IT News Week 4 June 2015

For week 3 of Jun 2015, the most interesting news was the launch of Asia Pacific Digital Cloud Exchange in Johor by Huawei.

For this week / last week, here are / were the biggest news.
  • PR - Jun 25, 2015 - UTeM to add IBM Bluemix in R&D toolbox
  • PR - Jun 25, 2015 - Juniper Networks Expands Converged Supercore Architecture with PTX1000
  • PR - Jun 25, 2015 - Microsoft announces general availability of Office for Android phones
  • PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Tata Communications and Heathrow Express connect with new sponsorship dea
  • PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Kaspersky: Half of Internet Users Still Think Visiting Their Branch is Safer than Online Banking
  • PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Brocade Shows Leadership in Transition to New IP Networks with 2015 Leading Lights Awards
  • PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Juniper Networks and Ruckus Wireless Collaborates for Open Network Solutions
  • PR - Jun 23, 2015 - iFlix Signs Landmark Content Agreement With Disney
  • PR - Jun 23, 2015 - Oracle Extends World's Most Comprehensive Enterprise Cloud Portfolio
  • PR - Jun 23, 2015 - Nimble Storage Launches Infosight which Preempts Issues, Maintains Storage Health
  • Ovum - Jun 22, 2015 - Ovum forecasts FTTx optics to exceed US$1bn in 2015
  • PR - Jun 22, 2015 - SysArmy Set Up Push Plans for Next Level of IT Security
  • PR - Jun 22, 2015 - AMD Embedded G-Series SoC Powers New Line of Samsung All-In-One Thin Client Solutions
  • PR - Jun 19, 2015 - 11street Spreads Raya Joy with RM5 Million Giveaway Festive Campaign
  • PR - Jun 19, 2015 - iflix Forms Exclusive Strategic Partnership with PLDT Group
  • PR - Jun 19, 2015 - Huawei P8 & P8 Lite is now available in Malaysia
  • PR - Jun 18, 2015 - WeChat Announces New Desktop Program
  • PR - Jun 18, 2015 - Cartrack sees business opportunities for telematics in Asia
  • PR - Jun 18, 2015 - Intel Security & VMWare offer an integrated security solution to protect data traffic within a data center
  • PR - Jun 16, 2015 - Brocade Delivers First Open Turnkey SDN Solution for The New IP



PR - Jun 25, 2015 - UTeM to add IBM Bluemix in R&D toolbox

On June 1st 2015, Universiti Teknikal Melaka (UTeM) announced that it will use IBM technologies for research and development. UTeM students will conduct research and development in the areas of security testing, software engineering and promote the use of Bluemix and SoftLayer for mobile application development.

IBM Malaysia CFO Wong Chiun Chiek represented IBM at the signing ceremony while UTeM was represented by vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahibuddin.

R to L: IBM ASEAN ecosystem development leader Vincent Ler, IBM MalaysiaCFO Wong Chiun Chiek exchanging agreement documents with UTeM vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahibuddin and deputy vice chancellor for research and innovation Professor Ir Dr Mohd Jailani Mohd Nor

According to Prof Datuk Dr Shahrin, the collaboration with IBM was mooted following IBM Corporate Services Corp (CSC) program in Melaka in 2012. The CSC team consulted with the state's health department and World Youth Foundation and participated in a knowledge sharing dialogue at UTeM. Since then, IBM has worked closely with UTeM's Innovative Software System and Services research group led by Dr Massila Kamalrudin to pursue joint activities.

PR - Jun 25, 2015 - Juniper Networks Expands Converged Supercore Architecture with PTX1000

Juniper Networks, today extended its Converged Supercore® architecture with the introduction of the PTX1000, the industry’s most compact 3 Tbps fixed configuration core router.

The new two-rack unit (RU) router leverages Juniper’s recently announced ExpressPlus™ chipset for performance and efficiency gains while also giving service providers a platform that is right-sized to support the evolving needs of distributed peering in order to speed access to cloud services on the network.

PR - Jun 25, 2015 - Microsoft announces general availability of Office for Android phones

Microsoft announced today the general availability of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Android phone. The apps offer the same great touch-optimized Office experience currently available on Android tablets, but with a UI thoughtfully redesigned for a smaller screen.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Android phone join other great experiences we’ve delivered for the Android platform including Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive, and signal our final step in completing the Office experience on Android devices.

