Seventh issue . July - September 2012 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam

10DiscoverNEWSDiscoverNEWS11UBD hosts lecture series by “Deedat Plus”Dr. Zakir NaikUniversiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) had the pleasure of hosting a lecture series by the eminent Dr. Zakir Naik,a renowned international orator on Islam. Dr. Naik, who was ranked 62 on a list of “The 500 Most InfluentialMuslims in the World” (George Washington University, USA), presented a four-part lecture series during hisstay, covering “The role of the Muslim youth: challenges and realities,” “The changing role of women intoday’s society,” “Medicine in Al-Quran and As-Sunnah” and “Scientific facts and insights in the Al-Quran.”All of the lectures were well-attended and were the source of much discussion amongst participants.The late Sheikh Ahmed Deedat called Dr. Naik “Deedat Plus” and awarded him for his achievements inthe field of da’wah (propagation). During his stay, Dr. Naik also hosted a dialogue with youth leaders inBrunei.First Coffee@eG.InC session tacklescloud computingThe e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.InC)organised its first Coffee@eG.InC session on 12July as part of an e-Government forum, whichwas supported by the e-Government NationalCentre (EGNC). The session was attendedby eG.InC alumni from the first and secondbatch of the e-Government Executive TrainingProgramme (2011-2012), EGNC officers, as wellas representatives from relevant agencies in thegovernment and private sectors.eG.InC shortlisted at the FutureGov Awardsand Summit 2012The e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.InC) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) proved triumphant asthe Centre managed to bag the award for ‘Citizen Engagement’ in the FutureGov Awards and Summit2012 after being shortlisted as top two in the categories of ‘Business Process’ and ‘Citizen Engagement’.Winners of the FutureGov Awards were announced during the eighth annual FutureGov Summit at theFutureGov Gala Dinner on 19 October in Chiang Mai, Thailand and were featured in the September/October issue of the FutureGov magazine. Three government officials, Deputy Permanent Secretary (ITand e-Government) Tuan Adi Shamsul bin Hj Sabli, Director of the E-Government National Centre (EGNC)Muhammad Norshafiee bin Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Jalil and Deputy Director of eG.InC, Dr. Hjh Syamimibinti Hj Md Ariff Lim, attended the FutureGov Awards ceremony.The FutureGov’s ‘Business Process’ award category recognizes excellence in the alignment of businessprocess best practices with technology application whereas the ‘Citizen Engagement’ award categoryrecognizes the importance of citizens’ participation in governance to enhance better delivery ofgovernment services.The main topic of discussion was ‘Cloud Computingand Green Data Centres for e-Government’ andwas led by Mr. Charles Huh, the Vice President ofthe Cloud Business Department at Korea Telecom.The session was facilitated by Dr. Yong Chee Tuan,Acting Deputy Director of eG.InC.The discussion centred on issues around theincreasing demand of data transfer that requirescloud computing since existing IT resourcesoffer limited storage and computing power. Bigcompanies such as Goggle and Korea Telecomhave already harnessed cloud computing tomeet the ever changing IT environment. GreenICTs, with their particular emphasis on data centresolutions and effective cooling methods, haveaccordingly been utilised to fulfil the requirementsof environmental protection in accordance withinternational guidelines and energy consumptionusage. Over the course of the discussion, eG.InCalumni and other attendees raised some concernsabout the serious challenges faced by data centreoperators with regards to reducing energy costs.FutureGov Awards celebrates the successes of Asia-Pacific’s most forward-looking government, educationand healthcare organisations. In addition, the FutureGov Awards is the international benchmark used injudging public sector innovation and to recognize the most successful city modernisation programmesin the Asia-Pacific region. The awards are open to government, education and healthcare organisationsand city administrations.Founded by UBD and in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Korea Advanced Instituteof Science and Technology (KAIST), eG.InC was established to serve as an e-Government think-tank forresearch, training, and forums. The Centre’s mission to be a global leader for the sustainable developmentof an Information Society is in-line with the Brunei Vision 2035 to establish a knowledge-based economy.Coffee@eG.InC sessions aim to share bestpractices and experiences as well as learn aboutrelatively new emerging ICT and e-Governmenttopics through encouraging active discussionbetween various stakeholders (government,industries, academia, and internationalorganisations). The session is to be held monthly onan informal basis, and attendees are encouragedto raise issues, views, and opinions related toe-Government over coffee.