Hong Kong Computer Society - enterpriseinnovation.net

COVERSTORY
HKCS: 40 years
ICT Awards:
Elevating Industry and
Individuals
With an 11-year history, the ICT Awards has realized the Hong Kong
Computer Society’s original vision to recognize IT excellence and
highlight Hong Kong’s world class technology achievements
By Chee Sing Chan
What began in 1998 as an idea
to create an awards program
to raise the profile of technology
across general industry has today
become a fully-government-backed program
encompassing nine industry categories,
over 600 entries, and with winners
going on to represent Hong Kong in
regional competition.
Agnes Mak, HKCS Distinguished
Fellow and Chairperson of the Organizing
Committee of the first IT Excellence
Awards in 1998, recalled that it was a
real struggle to establish the program
as IT was only just getting recognition
from the government.
After making the case over a number
of years, the government granted funds
to start what was called the IT Excellence
Awards. It was organized by the
Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS)
and sponsored by the Information &
Technology Bureau and the Industry
Department.
Recognizing success
The original awards sought to recognize
two areas. One was for applications
in IT and to recognize the excellence
of IT being used by Hong Kong
businesses. This would reward the IT
teams responsible and also highlight
Hong Kong’s industry-leading use of
technology.
The second award area was for products
and to give recognition to Hong
Kong-developed commercial products
and services. The aim was that these
products would get greater awareness
not only locally but overseas as well.
The success of the IT Excellence
awards and ongoing encouragement of
HKCS have seen the program expand in
scope and coverage, and in 2006 it became
the ICT Awards with nine categories,
each organized and run by different
industry groups and associations.
The government is now fully behind
the scheme with regular funding and
support across the various industry
groups. HKCS now presides over the
“Best Business Award” segment which
continues the theme of awards for both
IT applications and products.
For glory and growth
Past ICT Award winners have gained
a huge boost in profile. Outblaze, which
won the Best Business Product Gold
Award in 2007, also went on to pick up
an award for Best Tools & Infrastructure
Application at the Asia Pacific ICT
Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2007. Outblaze
more recently sold its messaging
services assets to IBM in a landmark
deal for the Hong Kong technology industry.
While companies such as PCCW and
large enterprises and government bodies
like the Immigration Department, Housing
Authority and Airport Authority
have consistently won the ICT Awards
and APICTA, smaller companies have
shown their worth too recently.
PremiumSoft, a local open source
software firm won a unique triple
in 2008 with Best Business Product
award, Best Business Grand Award as
well as the overall Award of the Year.
With only 20 employees at the time, the
win symbolized the huge potential of
smaller businesses in Hong Kong.
The fact that a global
firm like Sun would
seek out PremiumSoft
is testament to the
recognition that the
award can create for
winners
—C K Wong, HKCS
According to Dr C K Wong, HKCS
Distinguished Fellow and chief assessor
for award nominations, he recommended
that Sun Microsystems talk to
PremiumSoft for collaboration in the
open source space and that was only
possible on the back of the ICT award.
“The fact that a global firm like Sun
would seek out PremiumSoft is testament
to the recognition that the award
can create for winners,” said Wong.
“These awards really help the overall
branding of these companies as well as
Hong Kong’s technology industry as a
whole,” said Stephen Lau, Distinguished
Fellow at HKCS and also Chairman of
APICTA. Lau has been involved in both
the ICT Awards and APICTA for as
long as they have been established and
has noted how both awards have risen in
status and prestige.
30 Computerworld Hong Kong Nov 2009 www.cw.com.hk