in 'information processing and computing'. In 2005, MCEETYA released its Joint Statement on Education and Training in the Information Economy, proclaiming a new blueprint for ICTs to 'empower' teachers and raise the standards of students' learning outcomes. The 16 year period between AEC (1989) and MCEETYA (2005) is a telling one; espoused views on computing technologies and student learning shifted from an initial preoccupation with the teaching of computer skills, to focus more on issues of ICT access for all students (MCEETYA, 1999), the relevance of a 'whole school' approach to ICT teaching and learning (Curriculum Corporation, 2003), and more recently to issues of school based change management and teacher professional development (Henderson, 2004). If we listen closely to this shifting 'learnscape', we can discern a quiet mantra: in terms of ICTs in schooling, more is definitely better.

In Learning in an online world (MCEETYA, 2000) evidence of a governance approach to integrating 'more ICTs in schools' can be found. Iterations of what it means to integrate ICTs are rolled out as a suite of statements and frameworks including the Online Content Strategy (2004); Learning Architecture Framework (2003); Research Strategy (2003); and Bandwidth Action Plan (2003). Notably, a Pedagogy and a Leadership and Professional Learning Strategy (2005) earmark a new direction in ICT statements for schools. This is notable for two reasons; (1) until this release, pedagogy has been a silent space in the evolution of ICTs in schools, and; (2) leadership has for the first time been problematised in the ICTs in schools debate.