Lastly, just like Office for iOS and Android tablet, the core viewing, creating and editing experience is available for free. With an Office 365 subscription, users will be able to access subscription-only benefits such as more robust editing and authoring features; 1TB of OneDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype unlimited worldwide calling per month.

PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Tata Communications and Heathrow Express connect with new sponsorship deal

Announced today, Tata Communications, a leading provider of new world communications solutions, has teamed up with the Heathrow Express train service as part of its latest ‘connected’ brand experience. Headquartered in Singapore, the brand has embarked on a campaign that will see the Heathrow Express’s entire fleet of trains wrapped in Tata Communications livery. The partnership will also utilise on-board digital screens and TV-spots alongside digital airport panels and cross track advertising to raise awareness of its role as a global connector of businesses through its global network, cloud enablement and mobility solutions.

This is the latest in a series of high profile global marketing agreements. The company previously entered into a multi-year technology service and marketing agreement with Formula One Management in 2012, to deliver world-class connectivity to all Formula One® race locations over its world-first wholly-owned subsea fibre ring. It also is the first UK advertising sponsorship deal for Tata Communications.

PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Half of Internet Users Still Think Visiting Their Branch is Safer than Online Banking

The survey shows that a significant number of users (49%) feel vulnerable when making financial transactions online. Moreover, half (54%) reported they believe making payments offline is more reliable than online and 46% agreed that offline banking is the safer than online banking.

However, in spite of these fears, the majority of Internet users make online payments: 79% of those surveyed use their desktops or laptops for online payments, 52% use their tablets, 45% use their smartphones, and 12% of Smart-TV owners admitted using their Smart-TV for such operations. At the same time, according to the survey, one in five users do nothing to protect their financial data online.

PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Brocade Shows Leadership in Transition to New IP Networks with 2015 Leading Lights Awards

Brocade today announced that it has been named a winner in the Light Reading 2015 Leading Lights awards program in two distinct categories: its unique approach for the Brocade® SDN Controller won for Most Innovative SDN Product Strategy and the Brocade Virtual Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) solution won for Best New Product for Mobile. In addition, Brocade customer Telekom Austria Group was awarded Most Innovative NFV Deployment Strategy for Network/Data Center Operators for its Brocade-powered solution.

The Leading Lights program focuses on next-generation communications technologies, applications, services, and strategies. The winners were announced at an awards dinner at Chicago’s Field Museum on Monday, June 8 to coincide with the Big Telecom Event.

PR - Jun 24, 2015 - Juniper Networks and Ruckus Wireless Collaborates for Open Network Solutions

Juniper Networks, in partnership with Ruckus Wireless, Inc., unveiled a new technology alliance to deliver open, wired and wireless networking solutions for enterprise, government and education customer segments.

Both companies will collaborate to deliver unified wired and wireless solutions, as well as work on global go-to-market opportunities to deliver proven, carrier-class network performance, resiliency and scale to mid-size and large enterprise customers.

PR - Jun 23, 2015 - iFlix Signs Landmark Content Agreement With Disney

This partnership with The Walt Disney Company, the pre-eminent producer of entertainment for all ages, is another key milestone as iflix continues to grow from strength to strength. It is demonstrative of our commitment to both providing the absolute best content available to iflix subscribers across the region, and partnering with industry leaders in all categories inclusive of technology, content, distribution and investment to build a service that will revolutionise the entertainment industry in Southeast Asia.

PR - Jun 23, 2015 - Oracle Extends World's Most Comprehensive Enterprise Cloud Portfolio

Oracle has announced new additions to the Oracle Cloud Platform, a comprehensive, integrated suite of services that make it easier for developers, IT professionals, business users and analysts to build, extend and integrate cloud applications. With more than 24 new cloud services, the Oracle Cloud Platform extends Oracle’s leadership with the world’s broadest and deepest portfolio of SaaS, PaaS and laaS.

New Available Oracle Cloud services include, Oracle Database Cloud – Exadata, Oracle Archive Storage Cloud, Oracle Big Data Cloud, Oracle Integration Cloud, Oracle Mobile Cloud, and Oracle Process Cloud.

