TechCentral: Columns: Industry Views

Busting three myths about the technology industry in Asia

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:43:10 GMT

A GROWING number of Asian companies are poised to emerge as global technology leaders, with their own cutting-edge products and a growing reputation for innovation.

Planning principles for IT comfort, cost control

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:52:24 GMT

IN TOUGH economic times, pressure on budgets across all areas of enterprises is demanding hard choices in IT investment, made even more problematic by the exciting possibilities — and potential problems — of new storage architectures.

Cloud governance is more than security

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:38:43 GMT

FOR many enterprises looking to increase operational agility, cloud computing increasingly looks to be a more flexible and efficient solution.

Lending a helping hand to World Vision

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:10:38 GMT

AS A MAJOR charity organisation, World Vision has missions in more than 100 countries all over the world. These missions are dedicated to providing relief, development and advocacy for children, families and communities, helping them to overcome poverty and injustice.

Designing for the future

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:54:46 GMT

THE environmental challenges we face every day are fundamentally failures of design: They represent unintended consequences of design decisions made with the best intentions. Climate change, resource depletion, water scarcity and other global environmental challenges all need to be addressed through breakthrough technologies and new business models.

The dawn of social business in Asia

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:41:05 GMT

THREE years ago, the hash (#) was no more than the button you pressed to get to the next set of instructions on an automated phone system. Today, with the invention of the hashtag, it has moved up the echelons of social consciousness to become part of everyday vernacular as 175 million Twitter users use it to mark keywords in their tweets.

Storage: In the pink of health

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:29:20 GMT

IMAGINE if your doctor could give you test results in minutes rather than days or weeks. Technology could make it possible, but only if the healthcare industry acknowledges it has a big problem: A data problem.

Technology can help businesses weather storms ahead

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:07:19 GMT

There is no denying that 2011 was another challenging year for businesses. The current economic uncertainties in the United States and Europe have been casting a gloom over all global markets this year, and Malaysia is not spared.

What technologies are up for 2012?

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:54:23 GMT

A little crystal-ball gazing to outline the Top Five technology trends to watch out for next year.

Simple steps for SMBs to keep their PCs shut to cybercriminals

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:55:16 GMT

With the diversity of security attacks globally, it is becoming increasingly difficult and complex for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to assemble the right in-house resources to protect themselves against the cyberthreats they face, whether it’s a data breach through the network, data leakage by employees, or lost laptops/mobile devices.

Plan for Agile self-organising project teams

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:51:18 GMT

IN MY first article on Extreme Scoping, I recommended an Agile software release approach for EDW/BI projects. I also mentioned that the project management function is performed by a four to five member core team and not by a single project manager.

Why cloud-computing projects fail

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:05:39 GMT

IN PRINCIPLE, the benefits of cloud computing are very attractive and as a result, organisations are naturally drawn to any kind of technology or capability that will improve the way they manage their operations.

Data governance, Part II

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:49:43 GMT

ENTERPRISE information management (EIM) is about the administration of data. Adrienne Tannenbaum said it best: “(EIM) is a function, typically dedicated to an organisation in IT, for maintaining, cataloging, and standardising corporate data.” This is done with the help of data stewards under the umbrella of a data strategy, and by establishing data-related standards, policies, and procedures. Michael Brackett’s definition of EIM goes a step further by suggesting that “(EIM) activities should be integrated with business planning.” This is an important point because EIM activities require active business participation.

Managing your data as a business asset

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:49:33 GMT

AFTER a decade of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and two decades into enterprise data warehousing (EDW), many business executives are still frustrated over their inability to trust their company’s data. They have spent millions on new technologies, only to find that the state of their data assets keeps deteriorating instead of improving. This significantly reduces the business value of their investments. One big reason for this continuing data chaos is that companies do not manage their data as a business asset.

Agile approach to enterprise data warehousing, business intelligence

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:57:01 GMT

THERE is unanimous agreement among Agile authors, experts, and practitioners that Agile software development methodologies work for small standalone systems with self-motivated developers and a participating user.

Cyberwars galore: Is the pen still mightier than the sword?

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:24:16 GMT

Worldwide connectivity and the amplification power of networks give politicians, propagandists, hackers, criminals, soldiers, spies, and revolutionaries good and bad ideas, as well as the opportunity to effect them in the real world.

One size does not fit all

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:20:48 GMT

THE world is entering a new era of computing where trillions of interconnected things will generate more data than ever before.

LTE — Bring it on!

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:40:34 GMT

WHAT’S the buzz about LTE? What is it and why is the world so excited about it? More importantly, how will it benefit you?

Into the cloud to escape spam

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:37:05 GMT

Cloud security solution creates efficiencies by being simple to set up and configure, and having a predictable cost structure, without the expense and hassle of hardware, software or maintenance.

Finding success in the long term

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:42:51 GMT

LONG-TERM Evolution (LTE) continues to emerge as the dominant platform for delivering next-generation wireless services.

Cloud-optimised networks boost business agility

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:21:16 GMT

WITH the advent of virtualisation, the maturation of “cloud” applications and services is well underway and will likely continue for at least the next decade.

IT dept heads, read this

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:38:30 GMT

THE last 24 months have brought an explosion of new devices, web applications, and social media platforms. With every new product release or social network launch, CIOs (chief information officers) are getting pressure from their employees, including senior executives, to open the corporate network to consumer devices and allow access to more of the Web. This migration of consumer devices like smartphones and Tablets into enterprise computing is making CIOs very nervous.

Harnessing the power of information

Wed, 18 May 2011 08:00:05 GMT

OVER IN Lascaux, southwestern France, there are a number of 17,000-year-old Palaeolithic cave drawings. One of them depicts a hunting scene. Like an instruction manual, this drawing could have demonstrated to the tribes how to kill animals during a hunt, where to target their arrows and spears. The success or failure in killing these animals determined the hunters' survival.

Face it, 4G beats 3G

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:21:22 GMT

EVERYONE knows how dedicated Steve Jobs is to his Apple products. Why then did he tie a major feature of the iPhone 4 — i.e. FaceTime — to WiFi instead of a 3G network?

Keeping information safe

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:28:46 GMT

WE ARE living in an information-rich world where one of the critical success factors lies in having access to the right information at the right time. Information on customers, markets and competitors is a critical asset that can help small and medium businesses (SMBs) grow by identifying and seizing opportunities.