PR - Jun 23, 2015 - Nimble Storage Launches Infosight which Preempts Issues, Maintains Storage Health

Nimble Storage launches new cloud –connected management and support engine, InfoSight. InfoSight simplifies management and support with intelligent, analytics-driven automation to pre-empt issues, maintain storage health and manage growth. With the addition of VM-level monitoring capabilities, InfoSight now provides granular visibility into VMware virtual machine environments, enabling enterprise IT organizations to rapidly resolve resource contention issues and optimize performance.

Ovum - Jun 22, 2015 - Ovum forecasts FTTx optics to exceed US$1bn in 2015

According to a new forecast report* by Ovum, FTTx optics will reach a new record level in 2015, following a record-breaking 2014. The report forecasts FTTx optical components revenue exceeding US$1bn this year following a strong 2014 of US$953m. Next year will remain strong with a forecast of US$985m. Demand for PON equipment – both OLTs and ONTs – is driving the optics market to new record levels.

Julie Kunstler, Ovum principal analyst and author of the report, commented: “There are numerous positive factors driving the FTTx optics market to new levels including FTTH network deployments by China Mobile in addition to the continued network builds by China Telecom and China Unicom. Other positive factors include FTTH networks throughout the world, the bandwidth marketing fad as many operators push higher and higher bandwidth offerings – such as 1G, 2G, and even 10G –and the use of FTTx PON to support non-residential markets and applications such as enterprises and MBH (mobile backhaul).”

Other positive trends contributing to the strong growth are FTTx network deployments by several North American MSOs, Google Fiber's expansion plan, US telco deployment plans, European deployment plans, continued deployments in the Middle East, small deployments in SCA and Africa, and the movement towards FTTP or FTTH (which requires more PON ONT optics) versus FTTB.

PR - Jun 22, 2015 - SysArmy Set Up Push Plans for Next Level of IT Security

Sysarmy Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary under Systech Bhd, today shares that it will be pushing aggressively into the Malaysian enterprise market with its slew of cyber security solutions that will focus on ‘Pre-Event’ measures.

Hon Fun Ping, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of SysArmy, says that for the longest time, Malaysian enterprises – especially financial institutions, have been prioritizing on the ‘less critical’ aspects of IT security.

Hon Fun Ping, CEO, SysArmy


SysArmy provides managed Security Operation Center (SOCs) where it services clients by providing outsource IT security solutions through b2b subscriptions. The good thing about SOC's offering is that it combines all the best technologies from all leading IT security vendors around the world.

PR - Jun 22, 2015 - AMD Embedded G-Series SoC Powers New Line of Samsung All-In-One Thin Client Solutions

AMD announced that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. selected the AMD Embedded G-Series SoC (system on chip) for a new line of all-in-one cloud monitors featuring integrated thin client technology. The Samsung 21.5-inch TC222W and 23.6-inch TC242W are powered by AMD Embedded G-Series SoCs that couple high-performance compute and graphics capability in a highly integrated, low power design. The AMD SoC improves data transfer rates and saves space on the motherboard, which makes it a perfect fit for the compact form factors required by thin clients.

PR - Jun 19, 2015 - 11street Spreads Raya Joy with RM5 Million Giveaway Festive Campaign

In conjunction with the upcoming Raya festivities, 11street (www.11street.my), one of the largest online marketplaces in Malaysia today announced that its Hari Raya campaign is officially launched to give relief on consumers¹ festival shopping.

The Hari Raya campaign which began on June 1st, 2015 aims to give away more than RM5 million worth of discounts for over 130,000 product items under selected categories such as Fashion, Home & Living and Electronics.



11street¹s Chief Executive Officer, Hoseok Kim says, "Our Hari Raya campaign focuses on spreading the joy of the Raya celebrations by offering a wide variety of products range from fashion, accessories, personal gadgets, home appliance and more at great prices. We are committed to offer Malaysians more values via online shopping during this festive season."

PR - Jun 19, 2015 - iflix Forms Exclusive Strategic Partnership with PLDT Group

iflix, Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service, offering subscribers unlimited access to thousands of hours of entertainment for a low monthly price, today announced it has entered into a landmark strategic agreement with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) to provide iflix’s world-class service to customers of PLDT’s market-leading telecommunications, Internet, mobile and multimedia services in the Philippines.

Under the strategic agreement, broadband subscriptions of certain high-end PLDT HOME products will now include a monthly iflix subscription at no extra charge. Further, iflix will also be offered across all PLDT HOME and Smart platforms as a value added service at a price exclusive to PLDT customers. As an additional bonus, data used to stream iflix content will not count towards PLDT HOME and Smart customers’ data limits.

PR - Jun 19, 2015 - Huawei P8 & P8 Lite is now available in Malaysia

Huawei P8 comes in Titanium Grey and Mystic Champagne and is available at all Huawei authorized dealers with a retail price of RM1,799. The P8 is the culmination of the P series’ rich heritage of style and functionality, and is once again redefining the smartphone market with easy-to-use features that amaze and inspire consumers. Continuing the minimalist design from previous generations in the P series, the Huawei P8 embodies the ultimate in elegance, craftsmanship and durability.

The P8 Lite, a compact version of the P8 is retailed at a price of RM899 and is available in two colors – black and white. During the media briefing, Huawei also shared that its wearable TalkBandB2, tablet Huawei T1 and mid-range smartphone Huawei Y3 and Y5 are available in Malaysia as well.

PR - Jun 18, 2015 - WeChat Announces New Desktop Program

The new desktop program called WeChat Desktop that brings all the great features that users love from our popular social app to your computer screen, along with a few welcome additions. Users of the desktop program can now expect to have greater levels of productivity wherever they are with the help of useful tools like drag-and-drop file sharing and screenshot tools.

Both the desktop and mobile versions work seamlessly together as messages and files are synced across both devices, making it possible for users to work from one device to another without any interference. The program is available now so users can begin enjoying a new productive lifestyle wherever they are, be it at work, at a café or even at home!

PR - Jun 18, 2015 - Cartrack sees business opportunities for telematics in Asia

Cartrack, the leading provider of fleet management solutions, insurance telematics and vehicle tracking and recovery announced today its further expansion into Asia, propelled by strong financial results in 2015.

Based on the growing number of vehicles and the developing telematics market, Cartrack believes that there are significant opportunities for growth in Asia. Using the already well-established office in Singapore as a hub, new offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong were opened this year.

More than half of Cartrack’s business now comes from fleet management, as opposed to stolen vehicle recovery. Evert Ong, CEO of Cartrack Singapore said: “There is considerable growth coming from small medium sized businesses and large organizations looking to optimise their fleet and workforce.”

PR - Jun 18, 2015 - Intel Security & VMWare offer an integrated security solution to protect data traffic within a data center

Intel Security and VMware have recently announced a partnership to create an integrated solution that will allow customers to protect data traffic within their data centers.

The demand for cloud-based services among enterprises has increased in Southeast Asia, as Internet usage is growing faster than in any other part of the world. As recently reported, the data center construction market in Southeast Asia is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.05 % by 2019. In a separate report, Cisco expects global Internet traffic in 2019 to be 66 times the volume of the entire global Internet in 2005. The consequences of data breaches will only exacerbate in the future. Currently, a Ponemon Institute study found that the average consolidated cost of one data breach is already a staggering $3.8 million.

Craig Nielsen, Managing Director, Intel Security South East Asia: “Security remains a major challenge for data center managers especially in the current business environment of mobile, apps and the cloud, our partnership with VMware is a timely one. Organizations will be able to significantly reduce management costs and time-to-serve and attack surface and the integration of McAfee Network Security Platform and VMware NSX will provide support compliance and dynamic protection in a software-defined data center."

PR - Jun 16, 2015 - Brocade Delivers First Open Turnkey SDN Solution for The New IP

Organisations operating in today's New IP environment face increasing demands for cloud-based applications and need to support social, mobile, and Big Data initiatives. However, network performance combined with security-related attacks and breaches continue to impede delivery of services and create additional challenges to network and service reliability.

To respond to these challenges, Brocade today announced the Brocade® Flow Optimizer application and new SDN capabilities in Brocade MLX® Series routers.

“The fundamental network challenge most organisations face is that once they set up their networks the IT environment changes. Optimising the performance of those networks in a way that enables the network to better respond to those changes has been, for the most part, a manual process that rarely gets done, “ said Brocade Malaysia Country Manager Sean Ong.

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